Pitch black. It is what the man whom has just recently lost against such a monster has seen. Nothing to be seen, nothing to be sought.

[*groan… where… is this….]

A spark of light returned a bit into his vision. The black that has been covering his sights started to lit bright as he tried to pry open his eyes bit by bit.

[Urk…!!]

[*Shwawa Shwawa Shwawa Shwawa!]

[Eh?]

Some noises can be heard the moment he opened up his eyes. As his sight finally went back to normal, a surprising scene can be seen. A cage. Or to be exact, a round, wooden cage with some words inscribed on it can be seen circling around him at some ranges. And beyond the cage, many girls with skimpy clothes can be seen here and there. These girls are what both of them knew as a Witch.

[What the… this place is…?]

[Probably an execution place, partner.]

The moment Rud heard his own partner’s voice; he struggled, trying to find out the source of the voices. And then Rud finally realized that he was being bound into something akin to a metal coffin, unable to moves away. His hands were bound straight and his legs were tightly stretched downward. Like someone whom was going to be baptized.

As he finally saw where the voice was coming from, Yohn was already besides him, being trapped inside of something that looked a lot like aquarium. 

[… Are you being made as an aquarium pet?]

[Huck! NO!!] [When I was trying to find the one whom made these kinds of barrier, she…!]

[*Shwawa? Shwawa wawa? Shwawawa~!]

In her back, a girl, with long brown hair flowing through her back with clothes that’s almost similar to a swimsuit, started to poke and tickle Yohn.

[JYAHA!! JYAHAHAHAHAHAH!! STOPH! STOPH!!!!!]

[… Must be nice being treated so nicely, eh…?]

[You think… AHAH! I’m enjoy- AHAHAH! THIS?!?! AHAHAHAAHH!?!?]

[*Shwa~~❤]

[SHE’S TOTALLY ENJOYING PLAYING WITH ME!]

[Well weren’t that supposed to be your long lost dream? To be played by a beauty such as her?]

[I can’t enjoy it if all she ever speak of was “*Shwawawa”!!!]

[Ah…!]

Though from their own ears it may have been heard that way, the girls were actually speaking something. The words were somehow akin to that of a magic spell. But since Rud cannot even use magic, all he ever heard of was *Shwawawa.

[Uh… Can somebody understand what I’m saying?] [I’m not trying to do something funny here….] [I just wanted to find something…!]

[Says that after you stole a few of their food stock, you shameless thief!]

[DON’T ACT LIKE YOU’VE NEVER INVOLVED, BASTARD!]

*BLAARR!

Suddenly a surge of flame exploded right besides Rud’s head. It was a girl, though a little bit short compared to the other girls, her gaudy yet sparkly clothes shows that she somehow had a position higher than everyone else in this village.

[*Shwa! Shwawawa! Shwawawawa!?]

[What the hell are you saying?!] [*Shwawa?]

*BUAKH!!

[OHOKH!!!!]

Suddenly a red-haired girl right beside him launched a roundhouse kick toward Rud’s stomach, and since Rud can’t even lift a finger, he took the full-brunt of such damage that the pain was unbearable.

{Wha… What was that??!} {I thought they were supposed to be the same as magician, but this kind of power… not even a knight had this much strength!!}

Rud was in pain. Much more pain compared to anything he had been through that he was unable to raise his voice at all. Moreover, somehow the red haired girl never uttered a single word at all, as it also make the other girls silent.

[*Shwawa.] [*Shwawawawa Shwa.]

Though he still unable to understand anything, the gestures seemed like she ordered everyone else to clear out of the place. Since he doesn’t understand anything, he thought that the girl was just being kind to not threat or do anything to him. However it was a mistake.

[HEY PARTNER! SHE’S GOING TO INCINERATE YOU!!!]

[WHAT!?!?]

[*SHWA!?] [*SHWAWAAWAWAWA!!]

