Chapter 24 The Captive Girls, Part ①
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Kanata, wake up.”
”Mm… what’s that?”
Kanata was lost in a dream, but El’s voice pulled him awake. His words lacked energy. Just hours ago, El had controlled Sara, draining Kanata completely. No wonder he felt this way. As for Sara, she was fast asleep, exhausted, and unlikely to stir anytime soon. Kanata wished he could sleep until morning, but El’s next words snapped him awake.
”Those girls—they escaped.”
”…What a foolish thing to do.”
Even if provoked, no one sensible would choose to flee. The terrain made escape impossible, and if caught, a brutal fate awaited—being violated until broken.
”What now? Let them be?” El asked, her tone slightly mocking.
It was an option. The girls had been warned of the consequences, so whatever happened next was on them. Besides, the ogres were growing restless. Letting them have the girls might ease their frustration. But if Kanata intervened, the ogres’ anger could explode.
”Ugh… this is a mess.”
”Your soft heart caused this,” El said. “If you’d just handed them to the ogres and walked away, you wouldn’t care now, would you?”
She was right, but…
”Well, I know their names now.”
Kanata told El he’d stop them and headed to the courtyard.
* * *
”Move faster!” Amisa shouted, her voice sharp with irritation. Born to a noble family, she had always been surrounded by servants. Being a captive, surrounded by towering ogres, was an unbearable humiliation. This reality was unthinkable to her. A fleeting thought crossed her mind—the man who captured her had said, “If Amisa becomes a slave, the other girls might be spared.”
Ridiculous, she thought. A noble like her, sacrificing herself for others? Unimaginable. To her, others existed to serve her. That was the natural order, and she never questioned it.
The courtyard echoed with angry shouts and the ground-shaking footsteps of ogres. Iron gates and high castle walls blocked any escape. Under the dim sky, five girls desperately searched for a way out.
Amisa turned to her maid, Saria, and commanded, “Saria, make a path for me to escape!”
Saria nodded under Amisa’s harsh gaze and stepped forward. It was an impossible task, but Saria had no choice. Her family, the Thermals, once held some status but had fallen on hard times. Without the help of Amisa’s family, the Grayladds, they would have been ruined. It all started with Amisa’s whim: “I want that girl.”
After spotting Saria in town, Amisa’s words set things in motion. The Grayladds paid off the Thermals’ debts and took them under their wing. Thanks to that, Saria had food and a role as Amisa’s attendant. She was grateful to the Grayladds—and to Amisa, who had unknowingly saved her from a life in a brothel or worse. If Amisa was the reason Saria’s life had been spared, she wouldn’t hesitate to give it up for her.
”Amisa-sama, escape while I distract them.”
Saria rushed forward, drawing the ogres’ attention. They swarmed her instantly.
”Now’s our chance!” Amisa called to the other girls, ignoring Saria’s fate.
”Stupid! We have to help—”
”Annamira-sama, we must go!” Rena grabbed Annamira’s hand, pulling her back from rushing to Saria’s aid.
Rena had her own thoughts. She hated Amisa’s arrogance, her casual orders, and Saria’s blind obedience. But she understood—this was how nobles thought. If that was the case, Rena would use it to her advantage.
When they were brought before the enemy leader, Rena had already given up on surviving. Drafted into this war, she never expected to return home. Facing the man she assumed was the enemy commander, she braced herself to become his plaything. But what awaited was worse—because Annamira, her squad leader, stayed silent, Rena was to be handed to the ogres as their toy.
Rena had been conscripted only because she could use water magic [T/N: Magic in this context refers to elemental abilities, here tied to water manipulation]. Water mages were valued for reducing the need to carry heavy water supplies, but only noble mages were truly respected. Commoners like Rena were treated as disposable tools. Yet Annamira, knowing Rena’s low status, treated her as an equal. When Rena faced becoming a sacrifice to the ogres, Annamira was ready to throw away her noble pride to save her.
Even when the man offered the option of paying a ransom as captives, Annamira negotiated to cover Rena’s share. Rena didn’t understand why Annamira cared so much, but it was enough to make her willing to risk her life for her. That’s why Rena joined Amisa’s escape plan—to save Annamira.
To Rena, Amisa and Saria were just tools to ensure Annamira’s safety. As for Sheila? Rena couldn’t read her, so she pushed her out of her mind. There was no time to dwell on uncertainties. Pulling Annamira’s arm, Rena ran toward the gate.
The four girls slipped past the ogres swarming Saria, but then Amisa tripped. The noise alerted several ogres, who turned toward them.
”Well, this is it, huh?” Sheila said. “Rena-chan, can you drag the princess there along?”
”Sheila-sama, what are you—”
”I’ll be the bait. The other ogres haven’t noticed yet. While I distract those four, you can escape.”
”Why would you—”
”You wouldn’t get it, Rena-chan. Noble obligations and all that. I wish we could’ve been closer, though.”
Sheila stepped forward, exposing herself to the ogres.
”Sheila-san!”
”Go, now!” Sheila shouted, running in the opposite direction of the gate.
Rena bit her lip, wanting to protest, but grabbed Annamira and Amisa and dragged them toward the gate.
That’s right, Sheila whispered to herself as she ran. She’d told Rena it was about noble obligations, but truthfully, she had no other choice. If it had been just her, or her and Rena, Sheila would’ve accepted becoming a slave. Her adoptive family, the Akarutos, treated her well enough, but only as a political pawn. Her rare magic and beauty were meant for a strategic marriage. Once captured, her value to them was gone. No one would marry a “tainted” woman, and the Akarutos wouldn’t pay her ransom. She’d end up a slave either way, likely violated by ogres. Better to become a slave willingly and win favor with a master than suffer that fate.
