Episode 431 Mien, the sub-neck (2)
A day has passed since I wandered around the mountainside following Mien.
As expected, nothing huge was hidden, but I was able to find another prison that was slightly smaller than the one where the wives and children were imprisoned.
It was more terrible than the place where the goblins and the village wives were imprisoned.
The floor is dirty and smells bad with dirt.
Feces and urine were also left unattended, so there was nothing strange about the disease.
Imprisoned were a woman and three handsome men, two of whom died and only two of them remained.
The prison was full of moisture and the heat had nowhere to escape.
Prolonged exposure to such a place could lead to death.
The moment Ray tried to use his hand a little.
A vulgar sound came out of the woman’s mouth as she was fanning with her hands as fine as silk.
“Oh, it’s hot. How long are we going to be locked up in this place? Aren’t these bastards inconsiderate of ladies?”
Eh?
In an instant, a voice almost came out.
As if he was used to it now, the man answered her words.
“Why is the head of the family a lady? If the young people of the world know, I will stand up and tell them not to insult ladies.”
“This snout-only bastard has been annoying me since before. When you return to the territory, I will put you in prison.”
“Aren’t you thrown into prison right now?”
Even under these circumstances, they were exchanging idle conversations.
Overhearing the conversation, Ray tilted his head at the word ‘Gaju’.
Head of household usually means the head of an aristocratic family.
Why is such a person imprisoned in the prison of bandits?
When he had doubts, the woman’s mouth quivered incessantly, as if she had a disease that would kill her if she didn’t talk.
“This wouldn’t have happened if there hadn’t been a rebellion in the territory. Anyway, the problem is the inspirations playing around with the guys behind them. You always know that everyone’s thoughts are right.”
“The head of the household who suffered there is not easy.”
The woman covered her mouth and laughed loudly at the man who answered all the questions.
“Ho-ho-ho. You’ve been locked up for months, and you’re already invisible. Cran? I should have killed him when I was young.”
“Please don’t say creepy things in front of the person in question.”
After staring at each other for a moment, they sighed and looked at the bars.
“These days, they don’t even bring meals. Are you planning on starving yourself to death like this…”
“Don’t be foolish, Cran.”
“It is a board that may die anyway. Now let’s talk openly. Why did you escape from under them? Didn’t the money roll in by itself just by doing what you were told to do?”
The woman shook her hand at the man’s words, which seemed to be really curious.
“Do you intend to stay under them for the rest of your life? Don’t think they’ll suck your ass forever.”
“Even if I express myself, do I have to do that? Anyway, does that mean… that they will eventually use us as discards?”
“A throwaway card? no. Maybe cut off my head and hang it on a flag while wandering around the estate?”
The man frowned a little at the remark that was quite grotesque. “For what?”
“In order to strike Lessian, we need to gather troops once. If you’re too far away, it will take longer to assemble, and conversely, if you’re too close, Lessian will likely notice and respond. That is to say, my estate, which is the middle ground, is just right. In order to eat the territory, they kidnap me somewhere, lock me up like this for a while, and invite me back to the territory at the end when everything is ready.”
“Preparation… what kind of preparation…”
“A boy is scared. What are you ready for? Of course, after accusing me of being a traitor and killing me, someone claiming to be a hidden blood relative will come out and serve as the new lord.”
The woman did not look frightened at all, just an expression of being a little surprised at the work progressing faster than expected.
On the contrary, he didn’t show the slightest embarrassment as if he had known this would happen.
The man who heard the story only snorted.
“You hit Lessian. It makes no sense. Isn’t there one or two kingdoms that perished because they didn’t know how to fear the empire?”
“For allied bastards, that makes sense.”
The woman caught a glimpse of the strength of the union.
After adjusting the upper limit and taking in the warlocks, their size had already grown to an unstoppable level.
To the point where I couldn’t get it off if I put my hand on it.
That’s why she pulled out before it was too late, but those of the coalition kidnapped her as if they saw it as an opportunity.
“I tried to save a dying territory, but it’s too expensive for the price.”
There was no lightness to be found in the self-deprecating laughter.
When he roughly knew the situation, Ray, who had been carefully watching them while hiding himself, appeared.
Feeling a sudden presence in the dirty prison, the man hurriedly stood up from his seat and pushed the woman back.
The woman looked at Ray and put her index finger to her lips.
“I’m sure it’s not a meal… He’s a guy I haven’t seen before, so who is it?”
At her question, Ray quietly sat down on the guard’s chair outside the prison.
“I’m sorry, but I overheard your conversation.”
“oh. Are you a cunning bastard like a rat? It’s like watching my childhood.”
“So I’d like to hear more about that story…”
With that, Ray slightly bent the huge barricade with his fingers.
