It was foolish to expect care from the natives. The way they detained me can be compared to the most brutal mockery. I was surrounded by guards who looked at me with disgust and beat me for every little thing, be it looking at someone the wrong way or making any sound. And if I was in too much of a hurry or hesitated while they were leading me to the castle, they would either push me or pull my hair, and all this was accompanied by all sorts of insults.

The interrogation, in turn, took place in a simple manner. While guards surrounded me, I sat and shook with fear, answering all the questions that were asked to me in random order. These louts were not shy and groped me all over, shaking off all the tools from my work clothes, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I don’t even know how to fight, and resistance would be of no use if I didn’t achieve anything by force, but discomfort, anger, fear, hostility were so intertwined in me that it was simply unbearable to endure it.

Never in my life have I wanted to run away somewhere so much. You can say that I hated this world with all my soul, completely and until the end of my life. If I ever get out of here, I will bury in my memory all the time I spent here.

"Name."

"Sigrun."

I answered in a trembling voice, hanging my head down.

"Where were you born?"

"Alsis."

"What is this? Is this a village?"

"Em… yes."

I had to come up with answers on the fly, but it seemed that the interrogators knew that I was telling them lies, which is why they looked at me askance. It seemed they were about to spit in my face and I would again have to endure this pure mockery. I don't think they treat me like a prisoner, no. They rather treat me like trash, a worthless bitch who crossed the path of the gods and should be punished accordingly. Feeling so weak, unable to do anything, sent me into the depths of despair, all because I had made a terrible mistake.

"What did you usually do?"

"I was fixing things."

"So you're a prickly heat."

The interrogator, sitting in front of me, wrote something down on a piece of paper with a pen and immediately asked the next question.

"How did you end up in Itsqueen?"

For a long time I couldn’t find the words, so they kicked me off the stool.

“Answer, bitch, don’t be silent like a cheap whore!”

Pain.

I cried, sniffling.

In fear, I covered myself with my hands in anticipation of new blows, but instead they pulled me by the hair and sat me back on the stool, again asking the same question, but in a more impatient tone.

“How did you end up here? And there’s no need to invent a fairy tale, I can see right through ugly creatures like you. So answer quickly and don’t hesitate!”

"I... I joined a squad... em. They traveled from city to city... so."

I answered what came to mind, but it seemed to me that it was said rather unconvincingly and therefore I was going to add something else, but the guard finished everything for me.

“So you became a mercenary, okay.”

The interrogator said and did not stop there, asking this time a completely different question.

"Do you believe in Sod?"

"Y-yes."

I immediately answered, shuddering, for which I received a blow to my face with the hilt of the blade.

At the site of the impact, I felt a burning sensation, and drops of my blood appeared on the stone floor.

"Tc! Heretic."

The guard said with contempt that he hit me, and all I could do was endure all this and obediently answer questions asking Boris or Will to come to my aid.

Where are you?

I cried.

After the interrogation, they threw me like a doll into a cell inside a cold, damp and dirty dungeon, simultaneously stripping me naked and putting on a gray robe, from which my whole body itched, and my body trembled from the touch of my feet and fingers on the wet stone floor. On top of that, there was a very strong smell of someone's feces or even rot, maybe entrails. My ears were ringing, I could hardly hear anyone’s voices, I wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t sleep, terrible discomfort prevented me from even relaxing, let alone falling asleep.

It seemed that there was simply no worse punishment for me than now, but later Boris came and said that I would be executed and then I finally lost almost all hope for the best. I tried to get used to this discomfort, cold and stench, but I couldn’t. And it seems that I was not the only one who clearly did not have a better fate.

Unlike me, the prisoner in the next cell was fed and, moreover, fed from a spoon. I couldn’t find out who was sitting there because of the very damp stone wall against which I leaned my back while some rats were gnawing on my legs.

When my neighbor’s breadwinner left the dungeon, I still decided to ask who was sitting in that cell and spoke:

"Is there someone there?"

Unexpectedly, there was silence in response, although I heard even and calm breathing, in the end they simply ignored me. Well, of course, who would want to talk when you are in such a terrible place as a prison with an uncomfortable regime, except perhaps only me. I was usually the one who always brightened up negative situations with Will with some jokes or funny stories, but now it seemed that my former enthusiasm had been squeezed out like a lemon and what I was trying to do was just squeeze a fake smile on my face. Usually I always did this to maintain my cheerful mood, but will it work if I'm so scared right now? I don't think so.

"I know there's someone there. Talk to me or something."

