Me, the Weakest Member of the Hero’s Party? I’m the Villain Though? - Chapter 108
“Is it morning?”
“I think so.”
The underground prison was so dark that it was impossible to tell how much time had passed. Kyle rummaged through his pocket and took out his watch to check.
It was morning again.
“The others aren’t here yet.”
Lysian muttered in a disappointed voice. It seemed he had expected the party to appear in the morning and rescue them.
“It’s okay. We’ll be able to get out today, I’ll find a way somehow.”
Kyle spoke more energetically on purpose so Lysian wouldn’t lose heart. Lysian showed no particular change in expression as he looked around the cell.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“Not really.”
Come to think of it, Lysian had never once said he was hungry. Even when eating, he never seemed greedy for food. It was as if he had no appetite.
Still, whenever Elonen prepared a meal, he did eat it well.
“But I suddenly got curious, what kind of food do you like, Lysian?”
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
Perhaps the question was too unexpected, because Lysian raised one eyebrow.
“Well, you usually don’t eat much. When we get out of here, I wanted to buy you something you like.”
“No need. Let’s focus on getting out first.”
Lysian stood up abruptly and walked toward the cell door. He ran his hands over the surface, studying how to open the door that didn’t even have a handle.
“It’s no use. It seems to be locked with magic.”
“That doesn’t mean we can just sit here forever.”
Lysian clicked his tongue and kicked the door hard once. The firmly sealed door didn’t budge at all.
“Let’s wait for the others for now. They’ll show up soon.”
Lysian didn’t quite trust Kyle’s relaxed response, but before long, his words became reality.
While the two were arguing in front of the door, the small window set into it slowly began to brighten.
Ziggs was coming down the stairs, carrying a lantern. He peered inside through the small window.
“Good morning.”
It didn’t feel like an appropriate greeting for someone locked in a cell.
“It’s not exactly a good morning.”
At Lysian’s cold reply, Ziggs let out an awkward laugh, as if he had only just realized his greeting was inappropriate.
“I’m sorry you had to spend the night in a cell, but I brought breakfast, so please forgive us.”
He pushed a tray through the small opening. On it were a bowl of steaming soup and some hard bread.
Lysian was curious how they even managed to get ingredients and cook food in a cave like this, but it didn’t feel like the right time to ask.
“Thanks for going out of your way to bring this.”
Kyle accepted the tray with an easy expression of gratitude. If they hadn’t been locked up in the first place, there would have been no reason to bring them breakfast at all.
“So, can we get out of the cell today?”
At Kyle’s question, Ziggs scratched his head with a troubled expression.
“Well… it’s become a bit difficult. The guard unit went out to bring your companions.”
At the mention that they had gone to look for the party, Kyle’s face brightened.
“So you found them?”
Kyle asked with anticipation, but the answer was already clear from Ziggs’s expression. He scratched his head again and shook it.
“So you couldn’t find them.”
Lysian voiced the answer Ziggs hadn’t managed to say.
“I’m sure we’ll find them soon. You said you didn’t get separated very far from them, right? They’re probably still nearby.”
Somehow, the strange situation had turned into Ziggs comforting the two people inside the cell.
“I couldn’t say this yesterday because everything was so chaotic, but if you run into them, could you tell them not to attack first and that we’re waiting here? If they attack first, I’m sure your side will retaliate.”
Kyle was worried that the others wouldn’t surrender to the dwarves peacefully. They would probably resist fiercely, and there was no need to waste their strength.
Once the misunderstanding with Dierko was cleared up, everything could be resolved easily. He didn’t want casualties complicating the situation unnecessarily.
“Ah, you should’ve told us that yesterday. The guards have already been deployed, so I can’t guarantee what will happen now.”
At Ziggs’s awkward reply, Kyle felt an uneasy premonition that what he had been worried about might actually come true.
