“What is that thing?!”

Amelie’s voice replaced the need for Nicole to speak.

First, the obvious. It had to be magic.

Second, it had to be done by a powerful magician. There was no way a weak magician could create an orb so bright it could illuminate the entire sky.

Unless, the magicians worked together. A thousand average mages could fight off one powerful mage with their synchronized spells. She had learned about that from Fiora.

…Also, it looked like her own spell—the one where she summoned a light orb to orbit around her.

Does this mean that the mage isn’t really a mage at all? Rather, a priest or a priestess like her?

*Clang* *Clang* *Clang* *Clang*

All of a sudden, the streets were filled with the sound of a clanging bell.

“Here it is! The Sabbath!”

"Everyone, gather at the main square!"

"Aah, vengeance! Vengeance at last!"

The deafening sound of a bell spread through every street and building. Even if you were to cover yourself under a blanket inside your room, you would not be able to escape its call.

As if bewitched by the bell, a wave of people, both from the streets and from the houses, all ran towards the center of the city, abandoning whatever business they once had before. Like a current of a stormy ocean, one by one they bumped into Nicole and the others. They were still standing in the middle of the road as they were too distracted by the false sun to react beforehand. If not for Anton grabbing Nicole and bringing her closer to him, she would've been knocked straight off her feet — a death sentence in a stampede like this.

When it was over, Nicole looked up to Anton and thanked him for his assistance.

“Apologies. I… was not paying attention. I was looking up at that sun.”

“Something’s off.” Anton nodded. “We better hurry leaving this place. Whoever erected that sun could only be a powerful mage.”

Only then they realized they technically had been hugging each other for the last five minutes.

“A-ah!”

Nicole was the first to disengage, releasing her arms from his waist as she took several steps backwards. Anton, on the other hand, was now waving his hands in panic towards her.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—”

“I-it’s fine! It was my fault in the first place!”

*Badump* *badump* *badump*

Nicole's heart was beating like a horse. This was the first time she got this close to a man*

Anton’s heart was doing the same though this wasn’t the first time he got this close to a girl. Instead, his nervousness came from the fact that he just felt her chest pressing into his. Those buxom, voluptuous mountains, hidden underneath her frock, tempting his gaze whenever he looked at her…

“You two, stop dawdling around! Amelie’s gone!”

Anne’s yelling promptly returned them back to reality.

And looking around them at the now lonely street, the noble mage really had disappeared.

—---

Nicole cursed herself—the closest she got to a curse without actually blaspheming anyway. Her clumsiness had allowed Amelie to be snatched right under their nose. They must have gotten to her while we were nearly stepped to death by the crowds!

“She’s there! At the city square!”

Anne pointed to the distance. She had climbed up to the rooftops to gain a better look at their surroundings.

“Got it.” Anton replied. “Let’s go, Nicole!”

The priestess nodded.

—---

“Vengeance! Vengeance!”

“Ooh, sweet vengeance!”

Vengeance? That can’t be good…

When they arrived, they were greeted by the sight of a massive crowd. And they were all chanting and yelling over one another, demanding for a “him” and “her” to be killed. That, or repeating variants of the word “Vengeance”.

It didn’t take Nicole long to deduce what was going on.

This is an execution. They’re going to execute another noble…

..No. Don’t tell me—they’re going to kill Amelie?

They shifted through the crowd as best as they could, ignoring the smell they were catching from some of them. She knew the poor could smell unpleasant, due to a lack of bathing, but they shouldn’t have trouble taking care of themselves anymore. They had their revolution, right? So they should be free to live a prosperous life without their tyrant.

Instead, she almost suspected that they were glorifying being poor. So many people here only wore rags and many smelled like they hadn’t taken a bath in a month. It was like they wanted to be dirty and unpleasant to look at.

…I see. They didn’t want to be executed. If they dress too fancily, they would look like they stop being poor. And in this new kingdom, everyone who’s not poor deserves to die by its gruesome laws.

