~ Side Story: Felicity ~

[Prince Reynolds's point of view]

 “We're under attack! Protect the base!” shouted the pathetic men who were supposed to guard this establishment.

I paid no heed to their cries as I stormed in on horseback. My stallion neighed as it jumped over the small barricade, and with one slash, I ended the life of one of them. The other was met with a pair of hooves to the face.

“Hahaha! Don't keep all the fun to yourself, my Prince!” shouted Braigun, one of my draconian knights.

“Be at ease, my friend, there are plenty of these wretched foes where they come from! Unfortunately...” I shook my head at the end as I dismounted.

“Bah! Fools such as these with a nose for gold and a stomach for violence will always be like a plague of pests upon one's country! Not even the Paramanium Empire managed to get rid of them!” he replied as he jumped over the barricade and aimed his black halberd at one of the mercenaries who ran at us with their swords unsheathed.

The poor man was unable to dodge the blow and was cut in half at the waist. One part landed at the draconian's feet, while the other stumbled on the ground, spreading his inside all over the place. It was a gruesome sight to behold.

Three arrows flew by me and landed in the noggins of three others who tried to ambush me from behind. The men were killed on the spot and dropped their weapon on the floor.

“You two should pay attention to your surroundings. I don't want to be the one to bring your bodies back to his Majesty.”

The grumpy voice belonged to Ellen, a beautiful el'doraw who specialized in archery and stealth missions, but she was quite proficient with Earth Magic too. There were very few like her, and I was glad I had her on my team.

“With you guarding our tails, I need not fear any hidden foes!” Braigun laughed as he struck the ground with the hilt of his halberd.

“That's why I brought you with us, Ellen. A wise woman with a sharp eye is always needed to keep us alive.” I smiled and made a small bow towards her.

“Courteous as ever, my Prince, but if my husband heard you, he would chase you with his sword for an entire day.” she sighed and shook her head.

“And I would run like the wind.” I nodded and smiled back.

“Don't worry, Ellen, I'll keep ya safe from the prince, nya~!” the voice belonged to a fierce brown-furred nekatar who went by the name Mayana.

She appeared from the shadows behind Braigun and climbed up on his right shoulder. With the long scar across her right eye, you would think she was not one for combat, but this woman was a former assassin and master of stealth more than Ellen could ever be. She also loved to be cuddled and petted for some reason.

“Hey! I'm not your scratching post!” the draconian huffed.

“I know, nya~ You are my meat shield, nya~!” she rubbed her furry cheek to his scaly face, earning her a low growl from him, but the big draconian did not dare to strike or push her off.

As much as he showed to be displeased by her actions, he was in fact somewhat of a foster brother to her.

This odd bunch were both my personal guards and also the squad I gathered throughout the past two years. All of them were former slaves whom I was able to save one way or another. The dragon and nekatar duo were once used by the strongest noble who opposed me and my brother in our reform to abolish slavery. It was our toughest battle yet, but we managed to win in the end.

Now, one and a half years had passed since then, and we managed to weed out almost all the slave traders and nobles who opposed us. Two and a half years since Illsyore first stepped foot in Elora, the capital of Aunnar Kingdom.

The curse was still scarring my flesh, but since I had constantly fought against oppression and slavery, it barely showed any reaction these days. The last condition for it to vanish completely, I had yet to fulfill. As for the said Godlike Dungeon Lord, no word of him had yet to reach my ears, but I had the strange feeling that I was going to meet him again soon. Maybe after my curse was completely removed?

Speaking of which, I wasn't in Aunnar right now but in the Serdannya Kingdom to the West. Through comparison, it was about a fifth of my own, but it held a powerful army thanks to the Ancient Dungeon they used to train their soldiers with. Above all, this place was notorious for using slaves in the most brutish and hellish ways imaginable. To them, they were nothing but slobs of meat to be used as one pleased.

As for why we were currently in this ridiculous kingdom bursting into a well-defended hidden encampment in the middle of the forest, far away from the nearest civilized city?

