Two of them walked toward our cage, entering after opening the chain attached to the outer lock.
One of them had a fairly large body, though not taller than me. I guess he was someone greedy when it came to food and spent his money on doing sinful things.
As for the other one, his body was thin, taller than the large man, and there was nothing particularly noticeable about him. He looked like an ordinary citizen who had been forced to join this group.
They had truly been provoked by my words. I honestly did not expect them to believe me this quickly.
"You slave... tell me, what's inside your pocket? We'll take it if it's something valuable, but if it turns out to be trash, I won't hesitate to beat you," he said.
He shifted his gaze away from me and stared at Hime and Yuu-chan with the same threatening look as the man earlier.
These people, their desires are all basically the same, aren't they? People like them really do not deserve to live in this world.
"What about them? If he's lying, the boss allowed us to do something to them, right~?"
"Ah, you're right. I agree with you. My body has also gotten a bit stiff since I haven't played with someone since yesterday."
"Y-yeah, you can see it yourselves. I already forgot because I fainted earlier," I said to them.
They immediately stopped laughing and stared straight at me again. I think they were thinking about something.
But they did not say anything. It was as if they were waiting for what I would say next.
"But in this position, you can't take it, right? How about one of you unties my ropes and holds my body so I can't escape?"
"That way you can take it more easily, right?"
With this, they should start insulting me or questioning me, or so I thought, but…
They looked at each other for a moment, then glanced at me and began whispering after turning their backs.
Are these two really criminals? Their behavior is almost the same as foolish people who extort others on the streets.
Wait a minute, aren't they basically the same thing?
After feeling that they had reached a decision, they turned back around while showing gestures like arrogant rich people in front of me.
That means… they already know what to do, right?
"Very well, if that's what you want. Quickly untie him, I'll be the one to search his pocket," he said to the large man.
Oh, so they do use their brains, huh? He deliberately asked him to restrain my body. With his large physique, he should be able to hold me down.
I thought they would not come up with any plan and would just recklessly search my pockets.
——
After he removed the ropes on my hands and feet, he immediately restrained my body very forcefully when I managed to stand up.
He locked my arms from behind, making it impossible for me to escape no matter how hard I tried.
People with bodies like his really do have the ability to do this.
Quickly, the man tasked with checking my pockets immediately used his hands to see what was inside.
Even in a situation like this, they would surely be tempted and rush to take it.
But this was the mistake of their stupidity. I truly like dealing with people like them.
Even though the four of us had also been too trusting earlier and just entered this house without being wary of anything, but who cares about that now.
His expression immediately turned blank and confused because his hand did not touch anything inside my pocket.
He checked it again more roughly and tried to reach the deepest part to make sure he had not missed anything.
"What the hell is this? Are you tricking me?!" he shouted after realizing that there was actually nothing in my pocket.
Out of anger, he grabbed the collar of my clothes, making me feel suffocated since my body was still being restrained from behind.
His action made Hime panic. I did not know whether she was truly panicking or just following my plan.
"YUKITO-SAN!" she shouted.
But judging from her voice, I think she was also genuinely a bit worried. It seems this plan became a little too excessive.
Yuu-chan and Luke were still staring at me without reacting. As for Yuu-chan, I was not too sure about her.
But Luke must have already realized that the anger of the two men restraining me was also part of the plan I had made.
The man continued to stare sharply at me while still pulling my collar, which gradually made it feel looser.
Fortunately, what he pulled was not my cloak. If he had done that, I might have immediately tried to attack him.
"L-listen, the item is very small… could it have fallen somewhere?" I muttered while realizing that I might be able to free my hands.
Srrt.
For some reason, the man loosened his grip on my arms, causing me to immediately crawl on the ground.
"Could it be gold dust or metal that you brought?" asked the large man.
Unlike the other one, he was still somewhat calm, though he continued to threaten me.
"A-ah yes, maybe it fell around here…" I replied while rubbing my palms against the ground, pretending to search for it.
"Heh, hurry up. My sword is already thirsty, you know. I think it wants to drink your blood."
Well, if it were someone else, they might have been frightened by such a threat.
But that was your mistake for trying to threaten me, especially in front of my party members. Honestly… you said the wrong thing.
