Jack was placed in some sort of medieval jail cell. It was a crude room made of stone walls and iron bars. There was a bundle of hay on the floor that was presumably used as a makeshift bed and a bucket at the corner for prisoners to do their business in. The foul odor of this place gave the indication that it probably hadn't been cleaned in a very long time.

He stared down at his hands, which were now shackled by a pair of metallic handcuffs. On the cuffs, there seemed to be some sort of runes engraved onto it.

He wasn't sure what those runes meant but he was fairly certain they were there for negating his crafting powers. Whenever he tried to activate his menu by pulling his finger, the runes glowed purple, emitting a jolt of electricity that gave him a painful zap.

The same thing happened whenever he tried to equip his stone axe or place some wood blocks. The act of harvesting materials also didn't seem to work the way it should as he wasn't able to decrease the durability meter of anything he punched.

No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to activate his powers. That made him feel even more uneasy than he already was, trapped in a place like this.

Way to go, Jack, he thought to himself. You have been in a new town for barely a day and have already gotten yourself arrested. That must have been a new record on how quickly an isekai protagonist had screwed himself over! Way to go, Jack! Great trucking job!

As he was sitting there, waiting for time to pass, some people have entered the jail room. Two guards were being accompanied by what appeared to be a knight in a full suit of armor. And not just any type of armor, either---it was an armor made of a teal-colored metal with a brilliant luster. An armor made entirely of divinium.

"Admiral, here is the prisoner," one of the guards said.

"I can see that. Now, leave us be," the knight said.

"Yes, admiral."

The two guards exited the room, leaving Jack alone with the knight. The knight then took off his helmet and placed it on a nearby table, revealing his face.

He was an elf, as his signature pointed ears had clearly shown. Aside from that, he possessed several other features that made him more distinct than an average person, such as well-defined cheekbones, piercing yellow eyes, snow-white skin, and long silver hair. Judging by his appearance, he was probably around Jack's age, though he could never truly tell from someone of a fantasy race like elves.

But perhaps the most noticeable of all was his gaze as he looked at Jack---so full of conceit and revulsion. It's as though he viewed Jack as a piece of dead fish rotting under the summer heat.

After analyzing Jack from head to toe, the elven knight suddenly reached out his hand through the iron jail bars and grabbed Jack by the neck before using his other hand to press against his face. The cold hard metal of the gauntleted hands pressing against his face made him feel rather uncomfortable.

"Hey! What are you...Let go of me!" Jack snapped.

The knight released him. "Hmph, so you're not a demon after all," he said. "Just a lowly human criminal. As if there aren't already enough of your kind in this wretched city."

"Geez, do all elves act like dickheads or is it just you?! You're supposed to shake the hand when you say 'Hello' to someone. Not the head, the hand." Jack waved his hand to further emphasize his statement. "Not that it'll be helpful anyway since, you know, my hands are shackled and all."

"Silence, human! I shall be the one giving out orders here, not you! Now, I will ask you this. Were you the one causing a ruckus in the middle of the town square? Also, were you using magic?"

"Listen, pointy-ears, I've already told the guards a hundred times already. I was trying to help out an old pottery merchant. He was being beaten up by some asshole elf dudes. Also, they were trying to extort the old man and, when he refused to pay, they tore down his stall and caused a huge mess. You should be arresting them, not me!"

"So you say. And so, during the confrontation, it has come to my understanding that you fought off these three elves using...magic?"

"Well, I mean..." Jack considered for a while, trying to figure out the right words to describe his special ability. "...I'm not sure what I did was exactly the same as what you guys could do. I don't think I would lump those two together in the same category, you know what I mean? I couldn't toss fireballs and stuff like that. I just break things down with my fists or my tools to harvest materials and then store them inside me---which sounds kind of weird, I know---and then use those materials to craft tools and whatnot. It's sort of like what a regular craftsman could do, only much quicker and much more convenient."

The knight narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That sounds exactly like magic to me."

"Look, call it whatever you like. What does that have to do with me being locked up in here?"

"Why, it has everything to do with it! Don't you know it is a serious crime for a non-elven being to practice magic? And yet, here you are, confessing to such a crime. That is precisely the reason you are locked up in here."

Jack was beyond baffled. He couldn't even begin to believe what he was hearing. "Wait a minute...you're saying that the only reason I was arrested...was for practicing magic?"

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"Exactly! Only elves are permitted to use magic, as they are the race designed to utilize it at its fullest potential. You are a human and have absolutely no legal or ethical right to practice this sacred art. The very integrity of magic is being sullied by your corrupted influence. Truly, there is no greater crime! Truly, there is no greater sin!"

"What the heck is this?! Just because I'm not an elf, practicing magic is somehow illegal?! I didn't know there is a law against it!"

"Don't play stupid with me, human! This law has been enacted ever since the Treaty of Ilvandar almost 20 years ago and has been in effect throughout the Elrinthian dominions, one of which being the kingdom of Halandril. Only a brainless fool would have no knowledge of it."

"This law is stupid! Why the hell shouldn't I be allowed to use magic?! Why should only elves be allowed to do so?! Also, I used it to save an old merchant that was getting beaten up! Surely, that's got to count for something!"

