CH 139

Chapter 139 – Glasses boy returns home safely

… It’s impossible, isn’t it?

Although the fall wasn’t that big, the perverted thief who dropped me off the roof has already run away and disappeared, leaving me behind as a scapegoat.

It’s impossible to track her down, isn’t it?

“Surround them! But don’t put your hands on them!” One of the men exclaimed.

Even if I wasn’t surrounded, it would still be impossible to chase this thief, most likely.

So, I now have two options.

Either I run now, or I gather information first and run later.

I’ll have to run away regardless, but I should be careful with choosing when to run.

If I break through their encirclement and retreat, I’ll surely be acknowledged as the culprit.

I don’t mind it that much, since my true identity won’t be known, but…

It’s annoying to serve as a scapegoat for that pervert.

So, I would like to continue my nighttime investigation for a bit longer.

I have yet to fully understand this country.

And I have no guarantees that I won’t encounter that pervert again in the future.

Or rather, if she prepared such an unusual pervert outfit, then she’ll probably use it many times. This probably wasn’t made for a one-time job.

Therefore, if she is moving around at about the same time as me, then we’ll probably meet again.

Besides, that pervert taught me something important.

I want to thank her for that.

******

Let’s focus on the current situation for now.

Wooden sticks and kitchen knives.

Shoes, belts and trousers.

A book, a wooden mug and a liquor bottle.

The men surrounding me seemed to have picked up anything that could barely function as a weapon.

It is funny to look at them like this, but their hostility is real.

The current situation was quite dangerous. It’s possible that they might try beating me up at any moment.

So, I raised both hands.

“I-” I stopped myself. I had just used a masculine ‘I’. This won’t do, I should talk femininely while I’m like this, “I’m not the culprit, but I don’t mind being taken away if you want to investigate it.”

Considering my future in this city, this was probably the best option.

Follow them for a while and gather information.

Figure out what the pervert stole and who it was stolen from.

And then, when I meet that pervert again, I can at least thank her.

******

My arms and legs were tied with belts, a bag was placed over my head, and I was transported somewhere.

Then, as soon as they took the bag away from my head, they pushed me inside, which made me fall down, as I couldn’t maintain balance with my feet tied.

Then, I heard a loud metal clang.

“Stay there!” One of the men who brought me here shouted.

And then, they all left.

Mmmm… This was a pretty useless trip, wasn’t it?

I can’t take action right now as my hands are tied behind my back, and my legs are tied too.

All that I could do, was to twist my body a bit to look around.

This is probably a dungeon.

I couldn’t see anything on the way here, but I felt like I was moving downstairs, so this seems likely.

I’m currently inside a sturdy stone cage.

Moonlight was shining inside through a small window that was located at a corner of one of the walls.

The window was close to the ceiling, so I couldn’t reach it in my current state.

And it was also the only source of light inside this dungeon, so it was pretty dark in here.

Though well, I have my glasses with me, so I can still see.

In any case, the window is a bit too small, so anybody brought here shouldn’t be able to escape through it even if they were able to reach it.

Also… I think about eighty percent of this dungeon is buried underground?

Wouldn’t rainwater easily accumulate here? Sounds like a troublesome dungeon to maintain.

And after looking at the side where I heard the metallic clang come from, I could see an iron gate.

Then… This is the rumored ‘cage’?

It’s cleaner than I thought it would be.

It’s surprisingly not dusty. I can’t see anything particularly dirty inside here, and no bad smells fill it either.

It’s a bit cold, since summer has already ended, but the place seems to be, surprisingly, cleaned regularly.

… Still, this whole thing was worthless, wasn’t it?

I thought they’d listen to me if I gave in without any resistance, but that didn’t work at all.

They gave me no information whatsoever.

However, they didn’t beat me up, nor did they try searching my body for anything.

They just tied me up and threw me into this dungeon.

They didn’t even try to take off my mask-type glasses, in fact.

Therefore…

“Are they here?” I heard a voice from outside.

Multiple footsteps were quickly approaching.

I crawled towards the wall and stood under the window, in a position that wasn’t illuminated by it.

Well, I wonder who is coming.

******

“You! You trash that sneaked into my store!” A noble-looking man yelled at me as soon as he entered the cell.

He had two armed men right next to him, who are probably his escorts.

… Ah, they’re kinda strong. I’d be fine if it was only one, but I’m unsure if I could beat both at the same time.

I can’t say for sure, but…

Well, I guess this development isn’t unexpected.

The reason why the men who arrested me didn’t try doing anything, was probably because the victim asked them to not touch the culprit.

