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“Man, I was doing my job just fine, and suddenly they’re yelling at me to gather up.”

Gehenna Square was bustling with prisoners all gathered in one place. In the middle of it all stood Marco, a well-built man, dusting off the dirt from his neck.

“Right, sis?”

“Stand straight, Marco.”

Maible, standing next to him, glanced at the podium. The fat warden Brock and the sly-looking guards were the usual sight. But today, there was a new face.

“Wow, someone who grew up well sure looks different.”

Marco was talking about the man sitting calmly on the podium. Just sitting there, but he exuded a high level of dignity.

From what the guards had said, the prisoners were gathered like this because of that man. Count Ruelberta, a noble with vast territories, had personally come to this mine.

“He looks pretty arrogant.”

That was Maible’s first impression. Even from a distance, she could see the warden and guards bowing down to Count Ruelberta. It seemed like he was used to such treatment.

It’s common for nobles. Born into nobility, the world must look down to them. Arrogance is almost a given for nobles.

But Count Ruelberta was different. The level of arrogance, feeling superior to others, was on a whole different level.

As Maible was staring at the Count, Marco chuckled beside her.

“Hey, sis. Is that your type?”

“What?”

“I get it. You’re a woman too, so it’s natural to feel that way. If this keeps up, you might really get caught in his web!”

“Are you out of your mind?”

Maible’s fist landed in Marco’s stomach.

“Ugh… That hurts.”

“I hit you to make it hurt. And you’re a man, whining about pain?”

“Try getting hit by your own fist. It’s not just whining.”

“You’re too big to be such a crybaby.”

“Don’t you think you’re too strong for your size?”

“Maybe you’re just too weak.”

“Sigh… I must be crazy. I followed you to this remote place hoping for some fortune, and now I’m being bullied like this. If I knew it’d be like this, I’d have gone abroad like the others.”

“Oh, are you pouting?”

Seeing Marco pout made her chuckle. She whispered to him in a low voice.

“Tsk tsk… I’ll introduce you to a girl when we get out.”

“R-really?!”

“You brat… Just hearing about a girl gets you excited. Hey, haven’t you seen any girls around? I’m a woman, aren’t I?”

“Uh… You’re… something else. Physically, it’s just not possible. I want to meet a woman, not a man pretending to be one! Ouch!”

“You’re still not hungry enough. Then what about that woman?”

“Huh?”

Maible pointed to a woman standing next to Count Ruelberta. Dressed in a black uniform, she was quite a beauty even from a distance.

“Hmm… She’s nice, but not my type. I prefer women with bigger chests— Ouch! Why are you hitting me again?!”

“Shut up.”

“Ugh! This is unfair! You asked first!”

Ignoring Marco’s grumbling, Maible couldn’t take her eyes off the woman in the black uniform.

‘What’s this…?’

It was strange. From the moment she saw the woman, Maible was overwhelmed by an inexplicable emotion.

She didn’t recognize her face. Maybe she was one of the many people she’d crossed paths with. Or perhaps someone she’d forgotten.

But if she’d forgotten, why… why was her heart racing like this?

“Sis? What’s wrong?”

“I’m going to move up front for a bit.”

Maible tried to move forward to get a closer look at the woman. But her plan didn’t work out.

“Shut up, you maggots.”

A cold voice froze the crowd of prisoners like stone.

“-!!”

Maible was struck by an unknown energy. It felt like being electrocuted, leaving her unable to move.

It wasn’t just her. The other prisoners were the same. No, being unable to move was the least of their worries.

“Ugh?!”

“I… can’t breathe…!”

The prisoners, who had been laughing moments ago, were now pale and suffering as if they’d been poisoned. Some even fainted.

“What… what is this?! Ugh!”

Marco also collapsed, groaning. Maible, who had been holding on, finally sat down.

“Ugh…”

Maible wanted to know too. What was happening? What was this unknown ‘emotion’ pressing down on them?