Suddenly another girl, the long brown haired girl that has been playing with Yon, interrupted while prolonging Rud’s fate a little bit longer. Chaos ensues as one girl was trying to roast Rud alive while one girl was trying to preserve his life.

[I CAN’T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ALL ARE FIGHTING ABOUT!!] [I’M HERE BECAUSE I NEED TO FIND A GRIMOIRE!!!!]

Though Rud had screamed his lungs out it makes his throat sore, the girls never even looked back at him. Just then, suddenly the black armored man whom have been standing on the sides were stepping forward and stopped the girls. After that, he went closer toward Rud.

[What?]

*BWAGH!!!

[*OHOAHK!!!]

Another punch was flying toward Rud’s stomach. As if the red haired girl’s kick weren’t enough, he had to receive a much stronger punch from him, which Rud’s stomach was unable to endure anymore and start letting out what was inside of it straight toward the mouth. He was vomiting.

[That’s not good for your stomach, partner.]

[*cough… *cough…!!] [Wh… what the hell is your problem!?]

[I’m the one who should be asking that.] [What is your problem?]

[Huh?!]

***

{What?} {What in the world is he saying!?!}

Seeing both Josephine and Hilda are bickering is one thing. But what causes him to finally act was that the man started to shout and mentioned something that should’ve never been said.  Vram suddenly stepped up inside and started to stopped Josephine and Hilda. Actually Hilda didn’t want to stop, but she’s feeling it, feeling that something serious had been happened that Hilda had to stop. After that, Vram gets closer toward the red-haired man, and ‘that’ happened.

[*cough… *cough…!!] [Wh… what the hell is your problem!?]

[I’m the one who should be asking that.] [What is your problem?]

[Huh?!]

[Wait!?] [You understand our languages?!?!] 

Yohn was quite surprised hearing that Vram was able to understand their language. The girl behind them, whom have been bickering, suddenly stopped as they saw him conversed with the humans.

[I have been able to hear what both of you had been saying ever since the beginning.]

[Then why are you chasing us and doing such violent things?!?]

[Should you ask that after what have you done to this village?]

[Ugh….]

Yohn was at loss for words. He had nothing on his defense after what he has done.

[Then why are you doing that before?!?]

[Doing what?]

[That fight before!!] [You were clearly harassing and toying with me as you’re trying to kidnap me here, aren’t you!?!]

[Ah, that.] [It was your punishment, I suppose.]

[Harassing people is your idea of punishment?!]

[I suppose it is.]

[Then what’s the deal with these treatment and those woman?!?!] [Were your punishment is not enough?!]

[That’s not it.] [At first, both I and my master were thinking of sending you out of this continent after dealing with you.] [But unfortunately, you were unlucky that your talking mouse partner was kidnapped by others.] [Thanks to that, they realized your existence, and decided to place some capital punishment toward you.]

[AND WHY IS THAT?!?]

[Because you’re a human.]

[Eh?]

Rud’s head suddenly went blank. The reasoning was too absurd that he couldn’t find the right words to rebuke Vram’s word.

[I knew to some extent that the witches held a deep grudge toward the humans, whom exiled them here.] [But I’ve never given it much thought of how deep it was.] [To think that some of them would prefer you be roasted alive.]

[Wait a second!] [That’s not something to joke about!!]

[But weren’t you yourself a human?] Yohn asking confusingly toward Vram.

[I don’t think I am.] [What do you think?]

Yohn and Rud just went silent. If they had just met casually, one can only think that the man in front of him were indeed humans, but after seeing what he’s actually capable of, that thought just flew away.

[So… can we ask of you a little favor?] Yohn was trying to bargain with Vram with desperate look. [You see, maybe we were wrong for what we’ve done before, but our reason to come here weren’t as hostile as you’d think.]

[Now that’s the part I’m having a hard time to understand.]

[We’re here not to harass the people living here!] [We’re here to find the Grimoire!!]

[And what are you going to use it for?]

Though Vram asked in a calm voice, it can be felt that Vram was already raged, just by seeing his gesture. This somehow made Rud and Yohn tremble in fear, seeing the human-like monster in front of them.

