Part 24: The Miner Becomes Lady Lucrezia’s Slave

Part 24:
The Miner Becomes
Lady Lucrezia’s Slave

UPON QUESTIONING the pirates post-“negotiation,” Alan and Catria discovered they had planned to bury the captive girl in the ocean. Her name was Lucrezia, and she was the daughter of Lactia nobles. As to the reason they’d gone and kidnapped her, the pirates had an oddly simple answer: they’d done it for a mysterious client, and the client hadn’t told them why.

Once Alan and Catria had the information they desired, they climbed into the container to check on the unconscious Lucrezia. Just as they did, soldiers rushed up and surrounded the crate.

“Out with you, foul kidnappers! On orders from the governor of Lactia, you’re under arrest!” The soldiers banged on the outside of the container.

“The city guard’s here,” said Catria. “We should hand those bastards over.”

But as soon as Catria exited the container, a dozen spears were thrust in her face.

“What the hell! The kidnappers are these pirates, not us!”

“Lies! Our intelligence says that the kidnappers were a suspicious miner and lady knight!”

“Excuse me?!”

This came as a bit of a shock. Catria couldn’t fathom being considered as suspicious as Alan. But no, that wasn’t the real issue. The bigger problem was that the pair were definitely being framed.

Weren’t there witnesses to their confrontation with the pirates? But if so, the soldiers should’ve already realized that Catria and Alan had nothing to do with the crime in question.

“Hmph, it looks like someone might be trying to set us up,” said Alan.

“Why?”

“I have no idea.”

Meanwhile, a full hundred soldiers surrounded the pair. The entire port drew to a standstill.

“What’s the plan, Alan? How’re we getting out of here?”

“Well…” Alan looked down at the unconscious Lucrezia. She was soaking wet and kind of smelled, but his shovel was still reacting to her.

“I’m curious about the girl. I’m going to turn myself in and see how things go.” If he gave himself over to the authorities, he’d probably get the chance to speak to the girl during the interrogation. Plus, she was the daughter of nobility. There was a chance Lactia’s nobles knew something about the orb. “But you should get out of here, Catria. It’s dangerous.”

“Hmph, don’t insult me. I’m not afraid of a little danger.”

“It’s not you I’m worried about. The real danger is leaving Lithisia to her own machinations for too long.”

A chill ran down Catria’s spine. If Alan were to get captured, there was no telling what the princess might do. It was entirely possible she would wage war on the entire country. Worst-case scenario, she might decide to destroy all of humanity. Just thinking about it brought home how realistic all of these scenarios actually were.

“A-all right. I’ll head back and fill in the princess.”

“Don’t worry about me, okay?”

“Even if you wanted me to, it’d be impossible.” There was little doubt in Catria’s mind that Alan could just dig himself an escape tunnel out of prison the second he decided to leave. Sure, the soldiers might confiscate his shovel upon arrest, but then he’d probably do something like reveal that his hands and feet were shovels.

Alan stabbed his shovel into the dirt and opened up a small hole.

“What’s that for?”

“It’s a short-range Shovel Hole that connects directly to our inn.”

“You have to be kidding me.”

“Use this tunnel to get out of here and let Lithisia know what happened. Tell her to wait for me.”

There’s not a single prison on the planet or in hell that could keep this man locked up, Catria thought.

***

Alan was taken to a dark stone prison where a torture officer and an investigator awaited him.

“Let’s begin.”

Thus far, Alan had refused to say anything, so it was time to initiate torture procedures. It’d be the usual stuff: fingernail peeling, resting stones on the knees, lighting fire to the bottom of the feet. But there were some problems. Blades and heat had no effect on Alan’s body, and it was impossible to peel his nails, even with a crowbar.

“What the hell is wrong with your body?! Is it made of iron?!”

“The more I hurt it, the sturdier it got.” Alan had sustained all manner of injury while mining, and at some point or another, his body became extremely resilient. After a thousand years of this gradual toughening, his body was now about as hard as adamantine.

“You must be using magic of some sort! Call in the shaman!”

