Imprisoning the Lady Knight Kirino / Shirou the Lockpicking Dragonborn ...

Bang!!! The teapot shattered on the floor, and the tea inside spilled onto the carpet, corroding it and creating holes. The edges of the carpet turned an eerie color and emitted a pungent smoke.

"Huh?" Eriri stared blankly at the scene, her hand holding the teacup trembling slightly.

"You bastard, you actually did it! You actually dared to poison me!" A girl suddenly slammed her hand on the table and roared, her face darkening.

The next moment, with a loud bang, the table was overturned by the girl on the other side. A bloodthirsty crimson light flashed in her eyes, and she snorted:

"The thief cries 'stop thief!' You're the one who poisoned us! Don't think I don't know what you're thinking! You want to incite everyone to kill each other so you can monopolize all the benefits!"

"No way! I won't give it to you! Everything here should belong to me, the people! The castle! It's mine! It's mine, you bitch!"

"How could I possibly give it to you! Die! Everyone who gets in my way of happiness, die!"

"Wait... everyone, calm down..."

"You want to get in my way too?! Hah!" The wicked woman turned her head and pointed the tip of her knife at Eriri's face.

"Waaaaah!!!" Eriri cried and ran back to her room.

When high-level NPCs are influenced by a mysterious force and begin to show signs of corruption, Eriri realizes that there is actually nothing she can do.

Pressure! An unprecedented pressure, as if it were squeezing her flat, was imposed upon her. It made it difficult for her to breathe, made her feel nauseous, and dizzy. She felt like she was on the verge of depression.

The rapid development and constant changes in modern technology have brought convenience in terms of material enjoyment, but at the same time, they have also led to an increasingly depressed quality of people's spiritual life.

The convenience of mobile communication has brought you closer to your family and friends, but it also means you have to be on call 24/7, ready to receive messages and voice messages from your boss at any moment. With the arrival of the 5G era, you won't even be able to use the excuse of a bad cell phone signal anymore.

Mental health problems are becoming increasingly serious among modern people. According to statistics from the United Nations, less than 10 percent of the world's population is mentally healthy. In other words, out of every 100 people, more than 90 experience some degree of depression, anxiety, or pain.

People are beginning to take the profession of mental health professionals seriously, viewing it as a type of illness, just like a cold or fever. People understand that stress needs to be released, and that bottling it up can easily lead to illness. Some people go to karaoke, some choose to smoke, and some choose to drink, but when faced with truly frustrating situations, they still inevitably experience sleepless nights.

In today's society, everyone is sensitive and no one is a pushover. If you get scolded by a teacher or a leader, you're bound to feel uncomfortable for a long time.

And what kind of environment did Shirou and the girl find themselves in? It was a closed-off ancient castle where death could come at any moment. There were no police, no protection, only unknown terror. It was like being exiled to a deserted island with a group of death row inmates. If you don't resist, do you expect them to obey the law?

Inside the castle, everyone is a desperate outlaw, a madman who could turn to the dark side at any moment. How could Eriri, a weakling among ordinary people, possibly be a match for them?

Fortunately, she wasn't alone. Shirou, who had been lying in wait, came to her aid. It turned out he had been searching for a solution all along, keeping a low profile to avoid alerting the monster. After Shirou intervened, he managed to calm the monster, which was on the verge of going berserk.

However, the balance within the castle has collapsed, and the girls could turn into monsters who fight each other at any moment due to stimulation.

That night, Eriri sensed something was wrong and rushed to Shirou's room in her pajamas. Thunder rumbled in the sky, and the howls of a madwoman echoed from the castle from time to time.

Eriri was so frightened that she burrowed into Shirou's bed, trembling. She was truly afraid...

In short, Eriri, by her own will, united with the boy that night.

Therefore! She absolutely refuses to accept Utaha Kasumigaoka's statement; her happiness will be something she has to fight for herself. In fact, she is not alone in sharing this will, for example, the orange-haired girl on the other side.

Chapter 776 Imprisoning the Female Knight Kirino

Kirino failed...

The girl sat slumped in a closed, sealed room. Apart from the iron gate, the four sides were made of earthen walls made of stones and yellow mud, making it airtight and seemingly a deep basement.

Torches hung on the wall, serving as the only source of light. By their light, one could see iron nails hammered into the wall, connecting one end of black iron shackles to the girl's wrists and ankles, while the other end was locked to her wrists and ankles.