I continued to bring my neighbor into conversation, who seemed to be barely showing signs of life. It is quite possible that because of this he was spoon-fed; he could have been in a very serious condition or had already died. Although it’s strange that, unlike me, they feed him at all. During the past time, they didn’t even throw me a crumb of bread, which is why my stomach growled loudly, as it does now, reminding me of hunger.

“And you’re lucky. At least you get fed, unlike me. In general, I’ll just be executed soon, but I think my friends will get me out of here soon. They definitely won’t leave me. The Republic won’t allow it.”

I guess I was lucky that the guards took everything off me except the ring with the Babylon spell, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to talk to anyone else here. Apparently they considered the stem on my middle finger to be just a stem and did not pay any attention to it. And I thought that it would be pointless to get my interlocutor to talk anymore, when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a piece of bread levitating in the air.

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What?

Surprised, I widened my eyes when I saw the flying bread that neatly landed on the damp stone floor.

At first I didn’t believe my eyes, and a little later, still trembling from the cold, I crawled closer to this piece of bread, taking it into my cold hands.

"Really."

I said out loud, trying to squeeze the hard piece of bread and tasted it, almost twisting my face in a grimace of disgust while trying to chew the bread pulp.

Raw.

This food of the natives will give me the worst nightmares, but when you don’t eat anything for a long time, you’re ready to eat at least that much crap so you don’t go hungry anymore. And it seems like I can’t feel the taste due to suppressed taste buds, but still chewing this bread is like one of the few versions of torture, it’s simply unbearable. And after I quickly ate this bread, without satisfying my hunger, I decided to thank my neighbor and at the same time ask:

“Thank you, I’m a little better now. What was that all about? Are you a wizard?”

To my surprise, from behind the wall I heard a very cute, quiet female voice:

"What do you want from me?"

She finally spoke.

I smiled, glad that I could finally loosen my tongue completely.

“So you’re a girl too? I just wanted to talk before I leave this dungeon. I’m interested to know what you did to end up here?”

"Born."

The girl answered gloomily, and I could understand her a little.

“I take it you’re unlucky with your family? It’s the same with me.”

“I don’t think so. You don’t understand what I’ve been through. I don’t even know why they’re treating me like that, I haven’t done anything that bad, but they... don’t love me. Nobody does.”

A familiar situation. When you are born into a traditional family, where most of the members of your generation are men, then they begin to treat you like some kind of slave: you must do this, you must not do that; You must obey your family and elders. Who told you that you would be an engineer? Better go work in a brothel like any “normal” woman. You still have no say in this family, be obedient and work around the house.

I still grind my teeth when I think about my family. I hate them with all my heart and I didn’t regret at all that I ran away from Alsis and moved to Earth, where I had already acquired a really real family and even though they also looked askance at me, but they did it not out of hatred, but out of curiosity and interest to me.

It was so nice to perceive myself not only as important among others, but also truly loved by many. Of course, I will understand her, the one who is going through the same period in her life as I once was. So I was really interested in finding out who she was and how she ended up here. How similar are we?

"What is your name?"

I asked my neighbor.

"Ilifreeta."

The girl behind the wall answered.

"And my name is Sigrun, nice to meet you."

I answered cheerfully.

“You know, I really don’t know how you got into such a situation, but from my feelings I can understand what you are like now. Once upon a time, my family perceived me as some kind of tool for their personal pleasures, and then I decided to run away and only Then I found true freedom."

“Hah~! Escaped means... but I couldn’t escape.”

Ilifreeta said in a sad voice.

“I haven’t been able to move since birth, I’m doomed to remain motionless all my life, and because of this, my brothers did whatever they wanted to me, and my parents never even visited me. I would run away too, but I just can’t, I had no chance."

“What do you mean you’re doomed to be motionless all your life? Are you paralyzed?”

I was surprised and received an affirmative answer.

“Yes. This is the curse that Sod put on me. I don’t know why God disliked me, but I didn’t want to anger him even more and therefore I continue to endure, live with this curse, hoping for the best. Although I think maybe... I really deserved it."

I don’t believe in all sorts of curses, and therefore I decided to cheer her up even if she is paralyzed. Desperate people need hope, even the smallest one, that, if it does not force them to perform a heroic deed, it will at least lift their spirits.

“You don’t need to wait for a good opportunity in your life to come your way, you need to take the situation into your own hands. And yet, since you can’t move, how did you serve me bread?”

"Is this so strange for you?"

I grinned.

"Hah~... of course it's strange, because no one can do that. That's why I asked: are you a sorceress?"

Ilifreeta was silent for a brief moment, clearly thinking about something.

“It’s strange... it seemed to me that everyone could do this.”

