When I woke up, I was in a prison cell. My head was throbbing with extreme pain and my body felt heavy—as if it weighed a hundred tons.
Ragnor asked, "You're finally awake?"
"Yes," I replied, "but my head hurts and my body feels like lead."
Ren chimed in, "Don't worry, slave, it'll pass. I felt the exact same way when I woke up."
I asked them, "Did you find a way out of here while I was asleep?"
Ragnor answered, "No. We only woke up fifteen minutes before you did, so we haven't found a way out yet."
For the first time, Ren spoke with a serious tone: "We aren't getting out of here without the Wolf's authorization."
Surprised, I asked, "Why?"
Ren explained, "These bars are reinforced with mana; they're indestructible unless you blast them with a devastating spell. But the problem is, I can't use my powers because of this collar." He pointed his index finger toward a collar fastened around his neck. Suddenly, I realized that I was wearing the same collar, and so was Ragnor.
I tried to pull it off, but I received a sharp electric shock. "Ow!" I cried out.
Ragnor asked Ren, "What do we do then, if we can't get out?"
Ren reverted to his arrogant tone and said, "To pass the time, you can contemplate my greatness." He suddenly began striking model poses, flashing us smirk after smirk.
Ragnor, having had enough, grew furious. He grabbed Ren by the collar and snapped, "Stop treating everything like a game! I'm reminding you that we've been captured and we still haven't found the Princess. You've been useless since the very beginning, you bastard."
I tried to calm Ragnor down, but he ignored me, saying, "Stay out of this, Yuta."
Ren looked Ragnor straight in the eyes without a hint of fear. "You can let go of my collar now; I have no desire to be contaminated by your ugliness."
Suddenly, Ragnor punched him in the face. Ren was sent sprawling to the ground. He spat out a bit of blood and asked in a spiteful tone, "Are you satisfied now that you've struck a miserable being?"
I recoiled in shock and fear. Ragnor, why? I could no longer recognize him. And how could Ren remain so arrogant even after being hit?
Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching our cell—the sound of several people. Ragnor began to calm down. Ren stood up, wiped the blood from his mouth, fixed his hair, and brushed the dust off his clothes.
Beastmen appeared: the Riddle Wolf and three hounds. The Wolf spoke: "Oh, you're awake, it seems. Perfect. Now, I shall lead you to our Mistress."
Ragnor asked in a surprised tone, "What Mistress? Aren't you normally led by the Beastman King? And where is the Princess?"
The hound guard barked, "Stop asking questions, you piece of trash elf."
Ragnor shot back angrily, "I didn't ask you anything, you brainless dog."
The guard laughed. "Me, brainless? You're the one who got caught in a predictable trap. So, the real brainless one here is you."
Ren added, "I agree with you, furry slave."
Ragnor turned on him: "Shut up! I'll remind you that you got caught in that hole too."
Ren replied arrogantly, "I did that on purpose to try and stoop to your pitiful level. If I had dodged the trap, you would have felt frustrated."
"Stop lying!" Ragnor yelled.
The Wolf spoke in an authoritative voice, "Stop this childish nonsense. It irritates me." The hound guards fell silent immediately; they were clearly terrified of him. The Wolf pulled out a key and opened the cell. He bound our hands with chains and led us up the stairs.
My thoughts raced: Everything was going so well until we reached the Black Forest. I hope this Mistress isn't going to execute us.
Suddenly, we arrived in a gigantic, magnificent hall. There were numerous guards kneeling. At the far end of the hall sat a throne, and on that throne was a woman wearing a hood and a fox mask.
The Wolf bellowed, "PROSTRATE YOURSELVES BEFORE THE MISTRESS, YOU MISERABLE LOT!"
I knelt quickly out of fear. But Ragnor and Ren did not.
Ren said, "Why should I, perfection incarnate, prostrate myself before an inferior being?"
Ragnor added, "The only person I bow to is Queen Elena. Aside from her, no one else."
Suddenly, the woman burst out laughing and said, "You haven't changed a bit, Ragnor. Still as loyal as ever to my mother."
Ragnor was stunned. "How do you know me? And what do you mean, 'still'?"
She spoke as she slowly removed her hood and mask: "I am Princess Melanie."
Ragnor, Ren, and I all screamed in astonishment: "WHAT?!"
Author's Word
Sorry for this short chapter. I wanted to end on a cliffhanger, and I'm still tired from working on Chapter 7 but I hope you enjoyed it anyway.