Chapter 120: Four Idiots (1) Part 1

[120] 19. Four Idiots (1) Part 1

I heard the cry of a baby.

“Dear, are you awake?”

As I opened my eyes to the smell of stew, I found myself in a soft bed. Confused, I raised my upper body.

“Where…”

It was a strangely familiar yet unfamiliar home. Judging by the small size of the room, it didn’t seem to be a wealthy home.

“Huh…?”

Suddenly, I looked down at my legs and a dumbfounded sound escaped my lips. Unable to believe it, I poked my thigh with my finger.

The plump feeling of flesh.

“My legs… are back…?”

And it wasn’t just my legs.
My eyes, both hands, even my vocal cords.

All the missing body parts had returned as if they were never gone. It felt as if all the past tragedies had been nothing but a dream.

And that wasn’t the only unbelievable thing.

“Rem, I asked if you’re awake?”

A woman appeared as the door opened. Upon discovering that I was awake, she put on a prim expression.

“What, you were already awake. Then dear, soothe the baby, will you.”

“Waaaaah-!”

Before I could even react, a warm bundle was placed in my arms. I looked down and saw the reddish face of a newborn baby.

It’s strange, but I knew as soon as I saw it that this was my child. Her name was Marianne and she was a girl.

I named her with ___ under the starry sky. If it was a boy, then Shafiq, and if a girl, then Marianne. Naturally, both names were taken from my friends. Shafiq, who ran a mill in the neighboring village, and…

“Ha…!”

Irene.

I let out a hollow laugh as I placed the baby down on the bed. Ignoring her cries as they grew louder, I looked around for something sharp.

“Rem? I’m asking you to take care of the baby? What are you… Rem?”

Coincidentally, there was a small awl under the bed.

Without hesitation, I grasped it in a reverse grip.

“Rem, wait, no, Rem…!!”

The pain was quick.

***

“________!!”

When I opened my eyes again, I was greeted by the damp chill characteristic to underground spaces.

My prosthetics must have been confiscated, as I couldn’t feel anything below my thighs. And my limbs were bound by chains.

*Clank-*

When I tried to move my arm, it seemed like it wasn’t something that could be easily broken. I couldn’t hear any sign of human presence in my ears, not even the sound of water dripping.

Plus, the blissful illusion that most didn’t want to escape from.

A truly perfect imprisonment.

*Grit-*

The sound of grinding teeth erupted from inside my mouth. Unable to contain my anger, I banged the back of my head against the wall.

[Dead.]

[I killed them.]

Several faces flashed before my eyes. Faces that I would never see again.

[I’m sorry I loved you. I regret cherishing you.]

[Rem, my precious little brother… Please, don’t forgive me.]

[Please return to your world, Rem. Leave us behind, we who have become monsters.]

The more I recalled those memories, the more my rage turned into sorrow. Finally, I lowered my head, my shoulders trembling.

I was the idiot.
Blinded by affection, I failed to see what I should have seen.

Because of that, all of them…
All those poor people…

Suddenly, a voice came down from the ceiling.

“Ah, you dumb bastard. Move your ass a bit…!”

I looked up, even though I couldn’t see.

“Shut up, Baldy. You were the one who put me in the lead.”

“I thought pointy-ears would be more quick-witted…!”

“I’ll say it again, my name is Shafiq de…”

“Yeah, yeah, Shafiq-whatever-the-fuck. Just…! Move…!!”

The first thought that came to mind was, ‘No way?’ The next was ‘Why?’, and the one that followed was ’Really?’

But the voices, oblivious to my doubts, continued.

“Stop pushing…! Baldy…!”

“Then move faster…!!”

“I’m going as fast as I can! Do you know how many traps are set in this damned place… Huh?”

*KABOOM-!*

An explosion, followed by the sound of rocks tumbling down.

But I didn’t worry about their safety. No, there was no need to worry.

“That damned bastard… said he’d handle all the traps himself…”

“Huu, I, descend.”