I felt annoyed when they seemed to want to make Hime and Yuu-chan their playthings, but the same thing would also happen to them once I gained a position like that.
——
(Hime side)
That disgusting man pulled his collar, and I could see that his grip was quite strong, especially with Yukito-san's body being restrained from behind.
From here alone, I could guess that it must feel extremely suffocating.
"YUKITO-SAN!"
Before I realized it, I had shouted at him, making Luke look at me with a confused expression.
Perhaps he thought I was following Yukito-san's plan, but this was truly how I felt at the moment.
—
After Yukito-san crawled and pretended to search for something on the ground, that disgusting man held his sword and pointed it at Yukito-san's back.
He could only threaten him. I was sure he did not actually dare to do it.
The distance between the sword and his back was quite far, yet he spoke as if the blade was almost touching him. He could only threaten—how pathetic.
People like them are truly criminals, aren't they? They seem more like fools—wait, isn't that exactly what they are?
I turned my gaze toward Luke. He was already looking at me first, then nodded.
He took out the small knife he always used and prepared to use it.
I also nodded back while preparing to use my magic.
In this situation, it would be difficult for me to open the Alter Box and use my staff, so I had to use magic from my palms like before.
What should I use now…
Gah! Why am I getting confused at such an important moment… Ice… or maybe fire— that's it!
The human body would surely be greatly shocked if its temperature suddenly rose or dropped drastically, and in this position, I think using ice magic is the best decision.
(A melodious sound that deafens the ears, a freezing chill that turns water into ice, answer my call, O sacred Goddess of water, encase my hands, Solifie!)
The palm of my right hand gradually became colder than before, its color also appearing frozen. That meant I could use this magic at any time.
I never expected this magic would be useful now, even though I had never used it at all since childhood. I hope the effect is sufficient.
Luke and I slowly rose from the chairs where we had been restrained and quietly moved behind the two disgusting men.
"You're taking too long! You're really just playing around with us, aren't you?! Trash, you should be grateful I'm still giving you time!"
Yukito-san looked back at them with a frightened expression.
Before he realized that the two of us were already behind them, his gaze changed slightly before returning to how it was before.
"I-I'm sorry! I'll find it right away—"
Before Yukito-san finished his sentence, Luke and I immediately acted.
I grabbed the shoulder of the thin man, making him shiver from the cold.
Before he could turn around, I quickly choked his neck slightly until he could not breathe.
In less than three seconds, he lost consciousness and slowly collapsed to the ground.
His body fell right beside Yukito-san, who was still crawling on the ground.
In my opinion, he would not be able to move for half a day, and if his blood vessels were affected by the magic I used, perhaps even a full day.
Thud.
Luke quickly stabbed the back of the large man's right thigh, making him kneel on the ground.
He did not say anything, perhaps he was too shocked that his body suddenly fell helplessly.
Without mercy, Luke immediately struck the back of his neck, causing him to collapse beside Yukito-san.
Foam slowly came out of his mouth. I think Luke's attack was truly powerful.
Without thinking, Yukito-san immediately stood up and looked at us while holding the back of his head.
"Yahaha, weren't you two a bit excessive—" he said.
How could he laugh like that… I no longer wanted to be angry with him. Maybe I had scolded him before for the same thing.
"Phew, fortunately these guys are pathetic. Otherwise you might have been stabbed already," I replied.
Yuu-chan, who had been sitting earlier, had also stood up and approached the three of us.
"It's rare for Yukito-sama to come up with a plan like this. I think you've grown tremendously," she said.
"Right? Right? Hehe, I thought the plan would go a bit wrong, but it actually went smoothly," Yukito-san replied.
Several of the men's companions, who had previously been focused on their discussion at the table in front of them, looked toward us after hearing the noise from inside the cage.
"Y-you! How did you get out of there?!"
"Our boss will not accept you leaving this place. I think I need to teach you a lesson!"
They all drew their weapons, and soon our party and the remaining members of their group began to fight.
Their abilities were indeed good. Even Yukito-san struggled against them, but that was because he was facing three opponents at once.
Even though his abilities had improved, he still could not handle many strong enemies at the same time.
Sigh… Yuu-chan and I also had difficulty using magic because we were in a basement that was not as spacious as a normal room.
Because of that, we could only support them from behind and leave everything to those who used close-range weapons.