This place was actually the main Headquarters of the Aunnar Slave Dealers, and I was here on a mission to strike down the last of them as well as to rescue the daughter of one of my kingdom's most well respected nobles. She was kidnapped two weeks ago and held here in an attempt to use her father's power and influence to change the reforms in Aunnar.

It was a foolish attempt because the first one that man went to when he heard the news was my brother, the current king of Aunnar. As a result of his action, I was sent here on a stealth mission to retrieve her. If by chance the Serdannya authorities discovered me, I would act like a foolish prince and claim that I was here to visit these beautiful lands and what not. There were many excuses I could use, so I did not worry about it.

“Where do you think they are holding here?” Braigun asked.

“I suppose inside there?” I pointed at the cave in the far back.

“I'll go on ahead, nya~!” said Mayana as she jumped off the big draconian and vanished within the shadows.

“I'll keep a watch on your backs.” Ellen said and prepared her bow.

“Thank you!” I nodded and turned around.

With a steady step, we approached the cave. Several humans could be seen dead on the ground with their necks slit open, Mayana's work. Braigun walked close to me just in case a trap or an arrow came flying in my direction. All of them were at the very least of Godlike Rank, while I was barely an Emperor Rank.

As soon as we reached the cave, we were greeted with the corpses of several archers. Once more, Mayana was the one behind this. The nekatar was as swift on her paws as she was with her dagger, making me wonder if all we had to do now was to walk through without worry of enemies.

“That bloody fur ball! She's keeping all the fun for herself!” Braigun grumbled.

“You'll get your share too, my friend, relax.” I smiled back at him.

Indeed, this trio was a very dangerous one to have as your enemy.

The draconian could work well as a vanguard, while the nekatar made good use of the shadows to strike our foes from where they least expected. Meanwhile, Ellen was able to keep our backs safe as a rearguard, but when needed, she was more powerful than an entire battalion of catapults with her ranged Earth Magic. Then lastly, there was me... the swordsman who knew a bit of Fire Magic. Well, I was better than nothing... and I still had some sort of Authority as a Prince and current Prime Minister of Aunnar, so that was something.

“This place stinks of dead rats!” grumbled Braigun.

“Indeed... it's worse than the sewers of Elora.” I confirmed.

“You went inside the sewers? For what reason?” the draconian asked surprised.

“Not long before I met you two, I received a tip about a secret slave brothel somewhere in Elora. My investigation led to the sewers, and since I was unable to find out the front gate, I had to make my own. This led to me crawling through the gunk in there... Not the best of ways to get rid of your nose hair if I may say so myself.” I chuckled.

“You had guts, my Prince.” said Braigun.

“I had to. The slaves used there were treated very badly, and I couldn't allow something like that to exist right underneath my feet.” I replied shaking my head.

“But did you really have to go through the sewers?” he asked.

“Not really. After I managed to rescue the slaves there, imagine my surprise when I discovered the fact that there were several entrances to this place. One of them was right underneath the bathhouse.” I said.

“Sounds like the maids had a tough time afterwards.” he snickered.

“They? When we returned to the palace, everyone kept a ten meters distance. My own brother refused to see us because of the stench! He gave us orders from the balcony... on the other side of the garden. When the maids finally got their hands on us, they scrubbed us ten times each! My flesh was in agony for several days afterwards!” I let out a sigh as I shuddered just thinking about those awful moments.

“But you saved a lot of lives too...” he pointed out.

“True... and we also gave orders for a new sewer system to be made.” I nodded.

Almost half an hour later, we finally arrived at a large underground cavern where dozens of mercenaries awaited us in what could only be described as a fortress. The stalagmites and stalactites were all cleared, and magic crystals took the place of torches, removing the danger of smoke.

From left to right, it was at least 100 meters long and over 150 meters in length. The ceiling of the cave was almost 50 meters above the ground, but the fortress itself stopped at roughly 25 meters. This was so that the archers on top could still shoot their arrows at any potential intruders. The walls were made out of solid stone, but if they were enchanted or not remained to be seen. The former were the most troublesome ones for a siege.

“This... was unexpected.” said Braigun.

“Indeed. Any suggestions?” I asked as I looked at the fortress from afar while being careful not to be spotted by their guards.

