Are you referring to a regular female knight, or a trash-tier female knight?
“Umm… The time is night. Right now, I have sneaked into a suspicious large mansion…”
I was saying something ridiculous while walking down the mansion’s corridor, trying not to make any noise with my footsteps.
There was absolutely no need to say such things…
But… If I didn’t act like this and make fun of the situation, it would be too scary here!
First of all, it’s dark.
There are no lights at all. What’s going on…?
And there’s no sign of people. None at all.
It’s been a while since I broke in, but I haven’t encountered anyone, not even heard any footsteps.
It’s not that late at night… right?
Isn’t this still a normal time for people to be awake?
“Shit… I definitely entered the wrong place. I want to leave already…”
If anything, I’d be grateful if there were security guards.
Though they’re more dangerous, at least there’s a way to deal with them.
But when there’s nothing here… I don’t know what to do.
The best option would probably be to just leave this mansion as soon as possible…
“Just leaving without any results though…”
I went through all the trouble of risking myself to break in successfully.
So naturally, I want to bring back some kind of result.
“I’ll search a little more. There’s hardly any sign of people around.”
I decided that if I found one thing, I’d leave immediately.
With that thought, I started walking around inside the mansion again.
As expected, even after walking this much, I still hadn’t run into anyone.
Well, whether they’re humans or demons, whatever… It doesn’t matter anymore.
Hmm… There aren’t even any valuables. Could this place actually be abandoned?
If that’s the case, I can understand why there’s no sign of people.
…But if that’s true, wasn’t I being an idiot?
Here I am, trembling in fear, creeping around slowly in a completely empty place.
…Ahh! Don’t look at me!
Just as I was thinking that…
“Hey.”
“Kyaa!”
A voice called out to me.
It was a deep male voice.
Wasn’t this place supposed to be abandoned!?
Who the hell said it was abandoned? I’ll kill you.
I reluctantly turned around… and there was a man locked in a cage.
…A cage?
“You… How did you escape…?”
“Huh? Escape…?”
The thin man gripped the bars tightly and leaned his face close to talk to me.
Gross. Is he seriously dirtier than me, a slum dweller?
“Tell me! You can’t just keep this to yourself!”
“Huh…?”
What is this guy…
Does he really think I’m on the same level as him?
This pisses me off…
“Please! Tell us how you got out! I don’t want to be sold!”
“I don’t want to stay here anymore! Next time, they might kill me!”
“What…?”
While I was pondering this, two more men appeared suddenly.
Clang! The loud sound of metal bars made me jump.
Both of them had ghostly faces and looked desperate, which honestly scared me.
Sold? Killed?
They’ve been throwing around crazy words like that…
The one talking about being sold was a woman, and the one mentioning getting killed was a man.
“Since when has this guy been repeating the same thing? Is he alright?”
The thin man looked at me suspiciously.
If looking at these guys makes me feel anything other than “Huh…”, please let me know.
Suddenly, three filthy guys appeared and begged for help. Scary!
“No, listen, I didn’t escape or anything. I came from outside.”
I have no idea how to get out of this cage.
How could I? How do you even open it?
“Never mind that! Just get us out!”
“Wait…! If you keep yelling so loudly, we’ll get caught!”
Like I care!
Stop shaking the cage!
I still haven’t met any of the mansion’s residents, but whoever locked these guys up and made them talk like this must be bad news.
I don’t want anything to do with them, and I don’t want them to find out I broke in either.
Right now, I really want to run away.
“Besides, how am I supposed to open it…”
That’s right, it’s impossible.
Even if I wanted to, I have no idea how to open this cage.
Unless I had incredible strength or magic, which I obviously don’t. Hmph.
“There’s a key over there.”
“Is it rusty?”
The man pointed to a key that was carelessly placed nearby.
Why is it here…?
Is the person who locked these guys up an idiot?
“They put it there where we can see it. If only we had that key, we’d be free… They’re mocking us, trying to drive us to despair. What scumbags.”
The man looked so bitter he might spit venom.