These are the things that happened to the girl in the world of the story.

The long black chain swayed slightly with the girl's breathing, without making a clanging sound. The orange-haired girl was injured; her knight's armor had a fist-shaped dent in her abdomen, and there were obvious signs of wear and tear elsewhere. There were also marks on her face from sharp weapons, and red marks from spitting blood remained at the corner of her mouth.

She looked just like a ship girl, pitiful after being moderately damaged. It seemed she had gone through a fierce battle, been defeated, and was imprisoned here.

After entering this bizarre world, Kousaka Kirino quickly accepted its worldview. As a teenager in the internet age, she was naturally familiar with the world-famous culture of time travel and reincarnation.

After all, she had always dreamed of being transported to a world with cute little sisters, like Sora, Destiny's Little Sister, Sister Link, Three's Company, or Re: Zero -Starting Life with a Little Sister. She had long wanted to go to that kind of other world filled with all sorts of little sisters.

In this world, she is the granddaughter of a knight commander and a female knight who has received knightly training since childhood! Her body is also very agile and powerful, as if she has practiced martial arts, and she has excellent swordsmanship. She is practically the template for the protagonist.

Unfortunately, she's not the older brother here; she's just the younger sister. A younger sister with knightly attributes—how annoying! Yet so adorable, even she feels jealous!

The other girls, while outwardly resembling acquaintances and friends like Ayase, Kuro Neko, Saori, and others attending the anime convention, are all undeniably top-tier beauties upon closer inspection; it's just a pity they're not young enough.

However, she quickly realized that they weren't the real people, but rather higher-level NPCs. The Kuro Neko had the same chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) tendencies, but there were still some differences.

But from a setting perspective, it's really appealing to have so many younger sisters! What a wonderful world! It's just that she's not the older brother! Kirino was envious and jealous of Shirou back then. If the younger sisters here were any cuter, she probably would have abandoned the enemy and killed Shirou first.

However, as the explanation meeting regarding the distribution of the city lord's estate unfolded, some changes gradually occurred.

Kirino, true to her father's lineage as a police officer, astutely noticed the lord's suspicious behavior and secretly followed the maid, conducting investigations in various ways.

Kirino sensed the eeriness of the place, and the other female NPCs, for reasons unknown, became increasingly unstable, exhibiting a tendency to be hostile towards each other.

So Kirino followed the two servants, wanting to see what they were doing. But when night fell, the two servants showed no sign of resting and went somewhere else.

Kirino tiptoed after them, but just as they reached a corner of the castle, the two servants suddenly stopped. At that moment, a Black Shadow grabbed their wrists, covered their mouths, and pulled them into the darkness.

The two servants turned around and saw nothing, so they turned back to their work. They pressed the handle of the next door, and a tunnel opened up underground.

Outside, the shadows dragged Kirino into an empty room and then released her.

Kirino turned around and saw that it was Shirou, the male protagonist she was jealous of and everyone's older Shirou.

Kirino wasn't nervous at all. She looked at Shirou and asked, "Huh? When did you follow me here?! You were tailing me!"

"Don't make any rash moves. You almost got discovered just now," Shirou stopped the girl.

"Huh? So you were also dragged into this world?" Kirino asked.

"Well, if you trust me, then don't investigate anymore; we'll be exposed soon," Shirou said.

"Huh? You think hiding like you will solve everything?" Kirino frowned and questioned Shirou.

"Think what you want, but don't do anything reckless! I won't be able to save you next time." Shirou said, then turned and left without looking at Kirino.

"That guy! He's just a coward! What's with all the arrogance!" Kirino glared at Shirou's departing figure with displeasure.

At that time, Kirino was meeting Shirou face-to-face for the first time; they were practically strangers. However, due to her personality and environment, her first impression of Shirou was actually quite bad, and they didn't understand each other's thoughts at all. So Kirino quickly forgot what Shirou had said.

Now that she understood that the castle lord was behind it all, the strong-willed Kirino naturally wouldn't stand idly by. She rummaged through the castle and found suitable armor and a sword, ready to duel these villains who wanted to harm her! In this dreamlike world, she treated it like a game and had nothing she wouldn't dare to fight.

"Hiding won't get you anywhere. In the end, it's still up to me, your grandma, to save the world." Kirino gripped her sword tightly and stormed into one of the servants' rooms. She didn't dare to be reckless; instead, she chose to deal with them one by one.