What I saw can most likely be described as telekinesis, the fantastic ability to move objects with the power of thought. In the galaxy, not a single intelligent race has such an ability, except perhaps the Pantorians and their technology, which has gone beyond the technological limit. However, in this world there are no advanced technologies and instead there is some kind of magic at work here, an unknown force or, indeed, a technology that allows you to influence matter with the power of thought, spending some kind of energy called mana for this, at least only I think so, but Fred has a more skeptical approach to this question.

It is possible that Ilifreeta is a sorceress, but does not know it and instinctively uses her power. And considering that her body is paralyzed, it is not surprising that she was able to master this power. As usually happens, when a person’s one sense is blocked or dulled, another becomes aggravated or intensified. The same applies to the limbs of the body, when a person, having lost one arm, begins to use the other one more often than usual, having developed the movement of this very arm to perfection. Although I don't know much about biology, this question needs to be approached by Fred, but I think I'm not far from my guess.

At that moment I thought about taking her into our squad. She may be useful, you can study her or offer her cooperation in exchange for treatment. I feel a kind of kinship with her due to the fact that we are both family outcasts. Why don't I ask her to come with me? I think she will only be happy. Who wouldn't want to be free?

"Listen, Ilifreeta, how about you come with me to freedom?"

I suggested it to the girl, to which I received a surprised questioning exclamation.

"What?!"

“I think our doctors can help you move your body. Well, with the help of some kind of surgical operation or bionic implants and prostheses. Well, what do you say? That is, we can make you learn to walk. What do you think?”

"Why do you need this?"

"I just want to help you."

I answered honestly.

“You see, I ended up here because I wanted to stop the guards from killing an innocent child, and in the end I accidentally killed this guard. I’m essentially innocent, I just wanted to help a person and obviously overdid it a little. But now I’m thinking of helping the real one, you, for example."

Well, «a little bit», I killed a man with a blank cartridge. Most likely this happened because of the short firing distance, or maybe because of something else. I don’t know how it happened that he died, but I didn’t feel the best because of it. I was very afraid then of what I had done, and now I am scared when I remember that moment, despite the fact that I talk about that event so frivolously.

"So what's your answer?"

I asked Ilifreeta.

Apparently she was lost in thought, wondering whether she should go with me.

"I...I can't."

"I'm so glad that you... wait what?"

I was surprised by her answer.

"Why? Do you want to live forever in this dungeon?"

"I have no choice. I am the princess of the Lakuus kingdom, I can't just run away."

"…"

"Lily?"

"Just a minute, let me think for a minute."

P-p-princess? A real one?!

I was sincerely surprised, momentarily speechless.

"And you turn out to be quite an important person."

I said with a laugh, surprised three times in one day.

"How did it happen that you ended up in the dungeon?"

"I don't know... I just... I don't know. Someone wanted it that way. I couldn't do anything about it."

I decided not to interrogate her on this matter and still decided to persuade her to join us. At first I wanted to take her with me only because of her telekinetic abilities, but now there is a second reason: she is the daughter of the past king and a potential heir to the throne. If something happens, we can remove the current king and put Ilifreeta on the throne so that she accepts our terms of the deal. Everyone will be happy with this mutually beneficial treaty, the kingdom will be protected by our army, and we will have the right of passage. That's why I couldn't stop myself from persuasion.

“I insist. Come with me. You will become free, you will be able to walk... well... not right away, of course, but you will definitely be able to, and in return you will help us. I think Boris will come up with something about this.”

"Sigrun, your words sound absolutely beautiful."

The princess said with all sincerity, but her voice became rather sad as she continued.

"And yet I cannot do this. I have royal blood."

“Therefore, you should not die here, because you can become a queen. You are an important person and let others not think so, I think so. Sooner or later you will find your favorite people, you will find those on whom you can rely, those who will love you, and you love them in return. Come on, come with me. There’s a whole world waiting for you outside. Don’t you just want that? The world isn’t such a scary place, believe me.”

“I don’t want to be a queen. No one has ever taught me rule and etiquette. I like freedom more, I want to walk in the garden and... that will be enough for me.”

Her words make me feel despondent. How weak do you have to be to despair in life without achieving absolutely anything in it? Unloved, weak, paralyzed. The only thing she wants is to just take a walk and that will be enough for her. Maybe I’m behaving too pragmatically, wanting to use her for our needs, but understanding her condition, her feelings, I sincerely feel sorry for her.

Listening to her, I understand who I could have become if I had not escaped from Alsis, I would have been thrown into some pit just like her. Maybe I got myself into trouble because I decided to save the boy thief, but nothing will happen if I save at least her, even the entire princess of the country?

“I don’t understand. If you want to go for a walk, then why are you refusing? What are you afraid of?”

The princess was silent for some time until she gave me one clear answer:

"I think I'm pregnant."