Looking up at the podium, Maible realized the source of that ‘emotion.’

“That man…”

Count Ruelberta was looking down at her and the other prisoners. His eyes were filled with an icy ‘wrath.’ It was so intense, it didn’t even feel like he was human.

The prisoners, who had been noisy earlier, fell silent. All that remained were groans of pain and pleas for mercy.

It wasn’t just killing intent. It felt like a massive beast was right in front of them. The chilling fear of possibly losing their lives gripped their hearts.

“?!”

Then, Maible felt like she made eye contact with Count Ruelberta on the podium. Immediately after, the ‘wrath’ dissipated as if it had been a lie.

“Listen well, maggots.”

Count Ruelberta spoke to the prisoners in a cold voice.

“I’ll give you one last chance.”

*

Cutting to the chase, what I demanded from the prisoners was simple.

If you want to get out of here, prove your worth.

If you think you’re not fit to just dig for ore in Gehenna, show me the skills to back it up. The standard was simple: land even a single hit on my bodyguard knight.

“Ugh-!”

The prisoner who boldly challenged her ended up face-first on the ground.

“Next.”

Helga stood in the middle of the temporary duel arena in Gehenna Square. Calling it a duel arena might be a stretch. Given the situation, it was more like a slaughterhouse.

Helga flicked her finger. What she had just used on the prisoner wasn’t a punch, but a flick.

Following my orders, Helga was fighting the prisoners using only her physical strength, without magic. But even with her strength held back, she was overwhelmingly powerful. It made the term ‘duel’ seem like a joke.

“Huh? Why isn’t the next one coming?”

“Sorry… I can’t do it…”

Ah, this…

The remaining challengers eventually gave up. They had all volunteered after hearing my initial offer, but Helga’s overwhelming power crushed their spirits.

Plus, some of them were looking at Helga with lecherous eyes, so I made sure to glare at them with ‘wrath.’ Fear spread faster than expected. In just a few minutes, the prisoners had lost all will to fight. But it didn’t matter to me.

My goal wasn’t to recruit skilled prisoners. It was to find the hidden pirate Maible among the 2,000-plus prisoners. And I had just confirmed she was here.

Because when I unleashed ‘wrath’ on the crowd, I saw the prisoner who held out the longest. She quickly blended back into the crowd, but I was sure. That prisoner was the one I was looking for.

And even after setting up this whole scene, she didn’t reveal herself. I thought for a moment about why she wasn’t taking the bait.

First, Maible is a cautious person. She might have sensed something suspicious about my offer to the prisoners. Also, she has the strength to escape this place on her own, so my offer might not have been appealing. Plus, given her personality, she might be reluctant to serve under a noble like me.

‘No choice then…’

If she won’t come out willingly, I’ll have to use more drastic measures.

“Ah, really? No one else? This is your chance to serve under the Count.”

“That’s enough.”

“Count?”

“I’ve seen enough of your level.”

I sighed and spoke to the prisoners.

“I’m so disappointed, I could die.”

“?!”

When I glared at them with contempt, the prisoners flinched.

“Not being able to land a single hit is disappointing, but not being able to take a single hit…? It’s my fault for expecting ‘pride’ from maggots like you.”

My scolding, filled with ‘wrath,’ made the prisoners instinctively step back. Their bodies had learned from just one experience.

That it’s dangerous to make me angry.

“You’re just pathetic creatures only good for digging dirt. I can’t feel even a shred of ‘pride’ from you.”

Maible, like Gale, is a strong-willed woman. And I know the magic word to provoke her. That word is…

“Did you just say ‘pride’?”

“S-sis!”

The effect was immediate.

A bold voice suddenly rang out, causing the crowd of prisoners to stir.

“Don’t judge us so easily. Every human has pride. Even slaves like us have pride.”

Without hesitation, a prisoner stepped out from the filthy crowd. A pirate who had spent her life sailing the seas, never losing her ‘pride’ even against the Empire.

Maible had finally revealed herself before me.

 

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