Then... she was defeated.

That servant wasn't human at all, but a monster! She couldn't even touch him before being defeated. Kirino never expected that the two servants possessed such terrifying, inhuman power, using their bodies to block the sword's edge before grabbing her and knocking her unconscious with a single punch.

When she woke up again, she found herself imprisoned in a secret underground chamber.

The girl lay forlornly on the ground covered with dry grass, unable to see the moonlight, unable to distinguish between day and night, and unaware of the time. She was like a cricket caught in a jar, flailing its claws and leaping about, merely for someone's amusement.

The girl prayed in her heart, hoping that a hero, dressed in a red battle robe and riding on auspicious clouds of seven colors, would come to rescue her from this place.

In the stillness of the night, the sound of heavy stones being moved could be heard outside. However, this time it was different; the person who entered was moving very quietly. Kirino could barely hear the footsteps unless she listened carefully. The light footsteps approached the prison little by little, and soon they arrived at the prison door.

"It's you! How did you find this place?" Kirino whispered.

Shirou, with short red hair and dressed in a black night outfit that allowed for easy movement, walked in.

"Don't make a sound, I'll figure out a way to get you out right now."

Kirino stared wide-eyed, and nodded blankly in surprise. She never expected that Shirou, whom she had always regarded as a coward, would come to save her.

Chapter 777 The Locksmith's Takara Shirou

Inside the secret room, Shirou took out two thin iron wires to use as lock picks, walked to the iron gate of the secret room where the girl was imprisoned, and put them into the keyhole.

Shirou skillfully used both hands, hooking the lock pick into the inner slot. This required applying even force; if it got stuck, it might break. If the wire got stuck inside, the lock couldn't be opened.

He turned the left side clockwise, feeling his way to the approximate location, then turned the right lock pick counterclockwise. With a click, the lock on the outside of the iron fence was unlocked.

"Alright, it's unlocked. Luckily, it's this old-fashioned lock. Now, open the door and come in." Shirou wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded to the girl inside.

"Hmm... I didn't expect you to have such a skill," Kirino said in surprise. It was just like the Dragonborn from The Elder Scrolls.

"I'm just better at repairing these kinds of things," Shirou replied. Although he didn't have magic power because his body was that of the protagonist, he had retained the technical skills. Although he was a little rusty, he could still do it with more practice.

Shirou pushed open the iron gate, entered the secret room, and knelt down beside the girl, asking with concern, "Kirino, are you alright? Are your injuries serious?"

"I'm fine. I have the combat experience of a female knight; these are just minor injuries," Kirino said somewhat embarrassedly. "And... thank you."

"Yes, you're welcome. Just bear with it a little longer, and we'll be able to escape." Shirou nodded, and using the wire he had used earlier, he silently unlocked the girl's shackles.

"Hmm..." Kirino nodded, but the atmosphere felt a little different.

The girl looked at the boy who was earnestly unlocking the phone for her, and thought that his face was especially handsome at this moment. It was the first time she had ever thought that a boy could be so handsome.

A man who is serious is the most handsome; perhaps that's the reason. Especially when this man is serious about himself, almost no one can remain unmoved.

Kirino's heart was pounding. Her previously carefree and argumentative nature, which she used to be willing to argue with anyone, had suddenly turned quiet for some reason.

As the girl stood up, she loosened her chains and suddenly shrank towards the wall, as if pulled by some force. Then some mechanism was activated!

"Oh no!" Kirino looked towards the door, her expression suddenly changing drastically as she cried out in alarm.

Shirou's expression changed as well! Something unexpected had happened.

Rumble!!! At this moment, the ground trembled where the iron fence had been, and then a thick stone slab mechanism rose up from the ground, sealing the exit and replacing the opened iron fence, leaving only a gap the size of a human head, completely sealing Shirou and the girl inside.

"Damn it! How could there be such a mechanism!" Kirino gritted her teeth and said fiercely.

"Come out! You've been watching all along, haven't you!" Shirou roared.

Clap clap clap~!

Just then, applause came from outside. It was the city lord of this world, accompanied by two servants, clapping leisurely as he walked towards them. He stood at the doorway with a neurotic smile on his face.

"What a pity! What a pity! What a shame! I'll have to ask you to stay here with this girl for a while from now on," the city lord said with a smile to the young man and woman inside through the crack.

