The night was deep and there was barely any noise left to be heard from the busy day. It was silent, serene, and dark, with only the lights from houses and the street lamps giving sight to the patrolling guards.
Although the whole town was resting, the guards and soldiers weren't. They must keep the populace safe during their most vulnerable state. It was a tedious job with a heavy responsibility but the guards didn't complain because it is their duty.
One of the places the guards never leave unattended was the prison. Filled with tough and dangerous criminals, the prison was a place which the guards have the heaviest responsibility to oversee, because if ever there was a prison break, not only the guards' life but also the citizens' will be put in danger.
And on this particular day, one of these prison breaks will occur, making one of the most dangerous criminal escapes. An escape which will cause havoc throughout the whole town.
"Hey, I heard that your wife is pregnant, congratulations!" ［Guard 1］
"Ah, yeah..." ［Guard 2］
"Hm...? You don't sound happy." ［Guard 1］
"I'm just worried about the expenses. I don't really have enough money for my wife's birthing expenses, and there's still the child raising after that. Haah... I might need to switch to adventuring one of these days." ［Guard 2］
The guard sighed with his eyes looking distantly. One could easily tell the burden he was carrying just by looking at how haggard and exhausted his face was. Eye bags could even be seen on it.
While soldiers, especially prison guards, have higher salaries than normal people and could earn an amount for a stable life, the guard couldn't help but worry about the expenses of saving a child. He was seriously considering how he should approach parenthood.
"You've got it rough, huh... Then how about I let you borrow a part of my savings? I'm not really in dire need of it right now, and I also don't have a family to take care of like you." ［Guard 1］
"Ah, you don't have to. It's not really your responsibilityー." ［Guard 2］
"Hahaha! What kind of responsibility are you talking about? It's only normal to help a friend in need." ［Guard 1］
"No, that's still kind ofー" ［Guard 2］
"Then you can think of it as a congratulatory gift from me. And if you're still feeling guilty from borrowing money, then you can pay it back once you can." ［Guard 1］
"Ah... Thank you, really..." ［Guard 2］
The second guard tried to refuse his friend's offer at first, but hearing how serious and considerate his friend was, he soon gave up and just accepted his help. He was thankful to have such a kind friend.
"Hahaha! You make it sound like we're just strangers! Anyway, we should probably check on the prisoners. Our superiors will scold us if we just stay here." ［Guard 1］
"Right..." ［Guard 2］
After their idle chat, the guards patrolled the prison once again. Cell after cell, the two of them made sure that everything was fine and there was nothing suspicious or dangerous brewing.
Little did they know, the cell nearest to them while they were talking contained a criminal with dangerous capabilities. It was Gabal whom Fritz had arrested along with his master, Algerio.
A few minutes later, the guards returned back to where they originally were and continued their idle chat. As they patrolled, there was nothing which caught their eye. It was just another day at their jobs.
"Hey, can I leave you alone for a while?" ［Guard 1］
"Huh? Where are you going?" ［Guard 2］
"I'll just use the restroom. Don't worry I'll be quick!" ［Guard 1］
"Alright. But only this time, okay? Consider it as thanks for your help." ［Guard 2］
"Hahaha! Sure, sure." ［Guard 1］
One of the guards left towards the restroom as he whistled playfully, leaving the other to guard the cells alone.
But the guard wasn't a little bit worried. After all, the prisoners were bound by magic cuffs which restricts the flow of mana. Even C-rankers will have a hard time if they were bound by such.
Seeing one of the guards leave, a dangerous light glinted in Gabal's eyes. He saw the opportunity to strike and started his plan for his escape, making sure that the guard didn't notice him.
Inside of Gabal's mouth was a set of magic runed which could be activated by blood. The moment it activates, any magic tool within 5 meters from him would be rendered useless. They were runes specifically created to escape such situations.
There was only one downfall to the runes. Even if it renders the magic tools useless, some of their effects would still remain in the activator's body. It was the reason why Gabal never activated it since his power will be limited. He didn't want to fight two soldiers while he was still weakened.
Gabal didn't waste any more time and quickly bit his lips the moment one of the guards had disappeared from sight, and as blood came in contact with the runes, a dim light shone inside the prison cells, catching the guard's attention.
