Chapter 157: Escape [1]
Chapter 156
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Episode 36 - Escape [1]
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"Team C will head to the eastern tower; Team B will head to the southwest tower."
"Form lines, please. Otherwise, I’ll cut your heads off."
"Alright, the inspection is finished here. Boss, what should we do with these bastards?"
"Just kill them. They’re from the group that tried to steal."
"But wouldn’t it be better to keep them alive, torture them, and get some information out of them? We don’t even know who’s behind the theft."
"Ugh, fuck, just do what I told you, asshole."
"Alright, alright."
I had already reached the wall. We were even close to the exit.
There were checkpoints where they were killing the villains who had tried to steal the rings from the very beginning.
Just like me, they probably had a way to escape Black City.
So some of them had likely tried to flee by leaving Black City; however, they were caught along the way.
Astella and I entered a shop. Without hesitation, I told Astella to discreetly kill the shop owner.
Fortunately, he was only a Class 2 villain and died in less than a second.
Shortly afterward, I told Astella to change her clothes and dye her hair.
I asked her to help me as well, and she dyed my hair black, while hers became white.
The opposite of our original colors.
A little later, I took out the clothes I had bought from other shops before the Auction began.
And since I had only bought clothes for myself, Astella had to go outside to a neighboring store that sold clothing.
She returned shortly afterward and went to change.
A few minutes later, we were standing at the shop counter.
"Since they know what we looked like before, there shouldn’t be any problem with them recognizing us now. However, getting out will be a different matter."
I said as I began explaining the new plan for crossing the wall.
According to Astella, guards were patrolling along the entire wall.
So creating a hole would not be possible, even if no one were around.
Making a hole in the wall would be impossible because it was built to repel the monsters that inhabit the Infernal Plane.
Otherwise, I could leave without any trouble.
’It’s better to leave through official authorization and a prior inspection, and since they don’t know our real identities, that’s even better.’
However, the plan had one problem.
"But in order to leave, we need proof that we’ve been here for more than a day."
As far as I understand, the people who originally intended to carry out the theft entered Black City today.
So aside from confirming that we have been here for more than a day, there are other procedures that there’s no way to get through.
"The plan that comes to mind right now is to impersonate a guard."
And fortunately, I had the Doppelgänger Potion.
However, since it was a potion that only Mia could make, and she only had a few partially completed ones besides the one she had given me earlier, its effect only lasted a few minutes.
"That means we’ll have to run to the cave before they realize it."
"Exactly. It’ll take us a couple of minutes to obtain the exit permit, even if we disguise ourselves as guards."
Although the procedure for guards is much faster, for anyone else it normally takes around twenty minutes per person.
And that’s not even counting the line that has to be waited through.
’There will only be enough time to barely get past the wall and walk a few meters before the effect wears off.’
Shortly afterward, we left the shop.
This time, after dyeing my hair and changing my clothes, nobody paid any attention to us.
Normally, I wouldn’t care about changing my appearance; however, there were too many guards near the wall who might recognize us.
As I walked, I said to Astella:
"To take the form of the guards, a sample of their blood is required."
"Understood."
I parted ways with her while looking for a place to sit.
I had given both potions to Astella while she took care of killing two guards.
Several minutes passed, and Astella returned shortly afterward. She sat down beside me and handed me the potion.
"It’s done."
"Yes, I got rid of the bodies, cleaned the area, and took all of their identification cards."
I nodded without saying anything. Shortly afterward, we headed into an alley, and I drank the potion.
My body changed instantly, and since I was already wearing clothes identical to those of the guards, I did not have to change clothes again.
A moment later, Astella’s surprised voice reached my ears.
"What is this potion?"
"Mia created it."
That was all I said, and shortly afterward, I walked toward the end of the alley alongside Astella.
Astella had given me the identification card and a badge that would verify my identity.
Since the Doppelgänger Potion was a potion that Mia had not yet revealed, I did not have to worry about someone somehow figuring it out.
So, with calm steps, we joined the line at a gate where the other guards had already formed a queue.
Minutes slowly passed, and eventually it was my turn.
"Identification badge, Black City pass card..."
The man asked for a series of items; the next few minutes were spent on verification and other procedures.
Finally, everything was finished, and the man said:
"Good, identity confirmed. You may leave for a period of three hours. If you do not return within that time, you will be considered a criminal."
’A criminal.’
It was amusing to hear those words from a villain, calling a villain a criminal.
It was hardly the perfect word for someone like a villain.
Shortly afterward, Astella was also allowed to leave, and the two of us quickly headed outside.
We passed through a couple of rooms crowded with guards and finally reached the last gate leading outside.
A man stopped us and asked for our exit permits.
"Confirmed. Now I need a few more things..."
Once again, the thorough verification process continued for both Astella and me.
’The security is ridiculously high.’
Without showing any expression that suggested I was complaining.
Shortly afterward, the final inspection ended, and we were finally allowed through the gate.
"We’re outside now. So, which way?"
Calculating my position relative to the cave’s location, I turned my head slightly to the left.
"That way."
I pointed toward a specific place. There should be a large rocky mountain there, with a crack located in the middle of an opening.
Astella nodded.
"Understood."
Walking beside her, we soon started running as fast as we could.
Then, as soon as we had moved a few meters away, the potion’s effect disappeared.
There were many people around me, so naturally there were guards as well.
And as if it were a chain reaction.
"You two, wait a moment."
"I think I saw their faces change, didn’t I?"
"Yeah, wait... what if it’s them?"
"..."
"..."
Astella and I kept running without stopping.
"Confusion."
Astella used her Trait to confuse the nearby guards, causing them to become disoriented.
However, this also drew the attention of stronger guards.
"There, those two."
"Catch them. The thieves are two people; it’s probably them."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, we found ourselves caught in a chase, with Dark Mages firing their Sorcery.
Astella used her Deception Sorcery to help me avoid the Dark Mages’ attacks, and through her Mind Link, she guided me by giving instructions.
***
One hour earlier.
"Mhm, huh? Where am I?"
Clana looked around. It was a green forest filled with vegetation.
The mana around her was abundant, while the forest’s fresh air brushed against her face.
The afternoon sun painted the sky in twilight hues. Clana then looked in a certain direction.
A city was visible beyond the forest.
"So I really am outside Black City."
After the man who saved her brought her to that cave.
Clana had wasted no time and used the Teleportation Array.
Then, a few seconds later, she appeared in the middle of a forest.
However, aside from confirming her escape, there were many questions on her mind.
’A prophet who is also protecting me, calling himself my protector...’
Even then, she did not know what to say about it.
First of all, what exactly does he gain from being her supposed protector or whatever?
"But... somehow he feels familiar. Could we have met more than once?"
If he said he was always close enough to protect her, that meant she must have seen him more than once.
However, after searching her memory, Clana tilted her head in confusion.
She did not remember ever seeing someone like that, although that hair color was only found in the Moonlight family.
As for his eyes, Clana knew they were golden.
He wore a mask, so she could not see his face, but she had seen his eyes.
’Is there anyone I know with golden eyes and white hair?’
However, there was no one with those characteristics.
’Just in case, I should investigate it immediately.’
Whoever he was, she highly doubted he had offered to save her without any reason.
