"Release our bonds."
Hearing these words from the frail young boy, a hint of mockery surfaced on Miss Magus's face.
Release them, how could she possibly do that?
Wouldn't that just allow them to launch another attack on her?
Yet, as if her mind was hypnotized, Miss Magus uncontrollably dispelled the spell.
The ropes made of stardust vanished, freeing Ranch and Sophia from their restraints.
They immediately moved forward, binding the Magus girl while cautioning her not to resist.
The entire process went smoothly.
However—
Ranch looked at the bound Magus girl, her oversized cloak removed by Sophia, while the hemp rope tightly wound around the girl's lovely figure, passing over her slightly protruding breasts and through the gap between her legs...
It was an extremely humiliating way to bind someone, and it was Sophia's handiwork.
"Sophia, did you do this on purpose?"
Ranch rubbed his forehead, looking somewhat helplessly at Sophia.
Facing Ranch's reproach, Sophia was utterly indifferent, even deliberately commenting, "What's wrong, Mr. Ranch? Don't you like it? I wonder who was it that got handsy with me when they were dealing with me."
Clearly, Sophia was venting.
Even though she had come to accept Ranch, his initial approach had been far too rough for her, being the girl's first time.
"Sir, you can treat me the same way," the voice of the magical girl suddenly chimed in, her delicate face flushing slightly.
Compliance Spray could influence one's thoughts but wouldn't alter the natural physiological state.
Ranch chose to ignore the girl's words.
He directly asked, "What is your name?"
"Xina Bella."
"What is your purpose here?"
"I was tracking a fugitive of the Tribunal, Charles Molin... He murdered several members of the Tribunal and stole an extremely precious treasure. While on his trail, I sensed the presence of a dragon aura beneath this manor, driven by curiosity, I came to investigate and set up a magic array to prevent the dragon's aura from leaking."
"What treasure did Charles Molin steal?"
"I don't know."
"..."
Ranch's questioning didn't last long; ten minutes were entirely insufficient to extract all the information the girl knew, but the main issues were clarified.
Indeed, the girl Xina had discovered the treasure of the dragon here.
Besides, there was an unexpected gain.
The necromancer was facing the pursuit of the Tribunal, so it was unlikely that he would show up voluntarily.
Once he did, it could lead the Tribunal right to him.
As the cradle of Dark Empire magi, the Dark Night Tribunal has nurtured countless maguses.
Ranch had to commend Charles for his audacity in daring to steal from the Tribunal.
But now came the problem...
Having subdued Miss Magus, deciding how to deal with her was a significant issue.
"The Bella family holds considerable prestige within the Tribunal, and this Miss Xina is a rare stellar magus; she seems rather difficult to handle."
A hint of murderous intent surfaced on Sophia's face.
Xina Bella sensed the murderous intent but wasn't afraid, her lips still curled in a mocking smile, "If you kill me, my father will sense it immediately, and then you too will die."
However, that wasn't the real reason Xina wasn't afraid of death.
Star magic is an extremely mysterious form of magic, and even seasoned magi know little about it, let alone Sophia and Ranch who are merely knights.
After being killed, Xina wouldn't truly die but would continue to exist as a form of starlight for a while.
After paying a certain price, she could be resurrected.
But the cost of resurrection is exorbitant, even as the legitimate daughter of the Bella family, she couldn't afford to be resurrected too many times.
However, having this ace up her sleeve was enough to make her fearless of death.
Thus, Xina was not panicked; she even found it amusing to watch Ranch and Sophia discussing strategies.
Knights truly are foolish beings, she thought, but then she saw the elf coming over again, reaching out to caress her face and suggesting to the young man, "Ranch, since we can't kill her, how about making her your woman as well?"
"Sophia, that's a terrible idea."
Ranch dismissed Sophia's suggestion, saying with a gentle smile, "Killing her would bring the Tribunal's people down on us. But we can't kill her, and she won't cooperate. I think we should lock her in the dungeon. Just provide enough food and water, and she should survive for a while, giving us the chance to leave."