"Huh?" ［Guard 2］
Unfortunately for the guard, it was already too late. The moment he turned around to look, Gabal's viper-like hand reached out to his chest, blasting him towards the walls, unconscious.
Thankfully, the guard didn't lose his life and only suffered some external injuries. It was partly because of the leftover and temporary effects of the magic cuffs. Gabal, whose strength was at the higher end of E-rank, was now barely as powerful as F-rankers.
"Now that's taken care of..." ［Gabal］
Gabal twisted his wrist up and down as he relived the stiffness from being cuffed for a couple of days. Soon after, he fixed his eyes towards the iron bars and with all his might, he opened up a dent large enough for him to pass through.
Hnngggggg
A metallic sound echoed throughout the prison corridors as the bars of iron were slowly being bent with sheer strength. Heavy panting left Gabal's mouth as soon as he managed to force his way out.
Nonchalantly, Gabal walked up towards the unconscious guard and picked up the ring of keys he had near his belt. Just as he was doing so, the sounds of footsteps echoed throughout the corridors, alerting him.
"I'm backー" ［Guard 1］
"Hm?" ［Gabal］
"Hey, what are you doinー" ［Guard 1］
The guard unsheathed his sword from his scabbard, but before he could brandish it, Gabal already took the first step and blasted him towards the iron bars, knocking him unconscious just like his colleague.
"Now, time to find Master Algerio." ［Gabal］
After grabbing the keys from the guards, Gabal walked around the prison leisurely, whistling while checking each of the cells for Algerio.
He didn't bother killing the two guards, not because he was merciful, but because he was not in the condition to do so. Other than being weakened, finding Algerio was his top priority.
Well, even if he was weakened and he already had Algerio, he still wouldn't be able to kill the guards. It was because the prison itself was covered with runes which detected if anyone had died inside of it. Alarming the guards of their ongoing escape would just be a hassle.
On another cell, Algerio was staring blankly at the wall, cursing Fritz every moment on the back of his mind. The more time passed the more he desired to kill Fritz. He was losing his mind.
"Curse you, Fritz! Curse you!" ［Algerio］
This thought has been circulating inside his mind each and every second ever since he was arrested. And every second, he found more and more reason to hate and despise Fritz.
But just as he had become crazy enough to bash his head against the solid walls of the prison, the doors opened and a familiar figure appeared before him. It was his butler, Gabal.
"Sorry for the delay Master Algerio. I believe it is now the time to escape this horrid place." ［Gabal］
When Gabal appeared, the intense desire to get revenge from Fritz had surfaced on Algerio's mind. He could not have been much happier at the thought of the cause for his misery to suffer.
"Hehe... Hehehe... Hahahahahaha!" ［Algerio］
A loud almost maniacal laugh echoed throughout the quiet corridors. The only ones to hear that laughter were Algerio, Gabal, and the other prisoners as the prison guards have all been knocked out by Gabal.
"Say, Gabal. The prisoners here... can you convince them to wreak havoc in this godforsaken town?" ［Algerio］
"That would be a simple task." ［Gabal］
"Just what I wanted to hear from you. Well then, let's not waste time any further. Let's free all of them!" ［Algerio］
"As you wish." ［Gabal］
Cell after cell, Gabal and Algerio manipulated the prisoners to join their side, and since they wanted nothing more than their freedom, it became a simple task for the two of them to convince them.
Although there were guards along the way, they made sure to knock each of them unconscious and prevented the town from noticing the undergoing prison break. As time passed, more and more vicious criminals have been set free.
Thankfully, because of the prison's emergency functions, none of the guards were killed. The prisoners were dissatisfied but there was nothing they could do about it.
"This should be the last one." ［Algerio］
After freeing most of the prisoners, they finally arrived at the deepest part of the prison where the most dangerous prisoners were kept. All of the prisoners contained there were at least of D-rank.