“Mayana could infiltrate it from above and open the gates for us, but we would need to act quickly. I have a feeling they are already on alert from the moment we arrived.” suggested the draconian.

“Maybe charging in like that wasn't such a wise idea after all?” I showed them a wry smile.

“Nya~ Yup!” the nekatar said and giggled as she appeared behind me.

“Well... I can't do anything about it now.” I let out a sigh and rubbed the back of my head.

“When Mayana is ready to open the gates, I could offer some range support. Making a fortress underground isn't very wise when you are confronted with an Earth Magic specialist such as myself.” said Ellen as she put away her bow.

“I will feel much better if you provide cover support, miss Ellen.” I said.

Before the nekatar went ahead to open the gates, we also made a couple of strategies about what we should do once inside. We all agreed that Mayana should keep to the shadows and try to find the ringleader here. Ellen was to take out all the archers on the walls, then she was to regroup with us or keep bombarding the place, whichever she thought to be best. Meanwhile, me and Braigun were to make as much noise as possible to keep them focused on ourselves. In this whole plan, Mayana was the key to success. Without her, rescuing the slaves would have been a bit harder, especially if the noble in charge of this place gave an order of suicide.

“If you can locate our target, make sure she's safe before proceeding.” I gave her one last order before the sneaky nekatar was off.

“Of course, nya~!”

“Let's do this!” Braigun said with a big grin on his face.

Without a second to lose, we launched our attack on the underground fortress.

The nekatar slipped past the defenses without any of those inside realizing they had an intruder. Ellen was preparing a dangerous Earth Spell, while Braigun and I dashed with our swords unsheathed towards the gates of the fortress.

The moment we were seen, someone shouted “Intruders!”

Then ten warriors were sent outside. All of them were at most Master Ranks, not a worthy prey for either of us.

“Kill them!”

“I want the big guy's sword!”

“Let me have his boots!”

Some of them shouted.

“By the gods! What is it with bandits and boots?!” Braigun asked annoyed as he swung down his sword and cut the first man in half.

I dashed to the left of the second one and stabbed my sword through this man's ribs and straight into his heart. Magic Armor or not, against weapons enchanted like ours, such a thing was not something one should rely on. My brother was the one who taught me this... After all, in every warrior's life there's a moment of stupidity when they believe that Magic Armor can solve everything.

“Two down...” I said.

Braigun killed another. “Seven to go!” he grinned.

Between us, a small competition began as we mowed down our enemies, one after another. As I said, they were easy prey, and when we reached the gate, it opened as if it had been expecting us. There was never a reason to doubt Mayana's skill. The gate's room was probably locked up and littered with the bodies of the guards.

It was also now when Ellen launched her attack.

Seven boulders flew at the fortress, slamming into the walls and windows, killing more than either of us did.

Seeing this, the draconian grumbled “Magic's not fair...”

Well, neither of us believed it was fair, but when one saw its frightening might, we couldn't help but feel relieved that she was on our side. Then again, we could also use Magic Energy, so it wasn't like we were completely useless at casting spells, it was just that we focused more in Sword Skills than Magic Spells.

While we kept an eye out for any fallen debris, we continued to slaughter our way through our opponents. Blood, limbs, and broken parts of armor flew all around us. None stood a chance against us. After all, the difference in our might was quite visible, but what we kept in our minds was the possibility of encountering those special guards with fearsome battle power... or to be more precise mercenaries or adventurers above Emperor Rank hired to guard or command this place.

“What's this? Insects dare attack my fortress?” a big, gray-furred nekatar with a big body and bulky muscles appeared at the entrance to the fortress.

Wielding a halberd like Braigun, he stepped forward and showed us a confident smirk.

“Mine! Mine! Mine!” the draconian declared as he rushed forward.

“All yours, my friend.” I made a polite bow as I stepped out of his way.

“Ptew! Just one, huh? The other is too afraid to fight against a might Emperor Rank like me?” he then began to laugh proudly.

“Eh? Why did you have to spoil the fun?” Braigun complained and attacked the man using [Dash].

A single strike sent him flying back, but before the nekatar could fall on the ground, the draconian was at his left and kicked him hard in the liver.