The pair disappeared. Whatever they tried next would no doubt be futile.

“Time to get moving,” Alan decided. He had to talk to the girl named Lucrezia.

Yet at that moment, he heard footsteps approaching his cell. Whoever they were, they were light-footed. Clearly not any of the soldiers he’d met so far. The person who appeared in front of the cell’s bars was none other than a girl in a dress that brought out her appealing figure. She held her chest up high, her long hair swaying at her hips. She was obviously pleased as punch to see Alan on the floor.

“Good day! You look to be in higher spirits than I expected, Mr. Kidnapper.” Lucrezia’s voice was tinged with sarcasm.

“Hrm, I’m no kidnapper, but I am doing quite well.” Alan slowly rose to his feet. The whole reason he got himself caught was so that he could speak to Lucrezia. He needed info on the orb, but he was also curious about the way his shovel reacted to her. In other words, this girl was still in danger of being “buried.” “You look like you’re doing well, too. Did you change clothes?”

As far as Alan could tell, her dress showed no signs of, well, you know.

“Did I change…? Ah!” Lucrezia brought her thighs together upon realizing what Alan was implying, almost as if she were trying to hide herself from him. She shouted at him, cheeks thoroughly red. “Y-you scoundrel! Pervert! Have you no delicacy?!”

That little leak had clearly become a dark spot for the young woman.

“Hrm, my apologies. I’m a miner, so I’m not very good when it comes to manners.”

Still clearly frazzled, Lucrezia mumbled to herself. “Th-this is why commoners are the worst! My word!”

I see now. So this is what nobles are supposed to act like.

This was actually refreshing for Alan. Apparently, the nobility weren’t fond of earthy conversations. His only touchstone, Lithisia, was supposed to stand at the very top of all nobility, but she was quickly evolving into something completely other and incomprehensible. Alan now understood that he couldn’t use her as the standard by which to engage with other nobles.

“Urgh, anyway!” Lucrezia cleared her throat. She pointed her finger directly at Alan, her face still in high color. “I heard that you deny all allegations of kidnapping me.”

“Correct. You saw what happened.”

“What I saw was you destroying a ship with some manner of suspicious magic.”

“Huh, I suppose so.”

The young lady had seen him fire his Wave Motion Shovel Blast and subsequently wet herself before passing out. She had remained unconscious while Alan and Catria interrogated the pirates.

“The torture officer believes you to be guilty. We also have multiple witness testimonies that a miner with a shovel hit me over the head, knocking me unconscious, whereupon he kidnapped me. Under any normal circumstance, you would already be sentenced to death.”

Alan would never do things so unbecoming of a miner. If Lithisia overheard any of this, she’d probably sentence the sentencing officer to death while correcting him that a shovel doesn’t hit girls, it shovels them. It was a good thing she wasn’t present.

“I get it now,” said Alan. It was crystal clear that someone was trying to set him up.

Seeing Alan self-satisfied, Lucrezia frowned.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Why are you not panicked? You are going to die.”

Simply put, Alan wasn’t afraid because he wasn’t going to die. There was just no way that a human could take him out. In fact, he could break out of this prison at any time. Alan was only sticking around to talk to Lucrezia.

“And why do you not appear to have been tortured…? Something is amiss…”

“No, I’ve been tortured. They tried to peel my fingernails off.”

“Liar. You are completely untouched!”

“My fingernails are really tough.” In times of need, Alan could even use his fingernails like mini shovels. As such, that meant they were as hard as steel.

Lucrezia wasn’t buying it. “Urgh, the investigator is too soft. What am I supposed to do about my plan…?”

“Your plan?”

“Ah, i-it is nothing!” Panicked, Lucrezia shook her head back and forth. She was really bad at lying. “In any case! You are sure to be executed!”

“I guess so.”

“However, the victim, myself, is right here!”

“I guess so.”

“That is why, um, well, is there nothing you would like to say to me?”

“Huh?”

