Chapter 47: The Great Escape (3)

It was far from a dignified meal, even as a pleasantry.

It was more like a battle than a meal—a ruthless massacre waged against carbohydrates and proteins.

The starving prisoners didn’t even glance at the forks or knives placed on the table, instead tearing into the food with their bare hands. The scene resembled a swarm of ants descending on prey.

For the noble girls, who were accustomed to tidy and solemn fine dining, it was a shocking sight.

“Slow down, slow down! Eat calmly!”

“You’re going to choke, idiots!”

Lancia and Therese tried to calm the crowd with anxious expressions.

In truth, choking would have been a lesser issue, something that could be fixed with a few pats on the back. The real problem was far more severe.

“Gah, hack, ugh…!?”

Several prisoners, who had been devouring their food without thinking, suddenly clutched their chests and collapsed, their faces turning a sickly blue.

This wasn’t just a case of something being stuck in their throats. It was much worse—clear signs of a severe physical reaction.

“Wh-what?! What’s happening to them?!”

Isabella, utterly shocked, rushed over and shook the bodies of the fallen prisoners. However, they couldn’t respond, barely gasping for breath through their pain.

Did Karma poison the food? Isabella’s face twisted as the thought crossed her mind. But just then—

“Lesser Restoration.”

A warm light briefly hovered in the air before descending onto the fallen prisoners.

Soon, their complexions visibly improved, the signs of distress fading.

Marianne, who had cast the divine spell, spoke softly, her voice still carrying traces of nervousness.

“Um… you shouldn’t give too much food to people who have been starving for so long… I-I learned that it can cause serious problems in the body…

It’s better to start with something light, like porridge, and slowly help them recover their strength…”

Her voice, full of shyness and hesitation, was a stark contrast to how she spoke when talking to her older sister.

Isabella, eyes wide, asked in astonishment.

“Wait, are you a cleric?”

“Uh…? Yes, I am… Why…?”

“Huh… A demon race cleric, huh? That’s quite a rare combination. Though, now that I think about it, there’s no reason it couldn’t be a thing.”

Isabella pondered this unusual combination for a moment. Then, realizing what Marianne had just said, her eyes widened in alarm.

“Wait, hold on! So does that mean all the people who just ate are in danger?!”

“Uh… um, yes… I think so…”

Marianne stammered, her hesitant response serving as a signal.

One by one, the other prisoners, who had been eagerly stuffing their mouths with bread, began clutching their chests or stomachs, collapsing with choking noises.

Though not all of them, about 20% to 30% of the prisoners—still numbering in the dozens—began to fall.

“Ugh, this is crazy.”

Isabella pressed her hand to her forehead, frustrated by how things were going completely wrong.

However, solutions often come from unexpected places.

Fortunately for Isabella, she just so happened to have a large stockpile of healing potions.

Although the potions weren’t originally bought for adventuring, they had been brought along just in case, and luckily, that foresight allowed Isabella to stabilize those who had suffered sudden attacks.

After putting out the immediate fire, Isabella sighed in relief.

“This really was a case of ‘a blessing in disguise.’ Though it wasn’t what I planned, I guess I should forgive that arrogant unicorn for helping out.”

Without realizing it, she had just dodged a future of torture—though Jian-Buun would never know.

“By the way, aren’t you supposed to be a great mage? How could you not know something as basic as what even a little girl knows? I almost had a heart attack!”

“Haha, my apologies! I’ve never had the experience of feeding a starving crowd before, you see.”

Karma chuckled, completely unfazed, as he responded to Isabella’s sharp glare. His tone was as shameless as ever.

Behind the two of them, Peter, now somewhat energized after eating, slowly approached.

“Um…”

“Hm? What is it? Want more food?”

“N-no, that’s not it… Is what you said earlier true?”

“Earlier? What did I say?”

“That… you’re going to let us out of here.”

Now that their most primal need had been satisfied, the prisoners’ attention turned to the first thing Isabella had said when she entered: that she was the princess of Salem and that she was here to free them.

She had not only provided food but also personally healed those who had collapsed, so it didn’t seem like a lie, but…

Peter’s gaze held a flicker of doubt. In response, Isabella gave him a broad smile.

“Of course! We came to rescue all of you.

And by the way, the bad guys who were originally here? Don’t worry about them—some super strong and beautiful lady already took care of them!”

