Dropping Objects from a Height

After I returned to the basement, Aisha went back to looking as though she were on her last breath.

I did not expose her on my own initiative either. It felt rather nice, playing along with her act like this.

After eating a few quick bites, Aisha had already recovered more than half her strength.

She also began calling me her benefactor.

And kept selling her misery in front of me.

"This humble girl has been alone and helpless since childhood. My mother was a maid in an ordinary household. Because she had a little beauty, the male master took a fancy to her while the mistress was pregnant. She became pregnant through adultery, and in the end, conceived me.

Because of that, my mother was nearly driven out of the house by the mistress. Dragging her weak body, freshly delivered, and carrying newborn me, she had to fend for herself in the ice and snow.

Fortunately, that tragedy did not happen in the end. Though I was the family head's daughter, every day I could only follow my mother and do a maid's work with her.

Mother also kept instilling in me that when I grew up, I had to serve the son of the main wife. In other words, my elder brother.

My life was so dark and bleak. Even so, Mother and I managed to survive with all our strength. Unfortunately, good times do not last long. A sudden light in the sky brought Mother and me to Shirone.

Because we had not a coin on us when we were teleported, my mother carried me on her back and wanted to seek help from the magician who had once served as a home tutor in our household. At the time, Mother thought she was working as a court magician in Shirone Kingdom.

But in the end, that magic teacher had already left Shirone, and Mother and I were imprisoned by Prince Pax.

Mother is now being tortured by Pax, while I have been locked up here alone. When I grow up, I suppose I will share the same fate as Mother.

Benefactor, you need not bother with us. Thank you for bringing me food. I am truly grateful to you."

Wow. This accusation of her own miserable life was simply perfect. According to my understanding of the original work, ninety-nine percent of what she said was true; the only questionable point was the part about becoming pregnant through adultery.

But for any man with sympathy, it would be impossible to look at such a situation and pretend not to see it.

So I behaved like an indignant young man and declared:

"Little girl, don't worry. Even if I must climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of flames, I, Dolin Grey, will save you and your mother from this cage.

Where is your mother now? I will make full preparations at once. I cannot save only you and leave you to live on alone and helpless in this world."

Like an adorable little girl, Aisha blinked her eyes and looked at me with a pitiful gaze as she said:

"My mother is locked in the room next to Prince Pax's. His imperial guards watch over her twenty-four hours a day. Benefactor, it should be rather difficult for you to get close to that room.

But because of my tragic experience, the one guarding that room, Miss Ginger York, sympathizes with me very much. Unfortunately, the prince has something on her, so she did not choose to release Mother and me. If you can find her, perhaps you can have her help."

Was she this thorough? She had already connected every link in the chain. What a genius little kid.

I nodded seriously. "All right. I will go speak with Miss Ginger tonight. When the time comes, I will bear the crime of breaking someone out of prison alone.

That way, she will let us off too."

Just like that, I was successfully hoodwinked by Aisha into saving the two of them and taking them out of the city.

After the night-shift replacements arrived, I left my post guarding Aisha. When I was about to leave, the tiny look Aisha gave me with tears brimming in her eyes was truly lifelike.

If she had been born in the era of my previous life, being a child star would have been more than enough for her. Maybe she could have kept acting from her teens all the way into her sixties with no problem at all. A natural acting talent.

After arriving at the imperial guard dormitory, I found Ginger York and asked her out alone.

When we reached a deserted alley, Ginger spoke to me first:

"You're the new Dolin, aren't you? I can roughly guess what you want. I can help you, but what I want to tell you is that this girl is absolutely not simple. You have most likely been deceived by her."

I pretended to be bewildered and replied, "Do you know some inside story? Where did she deceive me? I feel like everything she said was very real."

Ginger got a little stuck. After hesitating for a while, she said:

"What she said is indeed true. I also confirmed it with her mother. But she is absolutely not that kind of weak little girl. The purpose of saying all this is to make you take her and her mother away from here.

And what I have to tell you is that Pax also knows this little girl is seeking help from the imperial guards to escape this place. If you take her away and are caught by Pax, you and your family will all become slaves. Then he can seize you and sell you for money.

That little girl has already incited three people before you to take her away from here. Guess why she is still locked in that prison?"

I was a little speechless. Put together, this was still entrapment. Pax was a smart man too. Knowing he had no handle on me, he simply created one. That way, he could control me.

Although he and Aisha had not colluded, in a certain sense, the two of them really did have a cooperative relationship.

One deceived people into taking them away from here, while the other waited for someone to take them away, so he could find an excuse to seize that person and make him a slave.

It could be called the ancestor of the jobless honey trap. It looked like Pax currently had the upper hand. But this matter suited my wishes perfectly. I happened to want to try what it felt like for this kind of honey trap to kick an iron plate. I had wanted to experience it in my previous life.

