Chapter 151: Chains and Expectations

They were the kinds of screams no sane person would want to hear.

The desperate screams of children.

Riley’s teeth clenched as the sound rose higher, pressing into his skull.

And while he thought it was fortunate that they had stumbled into some sort of hideout, he was pissed about the fact that he ended up there alone.

If his boss had been there, there would have been no question about stopping the screaming.

But just where on Eryndra was Kael?

Still, Riley couldn’t ignore the fact that he could hear them talking about a child being taken. Worse, if he was right, with the layout of the corridor where he landed, that kidnapper would actually run into him once they tried to leave.

And that was how he decided to take the initiative instead.

However, human Riley couldn’t possibly beat magical beings by being fair, could he?

Therefore, much as he didn’t want to do it, he pulled out everything he possibly could. He looked like a clothes rack, but wearing items forged from manasteel would be his best bet.

Leaving mana traces only when used actively, Riley was hoping to use the fact that he did not reek of mana to gain an upper hand. Especially with that taser, the very expensive one that had sure as hell cost an arm and a leg.

Usually, it was a weapon with a high failure rate, one that might not even do anything to humans. But Riley’s past success in using it at close range made him feel more secure about having a new one custom made.

And that was how he ended up panting and trembling, yet relatively successful.

But with all these rather hopeful eyes on him, what should he do?

If only Kael were here, dammit.

Elsewhere, a golden dragon ended up inside what looked like a cell that reeked of blood and other bodily fluids.

More importantly, there was no sign of the human twig who had been glued to him since earlier.

Intense heat simmered under Kael’s skin.

Frustration?

Anger?

Whatever it was, he did not like it. But considering he had not felt pain that did not belong to him, then Riley must have landed somewhere else.

But why did he land inside a prison?

Did the portal profile their mana signatures before deciding where to dump them?

Then just where would a being with no mana signature land?

Kael did not wait to find out. He simply broke out of the prison as quietly as possible, lest someone come looking for intruders and end up encountering the twig.

Tsk.

Inside the cell, Riley amazed everyone by pulling out a pair of bolt cutters.

Yes. Your average bolt cutters.

Because, of course, he had those.

See, Riley had been through all sorts of ridiculous situations, and by now he usually carried an entire set of manual tools for emergencies like this. While it was true that he used a magical bag to haul them around, he still firmly believed in the importance of mortal goods.

The last time one of the Ministry agents told him it wasn’t necessary because magic could easily handle locks, they ended up trapped inside for six full hours. Six. Hours.

Riley had nearly throttled the red-faced elf when they were finally released. After that, he swore never again. From then on, he traveled like a man ready to move houses daily.

“When I take this off,” Riley muttered as he leaned close to the chains, “as much as possible, you need to maintain the look of someone shackled, at least until we figure out what to do and how to get out of here.”

The woman, who had introduced herself as Risa, gave him a steady nod.

“Then, Miss Risa, based on what you’ve seen here, should we be expecting another kidnapper to show up anytime soon?” Riley asked while snapping the lock of the cell door before closing it. The sound made the children flinch, so Riley quickly moved to open the cell door again.

“Relax, see?” He demonstrated how he had tampered with the lock and could open it at will now. “But we have to keep it closed until we’re ready to escape, okay? Otherwise, someone might figure out that we’re planning something.”

The children’s eyes lit up at his explanation, their fear shifting to fragile hope. Even Risa seemed struck by how their tiny faces brightened at the human’s reasoning.

But she remembered his earlier question and replied, “Normally, they would take one being a day. Once someone has been taken, the next would happen tomorrow, around the same time.”

Riley grimaced. That was bad. If only one victim disappeared each day, then sooner or later someone would notice today’s missing person. Right now, it had only been a few minutes since he had knocked out and reverse-kidnapped the bastard, but if that guy never showed up again, someone would come looking.

Risa noticed the shift in his expression. “Is something wrong?”

Riley wanted to tell her everything was wrong. Nothing about this day had been right. But then he saw the children’s hopeful little faces. He couldn’t crush that or risk going even deeper than his intended floor in hell.

And then one child spoke.

Even dirty and disheveled, Riley couldn’t ignore the resemblance. The features were there. The posture, the wary but proud gaze. And in fairness to the children? They weren’t off the mark with their drawings. So the signs were too accurate to dismiss.

It had to be the fifth prince.

“Sir Riley,” the boy whispered, his voice trembling, “I-is this a rescue mission?”

“In a sense, you can probably think of it that way,” Riley answered, trying not to show how rattled he felt while looking at the kid who thankfully did not seem as crazy as his mother.

“Then, the elves, were you sent by them?” The boy’s eyes glistened. He clasped his hands together, hope radiating off him like a prayer. Riley froze. He remembered all too well how he and Kael had been forced into Silvara.

“Not exactly,” Riley said carefully. “But I believe they should be worried about all of you.”

The boy’s face fell. The others wilted along with him, even Risa looking suddenly panicked.

Riley scrambled. “It’s the MBE,” he blurted, forcing a smile. Inwardly, he was screaming, because how the hell were they supposed to get out of here?

“The… the MBE?!”

Their gazes changed instantly. Trust. Devotion.

Riley shivered.

He didn’t even need to hear their thoughts. Their eyes said everything. They were thinking about how strong he must be. How powerful. How he had come to save them like some hero from the stories.

Riley hated it. That kind of blind faith was dangerous. The worst kind of negligence came from complacency, and if they believed too much in him, they might let their guard down.

“Everyone,” Riley said quickly, pointing to himself, “I think we need to get a few things clear. I’m actually human.”

Controlled gasps filled the room. Shock spread like ripples through water.

Ahhh. These guys.

Couldn’t they at least try to hide the way their faces fell? Did they have to look that depressed all at once?

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