Page 149

(Walson)

Even though I had no intention of procrastinating, the guards still rudely dragged me into an office where a person dressed in plain clothes was already waiting for me.

He must be the commander here, I thought.

"Captain, I broughtthe person here," the guard said, giving me a push from behind before leaving the room.

"Good, you can leave now," the supposed commander waved his hand, wearing a strange smile on his face.

I furrowed my brows, not because of the rude treatment by the guard, but because there was a red dot on my [Mini-map] overlapping with the person in front of me, who should be the commander.

[Eliphezza Logstott_LV 63_HP 2134/2134_Status: [Disguise Magic (VI)]]

This name was obviously different from the nameplate on the desk, and the use of [Disguise Magic] clearly indicated that he was a fake commander.

...He must have some malicious intentions towards me, or why else would there be a red dot?

"I'm telling you, Villager, you've caused me a lot of trouble," the imposter captain said with the same eerie smile, speaking in a way that a regular soldier captain wouldn't.

"Who are you? Why are you arresting me? I haven't stolen anything!" I tried to say the typical lines that most people would use in such a situation, while also considering the possibility of escaping.

...Denied. Escaping now would surely make me look like a fugitive.

I attempted to send a [Party Telepathy], but there was no response, it seemed there was a magical item here that could block telepathic signals. This is bad; it's going to be difficult.

"It doesn't matter if you stole the royal family's [wedding ceremonial short sword], what I want to know is something else..." The imposter captain spoke as his skin started to melt.

The sight was incredibly bizarre... After a few seconds, the person in front of me transformed into a young man with black robe, green short hair, and a crystal ball hanging on his chest... still maintaining that eerie smile.

"What— What do you want? Ahhhh—"

"Come with me, hehe." With these words, he approached me with a strange gem.

...

...

...

After recalling the earlier events, I now found myself tied to a chair. This wasn't the [Zone 1 of the Underground 11th floor] anymore; it was a basement in some building in Vanos. It seemed that gem was a teleportation device used to bring me here directly.

There seemed to be a telepathy barrier here as well, unfortunately.

"Screaming and waiting won't help; you're now in a place where no one will come to rescue you," the smiling young man said mockingly as he looked at me in the empty gray room.

But the [Mini-map] already gave you away... we're still inside the city, right? Ugh... based on the Vanos map I saw a few days ago, I should be in the underground fourth floor of a building in the city center.

Being in the city center was something unexpected... So, who are these people? Why did they capture me? And why did they go through the trouble of using a teleportation device?

"Who are you... I don't know anything..."

"Heh, I'm here on behalf of our Goddess— so tell me, where does the [Miracle Water] come from?" The smiling young man brought his face close to mine, leaving only a two-centimeter distance.

I decided to call him "Facial Expressions Young Man."

"...[Miracle Water]? Isn't that something from the church?"

"Don't play dumb; we know that the [Mart Chamber of Commerce] sold those things to Lord Bishop, and they came from your hands. I'm asking you, where did you get those items?"

...His words took me five seconds to digest.

The [Mart Chamber of Commerce], [Miracle Water]... damn it! That's my [MPOH (β)]!

How could the [Mart Chamber of Commerce] betray me? That's impossible! It's not beneficial for them at all!

Is this the work of the Grella Branch against me?

Wait a minute, I think I understand now. These people are the minions of the "Ceremonial Minions," right? The ones Uncle Marbon mentioned... But I'm at least a follower of yours, so why are you coming after me like this!?

"...I won't say," but at this point, complaining is useless, and I don't want to pretend to be an ignorant Villager anymore.

On the [Mini-map], in addition to the person in front of me, there are over a dozen red dots wandering around the building. It seems there's a team, and I can't escape.

Being on the underground fourth floor means my [Spider Hook] won't work. If I engage in direct combat and assuming Facial Expressions Young Man's level is similar to the other four, there's no way I, a mere [Villager] can escape.

All I can do is wait for rescue... I wonder if they'll notice I'm gone...

"Sigh... Yay! I was afraid you wouldn't say it like that, it wouldn't be fun then!" Facial Expressions Young Man raised his hands high and leaned back in a weird posture, cheering.

Are you a slothful bishop... that's what I'm thinking.

"I promise I won't hurt you..." Facial Expressions Young Man drew a small knife from his waist and once again brought that weird face close to mine.

Wait, wait, wait, are you trying to torture me for a confession!? Aaargh!

"[Modeler], stop." Just as Facial Expressions Young Man was about to stab me with the knife, a deep voice stopped him.

It was another red dot, dressed in black, wearing a mask, and with steel claws on both hands.

"Huh? Why?"

"This time the target is very important; you can't kill them. The [Villager]'s body is weak, so you can't use a knife." The masked Wolverine said.

"Tsk— You're right. If we fail the mission and die, we won't be able to be with the Goddess." Facial Expressions Young Man nodded and turned that nerve-disconnected smile back at me.

For the first time, I'm grateful that I'm a [Villager]; after all, I'm afraid of pain.

"What a shame, but you're already a slave to those hero teams. We can't use a collar on you..."

Huh? I'm considered a slave to Melon and the others!? Ugh— well, it's better than being collared by them. The guardian stone necklace hanging on my neck is probably seen as a collar for an enslaved plaything.

"In that case, we'll have to use this— it's even more painful than a knife, hehehe..." Facial Expressions Young Man mysteriously took out a purple bottle from his side pocket.

"Don't worry, this medicine won't kill you, but... it'll cause difficulty breathing, foaming at the mouth, full-body convulsions, and excruciating pain— How about it? Not bad, right?"

Looking at the bottle, I swallowed nervously.

The next moment, my neck was gripped, and the lack of oxygen made me involuntarily open my mouth. The liquid was then poured into my mouth...