[*Shwa?!] [Shwawawawawa?]

[Hmm?] [Well they seem to come from the same continent as I do.] [Our way of talking is a bit different though.]

Though Vram could easily understood what the girl had been saying, Rud and Yohn still having a hard time deciphering what they’ve said.

[Shwawa.] [Shwawawawawa.]

[….]

The moment the girls asking him to do something, Vram just went silent as the girl in front of him were glaring toward him. Or maybe begging him.

[You.]

[What?]

[What is your reason for searching a Grimoire?]

Rud fell silent at the sudden question lingers before him.

[I…] [I wanted to restore my body…!]

[What?]

[I need it to return back to become a human!!]

[Hey, partner!] [You can’t just reveal such things toward other people that easily.]

[Either way I will die here!!] [At least… I want to die as a human…!]

[What do you mean by that?]

Rud was just getting silent for a bit, then starting to explain things to Vram. He was originally a guardsman at some small village, when suddenly some mysterious people were doing some weird experiment on that village. Rud was somehow survived thanks to Yohn, but when they were able to escape, Rud started to feel something strange from his body.

[My body doesn’t ages no matter how many years have passed.] [Also, no matter how much I’m wounded, the next moment, my body just starting to heal itself.] [But as time goes by, I have caused great pain toward other people thanks to my body!] [That’s when I have heard rumors that a Grimoire could restore my body!] [I beg of you!] [I don’t care if I was dying or even made as your slave, but at the very least, please let me restore my body to normal!!!]

Vram was silent for a bit after hearing Rud’s desperate plea. He finally understood why he was able to go through the “labyrinth barrier”. It’s not that he pierced through the barrier. It was him, travelling inside the labyrinth for god knows how many years had gone by, and finally reaching this place. The girls around him, though unable to understand his word, were somehow influenced by his desperate tone. Also, small tears can be seen on Rud’s eyes. After a bit, Vram started to take something from his “storage”.

[Bear with me for a bit.]

[Huh?]

*JRAKK!!!

[GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!]

[Partner!?!?!?]

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Vram stabbed Rud’s left arm with a knife. But though the length of it was a lot like a knife, the shape is too weird. It was a wavy blade that doesn’t look sharp enough to cut something, yet it was filled with malice aura that seemed to be able to cut anything in one slash. And yet, Rud was stabbed using that malice dagger.

[YOU BASTARD!?] [HE’S SPEAKING THE TRUTH, YET YOU STILL WON’T BELIEVE HIM!?!] Yohn enraged at the way Vram’s suddenly act.

[I believe him.]

[Then…!]

[It’s a demonstration.]

[Huh?]

After a bit, Vram pulled the dagger and started to observe Rud’s hand.

[*hah… *hah… *cough…!!]

After waiting for a while, there are some reactions on Rud’s skin. The part that was cut was somehow filled with reddish light as the inner sides of Rud’s body were regenerating at fixed pace. In a while, the wound was completely healed.

[*Sh… Shwa…?!?]

[Master, Lady Endrossa, Lady Yohana, Lady Hilda, member of the circles, I suggest to release him and just punish him appropriately for his crime, not for his existence.] [He is not a human.]

[*Shwa?!?!?!]

***

[An experimental monster?!?]

The ladies in front of Vram were unable to hide their surprise after hearing Vram explanation. While in the back, Rud was already released as Josephine and Christine were treating him, while Yohana and Rosalinda were playing around with Yohn.

[That’s right.] [It may have been something unprecedented for you all.] [But since humanity was quite abundant in numbers, some people justified that to start human experiments toward themselves.] [Some of you realize that there are monsters that resemble a human in the outer continent, right?] [That’s how they are originated from.] [Though maybe that guy’s case was a bit different, but it can be safely deduced that he was a survivor from the experiments.]

