"You're really damn good with a bow."
In an underground prison, I'm facing a blind man with white hair.
He's the guy who captured me at the border.
Shion from the Yamada clan.
"Hehe, thanks but I sacrificed a lot for that."
Despite my little joke, he didn't find it funny.
That's normal.
He must think I'm referring to the guards and farmers who died on the hill during the night.
Personally, I'm referring to using precious skill points on my archery mastery.
Why not magic?
I don't have any overpowered or advanced magical skills, so I bet on an economical ability.
Maybe that's what cost me the victory.
If I had invested in intermediate magic, then I could've finished casting the spell faster.
I was too... optimal in my approach.
"I heard about the use of... sorcery in the hills," he says in a skeptical tone.
At the mention of magic, I adopted a neutral expression.
Neither laughing nor serious.
Currently, I've been chained with my arms above my head.
I'm sure I could destroy my restraints with magic or with enough strength.
But Shion has almost never left this place since I woke up.
He drinks and eats here.
Hell, I can clearly hear him in the dungeon guards' facilities when he...
So, I haven't been able to escape.
Now I know why this guy is so careful.
Rumors about me have spread.
"Do I have to talk about it?"
At my question, he seemed to really think about it in front of his report or some kind of record?
"Hmm... if possible yes, but you're not obligated to," he finally says.
"Then I refuse."
Why should I show my trump card?
In this world, there are already shinobi and other strange things in the Japanese archipelago.
They've already heard the testimonies of the hill survivors, so why would I show my cards?
"Too bad, but can you tell me about something else regarding yourself? Your parents for example, or your organization?"
I was cooperative without lying, because I remember this guy is surprisingly sharp with this kind of stuff.
We spent two days like this.
Shion would come see me, and sometimes Tenza.
The blond boy seems to have held no personal grudge from our last encounter.
He showed great curiosity about my personal life and why I infiltrated the harem.
Frankly, I avoided this question in Shion's report.
Lying to him is out of the question because of his keen senses, and talking about Axel... out of the question.
That and magic are the only two blank spots in my file.
Finally, I was called for my execution.
But this would end up becoming a long series of executions.
"You are accused of attempted rape on..."
After a long list of charges, they sentenced me to be burned at the stake.
Frankly, I was scared at first.
But I remembered I can just spam Create Water or Freezer magic, or even both.
Fortunately, it worked.
My executioners got angry, but they were too scared to physically assault me.
After several attempts, they moved on to another execution out of frustration.
Decapitation.
Well, I resisted that too.
The poor executioner ended up with frozen arms.
When they tried to quarter me with ropes attached to each limb, I systematically burned the ropes.
Same thing with the gallows.
They tried using metal chains, but I electrocuted the poor bastard trying that.
They quickly got the message.
Finally, they got tired of trying to eliminate me on the fifth day of my captivity.
Out of frustration, but also out of fear of the unknown.
"Hey Fushi, how do you do that thing with flames?"
Apart from the series of executions carried out against me because of the number of deaths I perpetrated in my escape attempt, I had cellmates who were out of the ordinary.
A cannibalistic seductress, and a 12-year-old girl who could easily be mistaken for a boy.
Fushi.
That's the nickname the locals and my two new cellmates gave me.
It literally means "immortal."
Personally, I think it would suit Gabimaru better.
Unlike him, I literally used tricks to survive the repeated execution attempts.
I didn't use my pure physical strength.
"I can't explain it to you."
The magic system in the Konosuba world literally depends on the adventurer's guild card.
Real magic without the guild card is lost.
Probably because of that other Japanese pseudo-scientist who designed The Destroyer.
Several kingdoms were destroyed back then.
"So it's a natural gift~" a sensual voice intervened in the conversation.
She's Akaginu.
(Image)
A courtesan who enjoys human flesh, or specifically man meat.
From my memories of Earth, she likes new flavors.
That's why me and Nurugai aren't comfortable under her perverted and cannibalistic gaze.
Especially since I can sense she's strong.
As expected from someone who survived the massacre at the beginning of the expedition with tied hands.
Unlike young Nurugai, she has formidable skills.
"A natural gift? No, but I literally can't teach it to someone right now," I say honestly.
Lying isn't useful here, because Nurugai is a person who's been a victim of lies.
Her grandfather died because of that.
As for the man-eating courtesan?
She's been too close to the true rotten nature of society for me to try lying.
I'm not stupid.
So I do something similar to what I did with Shion and Tenza.
I'm honest, but I don't talk or deflect the subject if it goes in an unwanted direction.
I only hope my sincerity will be useful against my jailers and criminal colleague on the cursed island.
Why am I talking about the island?
Because I'm sure I'll end up recruited.
They even stuck me with psychopaths who'll go there—if that's not a sign?
"Too bad, the fire thing is so cool and..."
Nurugai started talking again about the things she'd do if she had my powers.
For a brief moment, I thought about bringing her back with me.
But I ended up putting that off for later.
...
"Renji, I'd like to know if you're interested in receiving the shogun's pardon."
Finally, the proposal came.
I slightly sketched a smile at Shion before expressing myself in a measured tone.
"Can you give more information?"
Shion told me about the expedition undertaken by the shogun to find the elixir of immortality.
I listened carefully to every piece of information.
It's possible the manga is missing some stuff.
Fortunately, everything is like in the story.
"So? Do you accept or do you stay stuck here forever?"
Yeah, they decided to starve me or forget about me as a last resort.
I guess they got tired of trying to eliminate the anomaly I represent.
"I accept, but can you give me back my stuff? Particularly my card."
I was a bit afraid they had thrown away my things or destroyed the latter.
Fortunately, Shion brought me my cleaned clothes and my card was inside.
"Aren't you going to remove these chains?"
"No, don't push your luck too far."
I guess getting my stuff back was already a form of grace granted to me because of my sincerity.