“Nyagh!” the nekatar rolled on the ground and slammed into several of his men.

“Weak...” Braigun complained.

He probably thought he was facing a Godlike. That nekatar, announcing himself as an Emperor Rank, that was a very bad move. Even if one holds a high Rank, they should not needlessly advertise it in such a way. Sometimes having a higher Rank did not excuse you from falling prey to the plot of one of a lower Rank.

This, again, was something I learned from my brother while we were training. Ranks, in the end, were just a way for people to organize themselves by levels of power. As such, higher Ranks did not ultimately mean the individual was far more experienced in battle. Even though I was an Emperor Rank as well, I could still hold my ground against Braigun, unlike the nekatar over there who was getting the life beaten out of him.

“Should I kill you?” the draconian asked as he pressed the hilt of his halberd on his muzzle.

“Pwese! Spware mewe!” he begged.

“Pathetic.”

With one chop from his weapon, the Emperor Ranked nekatar was decapitated. It was a foreseeable outcome. After all, the draconian wasn't one to go easy on slave dealers or those who defended them. His hatred for them was still burning like a mountain-tall fire.

“I'm taking the lead.” Braigun declared.

“I'll have your back.” I responded.

Meanwhile, Ellen kept pummeling the fortress with her boulders, killing off all the soldiers who tried to escape or head towards her. Considering the distance she was at, how quick she launched her attacks, and how powerful they were, chances were she was in the least danger out of all of us. The upper walls were mostly cleared of enemies.

There was no sign of Mayana, but something told me she was already inside, preparing to make her move.

So far, however, I had yet to see anyone wearing a slave collar. This meant they were either all kept somewhere in the back or downstairs in cells. I voted on the last option. It was something I would have done if I was leading this place.

Remembering my former self brought a bad taste to my mouth, but I was glad I was never going to look in the mirror again and see the face of a scumbag prince. Thanks to Illsyore, I was now proud to look at the face of the Prime Minister of Aunnar, the man who helped change the whole kingdom for the better.

Looking around, I noticed that despite the lot lurking around outside, the items put on display here as decorations were something closer to the tastes of a nobleman. This led me to believe that we were maybe dealing with another stray from my kingdom or someone of influence in Serdannya Kingdom.

When we reached the second floor, we encountered another soldier, a man in his late forties.

“I am the Wind Whisperer! Feel the wrath of my... GUHA!” he screamed after getting punched in the face by Braigun.

“Each and one of these weaklings makes me tear my scales out!” he grumbled.

“You were actually looking for a challenge HERE?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

The big draconian was someone who enjoyed a good fight, but when it came to opponents who were far weaker than him, it sort of annoyed him. That being said, from the information we acquired regarding this place, there weren't supposed to be any enemies here with a rank of Godlike or above. Even so, we kept our guard up in case our informant missed anything.

We opened all the doors on the floor, hoping to find either our target of rescue or the boss who ruled over this place. In most of these rooms we found nothing but treasures looted or traded for the slaves, simple bedrooms used by the higher ups here, and not even one single slave or noble.

“This is the last room.” said Braigun as he opened the door.

“Well?” I asked.

“Laundry... stinky laundry. Ugh...” the draconian groaned and closed the door.

Turning around, we decided to go to the dungeons below, but just as we reached the stairs, several soldiers welcomed us with their swords drawn.

“Fresh meat!” Braigun said with a smile.

“Hiii!” the soldiers screamed and then ran outside.

“Aw...” the draconian was disappointed.

Well, they were probably hired arms, and seeing how we completely annihilated a big part of them, they probably considered it was safer to flee than to face us. Then again, if they ran outside, Ellen would have had no problem with sending several boulders their way. If they survived or not, it all depended on their luck.

Without any more soldiers trying to stop us, we rushed to the basement of the fortress, where we hoped to find the dungeons filled with slaves.

“It would have been better if the informant knew the layout of this place too...” grumbled Braigun.

“He told us enough for the amount he was paid.” I told him.

“I say he was nothing but a greedy bastard! You should have listened to me and let me put my blade to his neck... That would have made him talk...” he retorted.

