20. — Bad Guys Are Bad Guys (1)

The room that came close behind Cain was like an ordinary storage room found in any mansion. Then, I glanced at him as he looked around the room before cautiously striding towards the center of the room. It seems neither the floor nor the ceiling had anything special.

…So, it was not here?

Finding a bag of potatoes lying on the other side of the room, I walked past Cain who was searching through the cupboards. When I sniffed and smelled it, it seemed like there was a slight smell of blood mixed with it.

With all my might, I stood up and knocked the bag to the side. As potatoes protruding from the sack rolled all over the floor, I stared at the potato rolling subconsciously before quickly turning my head away. On the floor where the bag fell and was exposed, marks as though something had been scratched along with bloodstains were seen.

…It was like the claw marks you held on to not to be dragged by someone.

“Your, Your Highness…!”

In an unexpected situation, I followed the traces of the marks and stepped backward. However, my hindfoot caught a rug that was on the floor. After I struggled in surprise, my feet got more tangled in the rug and dragged along. 

With a shallow sigh on my weeping face, Cain lifted me up.

“You’re a lot of work.”

“But, I found blood and claw marks on the floor…! Perhaps, this is where the shapeshifters are being held—Oh, Your Highness!”

It was the moment he lifted the rug to untangle the threads on my feet that my eyes lit up as I discovered an unusable groove in the wooden floor under the rug he had lifted. Cain’s eyes and mine immediately met at the groove that looked just like a handle.

Holding me in his arms, he tapped the floor with his shoes.

I was convinced by the hollow sound from below the wooden floor Cain touched with his feet.

…It is definitely this place.

This must be the place where Jo Malone, who carried out the illegal trade of shapeshifters, kept them locked up.

“Is it luck?”

“Luck is also a skill.”

I smiled with a triumphant face towards Cain, who asked with a smile. Seeing that, he burst out laughing while gazing at me.

“Are you ready to go down?”

“I was ready from the beginning. So, let’s hit it fast and get out…!”

Hearing my answer, he put me on the floor and lifted a small groove in the floor. As expected, the handle was right for that small groove, and under the open door, a staircase leading down to the basement could be seen.

Saliva passed over my throat at the space that seemed quite large. Every time Cain and I went down the stairs, there was a thumping sound in the basement and the space resounding. I wondered how many shapeshifters were being held here. Thinking that, I was suddenly afraid that Cain and I would not be able to save them all.

Upon reaching the basement, the lights on the wall turned on one after the other. And, following the lit fire, the shapeshifters trapped inside the iron cage were revealed.

It was a number that was close to a few dozen, or even a hundred people.

“Your, Your Highness…!”

“This is ridiculous.”

While examining the condition of the shapeshifters trapped inside the cage, I met a young dog, the shapeshifter whose eyes were shining in the dark. After confirming the appearance that resembles a Pomeranian, eyes black like obsidian, and the red necklace that his parents put on his neck to hide his divine power, I became certain.

“Noya…?”

Noya, who was showing his teeth at the carefully called name, flinched as if puzzled. I quickly turned to Cain and spoke.

 “Your Grace, can you open this iron cage? This is the Noya Ed and Enni talked about!”

In addition, he was a precious talent in this novel who would save Irene’s life several times later…!

Meanwhile, Cain let out a shallow sigh as I lit up my eyes, hiding a secret she could not tell.

“It’s not just this shapeshifter who needs to be saved.”

“I know, but I have an idea.”

He furrowed his eyebrows for a moment at my quick reply, then picked up the key hanging on the wall before opening the cage. At that, Noya rolled his eyes as if in bewilderment at the unexpectedly opened iron cage.

“Noya, right? Ed and Enni were very worried about you.”

“….”

“Let’s get out of here together. Of course, we need your help to do that.”

“Don’t try to persuade him.”

A muffled voice came from behind. A shapeshifter, who was locked in a cage opposite Noya, stared at me with a tired face and continued.

“We’re not going out of this cage.”

“What’re you talking about now? Why aren’t you getting  out of here!”

“If we get out of here, Lord Winder will die this time.”

His resolute voice echoed through the empty basement.

The next moment, other shapeshifters locked in the cage also turned their gazes as if they agreed with the man’s words.

“Lord Winder is going to die, what’s that…”

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