Pitter patter pitter….

The endless rain continued to fall. Droplets of water trickled down on my hair. My clothes were soaked wet, weighing down on my shoulders. I scampered forward with a heavy breath as my footsteps splashed against the puddles on the ground.

But why was I running?

A loud howl echoed from behind me, sending a strong wave of chills surging through my spine.

I didn’t want to look back. Something was after me. But I didn’t care what it was. All I knew was that I was going to die.

Underneath this gray sky.

Sky?

SKYYYYYYKKKKYYYYYYYYYYY?! KKYYKYYSKY! SCARY! EVIL! MONSTERS! PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO BE HERE!

“Memories…of the surface...must be purged….”

I screamed aloud, but I was in a different place this time. I was in my room, with my head laying on the table.

“Oh…it was just a dream. I must have passed out.”

In front of me, laid some open books, a slave collar, some tools and the prototype Defuser.

Ugh…..right. I need to get this done by tomorrow.

It’s already been 6 nights and I still haven’t finished making the Defuser. I promised Scarlet I would finish it tomorrow. Hector was already questioning why I still hadn’t captured her after all this time. I reasoned that she was way too clever and tough to hunt down, but Hector didn’t accept that excuse. He even questioned the dark circles under my eyes and my droopy eyelids. I had to lie that I was constantly planning overnight on the capture of the Scarlet Hood since she was giving me a hard time. Luckily, he believed me. But he was still strict on the deadline.

If I don’t ‘capture’ her by tomorrow, who knows what Hector’s going to do with me…

I’ve been working overnight for 6 days straight and I still don’t get it. I’ve been trying to adjust the flow of the Defuser’s energy into a straight line, but it just doesn’t seem to work! I tried asking Gray some questions about alchemy, but it turns out she’s only smart when it comes to combat, psychology and moral dilemmas.

With all the constant chaos running through your thoughts, I can feel my catbrain hurt…Was what she said.

Maybe I should try another Magium.

I opened a pouch bag and shoved my hand inside. Shuffling my hand around the collection of stones, I picked up a crystal and lifted it out.

Ah. A Cyan Magium. Looks like I accidentally picked one up when I was scavenging for Blue Magium. Better put it bac-

Wait.

Cyan Magium. The power of the ice element.

A tear fell down my eye, and I gently wiped it off with my hand.

Alessia….she was the strongest ice mage around. The mystery behind her murder remains unsolved….and the true culprits are still out there. Marko had something to do with that murder, I’m sure of it! However, the responsibility still lies within me, her supposed bodyguard. I failed to protect her, that was set in stone.

I miss her.

A sudden spark lit up in my head. I remember, back in the exams….

She was fighting against the fire user Cyrus. Normally, ice was weak against fire, yet Alessia was able to defeat him. I remembered her words.

“That’s ridiculous! As if you’d be strong enough to completely nullify fire!”

“No…it’s not that I’m strong enough. It’s that your flames are too weak for me.”

Could it be possible for ice to defeat fire if its power was strong enough?

No, a Cyan Magium will always be weak against a Red Magium, that’s for sure. However, Cyan and Blue Magium work well together! If Blue Magium energy tends to flow and Red Magium energy tends to pierce, then Cyan Magium energy tends to condense. When Cyan Magium and Blue Magium interact, the flow will be concentrated due to the condensation!

I got it, I figured it out!

………………..

“On second thought, maybe this isn’t a good idea!”

I watched as Scarlet tried to pull the slave collar out of her neck.

“It’s no use, there’s no turning back now.”

It’s the day of the deadline. Hector won’t wait any longer. The next phase of my plan has been set in motion. That involves bringing Scarlet over as a slave to the Midas Mines.

“But it’s so uncomfy! Maybe you should use that Defuser of yours to help me,” Scarlet poked my shoulder with a shameless smile.

“Are you seriously going to quit now?” I asked. “You should have decided on it before you wore the collar.”

“Hahaha, I’m just joking! No need to be so serious, Lars!” she nudged my shoulder. “I’ve already agreed to help you. As a lovely lady, I can’t go back on my word! Besides, I’ve tried sooo hard to keep myself from going out to fight some baddies!”

