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The metallic plates got torn off with loud sounds. They were just there to fend off rain from soaking in, so they weren’t that thick. I managed to tear them off more easily than I expected, and threw them to the side.

They gave off loud clatters, but the violent battle sounds from the lower floor overwhelmed it. Considering that I could hear cracking sounds mixed in it, it looked like Den was going wild breaking the finished drugs too.

I should praise him for doing good work later.

From under the plates, the tattered wooden roof showed its face. Even with the plates on them, after years of weathering, they had gotten quite brittle. They couldn’t endure an attack from me who was using Enchant, so it easily opened up a hole in the ceiling.

I quickly widened it and then jumped right in and landed next to Michelle.

The three seemed surprised at my sudden landing. Their reactions were natural, as the person who Cloud depended on to save them turned out to be a girl like me. But that was beside the point now. I cut the ropes binding with my katana, setting Michelle, Cloud, and another man with a scar on his cheek, free.

Michelle was unconscious since she was made to drink the drug they made. I brought the antidote I got from Maxwell to her mouth but she didn’t swallow it down.

“What’s that?”
“An antidote. At this rate, Michelle will turn into a Fungus.”
“Fungus?!”

It seemed that they weren’t aware of the ingredients, so the fact shocked them.

“If you intake too much of it, it will progress your Fungus mutation and you will turn into a monster. I’m having them drink the antidote just in case.”
“W-What about us…?”
“Did you drink the drug?”
“Sometimes.”
“Then, it would be better if you take it too. You would need a high-grade antidote, though.”
“We don’t have that kind of money!”
“Like I care.”

They weren’t enemies, but it was hard to call them allies either. I had no plans to share a valuable high-grade antidote to people like them.

I needed to share it with Cloud on top of Michelle. And there was another hostage too. He was most likely a victim too, so I had to detoxify him as well.

“Please don’t say that…”
“If you’re fine now, it means it’s still within the tolerance level. Not sure what would happen if you leave it be, though.”
“Then—”
“I don’t plan to look after you to that point. You reap what you sow.”
“Kh…”

The men swallowed their words at my declaration. They should be grateful I let them live after they messed with Michelle.

“W-We’re sorry. So please, we beg you…”

They contemplated on what excuse to make for a few seconds, but then they decided to honestly apologize. It was a simple entreaty, their expressions warped in despair, on the verge of tears. Those were the expressions of people who were really regretting their choices.

Well, I guess Michelle’s chastity was saved thanks to them, so it wouldn’t be good to corner them any further.

“Well, I will put a word in with Maxwell for you. But don’t expect too much. Be ready to blow out double the market price on them.”
“Really?! Thank you!”

High-grade antidotes weren’t easily found at Guilds or medicine stores either. If people like them went to insist they sold it to them, they would just get turned back at the door.

They would be able to get it through Maxwell, so they should thank me for it.

“S̲h̲i̲t̲…I can’t get her to drink it.”

Having lost consciousness, Michelle couldn’t swallow the medicine held in her mouth and spilled it out.

“Can’t be helped, I’ll just use my mouth to—”

As I was talking, I felt a fierce bloodlust from behind, so I jumped to the side along with Michelle, making an evasion maneuver while being entangled with her.

Then, a pole suddenly flew at my feet with terrific force. It was just a wooden pole, but if it had hit me with that force, I would’ve been easily rendered powerless.

“I heard some idiot came punching his way in, so I suspected something and came to check, but it looks like it was as I expected.”
“Cain, huh. You’re as careful as always.”

Then came his sticky voice. I never wanted to get used to it, but I’ve heard it over and over for the past few months whether I wanted to or not. He pulled out a sword from his waist and slowly walked toward me.

“I don’t think there were any stairs here, though?”

They could only move between the floors using the installed crane and the sliding pole to go down.

“Hmph, you can’t even understand that much? Six Heroes’ daughter or not, you’re still a commoner, huh. Didn’t my subordinates go down with the crane? That crane remained lowered.”
“Ah, so that’s what it is.”

If the crane was lowered, the rope that it was hanging on was also lowered.

It would be quite difficult to climb up such an unstable rope, but it wouldn’t give off any sounds as you moved up. Moreover, he received education at the senior academy, so he should easily be able to climb up.

After he realized the frontal attack was a diversion, he suspected an intruder like me, so he chose to avoid the loud crane to come up.

“So you have a surprisingly good sense huh? Oh well. You acted too hastily there, Nicole. The people below all have the drug with them. It dulls their pain and increases their strength. They are far stronger than an average person. Moreover, they are using the drug that I personally improved, so the strengthening effect is beyond what it has been so far.”
“Unfortunately for them, our Den isn’t normal either.”
“You’re too naive. How far can he endure fighting people who can even rival Ogres?”

Hearing his example, it took my all not to burst into laughter.

Den was one of those very Ogres that had undergone an evolution. If they were barely on the Ogre levels, there was no need to even worry. I had no reason to tell him that, so I just kept quiet. In that case, my problem was Cain who was in front of me now.

“You guys, fall back. Protect Michelle and Cloud.”
“Huh, but—”
“You should know that he is no normal fellow, right? Listen to what I say.”

Cain in front of me was giving off a bad aura. The strength he used earlier to throw a pole at me was quite extreme. That turned into chills towards the unknown, stirring my sense of crisis. Now that he was laying bare his hostility, I could tell it. This guy…

“You have given up on your humanity, huh?”
“I would prefer you say I surpassed it. Still, it was wise to tell those fellows to stand back. I will properly deal with them later.”
“Like I’d let you. You have to get past the guy standing before you.”
“Guy? I see, so that’s your true self. I guess that makes it more amusing.”
“Leave it. Besides, you’re already done for. I’ve already explained the situation to Maxwell. If you obediently take your leave, you’ll at least die like a noble, you know?”
“Now that would be bad. It can’t be helped. Then I will break you and escape this kingdom.”

This b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲ had no plans to stay secretive anymore. Still, I felt a strange sense of discomfort from his reaction. He wouldn’t be able to escape the Six Heroes even if he fled the kingdom.

Be it messing with Michelle or his recent actions, they were too incoherent, or rather, he wasn’t thinking about consequences at all.

But before I could clear my doubts, Cain took a swing at me.