I said to Ginger:

"As long as she did not lie to me about her experiences, that is enough. What imprisoned person would not want to leave the sea of bitterness and regain freedom? I have no family in Shirone, and I'm not afraid of being captured by Pax.

If there is a chance to save such a little girl, but I give it up for the sake of my own safety, I fear I will not sleep well for the rest of my life.

Miss Ginger, you are a kind person. I will not implicate you. When it is your shift later, I will secretly pretend to knock you out. Then you will be cleared of suspicion. What do you think?"

Ginger nodded helplessly. In her eyes, this was yet another kind young man about to be framed by Pax and dragged into the abyss. Although she also had a strong sense of justice, her family was still in Pax's grasp, so she had no way to resist.

The next night was my night shift, and by coincidence, Ginger was also on the late shift on her side.

Late at night, I first went to Ginger's side and pretended to knock her out. Then I rescued Lilia.

After I opened the door, a woman with wine-red hair, framed glasses, proper features, and skin that was slightly wrinkled was sitting listlessly on the bed. Long years of imprisonment had likely worn down her will, making her appear rather weary.

My arrival did not bring her much spirit either. I stepped forward, saluted, and stated my purpose this time:

"Greetings, Miss Lilia. I am Dolin Grey. I have accepted your daughter's request, and I will take you away from here."

The woman was a little listless, as if she had not heard me clearly. I could only say it again by her ear.

Only after I repeated it twice did she snap back from her daze and react.

"Oh, are you talking about Aisha? How is my daughter now? Where is she?"

Lilia clutched my clothes with a trace of hysteria. I could only use intermediate holy-strike-class magic to soothe her mind—Holy Lament of Serenity.

After I cast Holy Lament of Serenity, Lilia's condition recovered somewhat, and she let go of my clothes. She sat up straight again, but her eyes still stared at me without blinking.

I could only answer her helplessly:

"I'm here to take you away from this place at the request of your daughter, Aisha Greyrat. She is in good condition right now. She has been trying to seek help the entire time and has not given up.

She is currently in a prison nearby. I am the guard of that prison. I will take you to find her first, and then we will leave this city together."

After Lilia recovered her spirits, some color returned to her complexion as well. That gloomy feeling was gone. "Thank you very much. Let us go now. You are a brave and just knight. I don't even know how I should express my gratitude to you."

I waved my hand and said, "Saving you and your child is an act based on justice. I do not need your thanks. This is no place to linger. We leave now."

After that, I removed the manacles and shackles from Lilia's body. I took her with me out of this cell and headed for the cell where Aisha was being held.

Because I was the only one guarding that cell, we soon reunited with Aisha.

I gave each of them a cloak, letting them cover their appearances and clothing, then headed toward the outside of the palace city.

Shirone was a small country. Its land area was actually about the same as Fittoa Territory, even a little smaller than my hometown, Donadi Territory.

So this country's royal palace was not actually large. It did not have the magnificent decorations of the Silver Palace. Apart from the main hall, where there was a splendid palace with local characteristics, the other places were basically civilian houses enclosed by walls.

As an unfavored prince, Pax's residence was even more remote.

We wove through all sorts of two-story earthen houses. After walking for about twenty minutes, Lilia and Aisha were both exhausted and panting. They had probably been imprisoned for too long and had not been active for a long time.

We found an inconspicuous corner and provided them both with water and food.

After resting for about another ten minutes, Lilia stood up strongly. I carried Aisha on my shoulder, and we continued forward together.

The city gate was already close at hand. After Lilia saw the gate, she appeared extraordinarily happy.

When there were still fifty meters to the city gate, she had already begun to run without realizing it. But I held her back.

After all, the person I was waiting for had already appeared.

I saw more than thirty armed guards appear one after another on both sides of the road at the city gate. Mixed in among them was a fat man with a watermelon-bowl haircut.

The fat man shouted loudly, "See that? This is my Imperial Guard. Every day, instead of thinking about how to obey my orders, they spend all day thinking about how to resist me.

Privately taking imprisoned criminals out—hey, you, the new one. Do you know what crime you've committed?"

The fat man pointed at me with his finger. This "new one" probably referred to me, right?

I replied, "Lord Pax, these two people are both innocent. Your private imprisonment of them is illegal in itself. I don't think I've done anything wrong."

"Hmph, twisting words and forcing logic. Don't concern yourself with why I imprisoned them. Right now, if you release them, you are disobeying my orders. I'm going to sell you off and degrade you into a slave.

When I turn back, I'll also send people to Asura, seize your parents too, and degrade them into slaves. I'll let your whole family reunite. Not a single one of your family will get away.

You lot, go and seize him for me."

