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Chapter 68 Part 5 – Side Story: The Blood-Sucking Madam of the Abandoned Castle (Part 1)

「…… Scarlet-sama!! Help me!!」

Alisa screamed.
Elisabeth’s whip was wrapped around Alisa’s body like a big snake.

Shit!! I underestimated her!!　

There was a very long whip in Elisabeth’s hand, not a riding whip, but a bullwhip.
It was more than five meters long. If she could handle that at will, Elisabeth is certainly a whip expert.
She was hiding her skill in order to catch me off guard and ensure Alisa’s capture!!

With a triumphant expression, Elisabeth pulled Alisa toward her and ran her tongue along Alisa’s neck.

「…… Hyaaah!?」

「Fufufu, there’s not a single stain. It’s like heavenly silk …… It can’t be compared to the rough skin of a village girl. If I apply your skin all over my body, I will be able to regain my youth and moisture. Ahh, I can’t wait.」

「Scarlet-sama!! Help me!! Alisa is going to be used as a beauty pack!!」

Alisa asked for help as she was taken away into the depths of the fog by Elisabeth.

「Alisa!!」

Of course, I did not stand idly by and watch.
I immediately tried to rush to her side.
But, using the fog as a cover, a hail of arrows suddenly appeared right in front of my eyes and blocked my way.

「……!! This!!」

Relying on my hearing, I knocked down the arrows with my iron-ribbed fan, but the intermittent sound of the whip splitting the air rang and made my ears numb, making my detection not as good as I wanted it to be. It’s Elisabeth’s interference. But if things go on like this, Alisa will ……!!

I tried to rush forward, ready to be hit by the arrows, but someone grabbed my ankle and I splendidly fell over.

「…… You can’t fight here. …… You’ll be tortured to death. If you’re not from the castle, you can’t see anything in this fog. If you want to fight, do it inside the castle.」

Right after gaining consciousness, Hannah spoke to me with labored breathing, not even wiping the blood running down her face.

「If you do not follow after them, they will rush back to the castle. I know how to get into the castle without getting noticed. I’ll show you the way …… The madam will not touch that young lady until the preparations for the ceremony are finished. Please trust me ……」

Seeing Hannah desperately trying to stop me while enduring the pain in her swollen face, I couldn’t refuse her plea.

「…… I understand, thank you. Please show me the way. But why are you being so nice to me?」

Inside my heart, I apologized to Alisa and asked her to be patient for just a little while more.
Then I asked Hannah as I treated her wounds.

Hannah hung her head down and looked like she was having a hard time saying it.

「Until now, hundreds of girls from neighboring villages have been deceived into coming to the castle. They were told they could become maids and make a good living …… But all of them were squeezed dry of blood and skinned to death by the madam.」

Tears fell from Hannah’s eyes.

「I warned all of them that they were being deceived and that they should run away. But no one will listen to this monster. They think I’m harassing them to get back at them for bullying me in the past …… Even though I have no intentions of doing that ……」

Hannah’s shoulders were trembling.

「…… Is it so wrong to be ugly ……!? …… To the point that I’m not even allowed to try to help others ……!? I wish I had been born a bug instead of a human being ……!! If I were an insect, I wouldn’t have to feel so much sorrow in my heart ……!! I didn’t ask to be born as a human being ……!!」

Her heartrending cry was close to a scream.

I can’t help but hug Hannah.

‘…… You are a better person than anyone else!!’

I wanted to scream that out loud.
But there was too much I wanted to say.
The words got stuck in my throat.
All that came out were tears.
Instead of words, I rubbed my cheek against Hannah’s face.

Tears welled up in Hannah’s wide-open eyes.

「…… For my sake …… you would cry together with me ……!! Ahh …… it’s so warm …… if this is a dream, please don’t let me wake up from it …… I thank you from the bottom of my heart, god ……!! I finally found someone who understands me ……!! I, I have no regrets even if I die ……」

Squeezing out her voice, Hannah cried like a little girl.

Because Hannah has a beautiful soul, she had to endure lonely sorrows.
And even in the face of unjustified discrimination, she never lost her noble kindness.
I’m weak to this kind of story.

We hugged each other and cried for a while.

After some time, I began to talk to Hannah.

「…… Hannah, if it’s okay with you, would you like to get out of here and come with me? I have taken a liking to you. I’ve been looking for someone to take care of my daily necessities. I’ll pay you a decent salary, and as a friend, I can give you a hug when you’re having a hard time ……」

A sincere person is precious.
Especially when I’ve been betrayed so many times ……

「My name is Scarlet. It’s okay for me to call you Hannah, right?」

As I enthusiastically tried to persuade her, Hannah shyly pulled away from me.