"That really is a good idea! It's just a pity, such a beautiful girl having to stay with those stinky rats, maybe they will even crawl into her clothes while she's asleep."
Sophia's slender fingers wandered on Xina, evoking a peculiar sensation in her.
Especially the nauseating description she gave, which instilled fear in Xina, her greatest fear was filthy rats…
Finally, unable to bear the mental torture, Xina shouted, "Release me, I can forgive the wrongs you've done! Even the treasure of the dragon here, I can share a part of it with you!"
"Sophia, take her to the dungeon," Ranch's voice turned cold.
…
In the manor of Old Rock, there exists a dungeon, but due to the ruins, this place has long become the dwelling of rats and insects.
The treasure of the dragon had been considered private property by Ranch, who was not inclined to share it with anyone.
Moreover, he had signed a contract with Old Rock; according to the terms of the contract, the manor had become his, though he still owed Old Rock eight thousand gold coins.
Upon hearing Ranch's orders, Sophia dutifully carried them out.
Xina was hoisted by Sophia and directly taken into the dungeon of the manor ruins, while she and Ranch sat in the corridor outside the iron bars of the dungeon, listening to the girl's screams.
"You truly are a devil."
Sophia looked at the young man beside her, unable to suppress her exclamation.
After recognizing Xina's identity as a stellar magus, she informed Ranch of some news: those who become stellar maguses absolutely cannot stand filth, believing it to be a desecration of the Mother of Stars.
Thus, Ranch devised the dungeon plan.
As for the devilish title Sophia used, Ranch gladly accepted it, even showing interest in making another wager with Sophia, saying, "Sophia, how long do you think Miss Xina will last? I bet she'll surrender in ten minutes and provide a perfect solution."
"What's the wager?"
Remembering their last bet, Sophia was more cautious.
Ranch casually responded, "One gold coin."
Hearing the stakes, Sophia showed a look of disdain on her face, licking her lips and saying, "Last time you wanted me to serve you willingly, but now you're scared?"
Ignoring Sophia's provocation, Ranch stood up and walked towards the dungeon where Xina was held.
The girl's shrill cries were unsettling, even more so than he had anticipated.
In less than three minutes, the Magus Miss offered a perfect solution: "Release me, and I swear by the name of the Mother of Stars to sign a contract ensuring I will not seek revenge against you! The treasure of the dragon here will be all yours!"
In the dungeon, several grey rats scurried about, with the bound girl dodging continuously, fear evident in her eyes, her body trembling, tears streaming down her face.
Ranch entered the dungeon, gently helped Miss Xina up, and smiled, "Miss Xina, that's not enough. Add another hundred thousand gold coins. And your storage ring looks quite nice; I fancy it as well."
"That's impossible!"
Xina flatly refused but saw the young man turn to leave, simultaneously calling out to the elf girl, "Sophia, let's go back and allow Miss Xina here to enjoy the dungeon's delights."
"Don't leave!"
Overwhelmed by a sense of humiliation, Xina had no choice but to submit.
When Ranch and Sophia returned, she had sworn by the Mother of Stars, sealing a contract that she would not speak of this matter to anyone, not disclose the treasure of the dragon, and also gifted Ranch one hundred thousand gold coins along with her storage ring… although those gold coins would have to be collected by Ranch from the Bella family in the City of Night, as she did not carry so much on her person.
Most importantly, she would not seek revenge against Ranch and Sophia.
Indeed, it was a perfect solution, and Ranch was very satisfied.
He personally untied the hemp ropes binding Xina, after obtaining the incantation to unlock the storage ring, he removed the ring, unconcerned by the murderous glare from the girl.
Instead, he warmly said, "Miss Xina, you mentioned you came to the City of Crimson chasing the necromancer, Charles Molin... I can provide you with some information about this necromancer. Capturing him, the Tribunal will surely bestow numerous rewards upon you, which could also compensate for your losses, right?"