And someone capable of giving such an order would most likely have some power within this country.

… And now, this guy came.

He was wearing fancy clothes that made him look like a noble, but his manners made him feel like a commoner… I’m not sure what to think of him.

“I don’t know what was stolen, but it wasn’t me.” I told him honestly.

“That stupid mask and those stupid clothes! They match the reports of the eyewitnesses!” The man exclaimed.

The mask… I’m wearing my black mask-type glasses, while the pervert was using a white mask with holes for the eyes and mouth.

And the clothes… I’m wearing a frilly black dress, while the pervert was using a tight black outfit that was made of leather, with a white cloak on top.

Well… If you only know about it from secondhand sources, it’s possible to think that my outfit is the same as the pervert’s. They certainly have enough similarities.

“The color is different, isn’t it?” I commented.

This was the decisive difference, after all.

But a sharp counter came my way, “We’re in the middle of the night! As if anybody can properly distinguish the colors!” the noble-like man exclaimed.

Ah, that’s surprisingly sensible.

From his point of view, it must sound like I’m just making excuses.

“Just how many dangerous people who wear stupid clothes will be walking around in the middle of the night anyways!? It’s obviously not normal! Don’t try to make excuses to make you sound like a decent kind of idiot, damn it!” The man exclaimed.

… Ah, I can’t make a proper reply to that, can I?

I should try though… “There are some circumstances…” I tried saying.

“Shut up! Hurry up and give back what you stole! Right now!

“I’ll forgive you if you do it now! I’ll just leave you half-dead and sell you to a brothel, so take it out!” The man demanded.

Ah, so you’re already planning on leaving me half-dead?

As expected of the lawless country, I suppose. Things move fast in here.

“Listen, I have no intentions of asking who you are, nor do I care about confirming who is behind you.

“But without it, we’re in a lot of trouble.

“My life is on the line too. I really will get you as close to death as I can until I get it back.

“And I will not let you die, you get it? I’ll make you taste what hell is like while you’re still alive. You’ll suffer for the rest of your life.” The man told me.

Oh, scary. Is he going to torture me then?

“Did they steal something important?” I asked.

“Of course it’s important! You stole it because it was important! Otherwise you wouldn’t have stolen it!” The man shouted.

… Come on, tell me more.

“What was it?” I asked.

“Shut up! Strip off their clothes and examine them!” The man ordered.

This noble-looking man gave this kind of order to his escorts.

Well, I guess the time for information gathering has ended.

******

“I’ll say it again.” I said as I removed my hands and feet from the belts that were binding me.

Then, I stood up normally.

“What!? W-what the-!? H-hey, the key! Hurry up!” The noble-looking man shouted to his escort.

Even though I should have been restrained, the belts that were binding me were now powerlessly lying down on the stone pavement.

He must have thought that I would try to escape.

In theory, there is no escape to this cell though.

Or rather, opening the cage would be the only way to open the exit.

And well… It’s true that I will escape.

And it’s already too late to stop me.

The noble-looking man hurried the guard with the key, to get him to open the iron gate and escape.

“I’m not the criminal. I didn’t steal anything. So, I’m going home.” I told them.

Then, I heard the sound of the iron gate being unlocked.

As soon as the door started opening, I made my mask-type glasses emit a strong light.

My glasses can glow whenever I will them to.

Moreover, I had already confirmed that the light emitted was fairly strong.

The noble-looking man and his two bodyguards were accustomed to the dark, so they got dizzy when they stared straight into the light.

I needed this moment. One moment of blindness, where the door to the cage was open.

A moment when a reasonable explanation of how someone would flee the cage was available.

At this moment, where nobody could see what I was doing, I set the Mist gift on my glasses, jumped up towards the window, then turned my body incorporeal with Mist, and escaped the dungeon.

******

“I’m home.” I stated.

As if nothing had happened, I returned to the mansion in the brothel district.

“You’re late.” Dynawood ambushed me.

“Really? It’s still dark though?” I commented.

Morning has yet to come. I think I arrived early enough.

“Hmph. Hurry back to your room and-

“Hold on. Your clothes are way too dirty. What happened?” Dynawood asked me.

Oh, that was because I fell on the ground and was thrown into the cage.

“I fell off the roof.” I told him.

I was dropped off it, to be specific.

“You…” Dynawood sighed, “Oh well, it’s fine.

“Take it off. I’ll wash it.”

Oh, sorry for that. And thank you for the help.

As for that pervert, I’ll think about her tomorrow.