The girls, including Endrossa and Hilda, were unable to grasp the meaning of experimenting toward their own kin. It was plausible, considering that even if the witches’ population was quite large in this village, it is still small compared to the amount the humans have. Still one fact can be inferred that that man, Rud, was not a human. Therefore capital punishment was unnecessary. 

{Still, I was surprised to hear that humans were directly subjected to capital punishments when they invaded this village.} {I guess that’s the main reason why Josephine originally didn’t want me to talk despite me being her familiar.}

[Can we really trust that guy and your words?] [He still looked a lot like a humans to me.]

[I’ve already demonstrated it before right?]

[Weren’t human can also uses magic?] [He maybe uses some kind of tools to hide his voice when casting the healing magic.]

[I know, that’s why I stabbed him with this.]

Vram then showed the knife that he used to stab Rud before. The knife was so deadly that Rud was already having a hard time breathing, or even talking. He was barely conscious the moment the girls releases her.

[This knife was called a ‘Kris’.] [It’s a trash if the one wielding it doesn’t have much experience, but if one were successful to stab someone with this, it’ll completely cut their nerves and render it unable to be regenerated, that some people rather have their whole arms cut.] [Yet he barely conscious as well as the wound on his arm were completely healed, though he maybe in a state where he would be unable to move it for a while.]

The others shivered hearing Vram’s quick explanation of his knife. Rud’s condition already explaining the deadliness of such weapon that no one dares to ask more question.

[Vram?]

Suddenly Josephine approached Vram from behind. It seems that, while Josephine had been treating Rud, somewhere in the middle, she was doing some kind of experiment, as Rud can see a glass-like pendant with an accessories slot for earrings in her hands.

[I’m sorry, but can I ask to share some of your blood?]

[Sure, how much?]

Without even flinching or questioning her, Vram quickly dropped his Kris on the “Storage” while pulling out another type of knife as well as quickly removed his armguards. 

[Well, not that much though, at least to fill this much.]

As Josephine showed the glass-like pendant container on her hand, Vram started to aim the knife toward his hand, then slowly cutting through his nerves, as it spurts some blood. Some girls were curious to see what kind of blood Vram had. To their surprise or not, Vram’s blood were beet red, just like humans and themselves. As Josephine obtained her fill of Vram’s blood, she quickly put the pendant toward the Earrings and started to chant a little.

[Join, Attach, and Blend.]

A small vortex swirling around the earrings as it finally becomes a magic item. Josephine was doing a small jump showing her being excited after seeing her successfully creating something. Then she quickly went toward Rud and starts to place the earring onto Rud’s left ear.

[Umm… Lady Josephine… what in the world are you doing?]

[We’ll just see~❤] [Excuse me~❤] [Can you hear me~❤?]

[Urgh… yes?]

{WHAT?!}

All the girls are astonished seeing that they were somehow able to understand what Rud had been saying.

[YA~Y~!!!] [Alright then, shall we burn you, mister thief~❤?]

[Wait, what have I done wrong?!?]

All of the girls’ mouth were opening as wide as possible, seeing that Josephine excitedly conversing and teasing with the ones whose language was incomprehensible before.

[What has she done?!?] [How in the world she was able to do that?!?!]

The girls whispering toward each other as Josephine still enjoying herself teasing and conversing with the thief.

[HOI!] [PARTNER!!]

[Uh…?]

[How can you understand what that weird girl had been saying?!?]

[What are you talking about; she’s just speaking like everybody else… eh?]

Rud finally woke up. Just before, all he could ever hear was *shwa *shwa. But now he was able to comprehend what the girls had been saying. Though all Yohn hear toward his ears were still the same foreign words.

[What have you done?!?!] Rud panicked and asked the girl who have been in front of her, excitedly teasing him.

[Oh?] [I was just thinking that actually your language and Vram were quite similar.] [But somehow Vram’s word were understandable to us as well as our word were being understood by him, even though it was actually a completely different language.] [So I was thinking that maybe Vram had special perception ability to understand our languages, so I tried to make an earring to give you the same perception ability as what Vram had.]