Once they managed to wade through the crowd, Nicole had to cover her mouth.

A man and a woman wearing chains on their hands and feet were kneeling in the middle of the square. One was dressed in a tuxedo while the other wore a green ballroom dress with a feather cap on top of her head.

Of course, their clothes’ condition was awful—torn fabrics and holes everywhere. And they clearly didn’t come from natural wear and tear. They were intentionally given, so that the one wearing it would be humiliated.

“Citizens of Krisbofo, heed my words!”

They looked up.

And saw the robed man from before floating in mid-air, his pitch-black clothing fluttering by the night wind.

“Tonight, under the light of our Moon of Justice, I shall mete punishment for the two parasites that now stood before you.”

“Parasites!”

“Parasites!”

“Parasites!”

“Burn the parasite!”

This is… this is terrible!

Nicole was almost tempted to cover her ears with her hands, just because of the crowd’s jeers and taunts.

“Indeed.” The man continued. “The parasites, who lived off your sweat without a care in the world, had to be exterminated.”

He descended from the sky, landing right in front of the man and woman.

“Any last words?”

The man, who had been silent all this time, suddenly lunged forward. He intended to tackle the robed man and choke him with his steel shackle.

“This is for my daughter, you demon!”

Only for him to fail miserably, as he remained unbudged, not even moving an inch from his tackle.

“Guilty it is.”

He grabbed him on his head before lifting him up along himself. The man struggled to free himself, punching and kicking the robed man as much as he could. It didn’t work. Nothing he did could make him flinch.

And then, once they were high enough in the sky, he turned him around and let him fall.

“Aaahhhh!”

No! He’s going to—

Nicole ran forward, intending to catch him before his head hit the ground.

Only for her to be a second too late.

…

She froze.

Bits of his head… were now on her face and clothes.

“Nicole!”

“That idiot!”

Anton and Anne charged forward. Before he could grab her however…

“Oh? What do we have here? Our visitors from before…”

The robed, masked man landed on the ground once more.

“Are you here perhaps—to look for your friend?”

He raised his right hand.

And a girl was thrown out from the crowd.

“Amelie!” Anne yelled.

The mage was now chained at her legs and hands, just like the man and the woman. And looking at her vacant stare, she seemed to be in a daze.

Anne ran up to her and shook her body. “Amelie! Snap out of it!”

She didn’t respond.

“It’s useless. She is under my spell.”

“You! Release her at once!” Anne turned to face him, drawing her bow in his direction. “Release her for whatever this… this magic is!”

“Oho?” He chuckled. “I can’t do that. She’s a parasite too, no?”

“Parasite!”

“Parasite!”

“Kill her too!”

The crowd began to chant once more—their eyes were filled with hatred and madness. Even by just being near them, Nicole’s heart was filled with fear. How could these people be like this? Just how bad was their suffering before this, to hold such a terrible, awful grudge?

“She’s not a noble, if that’s what you mean,” Anton interrupted. He too had his sword and shield readied though he was not actively pointing it towards him. “How can a noble be an adventurer? We three are all commoners. We’re not your enemies.”

Anton was lying, of course. He figured it was worth a try. He would rather not end up

The masked man put his hand to his mouth, stifling a laugh. “Oh, you poor fool. You can’t lie to me. This mask I wore—it allows me to discern lies from truth! And you, my friend, is a liar!”

“Liar!”

“Liar!”

“Hang his head!”

A sweat trailed down from Anton’s forehead. This is bad. It doesn’t matter if he’s lying or not. If the crowd believes it, then that’s it for us. We won’t be able to escape without a fight.

He glanced at Nicole, who was still frozen on her spot. “Nicole! Nicole! Get yourself together!” He yelled.

He shouldn’t have that.

“That’s enough!”

All of a sudden, the priestess yelled. Her eyes were bloodshot as they looked back and forth frantically.

“Sinners! All of you! How could you treat your fellow humans like this?!” Tears were now leaking out from her ducts.

The crowd grew silent, only for them to burst into jeers and laugh a moment later.