“In other words, u-um, do you not wish to ask me something?!” Lucrezia fidgeted, desperate, and looking very displeased as her buxom bosom heaved. She wanted Alan to ask a very specific question, but couldn’t fill in any more blanks on account of her stringent noble pride. Yet her tear-filled eyes screamed for him to say something.

Alan actually began to feel quite bad for the young lady. If he didn’t play along, she’d probably keep staring at him like some sort of pleading baby animal.

“Help me,” he said in the most toneless voice ever.

“There! There it is! Well done, commoner!” As soon as Lucrezia heard those words, she clapped her hands together, eyes shining. She looked like she wanted to skip around the room. “I-If you must beg, then in all of my greatness, I shall bestow upon you a single chance!”

I didn’t really beg, Alan thought to himself, though he didn’t voice it; he knew it wouldn’t reach her.

Lucrezia giggled to herself as she took out a gleaming black iron bracelet and handed it to Alan through the bars of the cell. It was a magical bracelet capable of enforcing complete obedience upon its wearer. The “Slave Bracelet.”

In majestic tones, she declared, “I swear upon the name of Lucrezia to absolve you of your sins! In exchange, you will become my slave!”

For a while, Alan just peered at the young woman. Beads of sweat rolled down her face. She was obviously nervous, and scared of failing. Judging by her current condition, this wasn’t just a situation of her wanting a slave.

She had determination—and a goal.

That’s a good look. Alan wanted to unearth her reasons for her actions. As a miner, it was his duty to do so. “Don’t mind me. I’m just going to dig up a bit of your background.”

“Wha?” said Lucrezia. Didn’t he mean he was going to ask her about her background?

Lucrezia seemed puzzled as Alan took out the shovel he had hidden in a dimensional pocket. He then wrote into the floor “the reason Lucrezia wants a slave,” and dug it up. As soon as he finished this task, a sentence formed on the ground: In order to find the true culprit who killed her father and kidnapped her.

“What the?!”

“Hrm, so you don’t actually believe I’m your kidnapper, then. You also believe that the person who killed your father and who had you kidnapped are one and the same. Your plan was to make me your servant to help you find any clues, and eventually to capture the true culprit.”

“Wait! What is happening?!” Lucrezia was utterly bewildered. Just who was this mysterious man? More importantly, what did he just do? All he did was dig up some dirt, and now there were words?! And how did he suddenly know her entire motivation?! “Did you use magic?! No, that would be impossible. Magic suppression has been cast on that cell.”

“It’s not magic. It’s a shovel.”

“Huh?!” Lucrezia had no idea what was going on.

“But I get it now. I’ll help you solve this mystery.”

This was no longer about getting information on the Green Orb. It was about Lucrezia. Despite having lost her family, she still put together a plan to seek out the truth. And now, the one person in the world who could help her best was Alan.

Lucrezia simply stood there, jaw agape. I-I have no clue what has happened, but… It looked like she’d be able to advance her plan. And yet.

“You will not be helping me! I already told you, you are my slave!”

“Who cares what I am, Lucrezia?”

“How dare you call me by my name!” As far as the noblewoman was concerned, Alan was making it seem like their positions were flipped. She straightened her back. First impressions were important. A slave and their master. She had to make it clear to Alan where he stood. “First, I shall have you straighten out that attitude of yours! If I signal for it, you will be executed immediately.”

“Hrm, not quite.” Alan shook his head.

“Excuse me?”

“Looks like the execution is going to begin with or without your signal.”

At that moment, the pair heard the clanking sound of the dungeon door opening.

“Th-the executioners?!” Lucrezia cried in shock.

Seven rugged men holding giant, jagged swords came into the room. They were indeed the executioners. Standing behind them was a nobleman in expensive clothes. Upon seeing Lucrezia, he politely greeted her. “Lady Lucrezia, what are you doing in a place like this?”

So they knew each other.

“Goliah!” she cried at the nobleman. “What is the meaning of this?! I thought I told you to delay this man’s execution!”

Goliah cackled. “Lady Lucrezia, I believe you’ve misunderstood the situation.”

“How so?”

“When your father was still in good health, I was more than willing to give weight to your words. But now that he’s gone, your position isn’t quite what it used to be. I can’t just obey your wishes as I please.”