Rud was stupid, so he only understood a half of what Josephine had been saying. But he understood that he was actually hearing what Vram was hearing. Thanks to that, Josephine and the girls can have a proper interrogation now.

[Now, let’s see….] [Elder, does his punishment have been decided~?]

[Sadly not yet.] [The moment we saw the figure of the culprit, we quickly decided a capital punishment for him.] [But now that it was known that he’s simply a monster, we’re having a hard time deciding his punishment.] [Though since it was you who captured him, you’re free to offer something.]

[Then…!] [Make him my slave!]

[[[[[[[Hah?]]]]]]]

Almost everybody was surprised at Josephine’s answer, and then while a little bit panicked, Josephine tried to explain.

[Well, here’s the thing.] [Although I may already have Vram and I just know how great he is when it comes to supporting me when I was in the middle of experimenting something, it’s not that he was completely free.] [Since I was asking him to do something a lot, he ended up losing some of his free time.] [That’s why, when it’s possible, I want him to do something he’d like to do once in a while, while there are another person who would helped me for free.]

[In other words… a forced labor, eh?]

[That’s certainly is interesting.]

[WHAT!?] [WAIT! WAIT A MINUTE!!] [I DID SAY THAT I WAS FINE WITH BEING AS A SLAVE, BUT…!]

Before Rud had something to say, Vram quickly interrupt him.

[Just shut up for a bit.]

[But…!]

[She’s trying to help you.]

[Huh?]

[I’ve already explained your circumstance to her, which is why she comes to this conclusion.] [She wanted your help to resolve the things that’s happening inside your body.] [But experimenting on a public criminal like you was actually forbidden since your fate was to be subjected by them collectively.] [That’s why she does this.]

[What… why would she goes that far…?]

[Because she’s an idiot.] Suddenly a red-haired girl, whom was kicking her before, interrupted their talk.

[She’s a naïve girl whom always trying her best to help people when in bind.] [So much that she ended up hurting herself sometimes.]

[Hmm… I thought she’s just an experimental maniac and a glutton on top of that.]

*WHACK!!!

Suddenly a flying kick was thrown at such speed toward Rud’s head that his head was quickly buried under the ground.

[Listen here, you ungrateful uneducated unclean unscrupulous insensitive disgusting bastard.] [You have no right to badmouth the one whom were going to be your master from now on.] [And Vram, sheath your sword.]

[… Alright.] Vram, whom also enraged hearing such insults from Rud, almost strikes Rud with his sword only to have it sheathed again.

[So, what’s your answer?]

[O… okay…!]

*BHAHK!!

[HNGH!!!!!!!!]

It was being stepped on. Rud’s “nether region” in between his legs was being stepped on hard with her metallic shoes that it makes a strong sounds. Most females weren’t understood it, but Yohn and Vram understood such pain and started to shiver.

[That’s the wrong answer.]

[U… Understood, ma’am.]

[I’ll let it go for now.] [Vram, teach him manners.]

[As you wish, lady Hildegarde.]

After seeing such scene, Vram quickly retreated and referred Hilda with a dignified and straight manner. After finished discussing about Rud’s condition, Josephine finally returned.

[Sorry about that… What’s happening?]

[I taught him how to show proper manners toward his master and his master’s colleague.]

[Hmm… I don’t really understand but okay~❤]

Josephine started to go toward Rud and pulled him out from the ground.

[Hey, so….]

[Yes, master?]

Rud was quickly being submissive toward Josephine. The lesson was quite paid off.

[Ehehe~❤] [You actually don’t have to call me that when it’s just you, me, and Vram.]

[But…!]

[Then shall I introduce myself?] [My name is Josephine, what’s your name?]

[I….]

Though it was normal for Josephine, it has been a long time since Rud received such hospitality after being turned into the way he was. Tears flowed from one of his eyes as Josephine sees and tried to wipe it off.

[My name… is Ruido, but most people call me Rud.]

[Alright~❤] [Shall we go now, Rud~?]

[… Alright.]