“Easy there, Braigun. We might need his services in the future and making enemies of people with a large information network isn't a good idea... I learned this the hard way during the first year of my change.” I told him and then let out a sigh.

“You mean during the time of rebellions?” he asked.

“Yes... If I had known to plan better, like my brother, I wouldn't have found myself in the predicament where I nearly caused Aunnar to split in half... Sigh... Good thing brother was there. He held the strength which I lacked at that time.” I said and shook my head.

Ever since my brother returned to Elora, I found myself seeing him in a new light, and I realized that the rightful heir to the throne could be none other than him. Hence why I took the position of the Prime Minister, although, that workaholic brother of mine left me with little to no work to do... In recent weeks I was starting to worry for his health.

“There!” Braigun pointed ahead.

“Just as I had suspected.” I said.

In front of us were countless cells stacked full with slaves. They were separated by worth, from the cheapest, which were also the sick and injured, to the most expensive, which were allowed even to wear clothes.

Walking in front of their cells, I realized that the captives here were of various ages as well, but at least the men were separated from the women. All of them looked at us with eyes lacking even the smallest drop of hope, but some held a deep hatred in them. The latter were probably recently enslaved and haven't been broken yet.

“I hope Mayana slit the throat of the bastard who rules this place!” growled Braigun.

With this, even I fell into agreement.

“STOP!” someone shouted in front of us.

“Who are you?” Braigun asked.

“I am Ballurad von Vanngar!” he declared proudly as he unsheathed his sword.

“Oh? Are you perhaps the noble who runs this dump?”

“I am, indeed! Identify yourself, you lowlife!” he demanded.

“Well... I am Brute and this guy is Smartypants!” Braigun said.

I felt like hitting him.

What do you mean Smartypants?! I retorted in my mind.

“Names of peasants, I see.” he smirked. “You have proven to be quite strong. I will enjoy turning you into obedient slaves!” he declared.

“My win.” said Braigun.

I glared at the draconian and took out a gold coin from my bag.

“Hehe! Shiny!” he smirked as he took it and placed it in his pocket.

This was a small bet we made before attacking this place. He said that we will meet the noble in charge here, and he will wish to turn us into his slaves. I said he will just want to kill us. Apparently, I lost...

“I'll win the next one.” I told him.

“Looking forward to it!” he smirked.

Taking a step away from the draconian, I looked at the noble in front of us, who hasn't attacked yet.

Strange... I thought and then looked around from the corners of my eyes.

“Braigun... He's not alone...” I whispered to him.

My sight fell on several cages behind and in front of us who didn't appear to be locked. The doors on some were slightly cracked. I was too focused earlier on the slaves to have noticed this small detail, but if they were opened, that meant the noble's reinforcements were in there.

“How's our nekatar doing?” Braigun asked.

“No sign of her yet. I'll take care of those in the back, you take care of those in the front.” I said and then turned with my back to the draconian.

Seeing us take this stance, although there was supposed to be only him here, the noble clicked his tongue and called out to his troops.

“Capture them alive!”

“Get ready!” I said.

“Right back at ya!” he said.

The gates were opened, and four men stepped out. In front of us were another two.

These guys didn't shout anything, they simply attacked. I avoided the first strike, parried the second, and kicked the first one in the stomach with my foot. The man's Magic Armor suffered a crack, but wasn't shattered, so I tried to attack him with my sword, but another one tried to impale me with his. Rolling to the left, I avoided it and then tossed a hand of dirt from the ground at the first one, a cover for my next attack.

“[Ice Spike]!” I called out and pointed my hand at him.

The spell was activated, and the man was struck by a spike of ice at close range. His Magic Armor was cracked, and he was pushed back a meter. Since I used a Magic Crystal to call out this spell, it wasn't that powerful as if I had chanted it, but for me it took far too long to do it. I wasn't as proficient at it as the others were.

“A magician?” one of them questioned.

I didn't let this moment slip by and rushed at the one I attacked, avoiding the swords of the others and stabbing my blade into the chest of the man. His Magic Armor stopped me just a few millimeters away from his leather armor, but I used [Dash] right in that moment and slammed him into the bars of the cell behind him. The force was enough to pierce through his Magic Armor, and the man coughed up blood. The sword passed right through his torso.