「…… Just how much more happiness are you intending to make me feel ……」

Hannah blushed shyly and wiped away her tears.

「…… Scarlet-sama, what a nice name. The color of the warm sun …… It suits you perfectly …… I wish I could go with you …… I wish I could have met you sooner …… then I would have ……」

Hannah’s lonely smile left a strange impression on me.

「…… Thanks to Scarlet-sama’s medicine, the pain of the wound has subsided considerably. We must help your companion as soon as possible. I will take you to the castle.」

Hannah urged.
I quickly stood up.

She showed some resistance to my offer.
I’ll take my time to persuade Hannah later.

Alisa is a girl who can’t read the atmosphere. If Elisabeth, that violent woman, is displeased with her, she might kill Alisa before the ritual.

「…… Um …… Scarlet-san must not get lost inside the fog. If you’re okay with it, can I hold your hand ……」

「Thank you. Please. I’ll be counting on you.」

I smiled and grasped Hannah’s hand, which she held out to me hesitantly.

I noticed that Hannah’s sleeve was ripped wide open to the top of the shoulder. She must have subconsciously tried to block Elisabeth’s whip. Fortunately she doesn’t appear to have any wounds there, but her skin is exposed.

「If you don’t mind, I’ll give this to you so please use this.」

I untied the shawl around my shoulders and draped it over Hannah.

「…… Thank you. I will treasure it.」

Hannah happily grasped the shawl and buried her face in it.

「What an exaggeration.」

Her bright smile and straightforwardness made me blush as well.

What a good girl.

We laughed at each other and held hands as we hurried through the fog.
I couldn’t see a single inch ahead, but Hannah’s steps were undisturbed.
We passed through the sloping rocky area at a brisk pace and in no time we reached the side of the huge silhouette of Vente Castle.

It was the right choice to listen to Hannah’s warning.

If I went after Alisa all by myself, I would have been killed or fell to death after getting lost in the fog.
I thanked my lucky stars when I heard that the areas around the castle were dotted with a lot more smaller cliffs than I had expected. This fog and terrain was one of the reasons why the Vente Castle was said to be impregnable.

The secret passage to the castle was in an ice chamber dug under the hill.

It had not been used for a long time and was covered with bushes. It will not be easy to find the entrance unless you know where it is from the start. The inside was as cool as a limestone cave, as it used to be an ice house. We walked through the damp, crude brick passageway with trepidation.

It was so dark.
The sound of water dripping on the floor echoed unpleasantly.
The thought of being buried alive made me shudder.

To encourage me, Hannah held my hand tightly. There were no lights, but Hannah’s steps were as unfaltering in the dark as they were inside the fog.

The exit of the passageway was right under the windmill in the castle courtyard.

After checking the surroundings and confirming that no one was there, we crawled out of the passageway.
We were both covered in straw shavings and looked terrible. Not covered in ash, but covered in straw.

We looked so ridiculous that we giggled silently and picked at each other’s out-of-reach bits of straw. We knew that if we dropped straw shavings inside the castle, which is always being cleaned, our intrusion would be discovered.

As we crept stealthily toward the chapel, we were suddenly attacked by several black shadows.

I turned pale when I realized they were guard dogs.

Their snout was wrinkled and their fangs were bared.
Even dogs with a biting habit usually go easy on people.
Because they are beasts that live in groups.
But the guard dogs of the castle have their restraint limiters released. They would immediately rush toward their target without barking.
They don’t want to go to the trouble of intimidating their target.

The fangs of a dog with serious intent to kill will pierce the flesh and reach the bone. They are much tougher than unruly dogs and it’s difficult to kill them in an instant. Even if you somehow manage to subdue them, the commotion will surely alert the others about the intrusion!!

「…… Scarlet-sama, leave this to me.」

I was about to make the first move in order to win, but Hannah stopped me.

While making sounds with her tongue, Hannah bent down and spread her arms. Then surprisingly the guard dogs wagged their tails and clung to Hannah.

「…… I used to hang out with these guys a lot because other people didn’t really want to talk to me. I never thought it would be useful someday.」

Hannah smiled bitterly as she watched the dogs leave with a sad expression. I silently hugged my new, dependable friend.

I looked at the Vente Castle.
Somewhere in here, Alisa is trapped.
I’m sure she’s trembling with fear, but she believes in me like an idiot and is waiting for help.
That girl is always, always like that.
That stupid, foolish girl.
I can’t betray her trust if she does that.

Alisa, wait for me!! I’ll be right there!!
Don’t talk nonsense and stay quiet!!
If you get hurt and make me cry, I will never forgive you!!
So …… please be safe ……!!