“‘How could you treat your fellow humans like this?’ she says!” One of them mocked her words. “They got off lightly! The lord here would force us to go to his mines day after day, from dawn to dusk, all for a pittance! While he grew fat from our work!”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s right! And your priests and priestess turned a blind eye! Nay, even worse! They robbed us as well, demanding money to cure our ill. And they don’t even gave us a refund when they failed to do it!”

“Scum of the world! Parasites! Burn them! Burn them all!”

“No! Strip them! Strip them bare! Let their bodies pleasure us first before they suffer!”

The crowd threw their rocks towards Nicole. Anton quickly reacted, using his greatshield to erect an aura barrier that blocked them from hitting.

“Nicole! We have to go! I hate to ask you to do this but you have to carve a path through the crowd!” He yelled at her. “Anne!” He switched his attention to the archer. “You grab Amelie! We’ll figure out a way to cure her later!”

Nicole silently nodded—her expression still one of shock. She slowly unclasped her book from her belt, gripping it in her hand before opening it.

Anne grabbed Amelie’s hand, dragging her back to the group. When she found that her legs wouldn’t budge, she decided to just cut the chase and lifted her up off her feet, princess-style. The girl was heavy—she was sure she was heavier than her—but she could manage thanks to her muscles built from pulling her sizable bow over the years.

“Now, Nicole!”

What he expected was her casting a flashbang spell that would disperse and dizzy the crowd.

What he got was… nothing.

“I… I can’t… I can’t cast my spell…” Nicole mumbled, panic creeping in her voice.

“What do you mean you can’t cast your spell?!” Anton replied.

“The mana… it’s being sucked away… by… by that silver sun up in the sky…”

“What?!”

Hearing their conversation, the masked man had a victorious grin on his face.

“Ah, how foolish. That sun—not a sun by the way, rather, a moon—is an artificial pocket moon with the capability of draining any magic cast under its light. Now, don’t look at me with open mouths like that. I am simply a man who has traveled the world and obtained its treasures.” He bowed with a grin on his face.

“Treasures?!” Anne spoke. “You mean, you obtained those trinkets from dungeons? Impossible! I have never heard of a dungeon giving out magic trinkets that could create a magic-sealing miniature sun!”

As an adventurer, she was naturally well-versed in the workings of those nasty places people would call dungeons. She knew that sometimes, if you were lucky, you could find magic items stored inside the chests you could find in such places. However, there were limits to the strength of the magic item you could find. For example, a staff that allowed one to cast Advanced-level magic was already exceedingly rare. And she had yet to hear any magic objects that could replicate the effects of  Master-level spells and above.

For him to possess something to this effect—he couldn’t have gotten it from a normal dungeon.

“You got it from a World Dungeon, didn’t you?!”

“Correct!” The man laughed. “These are World Treasures, my dear adventurer! Created by the Progenitors, they are magic items that defy all sense and logic of the world! So many years I traveled the world, going through every World Dungeon and ransacking them of their treasures! And finally, finally, I now have the treasures I needed to realize my dream! The liberation of my homeland!”

He punched his fist into the air. The crowd, who now had stopped throwing stones at Nicole, cheered after him.

“Yeah, you’re unbeatable, Sir Drachyon!”

“Show these upstart adventurers what true justice is like!”

Anne cursed under her breath. She was starting to suspect that these people were being hypnotized like Amelie was. He must have yet another magic tool he could use to hypnotize people.

“Now, let me show you another one of my trinkets. Activate! Dragon Gloves!"

His hands glowed with a purple light, revealing a pair of dragon-shaped gauntlets. He then put up what looked like a fighting stance, moving his feet back and forth as he jogged in place.

"Now, adventurers! Let me show you the taste of freedom!"

He charged forward, his right fist raised for a punch.

"Damn it!" Anton cursed. "Get out of the way!" He shoved Anne and Amelie to the side, just in time to block the punch with his shield.

"Gaahhh!"