Yeah, right. More like I was the one trying to keep her from causing chaos outside. I’ve had to bring food to her everyday and even gave her book recommendations (such as Gentleman of the Apocalypse) so she wouldn’t have any more excuses to leave.

“Do you have any more questions regarding our plans to defeat the Midas Hogs?”

“Nope, let’s do this!”

Scarlet and I finally left the library and walked our way over to Midas Mines. The people on the streets looked at us with shock and disbelief as we passed by, with their faces shifting to that of anger and disappointment. Their shock was that Scarlet Hood, the only person who posed a threat against the Midas Hogs was finally captured, and their anger was directed towards me, the Iron Cat who took away their hope by turning her into a slave.

Yet despite all their hatred towards me, none of them dared to make a single move. That was how threatening I had become after working for the Midas Hogs for so long. Then there’s the Scarlet Hood herself, who was simply humming happily and holding my hand as I escorted her to the Midas Mines.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

You sure do look like a couple, fufufu!

The catgirl Gray manifested herself by my side, grabbing onto my shoulders and curling her tail over my shoulders.

Now you have two girls with you. It’s like a harem now, don’t you think?

It’s not like anyone can see you, so does it even qualify?

So you’re not denying the fact that you and her are a couple?

What an unnecessary question.

We finally arrived at the entrance to the mines. A large black metal gate blocked any entry into the area, guarded by a group of thugs with shades of black and yellow on their clothes to show their affiliation with the Midas Hogs faction. Despite having such defenses, I’m surprised how they were still able to allow so many slaves to escape this place. I guess it doesn’t matter much though, since they can’t escape their territory, Sector 24.

“Woah, the pussyboy actually did it! He captured the Scarlet Hood!” one of them whispered.

“I didn’t know she was a hot babe!”

“The person who’s been beating around our guys was actually a girl? I don’t believe it!”

“Look at those metal legs, that’s pretty sexy!”

I’m already used to everyone calling me ‘pussyboy’, but I couldn’t help but feel annoyed about their remarks on Scarlet. I could feel my eyebrows twitch a little, so I decided to calm myself down by taking some deep breaths. Scarlet on the other hand, didn’t seem fazed by their remarks. In fact, it looked more like they were inflating their ego as she continued to display her arrogant smile.

“All these guys are swooning over me, I guess I really am the cutest!”

“Ugh…..” I looked at her in disbelief.

What a positive mindset….

The gates opened upwards, finally letting us deeper into the mines. From there, I saw Hector and his bodyguards waiting for us from a distance. He must have really been expecting me to capture her now that it’s the seventh day.

“That guy with the yellow eyes, that’s Hector?” Scarlet whispered.

I nodded as I escorted her closer to him. “I already told you what to expect from him, so please try to behave and endure whatever he does.”

If possible, I wouldn’t want to let her go through Hector’s body inspection, but it’s not like I have a choice. Scarlet told me that she didn’t mind, but I still couldn’t help but be worried.

Hector clapped his hands. “Very good, Lars! You accomplished your mission right on time! I assume this is the Scarlet Hood? I didn’t expect them to look this cute!”

“Thank you!” Scarlet said.

“Yes, this is the one and only Scarlet Hood. She’s all yours,” I gently pushed her towards Hector.

Hector looked down at Scarlet with a sharp golden gaze, a dominating glare that brought shivers to everyone around him. It was like he was trying to put her in her place, a mere slave who must submit to its master. Yet Scarlet continued to look in his face with a warm smile.

“Do you understand how many problems you’ve caused for my business?” Hector smiled back.

“I do. I was trying to destroy it, after all,” Scarlet shrugged her shoulders.

“You…don’t you feel any fear for your situation? Your life is in my hands now. With the click of a button, I could end it in an instant.”

“Of course I’m scared! I don’t want to die yet! It’s a waste of beauty, you know!”

I can’t believe she has the nerve to joke around.

