Chapter 770

After completing the binding process with mutual consent, we stuffed the two prisoners into opposite corners of the barracks and settled into a camp in the freezing cold, waiting for Adamante to return on the airship.

It wasn’t particularly hard, though.

The barracks, reinforced with dragon remains, held up fine against the blizzard, and the biting cold was something Ophelia and I could handle.

Thanks to the Holy Legion leaving us plenty of preserved food, we didn’t have to resort to the tragic scenario of chopping up Macaoros’ limbs for a meal.

So, aside from the blizzard being annoyingly loud all day, the camping life was relatively peaceful.

“My ear… it’s gone…?!”

“Ophelia, she’s awake. Knock her out again.”

Ereneisia, who seemed to sense her connection to the World Tree had been severed, woke up pale and trembling, only to be put back to sleep.

“Ugh! Ughhh!”

“Asha.”

“Be quiet!”

With an elegant *thunk*, Macaoros’ head was hammered back into silence.

—

“You dare… you dare subdue me like this…! You vile, short-lived creatures, what do you plan to do to me?!”

Ereneisia, waking up again, immediately threw a fit upon realizing her tendons and ears had been cut and she was tied up.

“Shut up. Let’s sleep.”

“Grrr…!”

I extinguished my cigarette on her forehead and briefly summarized the fate awaiting her.

“What do we plan to do? Well… let’s call it something spectacular.”

Specifically, things like her life or existence.

After spilling everything during interrogation at Pailoon Castle, she’d be executed. That was her final fate.

Too harsh?

Well, considering the number of people a 1,500-year-old Fairy Guardian has likely killed in her lifetime… not making her give birth to as many lives as she’s taken is already merciful.

“You… you filthy beast! Even if we’re enemies, how can you, a woman, inflict such humiliation worse than death?!”

“Huh? No, I think you’ve misunderstood—”

“Kuh…! Just kill me! Kill me now!”

Ereneisia glared at me with the face of a female knight captured by pantsless orcs, screaming as if in despair.

Seems she misinterpreted my words as a threat to make her “give birth as many times as she’s killed.” What’s going on in her head?

Even a unicorn would reject her. Is her mind filled with nothing but such thoughts?

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. It’d be a waste to kill you before I’ve even used your mouth. If you cooperate, it won’t be too painful—”

“Don’t mock me! I’d rather die than become a plaything for short-lived creatures!”

Ignoring my explanation, Ereneisia stuck out her tongue as if planning to commit suicide.

I chuckled at her ridiculous display, forced her mouth open, stuffed a torn piece of cloth inside, and gagged her.

“Ugh! Ughhh!”

“Seriously. Biting your tongue won’t kill you. It’ll just hurt like hell. Didn’t you know that?”

You’d figure that out quickly if you tried cutting a few people. Especially in a world with immediate healing methods.

“Stay quiet. You’ll have plenty of chances to scream and struggle later. Don’t wear yourself out already.”

I advised her to stop useless resistance and conserve her strength before choking her into unconsciousness.

“Ugh! Ugh…! Ugh…….”

Despite my advice, Ereneisia thrashed until she finally passed out, her eyes rolling back.

—

Anyway, that’s how we spent our time, calming the prisoners whenever they woke up.

Macaoros became a well-behaved lizard thanks to repeated “education,” but…

“Ptui! Cough…! Cough…! Just you wait, you short-lived scum!”

The 1,500-year-old fairy grandma, having spent all those years building up her lungs, screamed at us every time she woke up.

“Someday, Alvheim will—!”

“Ah, she bit through the gag again. All mouth, this one.”

Even the tightly bound gag couldn’t stop her from gnawing through it with her molars.

Fed up, Asha made a ring-shaped tool to forcibly keep her mouth open.

“Ugh! Ughhh! Ugh!”

It was definitely more convenient that way.

We could funnel food in with a funnel and plug her throat with a stopper when it was time to sleep.

Six days passed like that.

We spent the unbearably idle time sparring with the group.

“Definitely…! You’ve improved since before!”

“Thanks to you!”

Damien, who’d recovered from full-body burns, and I exchanged swords, marveling at how much harder it was to fight him now.

“Hey, isn’t that sword cheating?”

“Nope. If you’re jealous, why don’t you use some magic too?”

“Where would I get that kind of magic?!”

I dragged the reluctant Ophelia into a fight to gain experience battling a mage.

“Kyaaah!”

“Haaah!”

“Your coordination is spot on. Have you two been practicing behind my back?”

After being caught that night, the two maintained a微妙 relationship, and we even had a sparring session. It was a fulfilling time.

[That Western thief-cat…!]

Every time Nigel and Ja-han got along, Hersela would try to pull out her Life Force tentacles to separate them, and I had to scold her.

“Cut it out, seriously. What are you so annoyed about? Ja-han’s around thirty, right? Isn’t it weirder for someone his age *not* to have a lover?”

Given she treated him like her only family, almost like a brother, I get that she feels like he’s being taken away… but still, she needs to chill.

Anyone watching would think she’s a mother-in-law throwing money at someone to break up with her son.

—

Six days later.

Finally, Judge Adamante returned to the hill where the temporary barracks were set up.

“Judge Adamante, reporting back!!”

Instead of returning with the airship, she rode back on Cascador, just like when she descended the mountain.

Exhausted from what must have been an extreme march, Adamante looked utterly worn out. The Cascador that carried her up the mountain range was also panting heavily.

“Good work. …But why did you come back alone? Where’s the airship?”

“Well… there’s a bit of a problem!”

She dismounted, knelt, and reported with a look of shame.

“Pailoon’s city wall… collapsed…?”

It was more shocking than I could’ve imagined. I stood up in disbelief.

“What? Did the beastmen invade or something?”

Did Oleg attack?

No, that’s impossible. It hasn’t been long since Ryu-rik was defeated.

It’d take years to recover from those losses.

“No, that’s not it!”

Adamante shook her head, thankfully denying my speculation. It wasn’t a beastmen invasion.

“Then what? Why would a perfectly good wall just…?”

“Well, the airship… it crashed! It smashed into the wall and destroyed it! Duke Pailoon is demanding compensation!!”

…I take back the “thankfully.”

“Crashed… you say… haaaa….”

I held my forehead and sighed.

I sent it to Pailoon’s territory to avoid it being attacked, and it just crashed into the wall? It’s like a bad joke.

“Explain in detail. What happened?”

“Yes! So—”

Adamante continued her report.

The airship heading to Pailoon’s territory reached the skies above Pailoon Castle as planned.

The problem was… the mana engine, which wasn’t designed for extreme cold, reached its limit at that very moment.

Losing power, the airship plummeted uncontrollably, crashing into Pailoon’s city wall and exploding into pieces.

For the Duke, it was a disaster beyond belief.

The only silver lining was that the mages aboard abandoned ship and escaped with their lives.

Though many were severely injured from failed landings.

“…So he sent me a bill?”

“Yes! He said sending an aircraft without prior consultation was one thing, but destroying the wall with it was akin to a declaration of war, and he’s being merciful by only demanding compensation!”

Adamante nodded vigorously.

I silently stared at the amount on the bill she handed me… then lit a cigarette and muttered.

“…The Tears of the Tower Master will turn into the Tower Master’s tears of blood.”

The compensation amount had so many zeros I couldn’t even comprehend it. Selling the entire Mage Tower wouldn’t cover it.

Do I have to pay? Where would I get that kind of money?

Besides, it’s not even my fault.

If anything, it’s the Mage Tower’s fault for handing over a defective product that couldn’t even handle -30 degrees, right?

Right?