I twisted the blade and heard his bones crack. The man screamed in agony as he took his last breath of air. The others, ignoring their comrade's death, charged at me. I jumped on the chest of the man I impaled and then pushed myself away from him, jumping backwards and taking my sword with me. As I made a loop in the air, I slashed my sword as hard and as fast as I could at the first man I saw. It was a direct hit, and his head came flying off his shoulders.

The moment I landed on the floor, I used [Dash] and impaled the other in his back before he had the chance to return. Sensing danger, I moved to the left and avoided the sword of the last one. Now, thus guy looked a bit furious.

I let go of my sword and rolled on the ground, avoiding a slash at me. When I stopped, I took out the dagger in my boot and tossed it at him. The man blocked it with his sword, but the blade exploded in his face. It was enchanted, after all.

Using this moment of confusion, I grabbed the sword of the dead guy in front of me and used it to stab this last one in the heart. His Magic Armor didn't shatter, but once more I used [Dash] and used the bars behind him to push the sword forward, eventually, it went through.

“Gah!” the man groaned in pain and with one strong twist of my blade, I made sure to break his bones.

I pulled the sword out and slashed his throat open.

“I-Impossible! Those were Godlike!” he shouted.

I blinked surprised and looked back at the four dead men.

Lower Godlike maybe... Otherwise I shouldn't have been able to win. I thought as I walked over to the dead body that held my sword in his back.

After pulling it out, I looked at Braigun. He already finished off one of his attackers, an el'doraw male who was cut in half. The draconian was currently struggling against the last one. When I looked at his opponent, I noticed that it was a woman. Her body was covered in leather armor, but the hills on her chest and the long flowing red hair were certainly those of a woman. She wielded a giant sword almost the same size as Braigun's halberd.

When fighting against something of that size and weight, speed was of the essence, but the woman moved almost as fast as the draconian. Her blade slashed through the air as fast as I could with my short sword, but the weight of her weapon could put more than a dent in one's armor. Braigun looked like he was struggling.

“Need a hand?” I asked.

“Ugh! Nah!” he replied after he blocked three consecutive attacks.

She had yet to use her skills, but it didn't look like she was holding back. In fact, she was hitting him with all of her might. The halberd bent every time it was struck. If it wasn't enchanted, it would have broken ages ago.

“Either way, this is over.” I said as I approached the two.

“What do you mean, peas...” the noble tried to speak, but he then opened his eyes wide and held his throat.

“That's what I mean.” I smiled.

“Nya~!” the nekatar announced her presence as she wiped the blade of her dagger on the noble's clothes.

The noble fell on his knees as his blood was spilled on the floor and all over him.

Seeing this, the woman also stopped her attacks.

“Huh?! Are you tired?” Braigun asked foolishly.

“Master is... dying...” she said as she looked back at him.

“Master? Are you his minion?” Braigun asked.

She shook her head and then pulled down the cloth covering her neck. We all saw the leather collar there as it was shining in a purple color. She was a slave, however, the fact that it was glowing like that meant that the noble ordered her to die if he was to die as well.

“Ah, crud!” I said and then rushed over to her. “Don't attack!” I told her.

“What are you...” she asked a bit shocked as she looked back at me.

I placed a small stone on her neck and the Magic Energy that made the collar activate was absorbed by it. In that moment, she was a slave no more...

“He's dead now.” Mayana announced as she poked the noble with her finger.

“I... I'm alive?” the woman asked.

“Yes... and not a slave anymore, but please don't kill me?” I told her with a light smile.

“Without an order from my master, I will not... But I have no more master now...” she said as she touched her collar.

In that moment, I could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes and flowing down on her dirty cheeks.

“I'm... free?” she asked.

“Yup!” I told her with a smile.

In that moment she dropped her sword and fell on her knees. The woman who kept Braigun at bay with her attacks was now crying like a child.

“Braigun, can you take care of the slaves over there?” I asked him as I tossed him the rock.

“Sure thing. How many charges are left in this thing?” he asked.