His reason for crying seemed worse than I imagined.
Locking people in cages. Human trafficking. Torture.
Three strikes, and you’re out. I don’t want any part of this…
“Ugh… But still…”
There’s a key.
It’s technically possible to get these guys out of the cage.
But…
“The risk of doing something this dangerous and getting nothing in return… Hmm…”
“This bastard, the moment he realized his advantage, became arrogant!”
What? Arrogant? Are you allowed to say that?
Who decides whether or not you get out? Who holds your life-and-death power?
“Just help us already!”
“Huh? Can you really talk to me like that? Should I just throw this key away and run?”
The men glared at me in frustration.
Heh… Their gaze feels good.
Normally, being glared at like this would scare me.
Being hated and later retaliated against would be bad.
But these guys have no means of retaliation.
They’re literally trapped.
Which is precisely why I can act confident.
Alright, let’s push a little more and see if I can get money or something in return…
“Fine, shut up and hurry up and open it. Or I’ll scream right now and tell that person about you.”
“Alright, I’ll open it.”
“Such quick submission.”
Damn woman…! How cruel…
Are you really a demon? Trying to trap a good-hearted demon like me…
I’m pissed. Being manipulated by her is infuriating.
But I don’t want someone involved in kidnapping, human trafficking, and torture to know I exist!
With that in mind, I reluctantly unlocked the cage.
“We’re saved. I don’t want to thank you, though.”
The man who got out of the cage gave me a look of disdain.
What the hell! I helped you, didn’t I?
“Ptooey.”
The woman spat at me blatantly.
…………
After helping them… What kind of treatment is this…
I’ll never help anyone ever again.
From now on, I’ll think about whether there’s any benefit before taking action…
“If you don’t know the way, it’s better to escape in that direction.”
“Huh?”
As I was thinking this, I kindly showed them the way.
The man looked at me in surprise.
Sigh. Is this the first time you’ve seen such a perfect gentleman who’s both kind and good-looking?
I’m flattered.
“I can’t trust a word you say. Not even a tiny bit.”
The woman’s skeptical eyes and words pierced through me.
What’s with her… What did I do?
“It’s up to you whether you believe me or not. If you know the layout of this place, do whatever you want. I came from outside, so at least I know the safe path I took to get here.”
“……”
The woman’s face twisted in anger.
From her reaction, it seems they don’t have a full grasp of the mansion either.
In that case, they can’t ignore what I say.
The path I took will definitely lead to the exit.
“…I believe you. In the end, you did save us.”
“…Sorry. I’m grateful.”
Once the man made his decision, the woman also apologized and expressed gratitude.
She must have been in a harsh environment, which made her rough around the edges.
I won’t forgive her.
“Hmph… Don’t need thanks. Hurry up and go already.”
But I smiled brightly.
What a great guy, huh? Admirable.
“And you?”
“I have my own purpose for coming here. I can’t leave until I achieve it.”
I put on a serious expression.
I probably look like I’m burning with a strong sense of mission.
Especially since the master of this mansion seems like scum, I might appear like a righteous avenger.
…Even though I just came to steal.
“I see. Well… Maybe we’ll meet again. See you.”
“Ah, thank you very much!”
“…See you.”
The men I freed each said their farewells and thanks, then headed in the direction I pointed.
Even the prickly woman softened a little at the end. Not that I care.
Well, it’s nice to be thanked.
“Hmph…”
I smirked.
Yes, mockery!
You idiots, we won’t meet again!
The direction I pointed them in is somewhere I’ve never been…
In other words, it’s the complete opposite of the way I came in!
You guys are going to be my decoys.
At this point, I had zero intention of stealing anything.
I’m not bold enough to commit crimes in a mansion filled with such dangerous people.
Alright, time to get out of this shitty place as fast as possible.
And so, I headed toward the exit…
“Listen. Intruders always return to the same place. People like that always use the same entrance and exit. So… See?”
The grotesque eyes of the undead creature I had been lurking around earlier were staring at me.
Eeek…