"Didn't you say they were all asleep?! How careless of you! You idiot!" Kirino yelled at Shirou. Now they've lost everything!

"Damn it! They really did set up a surveillance Magic Circle. Looks like I was discovered from the start," Shirou said helplessly.

The lord of this city is a strange nobleman dressed in a reflective gold outfit, with servants behind him also wearing beige clothes. He is similar to Roswaal, Shirou encountered in another parallel world, both of whom encourage inbreeding to produce offspring suitable for possession. They are ruthless and possess magical power that ordinary people cannot resist.

"Hey! What do we do now?! Use whatever tricks you have up your sleeve, run if you can! Don't worry about me!" Kirino asked anxiously. They were now in a hopeless situation, like turtles trapped in a jar!

"Don't worry! He doesn't seem to intend to kill us," Shirou reassured the girl.

"You're quite composed, which is good. If you were the kind of useless man, you wouldn't be of any use in procreation. Hmm... judging from Nian's current performance, although he risked his life to save someone, which was certainly reckless, he's still passable. Otherwise, I would have had to choose other candidates."

"Damn it! What do you want to do by arresting us?!" Kirino shouted angrily.

"Hehe, someone! Light incense!" The city lord smiled mysteriously, not answering directly, but instead instructing the servants behind him.

"Yes!" The servant behind him respectfully brought over a strange medicinal incense, placed it in a basin, lit it, and immediately emitted a cloud of purple smoke. He placed the basin near the entrance to the secret chamber, and the smoke drifted inside with the wind.

This time, Shirou's face showed a solemn expression.

"What is that thing!?" Kirino asked, her face changing. She thought of a really nasty thing, the kind that only appears in doujinshi, like the ability possessed by the fifth-ranked person in Academy City. Unfortunately, the user wasn't a mischievous but still kind-hearted blonde middle school girl with a great figure, but rather a lewd and depraved old man.

Hmm?... Isn't that just like the city lord here?

"Hehehe, hahaha, then enjoy yourselves. Hopefully, you'll bring me results soon." The city lord chuckled and left.

"Wait! Don't go! What else do you mean?" Kirino shouted, feeling a chill run down her spine from the strange laughter.

With a series of cracking sounds, the stone door continued to rise, completely blocking the exit. Only small gaps remained in the surrounding walls to allow air to circulate. At this moment, purple smoke drifted in from there, then turned into tiny particles invisible to the naked eye and merged into the air.

This is a medicine developed by the city lord, inspired by some mysterious power. Continuous inhalation of this medicine will affect human thinking, causing various emotions to arise involuntarily.

At this moment, Kirino was telling her in her heart that the Kuro Neko, who was the one who suggested making such a thing, had been cursing the urban legend about the world in the story over and over again!

'It's me!!!' Kirino cried out in despair, clutching her head.

Chapter 778 A lone man and woman locked in a secret room

Shirou, who came to rescue the female knight, was imprisoned in a secret cell in the dungeon along with her.

"Idiot! Don't worry about me, just run away yourself!" Kirino scolded angrily.

"Stop nagging! I'll get you out of here no matter what! So just you wait!" Shirou ignored the girl's curses and continued to untie her shackles.

He ignored the girl's insults and went to save himself.

"Alright, the chains on your hands are off. Put your feet over here!" Shirou slammed the chains on the girl's hands against the wall and said to her.

"What?! What?! You said you were here to rescue people, I thought you were some kind of hero! But you were captured as soon as you came in! You weren't helpful at all!" Kirino shouted hysterically.

"Ah... is that so?" Shirou grabbed the girl's foot without ceremony, forcibly placed it on his thigh, and unlocked her shackles.

Kirino glared at Shirou with displeasure at Shirou attitude, but remained silent. While she outwardly appeared dissatisfied, she was actually deeply moved. She had initially thought him a cowardly Shirou who only knew how to hide, but he had risked his life to save her.

But she was also exasperated; why was someone like him caught so easily?

Ultimately, the girl still hated herself. If she hadn't been so reckless, if she hadn't been so weak, she wouldn't be in this situation. Faced with being locked in a secret room, no one could remain completely unaffected.

The human mind is very complex, and often it cannot be explained by common sense alone. However, no matter what kind of emotion it is, there is actually a certain reason behind the body's functioning.