“Twenty-nine, but I have two more with me, and you should have yours as well.” I told him.

“Yup. Still, I have to admit... That Dungeon of yours back in Elora sure made a nifty item.” he remarked.

“Indeed. Ever since Illsyore defeated it and my brother returned, the relationship between us and him have... changed. But I think it has more to do with that new Dungeon it came into contact with recently... I think his name was Deusur?” I said as I scratched the back of my neck.

“Oh, him? I heard his dungeon is quite friendly with beginners, but merciless with veterans.” he remarked as he walked over to the cells.

“He has a strange way of... working with humans. But let's talk about him later... for now, we should finish up here and tell Ellen to stop bombarding this place.” I said as I looked up at the ceiling.

The shakes from the boulders crushing down on top of us had yet to stop.

“What about her?” asked Mayana.

“She's... harmless now. What about the daughter of the noble?” I asked.

“I saved her ages ago. Can't believe they let just two Master Rank guards with her. Nihihi!” she smirked.

“Where is she now?” I asked.

“With Ellen.” she nodded.

“You had time to go in and out with her? HOW?!” Braigun asked perplexed.

“Don't you know it's not polite to ask a lady about her secrets?” she poked out her cat tongue at him.

“Ugh...” he groaned and returned to his work.

With a sigh, I shook my head and walked up to the woman warrior, who had stopped crying now.

“Are you alright?” I asked her.

“Yes...” she replied as she wiped her tears.

“What's your name?”

“I have none, but I am called Thing. Maybe that's my name?” she replied.

“Thing? That's not a name... Hm... How about I give you one as celebration for becoming a free woman?” I told her with a smile.

“That would be nice, but... why are you doing this?” she asked.

“Doing what?” I blinked surprised.

“Freeing us? Giving me a name?” she looked past me at the other slaves who started crying when they saw themselves without a collar anymore.

“Because I want to. My name is Reynolds D. Lagrange, and I came here with the mission of both freeing the slaves here and saving a hostage taken by that dead guy over there.” I said and pointed at the recently deceased noble.

“Freeing slaves? In Serdannya? Isn't that capital punishment?” she asked me.

“Maybe, but we're not staying in Serdannya. We're going to Aunnar, where slavery is abolished and all those who were once slaves are now free people with equal rights as everyone else.” I boosted about my kingdom with a proud smile on my face.

“It sounds like a wonderful place... You will take us there?” she asked.

“Yes.” I nodded and smiled back. “But first, I'm going to give you a name, if you don't mind. How about... Felicity?” I suggested.

“Felicity?” she blushed and looked down “If you believe I deserve such a pretty name... even though I attacked you... and...” she tightened her fists.

“True, but you were under orders, and you stopped the moment you saw your master die. You didn't try to save him, and you didn't try to attack me after I removed you from slavery either. From this alone, I judged that maybe you aren't a bad person. Besides, a beautiful woman who sheds tears of happiness after being freed from slavery usually isn't someone who holds ill will.” I told her with a smile as I knelt in front of her and took her hand into mine, to reassure her.

For some, this sudden act of friendliness would have been seen as weird, but this wasn't the first time I experienced such a scene. Braigun and Mayana were the same. They were my enemies when under the control of a certain noble, but the moment they were freed, they ceased their attacks. Of course, there were also some who didn't. Those who continued to attack remained enemies, and I made sure to take them down.

What I did now wasn't just something strange or on the spur of the moment, but a repeat event which I had witnessed time and time again during these past two years ever since I began my fight against slavery. Brutal enemies when under the control of their masters turned into crying lambs once freed.

“That's why I think a beautiful name like Felicity suits you just well.” I told her with a smile.

“Thank you... I'll treasure it...” she said as she raised her head up and looked into my eyes.

In that moment, I felt my heart skip a beat.

What was that? I asked myself, but I wouldn't find an answer to this question for some time afterwards.

Thus, our journey into Serdannya Kingdom came to an end, and after cleaning up the rest of the troops left in the fortress, we plundered all the gold we could find and returned to Aunnar Kingdom.

As for Felicity... well... our story would continue for a while afterwards, because kids... that was how I met your mother!