But Annamira of the Miller family and Amisa of the Grayladd family—both noble daughters—were there. If Sheila survived and escaped without helping them, the Grayladds would punish her harshly. By sacrificing herself here, she could earn her family favor with the Grayladds, repaying their kindness in a small way.
”…Still, I wish my first time could’ve been more romantic.”
As the ogres pinned her down, Sheila gave up, closed her eyes, and whispered those final words.
* * *
”Ugh, how powerless I am,” Annamira muttered, dragged along by Rena.
As squad leader, she was being kept alive by her subordinates’ sacrifices. Wasn’t that wrong? Shouldn’t she be the one sacrificing to save them? That thought had been gnawing at her mind.
”Annamira-sama, hurry!” Rena tugged her arm.
Annamira moved her legs, but beside her, Amisa stumbled and fell.
”Ugh! Why me?!” Amisa whined.
”Shut up!” Rena snapped.
”What?! You think you can talk to me like that, you filthy commoner?!” Amisa shouted.
Rena’s Aqua Cutter [T/N: A water-based magic spell that slices like a blade] grazed Amisa’s cheek, silencing her.
”Eek! W-What—”
”Move, now!”
The Aqua Cutter only staggered the ogre behind Amisa, but it bought enough time to escape.
* * *
”Why is this happening to me?” Amisa sobbed, chasing Rena’s back.
That commoner saw her as nothing but bait. It was clear—Rena’s loyalty was to Annamira, and she’d sacrifice anything to protect her. With the gate so close, if Amisa was attacked next, Rena would abandon her without a second thought.
No way I’ll let that happen. You’re the sacrifice, commoner.
Amisa didn’t realize her thinking was flawed. To her, it was the noble way. Saria’s obedience was natural. Sheila, from a lesser house, offering herself as bait was expected. Annamira, her equal, couldn’t give her orders, though as squad leader, Amisa had to obey her unless it was outrageous. That was the order of things.
But that commoner… and Annamira, protecting her, even following her lead—it disgusted Amisa.
”Commoners exist to serve us!” she yelled at Rena’s back.
Rena didn’t turn. The distance between them grew, her figure fading.
What? Why?
Amisa was running as hard as she could, but the gap only widened.
Why? How?
Rena vanished from sight.
I’m moving my legs… aren’t I?
The scenery wasn’t changing. A strange feeling hit her, and she turned.
Three ogres stood there, licking their lips. One gripped her leg, pinning her in place.
They closed in.
”No, no, nooo!” Amisa’s scream echoed through the courtyard.
* * *
”Nooo!”
Amisa’s scream reached Annamira’s ears. It was unbearable.
As the gate’s guarding ogres came into view, Annamira stopped and looked at Rena.
”We’re at the gate. I’ll hold them off. Rena, you escape.”
She stepped forward, facing three ogres.
”Are you insane?!” Rena laughed. “You escape, Annamira-sama. I’ll hold them. You’re unarmed anyway. You’d be useless here.”
”But… as squad leader, my duty—”
”Duty? Survive. Get home. Apologize to our fallen comrades’ families. That’s your duty. I’d hate that job!” Rena grinned, firing an Aqua Cutter at the approaching ogres.
It was obvious—Rena, with her magic, was better suited to hold them off than Annamira, who couldn’t fight without a sword.
”Go, now!”
”But—”
”Do you want our deaths to be for nothing?!”
Rena’s raw words forced Annamira to decide. If she didn’t escape, their sacrifices would be wasted. Only one thing was left for her to do.
”Forgive me, Rena!”
Annamira turned and ran. The ogres guarding the gate all charged at Rena, leaving it wide open.
…Fifty meters… I can make it!
Annamira pushed herself, speeding up.
”I… made it…”
She reached the gate and grabbed it, but a hand seized her wrist.
”Nice try, but too bad,” said the man from the audience chamber.
”It was… all for nothing…”
Annamira collapsed. In the distance, ogres roared, and women screamed.
* * *
”Ha!”
Annamira’s eyes snapped open.
”A dream… if only.”
If only it were a dream. She looked around, naked, limbs bound, crucified.
”You awake?”
”You… I mean, my lord…”
Anger surged, but reason held it back. She was a captive. Her life was in his hands, subject to his whims. She had to stay calm.
”Good, you’re calm enough to talk. Call me Kanata.”
”Kanata-sama… what about the others? Rena?”
More than her own fate, she worried about her subordinates who’d risked everything for her.
”Ugh, what a mess you all caused,” Kanata said, annoyed.
”They got roughed up by the ogres, but their purity is intact. For now.”
Annamira sighed in relief, but his next words froze her.
”Whether that lasts depends on our talk.”
Kanata rebound her so she could walk and led her to the next room. There, Rena, Sheila, Amisa, and Saria endured the ogres’ lust with their faces and bodies.
”How cruel…”
”Cruel? I’m holding the ogres back,” Kanata said.
”Please… stop this. I’ll do anything,” Annamira begged, casting aside her noble and leader’s pride.
Kanata sighed. “If you’d just stayed put, we could’ve let you go in a week. But now…”
”What? If you’d told us—”
”Idiot. You think I’d tell captives that?”
Annamira blushed, looking down. He was right.
”You say ‘anything,’ but with things like this, you’ll have to compromise too.”
Annamira nodded. They had no choices left.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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