Hector stared at Scarlet in silence for a few seconds. The atmosphere around me felt tense, like a creeping period of silent dread where nothing has happened, yet with the suspense of something that might happen at any moment. I was ready to summon White to protect her from the Detonator’s ray. If anything goes wrong, I’ll have to react quickly.

“Pfft. Hahahaha!” Hector’s laughter broke the tension as he clutched his stomach. He patted her shoulder repeatedly and let out a bigger smile. “I like you, you’re a funny girl!”

Hector was impressed by her….?!

He then started to place his hands on her metal legs. “Woah, this is the first time I’ve seen cyborg legs! So cool! It’s even made of such high-quality Magion too!”

Hector proceeded to lift his hands even further upwards. “Such delicate thighs too! These muscles are amazing! I guess carrying all the weight in your legs has trained them well. You must be an excellent kicker!”

Hector’s ability to read a person’s abilities through their body was honestly impressive, he’s completely spot on when it comes to his inspections.

Scarlet kept up that smug grin of hers as he showered her with compliments, but I could see a bit of sweat trickling down her forehead. Of course, this was going to be rather uncomfortable for her. He’s invading her personal space, after all.

“Ahaha, that kind of tickles!” she giggled.

Ah….she was just trying to hold her laughter. What a weirdo. Does she not feel any shame?

Well, it's not like Hector was deliberately touching her private parts anyway. His movements appeared rather careful when he was in close proximity, like he was handling something valuable.

"You're such a pervert," Scarlet said. "Do you do this to every slave?"

"Don't get the wrong idea," Hector moved his fingers over to her arms. "I'm simply assessing the quality of my products, that's all."

"Sounds like an excuse to me."

He placed his finger above her chest and flicked it over to her chin. "If I really wanted to, I would have stripped you down naked."

That bastard…..

"When it comes to female slaves, I make sure to treat them gently. After all, their value decreases when they've already been….exposed," Hector chuckled.

"Ugh…gross," Scarlet stuck out her tongue like she was about to puke.

"Normally, I'd sell young girls like you off to my special customers, but there's two reasons why I won't be doing that."

If he did, I would have tried to keep that from happening. But I knew a piece of how Hector's mind works, so I predicted this would happen.

"First off, you're the Scarlet Hood." Hector said. "I could use someone as powerful as you to fight for my side. It would be a waste to sell you away."

"Yeah, you could say I'm pretty badass!" Scarlet made a V-sign with her fingers.

She seems way too carefree for someone who's being forced to work.

"Secondly, that eyepatch of yours. I can't give you away without knowing what's up. What exactly are you hiding underneath?" Hector pointed out.

Scarlet tilted her head in confusion. She stared blankly for a couple of seconds before opening her mouth.

"Ah! Oh, the eyepatch! Silly me!" She knocked her head with her fist.

I guess she might be a little bit of an airhead…..

"I just thought wearing it looked cool, hehe! Right?" Scarlet said. "It also helps me focus my aim better, which is why I'm such an excellent gunslinger!"

Is she being serious right now? I can't tell if I should be impressed or dumbfounded…..

I don't believe her.

What do you mean, Gray?

"You truly are a strange individual. Fascinating!" Hector clapped his hands.

He patted her forehead and smiled, as if he wasn't holding a grudge against her for causing him trouble.

"I'll forgive you for everything you've done."

"W-Wait, you're just letting her off like that?" one of his bodyguards spoke out.

"Do you have a problem?" Hector glared at him.

"N-no…."

He was probably displeased at the fact that even after all the Midas Hogs members she's killed, she's being let off the hook.

"Lars." Hector turned his face towards me. "Sorry, I'm no longer interested in you. You're too boring now."

"Huh?"

What does he mean……?

Hector placed his arm over Scarlet.

"You're no longer my favorite. I've found myself a better toy!"

Immediately after he said those words, a sudden chill surged through my spine. Looking around frantically, I caught a dangerous presence locking his eyes towards me.

It was that fat ugly bastard Tusker, licking his thick lips with a sinister smile.

Tsk….this isn't good.