“Ngh!” Lucrezia’s cheeks turned red with embarrassment. Goliah had stabbed her pride. The young woman’s fists trembled. Her powers were far weaker than she had realized.

“Plus, the execution of this sentence was ordered directly by the inquisitor himself. Now then.” Goliah snapped his fingers. “I request that you vacate the premises immediately. Men?”

The executioners drew close.

“Urgh…” Lucrezia ground her teeth together in frustration. After a moment of being lost in thought, she turned to Alan. Her fist was trembling, but her expression was resolute. “Mr. Kidnapper. I shall distract them. Flee from here.”

“What?” Alan had thought he misheard her, but he hadn’t.

Lucrezia really was offering to distract them. She raised her hand and showed him one of her trembling fingers. On it was a beautiful ring with a sapphire jewel that sparkled with electricity. A magic tool. “Goliah has the key to get out of here. Take it and run.”

“Are you being serious? If I do that…”

Lucrezia might be a noblewoman, but she had no power in this situation. If she got in the way of Alan’s escape, she wouldn’t get off lightly. At worst, she could be executed. There was no way that Lucrezia wasn’t aware of this. Her legs shook. Nevertheless…

“I am utterly and completely serious,” Lucrezia stated matter-of-factly. “I cannot let you die here. You are the only clue I have as to who really killed my father!”

Alan himself wasn’t much of a clue, though in some sense his existence made clues meaningless. Even so, Lucrezia had made her decision. From the get-go, she had come here to acquire Alan.

“On the count of three. Ready?” Lucrezia brought her lips tightly together.

“Hmph. Once I’m gone, what will you do?”

“I shall escape on my own. I know how to protect myself.”

“Against seven people? You could die.”

“Mr. Kidnapper. You would do well to learn that nobles…” Despite her trembling body, Lucrezia flashed Alan a determined smile. “Are only noble because they are willing to put their lives on the line when it matters most.”

Alan grinned. This young lady had the right idea. She had the grit to do what it took to fulfill her objective. Just as Alan lived by the code of the miner, Lucrezia lived by the code of nobility. That meant Alan had to act.

“I get it. By the way, I have just one question.”

“What is it?! Make it short!”

“I don’t really mind running away and all, but…” Alan cut his words short and raised his shovel. A blue energy wave formed around the head of the tool, then turned into a pulsating undulation. The dark dungeon was now as bright as the sun itself.

“DIG!” shouted Alan.

A wide-spread Shotgun Wave Motion Shovel Blast fired simultaneously with his cry.

KA-CHOOOOOOOM!!!

A giant hole formed beneath Goliah and the executioners’ feet, and they fell immediately into it. Their screams resonated as they vanished into the depths. Alan and Lucrezia were all that remained in the dungeon.

A moment of silence set upon the area.

“Um… Ummm?!” Lucrezia was in shock.

Alan lowered his shovel and patted Lucrezia on the shoulder. “Don’t you think it’d be easier to just get rid of these guys?”

Lucrezia’s jaw hit the floor. Her heart completely stopped. What the devil just happened…?

She thought what she’d seen at the port was magic, but clearly it wasn’t something so simple. Who exactly was this man? No matter how hard she stared, he looked like a simple commoner with a shovel in hand.

“What’s wrong? Wet yourself again?”

“Ngh?! H-h-how vulgar! I have not wet myself!” Lucrezia yelled, her cheeks bright red. She held her hand against her chest. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. This uncouth man couldn’t possibly be the cause, right? This had to be a side effect of that strange beam. Lucrezia desperately attempted to convince herself that that was the case.

“Let’s get going, Lucrezia. Hm, actually, before that…” Alan bowed his head to the young lady as politely as he was able. “Thank you for trying to save my life. You have my gratitude.”

“…!”

Lucrezia’s heart was going crazy.

No, that is impossible! Lucrezia vehemently denied what she was feeling. How could a noblewoman of such dignity and honor as Lucrezia find herself charmed by a strange man with a shovel?!