The barbed wire, which had not been cut even with a sword aura, bent helplessly, and the man opened his mouth wide.
As long as you talk well, there’s nothing you can’t bring out.
When Ray said it through action, the woman’s expression changed in an instant.
If at first they were the eyes of a vigilant lady, now they are the eyes of a person who found gold and silver treasure on the road.
she rubbed her hands together.
“Oh, I didn’t know you. Now, what story does our little mouse want to hear?”
I was a little concerned about the dirty words, but he endured it well.
“How did you know the Alliance was going to attack Lessian? There must be many other kingdoms around Lessian.”
The woman, who was expecting a question, waved her hand as if steaming.
“If you pretend, you pretend. Would the coalition, which is winning and winning these days without knowing how high it is, try to gather troops and occupy the upper world just by defeating a few small and medium-sized kingdoms? Thousands of words In fact, it’s not a big deal if you move only 10,000 troops of the alliance to capture a kingdom that is not even prepared for war.”
Certainly it is.
The Union, which grew as it grew in size, has now become a powerful force that stands shoulder to shoulder with the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
Will a coalition that has grown to that extent move again to absorb the kingdoms?
Probably not.
They are in a hurry to manage the kingdoms they have captured so far.
Increasing the number of dependents would only increase the risk of rebellion.
The woman spoke again.
“Then, the only thing left is the Lessian Empire in the north. If you eat Lessian, you will in fact eat all of the East Continent. After that, the Union will start to dominate the entire East Continent and then prepare a foothold for the West Continent.”
Ray nodded in agreement.
The woman’s thoughts coincided with her own thoughts to some extent.
When Ray stopped talking, the woman brushed him off like a pooped dog.
“Are all your questions answered? If your business is over, you should take care of this business as well.”
At her request, Ray shook his head.
If it were known that the two, who had been imprisoned well before, were not in prison, it would reach the ears of the boss of the living, whether they like it or not.
That could make things more complicated.
I’m sorry, but it was easier for them to get around only if they were locked up in prison.
However, it was possible to improve the harsh environment a little.
Ray slightly manifested his magic.
“Clean. Ice.”
I cleaned the room a little and made it cool inside.
Of course, I couldn’t make it pleasant enough to stand out, but this alone would be a little more worth living than before.
As he turned around with a satisfied expression, as if he had done a good job, the woman sighed.
“야 이 개새끼야. Didn’t anyone tell you that it’s the law of this world to give back if you received it?”
“If giving back is the law of this world, why are there bandits and guards? Don’t worry, I’ll come to rescue you when the time comes, so rest until then.”
“If it were you, would you think of resting in a place like this?”
Looking at the floor where insects crawl, it seems a little ambiguous to rest well.
In response, Ray threw a bundle of straw lying in the corner.
“Put that on and lie down.”
“…”
The woman who was constantly running back shut her mouth.
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t speak.
Ray got out of prison without saying an irresponsible word.
All sorts of curses and curses were heard in his ears, but he didn’t care at all.
* * *
After looking around the mountain for a while, Ray left the mountain.
While strolling through the forest, he sat down at a nearby well and took a break.
“I told you to prepare for Lessian, but I’m worried.”
I had been told to prepare for the coalition or the dark forces, but when I saw the coalition, which had become a bigger force than I thought, I was worried about Lessian.
The Wyvern nest is right in front of you, so it’s a little relieved, but there is also a possibility that the Wyverns who feel threatened if a necromancer appears, abandon their old hometown and move.
In that case, Lessian had to stop them all alone.
Seongguk is also moving in all directions in its own way, but the distance from Lessian is quite far, so the war will be decided before reinforcements arrive.
It would be nice if Lesian won, but it would be a terrible loss if he lost.
‘We should also speed up the process of creating an alliance.’
If you create a new coalition that can stand against the coalition, even the coalition of small kingdoms will not be able to rise quickly.
As he pondered over his future plans, he felt someone’s presence at the well.
As Ray hid himself in the dark and quietly watched the bushes, Minen, the sub-head of the mountain, appeared.
Judging by her clothes, she must have come to wash herself.
A bruise on the neck.
A thick scar on the wrist.
As the things that had been bothering him from before became more prominent in the moonlight, Ray took a closer look at them.
The scar on his wrist was not very deep.
It was not a cut made with the intention of committing suicide, but simply a scar caused by self-harm.
But why?
Why did she harm herself?
Before she could stop wondering, she took off her plate armor and took out a small dagger and cut her wrist.
I’m sorry-!
deep.
Blood spurted out like a fountain from the wrist, which had been cut so deeply that it was shaky.
The thick scent of blood spread through the green forest.
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…!”
Mien swallowed the scream.
The moment Ray, who was startled, tried to approach her.
Woong-woong-!
A light burst from her wrist, making the wound stop.