"Hm... Looks like it's the Crimson Skull bandits... They're supposed to be executed tomorrow. How lucky of us." ［Gabal］
"Do you think you can convince them?" ［Algerio］
"It would be tougher since they're all stronger than me. They'll most likely try to gain control over the other prisoners, but I could still pull it off. After all, there's nothing more tempting to prisoners than a taste of freedom." ［Gabal］
"Well then, you do your job. I'll make sure that no one interferes." ［Algerio］
"Understood." ［Gabal］
After leaving Gabal to do his job, Algerio ordered the other prisoners to keep watch and make sure to knock all guards unconscious, which the prisoners happily did so without much complaint.
It wasn't that Algerio had become their leader nor they are doing it because of gratitude, but they are doing it because they are despicable bastards that find pleasure in the pain of others.
"What do you want?" ［???］
A man tightly chained to the prison walls asked as he saw Gabal enter his cell. He knew full well that Gabal was a prisoner just by looking at his outfit, making him even more cautious.
"Hmm... I just want to have a chat with you." ［Gabal］
"Don't waste my time and get straight to the point." ［???］
"Haah... How serious... Then, Merzin of the Crimson Skull, do you want to escape this place?" ［Gabal］
The man's attention was caught as soon as Gabal stated his proposition, but even then, the man didn't let his guard down. Only a fool would blindly take a prisoner's offer without much thought.
"And what's the catch? I'm sure you won't be doing this for free." ［Merzin］
"It's just a simple task, nothing big... We just want you to kill the town lord... Fritz von Landevar." ［Gabal］
As Fritz's name was mentioned, the glow in Merzin's eyes sharpened like daggers as if he was ready to kill a certain someone. One could easily tell how much he loathes Fritz.
"I'm listening." ［Merzin］
While the town was sleeping soundly, an evil plan was brewing inside the prison. But rather than striking directly, the prisoners awaited daybreak so that they could blend in easily with the crowd.
...
Knock Knock Knock
"Hey, open up." ［Guard 3］
A loud metallic sound echoed throughout the prison as a guard knocked on the prison doors. It was already daybreak, and so, it was already time to switch shifts amongst the prison guards.
"Something wrong?" ［Guard 4］
"Yeah, they're not responding." ［Guard 3］
"Maybe they slept on the job." ［Guard 4］
"Haah... Just what are they doing?... They're going to get punished when our superiors find out." ［Guard 5］
"Anyway, we should probably wake them up. We're going to get scolded too if they're found out." ［Guard 4］
"Haah... Tell me about it..." ［Guard 5］
Knock Knock Knock
The guard tried knocking once again, but there was still no response. He tried again and again but it was the same every time. Finally, sensing that something was off, the guard unsheathed his sword and opened the door forcefully.
Crasshhhh
A loud crashing sound echoed in the air as the door was broken in a single swing, and when the prison was finally opened, the absence of the guards gave them both a shock and a bad feeling.
Quickly, the guards checked the prison cells and just as they feared, there were no prisoners in any of them. No, rather, the ones inside the cells were their colleagues who were all unconscious.
"Quickly, sound the alarms! The prisoners have escaped!" ［Guard 6］
Panic ensued amongst the prison guards the moment they realized what just happened. Some ran to ring the alarms, some stayed to heal their colleagues, and some investigated further in. Nevertheless, it was a chaotic time.
...
Another morning has arrived yet again in the Landevar household, and as Grey awoke, he didn't stretch his nor did he yawn like he usually does. He couldn't get what happened with Yuna the day before off his mind that even his habits have gotten compromised.
As he continued to dabble on such thoughts, he prepared himself for the day and fixed the bed. The moment he left the room, coincidentally, Yuna also went out of hers.
"Ah, good morning." ［Grey］
"Un, good morning." ［Yuna］
When Grey greeted Yuna, she replied to him like how she usually does. It was such a short interaction between them that somehow, Grey felt awkwardness brewing inside his heart.
Seeing Yuna on her usual self made Grey think that he was a fool for being too conscious of it. He also became more embarrassed when he remembered him thinking Yuna was also conscious of him.
Unbeknownst to Grey, Yuna was even more conscious of it than he actually thought. It's just that Yuna had fallen for Grey for almost 3 years already and she is now able to dismiss her embarrassment after a good night's sleep.
