‘This is truly agonizing, so utterly frustrating…’ I thought, feeling a wave of despondency as I lay shackled within the iron cage.
“Hey, who are you?” At that moment, the fox-eared girl in the adjacent cage spoke up.
“Huh?” I stared at the questioning girl, a confused expression on my face, utterly bewildered by her words.
“You were taken to have your magical power tested earlier, weren’t you?” the fox-eared girl explained.
“Magical power test?” I genuinely had no idea what she meant. Could touching that crystal ball earlier have been the test?
“And in your current state, you should at least be receiving treatment befitting a King-tier and above.” The fox-eared girl’s brow furrowed slightly. ‘A King-tier shouldn’t have fallen to such a plight,’ she seemed to muse.
“Honestly, I don’t know anything at all… Could you explain what ‘King-tier’ means?” I instinctively tried to scratch my head, but my wrists were bound by handcuffs, forcing me to lower my hand and remain sprawled on the ground.
“Alright, I understand why you were sold now.” The girl sighed, a hint of resignation in her voice. “In the Dark Realm, the amount of magical power often determines your status. Under normal circumstances, magical power can be inherited.”
“Therefore, as long as a family’s bloodline continues, their patriarch will undoubtedly be formidable. Magical power levels are divided into six tiers: Lower, Middle, Upper, Baron, King, and Emperor.”
“Once you possess such strength, like your King-tier status, you can apply for a fief directly within the King’s Domain. I truly can’t comprehend how you ended up being sold.”
“You mean, I could have just walked right in?” I felt a surge of bewilderment.
“Yes,” the girl affirmed without hesitation.
I was utterly petrified in place. It seemed I was far too naive, foolishly trusting Si’s ridiculous scheme. No, this wouldn’t do.
Once she arrived and rescued me, I would immediately head straight for the King’s Domain. Fortunately, this kind fox-eared young lady had enlightened me. With that thought, my spirits lifted considerably, and I drifted easily into slumber.
****
The night deepened. Deep in sleep, I suddenly awoke, sensing something amiss.
Before my eyes, a black mist abruptly materialized, gradually coalescing. Si emerged from within it, standing right before me.
Resisting the urge to immediately fight her, I relayed the fox-eared girl’s words to Si. Si slapped her forehead and stuck out her tongue, a look of mild apology on her face.
“Oh, I completely forgot!” she admitted. “It seems that is indeed the case.”
“Hmph—just get me out of here quickly. We can go straight to the King’s Domain.” I sighed, stating my demand.
“Hmm… I actually want to release you,” Si said, her gaze flickering evasively. “But it seems I can’t do it right now.”
“You… you can’t?!”
Si nodded. “I originally operated by utilizing the magical power within your body. However, this thing around your neck has sealed your internal magical power. Now, I can only draw on the ambient magical power in the air to move.”
“Even maintaining my form is somewhat strenuous. Releasing this lock is beyond my capabilities.”
Watching the ‘girl’ so brazenly state such a thing, I nearly transformed into a berserker on the spot.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” Si said, trying to comfort me as I writhed on the ground. “They can’t do anything to you. You’re a rare and precious treasure, after all.”
Honestly, all my anger suddenly vanished. No matter how furious I became, I was powerless against her and this accursed collar. It was better to simply let nature take its course, or I would surely be enraged to death right here.
“By the way, you two keep talking about magical power. What exactly is it?” I inquired.
“Hmm… Magical power,” Si pondered for a moment, “is a unique energy form specific to the Dark Realm. It’s similar to divine power, but the difference is that divine power can only be possessed by gods, whereas anyone can possess magical power.”
“Oh, I see.” It was easy to understand; I grasped it immediately.
“Good thing the passage into your body hasn’t been sealed,” Si said, stretching languidly. Then, she transformed into a wisp of black mist and vanished into my body.
I sighed, closed my eyes, and went back to sleep. There was no point in thinking, as it wouldn’t yield any results.
****
“Clang-clang—Clang-clang—” I was jolted awake from my sleep by the sound of the iron gate being struck. Opening my eyes, I saw that the dark-skinned demon from before had opened the gate.
“Put this on.” The dark-skinned demon tossed a white garment inside. “Get dressed and follow me.” With that, he left the room.
Similar events unfolded in the surrounding iron cages.
As I unfolded the white garment, I was instantly petrified. This…
Strictly speaking, the fabric of this outfit was actually more substantial than what I had originally been wearing. However…
It was a sheer skirt that barely covered my backside, white thigh-high stockings, and then underwear with so little fabric it was almost negligible.
“What are you dawdling for? Hurry up!” A coarse male voice boomed from outside.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle—” The sound of fabric rubbing together echoed around me, and instantly, my face flushed crimson. My neck felt stiff, and I dared not turn my head at all.
There were many girls changing clothes around me… but I couldn’t peek. I absolutely couldn’t peek! Taking advantage of being a girl to sneak a look at others changing was completely out of the question.
Blushing furiously and keeping my eyes tightly shut, I tried to banish the thoughts. This was the true ‘triple play’ of decency. I quickly changed into this garment, which felt even more shameful than being naked.
I hurried out, completely avoiding eye contact with the other girls accompanying me.