Excitement rippled through the prisoners at her words.

“Is it true? We’re really going to get out of here?”

“Just look at her clothes, all fancy like that. She’s definitely a real princess…”

“But why would a princess come to a gloomy, filthy place like this?”

“Does it even matter? She said she’ll get us out! Just accept it and be happy!”

Though their reactions varied, none among them were unhappy. After all, just moments ago, they had half-given up hope of ever escaping.

How could they not be thrilled at the idea of returning home?

As the chatter among the prisoners grew louder, Therese clapped her hands to regain their attention.

“Alright, quiet down, everyone! I understand you’re excited, but we’re still in enemy territory, so don’t let your guard down.

You’ve all eaten and recovered your strength, right? Now, form orderly rows and line up in front of me! Let’s move!”

Now that their energy had been restored, it was time to head above ground.

Originally, they had planned to use a dimensional gate to escape quickly, but since Sion had already decimated the enemy base, there was no need.

They could simply lead the prisoners out through the front gate, keeping an eye on everyone to make sure no one was left behind.

They had decided not to use magic unnecessarily, as they would need to conserve their power for any monsters lurking outside.

The only problem was that the hallway was now in quite a horrific state.

“For those who aren’t used to seeing gruesome sights, close your eyes and hold on to the person next to you. I’m giving you a heads-up, just in case.”

Lancia glanced beyond the door and issued the warning.

The hallway was piled high with the corpses of demons, all slain by Sion. Even Isabella, who adored her, had been horrified when she first witnessed the scene.

“She truly offers no mercy to her enemies,” Isabella thought.

What if those blades had been aimed at her? She would have ended up in the same state as the lifeless bodies before her.

Imagining herself as one of the corpses, Lancia shuddered involuntarily. The worst part was that it wasn’t entirely an impossible scenario.

If Roc hadn’t intervened during the ambush in the forest, Sion might have been brainwashed by the Demon King’s army.

Quietly and humbly, Lancia offered a prayer of thanks to the goddess.

“Alright, everyone, slowly~ Keep pace~ Don’t push or rush the person in front of you~”

Therese skillfully led the prisoners forward.

It took some time to make their way to the surface. Tartarus was buried deep underground, and they had to climb stairs equivalent to a 10-story building to reach the exit.

For the prisoners, already weak and emaciated, it felt like climbing the World Tree—a journey that seemed impossible.

They ended up walking for one minute, resting for three, then walking for another minute, resting for three again. In this way, they slowly made progress.

After nearly an hour of this steady, exhausting march…

“Great, we’ve finally reached the exit!”

Isabella, walking at the front, exclaimed joyfully. Despite everything, her usual energetic demeanor remained completely unfazed.

Beside her, Lancia glanced back anxiously.

“Master’s taking quite a while… Could something have happened to her?”

“Who? Her?”

Therese let out a laugh.

“That’s nonsense. She seems like the type who could slice a meteor in half and walk away unscathed.

Do you really think there’s such a thing as a ‘crisis’ for someone who can single-handedly wipe out an entire legion? If there is, I’d be curious to see it myself.”

“I agree with you, but still…”

Lancia kept her eyes fixed on the cave entrance, her face filled with unease.

What was this unsettling feeling gnawing at her?

“Come on, Lancia, don’t worry. She’s probably just staying behind to watch over Beryl until she wakes up.

She’ll join us soon enough, so let’s just enjoy the fresh air while we wait.”

“Yes… you’re right.”

At Isabella’s words, Lancia shook her head, trying to shake off her worries.

There was no reason to fear. Everything had gone smoothly so far—better than expected, even. Surely, it would continue that way.

No further danger seemed likely to arise.

“Alright, I’ll open the door now.”

Karma approached the iron door that blocked their path midway through the cave.

As he placed his hand on the door, a mechanical whirring noise filled the air, and intricate circuits lit up on the surface of the door.

It was a magitech gate, designed to open upon detecting a specific individual’s magical signature. Naturally, as a former high-ranking officer of the Demon King’s army, Karma’s magical pattern was registered.

Once they passed through this, they would finally reach the surface.

-Rumble…

Moments later, with a loud roar, the final gate slowly began to split open to both sides.

Simultaneously, Karma’s body was also split cleanly in half.