The shield cracked under the pressure. The masked man laughed, using his left fist to aid his right.

A loud shattering noise of metal filled the air. Anton's shield had shattered into a million pieces.

The last thing he felt before blacking out was the burning pain landing on his abdomen.

—---

When he came to, his back was on the ground.

His hands were tied behind his back. His feet were as well. His view was blurry. He could not make out what he was seeing.

He knew one thing for certain though. They were now prisoners of the revolutionaries.

Damn it damn it damn it! If only I had insisted on us taking the long way around…

Idiot! A careless, blundering idiot!

He paused.

He could hear it. Someone was sobbing right in front of him.

He blinked his eyes several times, focusing his sight.

It was Nicole.

She was now sitting beside him, tears streaming down her bluish, swollen cheeks, no doubt created by someone punching her on the face.

Rage lit up in his heart. How dare they hurt her like this?!

He looked behind her. She was tied up as well—hand and foot.

"H-hey, it's okay. We'll find a way to escape. I'm sure of it." He lied.

Nicole froze. Her gaze turned to face him. Their eyes locked.

"You're—you're alive?"

"Of course I am." He forced a smile. "A punch like that couldn't kill me even if he tried."

Nicole dived forward, burying her face on his chest. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, Saint Milicis! Thank you, Heavenly Dragon! Thank you for answering my prayers!”

With all his might, Anton wished he could give her a reassuring pat on the head.

That, and to turn off the part of his brain that felt her breasts squishing and pressing into his skin.

Damn it, Anton! Now not's the time!

And it was indeed, not the time.

"Ahh! Ahhhhhh! Aaaahhhhh!"

A woman's scream filled the air. Nicole's hands were now grabbing Anton's shirt as she further dampened his chest.

W-what? What is going on?

Slowly, Anton sat up, flinching from the pain he felt from his abdomen. His ribs were broken, it seemed, and the area was swelling as well. However, he didn't have an open wound, which was exactly what he wanted.

Across him were Anne and Amelie. The latter seemed to have snapped out of her hypnosis, as she was crying into Anne's chest. Anne exchanged glances with Anton, a relieved yet worried smile adorning her face.

As for the scream, it came from behind him.

They were no longer in the middle of the city square. The revolutionaries had moved them to the sides, tied their hands and feet, and then posted a woman to act as their guard.

Leaving only the noblewoman from before.

"Ahhhhhh!"

What he saw made his heart stop.

The woman was now stark naked, surrounded by pantless men—their erections in full display. Three to five men would come down on her while the others watched—each taking their turns.

It was something he thought he would only see orcs or goblins do. And yet, his very own race and species were doing the same.

All because she was a noble.

"Say it! Say you like it, you filthy whore!" A cackling old man said as he took her from behind.

The woman did not respond. She couldn't, as a burly man had his meat inside her mouth.

"Watch closely, y'er worms! It's y'er turns next!"

A woman stood beside Anton—a small axe, normally used to split firewood, was hanging from her hip. A proud smile adorned her pretty face as she folded her arms under her large chest.

"And don't ye try nut'ing! Especially ye, whore priestess. Crying, begging for my men to stop. They'll never stop."

Nicole did not reply. She was too distraught by what was happening she could not be upset by her insult.

"You're—you're fine with this?!" Anton's voice shook. "This—this atrocity?!"

"Of course." She smiled at him. "The whore deserved it. The vixen looked down at us when she took her pretty little carriage to our slums. Giving charity? Hah! An excuse to scoff at our kind. Her nose would wrinkle every time she brought her food and clothes to us."

Anton looked at her with disbelief. How could a woman be fine with another woman being treated like this?! And she said she used to give charity to the poor?! And she hated her for it?!

"Her father was one of the big barons, y'know. Forced our menfolk to work in his mines day and night. Barely paid. Diamonds. Those pretty little diamonds on the necks of pretty little princesses. Bah. Scums. Every last one of them. Their blood is tainted. His sin is her as well."