The few guards standing in front hesitated as they prepared to draw their weapons.

But at that moment, Aisha stepped forward. She shouted at that group of people, "Big brothers and big sisters, my mom and I really were transported here by a disaster.

We went to the palace only because we wanted to look for Roxy Migurdia, who was once a court magician here.

My mom and I have never done a single thing that harmed Heaven and reason, yet we were imprisoned by that prince for three years.

What exactly did we do wrong? Why are you helping such a vicious prince?

At long last, a kind person is going to save us and take us out, but you still want to help that prince lock us back up and degrade the kind person into a slave.

Why do you have to help Zhou commit tyranny? What benefit is there in that for you? Doesn't your conscience hurt?"

When Pax, in the crowd, heard those words, he laughed out loud.

"Little girl, you don't understand. I'm holding leverage over every single one of these people. Even if you talk until your lips split, no one will help you.

Even if one or two people suddenly lose their minds and are willing to help you, I'll catch them and degrade them into slaves too. When the time comes, I can even make money by selling these people off.

Look, isn't that killing two birds with one stone? I even have to thank you! Including this person now, you've already brought me four slaves for free.

You really are my lucky star.

You lackeys, what are you still hesitating for? Aren't you afraid I'll sell off your parents, wives, and children at home?

If you keep hanging back and refuse to move, I'll pick one from each family, and when the time comes, I'll sell them all as slaves. Hurry up and get moving!"

Although this fat man's words were infuriating, the Imperial Guards standing in front still stepped forward and drew their weapons.

In the end, Aisha was still a child. After seeing the weapons, she became a little afraid. Lilia stepped forward and held her in her arms, then turned back and said to me, "Benefactor, please hurry and escape. Aisha and I do not have the fate to leave this place. I'm sorry, we have dragged you down this time.

If you have the chance to escape outside, you can go to Fittoa Territory, to a place near Roa City called Buena Village, and look for a knight named Paul Greyrat. After you find him, tell him Aisha and I are here. Have him come save us.

If there comes a day when we can get out, Aisha and I will definitely work hard to repay your kindness."

What truly kind people. I shook my head helplessly.

I stepped forward and faced the people who were about to attack me. I said nothing more. After all, I already had a reason to make my move.

I cast a swamp on the ground. A swamp was actually a very simple intermediate earth-element spell.

I poured in as much mana as I could, expanding the area of the spell and sinking all the enemies into the mud pit.

After all, they were not exactly eager, and the guards who attacked me had not used much strength either. Very quickly, every one of them was trapped in the swamp.

Then I used Icicle Field to freeze all the enemies in the swamp. The people in the mud pool, who had already found it extremely hard to move, suddenly could not pull their legs free at all.

In the frozen swamp, everyone's legs were iced into the mud pit. Once the mud pit froze, it formed permafrost, making it impossible for them to pull their legs out.

I strolled leisurely toward Pax.

"May the great blessing of flame descend upon the place thou seekest! O fierce and raging fire, burn that great boon to ashes! Big Fireball!"

In his flustered rage, he actually cast magic at me as I came over.

With a wave of my hand, I used Water Ball and dissolved his Big Fireball.

After I reached him, I used the hilt of my sword to give his fat, fleshy face one huge slap. Then, to make it look nice and symmetrical, I slapped the other half of his face too.

I pinched his fat face and asked, "So? Are you still going to demote me into a slave now?"

Then I heard him say indistinctly, "You won't get away. You actually dared to hit me. Do you know who I am? I am the seventh prince of the Shirone Kingdom, Pax Shirone. You're dead."

Not bad. He actually did not beg for mercy.

Just in case, I made a simple gag with earth magic and stuffed it into his mouth. Then I pulled him out of the earth. Like a piece of cargo, I laid him sideways across the back of the horse they had ridden here on, then rode toward the outside of the city.

Lilia also held Aisha and followed behind me, riding toward the outside of the city together.

Perhaps because I had not used any particularly powerful magic this time, the people I had frozen in place could not escape before the ground thawed. Even after we had run several hundred meters outside the city, no pursuers came after us.

But to save time, and because I did not want to face too many pursuers...

We reached a grove outside the city. I had Lilia hold Aisha tightly, grabbed Pax's hair with one hand, held Lilia and Aisha with the other, and used flight magic to fly south.

After flying a very long distance, I picked an excellent feng shui spot, and in midair, I let go of Pax's hair.

After all, he had been whining nonstop in the air, and he was honestly far too fat. If I were only bringing Lilia and Aisha, that would have been fine. Bringing Pax along wasted too much magic.

Seeing me so casually throw Pax down from the sky...

Aisha and Lilia both widened their eyes.

Their hands unconsciously covered their small mouths, and they let out screams of "Ah!"