"Are you heading to the kitchen now?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah, I need to help Mister Rhodes out... Because if I don't I'm afraid that he will not be leaving me alone." ［Grey］
"That seems likely. He's really passionate about cooking, after all... Hmm... do you want me to help out too, Grey?" ［Yuna］
"That would be great, but are you sure?" ［Grey］
"Un! I'm free anyway." ［Yuna］
The more they talked, the more embarrassed Grey became of his previous thoughts. No matter how he looked at it, Yuna seemed like she wasn't affected by what happened the day before.
"Then... You have my deep gratitude, Milady." ［Grey］
"Fufu... You're welcome, Sir Grey." ［Yuna］
Desperate to calm himself, Grey replied to Yuna's proposal in a jokingly formal way. It was a simple solution which made his heart calm down a little, though after seeing Yuna's destructive smile, it started to race one again.
With Yuna and Grey's help, Rhodes and the chefs were able to quickly prepare a delicious breakfast. During the whole time, Rhodes kept bothering the two to teach him new recipes.
Grey and Yuna tried to accommodate Rhode with the best of their abilities, but the latter's passion for cooking was too much for them to handle. The other chefs wanted to help them out, but they were just too scared of Rhodes-san.
Upon finishing their dishes, Yuna and Grey headed out of the kitchen. Both of them headed to their respective baths to clean themselves.
Grey was the last to arrive at the dining hall, and when he did arrive there, he met two unexpected figures...
"Oh, Grey!" ［Kris］
... it was Aria and Kris who were both comfortably seating themselves in the dining table. The three ladies, Yuna, Eliza, and Aria were even having a lovely chat amongst themselves.
Grey looked at Yuna with eyes full of questions , but when he looked at her, she just simply shook her head. She also had no idea why the two of them were there.
"They said they have something important to tell you, so I let them in." ［Fritz］
"We actually wanted to tell you in the guild, but since there's the possibility that you won't be going there, we took the initiative to tell you while you're still at the lord's mansion." ［Kris］
"I see... So, what did you want to tell us?" ［Grey］
"It's about the opening of the labyrinth, the positions have been decided." ［Kris］
Hearing Kris' words, Grey immediately understood what he meant. The only ones who didn't have a shred of clue was Yuna, and Eliza as both of them weren't well-versed with Labyrinths.
Positions are where people will be starting from when the labyrinth opens. With the presence of monsters, it was usually the high-rankers who would dive in first, followed by the mid-rankers then the low-rankers.
The reason for it was so that if an unreasonably strong monster appeared, the high-rankers would be able to take care of them easily before they could even cause harm towards the other participants.
Other than reducing the casualty rate, it also allows the activation of Labyrinth Torchstones so that the others will know what is ahead of them. While it benefits the ones behind, the ones in front can also gain from it since they can access treasures before anyone else can. It's a win-win for both sides.
"During the opening, parties are allowed to coordinate with each other in order to make things more efficient." ［Kris］
"If Yuna and Grey want to coordinate with us, we can travel together." ［Aria］
Kris and Aria revealed their intention of corporations to everyone without leaving a single detail behind. It was a proposal which is beneficial for everyone since they can head to lower floors faster with it.
"I appreciate the concern, but Yuna and I would be traveling just by ourselves. We want to see how far we can go by ourselves." ［Grey］
"Thank you for the offer." ［Yuna］
Unfortunately, Grey and Yuna had long decided that they would only be traveling by themselves. It wasn't that they hated traveling with others, but rather because they wanted to test out their limits.
There was also the fact that they cannot fully let loose if there were other eyes around. It was best for them to move on their own without the presence of others.
"That's too bad..." ［Kris］
"Hahaha! Don't let yourselves get down by it. There's plenty of food to eat, so cheer up!" ［Gustav］
"That's right. Also, the food is getting cold, we shoー" ［Fritz］
"Your Lordship! There's an emergency!" ［Sebastian］
Fritz was about to initiate breakfast when suddenly, Sebastian opened the doors and announced an emergency. His breathing was rugged, clearly from running with all his might.
Seeing Sebastian in such a hurried state, a bad premonition befell amongst everyone in the dining hall. None of them were able to take even a single bite with the amount of tension in the room.
"What is it?" ［Fritz］
"All the prisoners have escaped!!" ［Sebastian］
CHAPTER 52 END