"The reason behind it is irrelevant. All I know is that you, a non-elven being, have practiced magic, the divine study that should only be granted to elvenkind. As such, you shall be punished accordingly."

"But-!" Suddenly, Jack caught a glimpse outside the jail room through the opened door. There, he saw the old pottery merchant whom he previously saved. "Hey! Hey, old man! Old pottery merchant! Hey, come here! Help me out here, man! Tell them what I did for you! Tell them how I saved you from those thugs!"

"Quiet! I don't want to have any association with the likes of you!" the old merchant snapped at him, which made him recoil a bit. Then, Jack saw one of the guards handing the merchant a large bag of coins, of which the merchant gladly received.

"Thank you for turning in the criminal. Here's your reward," the guard said to the merchant.

"Oh, thank you kindly. It was my pleasure," the merchant replied with sweetened words. "To be honest, these non-elven magic users are such a menace to this city. Only elven magic users can truly be relied upon. I am glad to serve the Elrinthians any way I could."

It was then that Jack had realized the truth and it had hit him like an icy cold tidal wave. The old pottery merchant whom he'd saved had turned against him for reward money.

"You're the one who turned me in?! It was you?!" Jack bellowed as he slammed against the bars, the bitter sense of betrayal fueling his rage. "What the truck, man?! I saved your ass and this is how you repay me?!"

"I didn't ask to be saved," the old merchant admitted. "It was your fault for stepping in. You should have known better than to use magic out in the open like that. Besides, the guards around here pay good money for information that could assist in the capture of any non-elven magic users. I saw an opportunity and I took it. You have no one to blame but yourself."

"WHY YOU BACKSTABBING SON OF A BEACH!!!" Jack practically tried to lunge through the jail bars in order to claw at the merchant with his hands. "COME BACK HERE SO I CAN STRANGLE YOU!!!"

The elven knight activated a small glyph on one of his gauntlets, causing Jack's cuffs to release a large dose of electric shock. Jack screamed in pain as he felt the electricity coursing through his entire body, after which he collapsed to the ground. The result of the shock had charred a bit of his flesh, causing wisps of smoke to drift out of him.

"Behave yourself, human, or else I'll give you another 'warning'," the knight jeered as he pointed to the glyph on his gauntlet, indicating that he could shock him whenever he wants. The knight then let out a chuckle. "It's so amusing watching you humans turn against each other. Us elves would never do such a thing. This is further proof that we are indeed the superior race."

Jack groaned under his breath. "Shut the truck up, pointy-ears."

The knight triggered another shock, causing Jack to spasm chaotically on the ground. "My name is Admiral Aldinar Faewynn and you shall address me as such. I will not tolerate any further disrespect from you, human. Do I make myself clear?"

Jack coughed and spit as he tried to get up. "Yeah, crystal clear."

The knight smiled wickedly. "Good."

Jack hated how pathetic he must have looked. He hated being at the mercy of this arrogant douchebag elf. He hated being locked up and getting zapped by magical lightning. But he had no other choice; he could only obey.

You best hope I don't have my powers again, pointy-ears, Jack thought. Because once I'm out of these cuffs, I'm gonna beat your snarky ass.

"Now that I have your full cooperation, I shall be asking you a few questions, of which I expect honest answers," the knight said. "Firstly, do you have any association with the Crimson Flame?"

Jack furrowed his brow in confusion. "The Crimson what now?" Sensing a hint of insubordination, Aldinar promptly gestured to pressing the glyph on his gauntlet, to which Jack reacted with a frightful panic. "Wait, wait, wait, no, not that again, please! I swear to God, I really have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Don't try to deceive me, human. Everyone knows of the non-elven magical rebel group known as the Crimson Flame. From what I can tell, you have the audacity to demonstrate your magic in a public space. Therefore, you are either very stupid or you're conspiring with a group like the Crimson Flame in order to overthrow the Elrinthian rule of Halandril.

"Not only that, you've claimed to be skilled enough to hold your own against three magic-wielding elven hoodlums. From my experience, stupidity and high magical aptitude don't usually mix. Therefore, the only reasonable explanation for today's commotion was that it was part of a secret plot designed by the Crimson Flame themselves."

Jack was honestly flabbergasted at the completely wrong conclusions this guy was jumping into. "Dude, what are you on about? I seriously have no idea what you're talking about. I have no idea who these Crimson Flame guys are."

"Even more lies, I see. I can tell that the Crimson Flame has trained you well." He armed the electric glyph in his gauntlet and dialed it up. "Not well enough."

"Wait, no, no, no-AAAHHH!!!" Jack's body twisted and jerked violently as sparks danced all over his body.

"Tell me! What is your secret plan?! Who are your other members?! Where is your base of operations?! Tell me everything!"

"I don't know! I seriously don't know! Oh God, stop! Please stop!"

Aldinar eventually stopped. Jack suspected that it's less to do with it being an act of mercy and more to do with him not wanting to accidentally kill his interrogation subject. "I am running out of patience. It seems you have a rather tight lip. No worries, I'll try this again tomorrow. I might even bring a few associates of mine to help me out. They specialize in the type of magic that would wring out the truth from even the toughest prisoners. I'll be seeing you soon, human."

With that, Aldinar stepped out of the room, leaving Jack alone in his jail cell.