Chapter 26 – The Wind Demise Gang’s Base

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It was like an anthill.

A fortress made of raised dirt.

Perhaps about two-stories high. It had quite an impact, and looked ominous in the middle of the dense forest.

Menew could sense the presence of people moving inside. There were windows that appeared to be natural holes. And the flicking lights of flames could be seen. Maybe someone was patrolling.

“Hey, keep walking!”

Someone shouted at them as they headed towards the hill.

Their arms were tied in the front. Manak was in front of him and Ralph was behind. And they were all connected by a rope.

Stairs appeared up ahead. They seemed to lead to the underground.

However, they were not led down the stairs, but passed it to the center of the hill.

There was a hollowed out chamber in the center, as if it had been dug. It was quite vast, with several tents and treasure chests scattered. It seemed to be a place where they stored things and gathered together.

In the center, there was a grand throne that looked very out of place, and a man sat on it proudly.

His hair went down to his shoulders, and he looked to be in his forties. You could tell at a glance that he was the leader.

While he was not bad-looking, Menew calmly observed that there was something crude about his expression.

Mamnak was in despair. It was no wonder, since she had just run away.

“We brought them back, boss.”

“Aye… Welcome, my guests. To the Wind Demise Gang’s fortress.”

He said as he spread out his arms.

The men then punched Menew and Ralph, forcing them to kneel.

A mosquito bite would have hurt more for Menew, but he went down anyway, just like Mamnak and Ralph.

“I am the leader of the Wind Demise Gang, Harl. I will just tell you this now, but don’t even think about trying to escape. You cannot use magic here. And we have archers ready to shoot you. So, listen carefully.”

While he sounded polite, he clearly looked down on them.

“That elf over there is our prized possession. Elves like her are quite rare. She has none of the old knowledge, and will stay like this for a long time. We can sell her to someone old, and as soon as they die, we can get her back again.”

Mamnak was kicked so that she fell to the ground. They were careful to not leave any marks, but that also suggested that they were used to doing it.

“Now that I look at you, you aren’t too bad looking either, young man. We can probably sell you for a good price as well. And so we won’t kill you. Though, we’ll take all of your money.”

So saying, they took away Menew’s pouch. However, it only contained potions, crystals and a little silver.

Menew could have used space manipulation to make it completely empty, but he thought that that might look more unnatural.

Ralph’s sword and crystals were also confiscated.

“You ran away and increased our prey. Well done. We now have two new products to sell.”

He laughed in a vulgar manner.

Mamnak looked furious, but she held her tongue.

“Hey, take our guests and the queen to the drawing room.”

“Aye.”

There were now only about ten men left, but they then escorted the three away to the drawing room.

It was a large room within the anthill. The door was made of metal, and there was a single window with metal bars. There were also other holes for light, but they were too high up to reach. There was no bathroom. It seemed like you were supposed to do your business in the corner.

And as Mamnak said, there were about ten other elves huddled together. While they were unharmed, they looked weak.

And they were all dressed in rags.

After shoving them into the room, the men reminded them that it was pointless to try and escape. And then they finally left.

“I’m surprised you stayed calm, Ralph.”

That was the first thing that Menew said.

“I would have trouble sleeping at night if you died by accident.”

Ralph said with a sigh.

Mamnak and the elves were staring at them. It was like they could not believe that Menew and Ralph were not in hopeless despair.

“So, good elves. I am Menew. This handsome man is Ralph. I think it is best that we have a little talk.”

Menew said with a smile as he sat down on the ground with his hands still tied.

Next Chapter

Anything Could Be Manifested Efude no Shoukanjutsushi - Kamieshi ga egaitara nandemo gugenka dekimashita- Paintbrush Summoner: When the God Artist Painted