“You crazy bastard… Stop trying to look cool and look for our missing vice-captain.”

“Current situation, thick dust cloud, limited visibility.”

*Smack-!*

The sound of a satisfying slap to the back of the head echoes through the space. It was such a refreshing sound that my eyes stung.

I couldn’t hold back, I opened my mouth and made a sound.

“___!!”

“…”

“…”

A strange silence falls briefly.
Then a voice filled with disbelief comes through.

“Was this place a chicken coop instead of a prison? What’s with that sound like wringing a chicken’s neck…”

“Now that you mention it, it does smell a bit like a chicken coop. Let’s go back, Baldy. There’s no way our vice-captain would make such an ugly sound.”

“___!!!”

I couldn’t hold back this time for a completely different reason, and let out a loud cry.

***

I attached the voice output device to my neck and tested my voice.

“Ah, Ah.”

Though there was some static mixed in, it wasn’t unintelligible. I sighed and lifted my eyes to look at the two before me.

Shafiq, our only elf in the Rose Rem mercenary group and an idiot.
Clevens, our Rose Rem mercenary group’s only alcoholic and former inquisitor.

It hadn’t been that long since we parted ways,
But maybe because so many things had happened,
They felt like old friends I hadn’t seen in ages.

A smile unconsciously crept onto my face.

“Baldy, the vice-captain’s looking at us like a gay man. Should I hit him?”

“Leave him be. He’s not tasteless enough to go after married men.”

“…I’ve never been married.”

“Well I am, so it’s fine.”

…I take it back.
These two were thorns in my side no matter when I saw them.

“So, how did this all happen anyway?”

I asked while rubbing my temples with a sigh. I wanted to get some information about the current situation.

But instead of an answer, I got a counter question.

“That’s what *we* want to ask you, Vice-Captain. Why the hell were you locked up in the Magic Tower’s dungeon?”

I stared at the pointy-ear, not understanding what he meant. He scratched his cheek and carefully added

“Weren’t you… kidnapped by the Demon King?”

“What?”

Taken aback by the unexpected words, I blurted out a question without thinking. I stood up abruptly and pressed him

“What the hell are you talking about? Me getting kidnapped by who? What kind of crazy lunatic would say that…”

Irene.

They say answering your own question is a form of rhetoric.
Having reached the answer myself, my words trailed off.

“It seems like we all have a lot to talk about.”

I looked at Clevens. He pointed outside with his thumb, appearing strangely composed.

“Let’s discuss the details after we get out of here. We don’t know when the person who imprisoned you might return.”

The place I was imprisoned was, strictly speaking, the deepest part of the Magic Tower’s dungeon. And it was also sealed with dozens of magic tools.

Looking at it, I could tell that Irene really had intended to keep me locked up forever.

…And that she had genuinely betrayed me.

Swallowing the bitterness, I followed them out of the cell and found myself on the first floor of the Magic Tower. From then on, we all moved stealthily.

Though I hadn’t fully grasped the situation, I at least knew that my escape shouldn’t be discovered.

After repeatedly using invisibility and disguise magic, we arrived at a shabby research laboratory.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I was dragged there.

I just followed Clevens and Shafiq’s asses, and here we are.

“Just where is this place…?”

As soon as I closed the door, I cast a silence spell and asked. Clevens casually pulled out a wine bottle from the shelf as he answered.

“Somewhere where no one can eavesdrop, and somewhere no one cares.”

I rolled my eyes and looked at Shafiq.

“Shafiq?”

“Where Clevens drinks in secret without the Captain knowing.”

“I knew it.”

I snatched the wine bottle from Clevens just as he was about to gulp it down.

“Hey! You little…!”

I tilted the bottle back and poured the strong liquor down my throat. I felt the alcohol rushing through my head and a sloshing sensation in my stomach as I put the empty bottle down on the table.

“…You alright?”

“Don’t worry about it. So.”

I collapsed onto a chair. Rubbing my face, I opened my mouth.

“Should I start with my story?”

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