"N-no, that's not true… Your forefathers' sin… is never your own…"

Hearing Nicole speak, the woman flew into a rage.

"Shut yer mouth, ye whore!" To Anton's horror, she slapped the priestess, knocking her to the ground.

"Nicole!"

"Can you believe 'er? She tried to preach to us, even when she's all tied up like this. You know, while you were napping, she pleaded to our menfolk not to have their fun with the princess. Ha! Gave her a good kick with my boots for that!"

"You bitch!" Anton blurted out. He never cursed a woman like this, being the gentleman that he was. But, after hearing, and seeing, what she did to his love, he, in a really rare moment, lost his temper.

"Aaarghhh!"

He screamed as he tried to free himself from his bindings. It did not work. They were tied perfectly. He couldn't even stand up as his feet were kept in such a way that they couldn't support his weight.

The woman ignored him, looking at the crowd instead.

"Well, would you look at that? It seems they've finished."

The noblewoman was no longer moving. Her mouth and behind were bleeding, so much so that they formed two puddles around her corpse.

She had died a slow, agonizing death.

Standing in front of her now was the masked man. He was there, of course, though he did not partake. He merely oversaw the… procession.

"Violet! Bring the other noble girl here!" He ordered, his voice booming across the town.

Anton's eyes widened. His heart sank.

He should’ve known this was coming.

"No! Don’t take her! Please! You can't take Amelie! Take me instead!"

There was no avoiding the desperation in his voice. But, it was his fault they ended up in this situation. And he would rather have himself be tortured rather than to see any of his companions fall to harm.

He had enough of that already for a lifetime.

“Oh, shut yer mouth, yer stupid adventurer. Yer get ye turn!” The woman named Violet burst into a laugh. “None of ye are escaping this city!”

With a gleeful smile on her face, Violet walked towards Anne and Amelie. The latter, who had stopped crying a while ago, was now shaking from top to bottom, praying desperately that somehow, her ability to cast magic would return to her. The former, on the other hand, had a resolute look on her face, glaring back at the woman.

And the moment she stepped into range, she leaped upwards, grabbed her head, and jabbed her thumbs into her eyes.

“Aaaahhhhhh!”

Little did she know that Anne was craftier than she looked. The archer had secretly been undoing her knots all this time, using Amelie’s body to hide it from plain sight.

They had been careless, leaving only one single woman to guard all four of them.

The woman tried to grab her axe, only for Anne to snatch it first. And then, without mercy, she finished her off by stabbing the sharp edge into her stomach.

“Graahh, you—you little… rat…”

She fell to the ground, a puddle of blood forming around her corpse, dirtying the tip of Anne’s boots.

“H-hey! Y-you—you can’t do that!”

“M-Miss Violet! Miss Violet! How dare you lay your hands on her?!”

Anne ignored the furious yelling of the crowd. She ran straight to Anton, freeing both his bind and Anne in one fell swoop.

“We have to get out of here!” Anne yelled, her eyes scanning the empty street behind her. “Follow me! I’ve memorized the layout of the city! If we run as fast as we can, they shouldn’t be able to catch us!”

Anton couldn’t help but let out a little, relieved laugh.

And here he was, being swallowed by despair.

Of course Anne had a plan. She always did. She had always been the smartest of them. Mere ropes like that won’t be able to hold her down.

They might have lost their weapons but as long as they could get out from the range of that silver moon, Nicole and Amelie would be able to cast basic magic once more. And that should be enough to defend themselves. They just had to hide for a few days in the mountains and then—

“Gah!”

A fist landed on Anne’s abdomen, sending her flying to the nearby house. Slightly more to the left and her head would’ve hit the window.

It was the masked man.

—----

A/N:

*Her comforting Hugo did not count. He was just a kid back then after all :D

Also, sorry for putting them through this. If they’re going to be Hugo’s companions in the future, they should have a taste of despair like him.

And this is important for Nicole’s growth as well.

Though now I wonder. Do I want to add Anne and Amelie to his harem?