The men who had kidnapped Elsa continued up the Torres River and eventually reached the left bank of the river.

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"I'm going to blindfold you from here."

"......"

Elsa was blindfolded and carried by the men. Elsa, no longer able to resist, was at the mercy of the men.

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After about 30 minutes, they seemed to have arrived somewhere, and I could feel a change in the air. The air was a little musty and damp. They put her in a room that was closed off.

The blindfold was removed. The restraints on her hands and feet are gone when Elsa notices.

"Well, you should get some rest."

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She turned her head to look at the voice and saw a man wearing a black mask outside the bars, which had been fitted with sturdy-looking bars. From the sound of his voice, it seemed to be the man who had just put the chanting choker on Erza.

"It will be dawn soon. Then the branch manager will have something to say to you.

A man who looked like a subordinate stood behind him and offered a wooden cup of water and a plate of bread through the bars.

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"Well, eat this."

With these words, the men left. Left alone, Elsa looked around the room once more.

Three of the walls, the floor, and the ceiling were made of solid stone. The remaining one is barred. There is no way she can escape.

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I put my hand around my neck and found a choker that seemed to be made of metal. I tried to remove it, but could not do so.

Giving up on removing the choker, Elsa drank only water.

She then lies down on the hard floor.

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She felt so miserable that tears welled up in her eyes.

"Rai, my brother ......, Jin, kun ......."

An older cousin who always supported me and helped me, and a friend who created one thing after another that no one else could imitate.

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Why didn't I talk to them before I ran away? It's just frustrating.

Tired, Elsa fell into a shallow sleep.

She must have dozed off for several hours. Elsa awoke to a voice calling her. Her body ached from sleeping on the hard floor.

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"The branch manager is calling you. You have to come."

Again Elsa's hands and feet are shackled. This time, the restraints were connected to the left and right sides by a chain about 30 centimeters long.

So if she raises her right arm, her left arm is pulled, and if she tries to raise her left leg, her right leg is pulled.

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In other words, they are allowed only small movements.

Erza, who was let out of the prison in this state, managed to walk without falling, though she almost fell down due to the unfamiliarity of the situation. She was flanked by black masked men in front of, behind, and to the left and right of her.

After climbing a long flight of stairs and walking down a long corridor, she came to the end of the hall. The man in front of me opened a heavy-looking door.

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"Come in."

"Ahh!"

The man behind her pushed her and she finally fell down. She thrust her arms out and was able to avoid hitting her face, but her injured knee hurt.

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"Now, now, you mustn't treat a lady like that."

I looked up at the slimy voice and saw a man sitting in a luxurious chair at the back of the room, looking down at Elsa.

He was not wearing a black mask, nor was he dressed in black. On the contrary, he was dressed in white, wearing a robe and a long cloak.

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"Can you stand up?　I'm sorry, my men don't seem to know how to treat a lady. I'll tell them later, please give me a break.

Her voice was polite, but it had a sickening quality to it. Elsa stood up slowly.

"Oh, your knee is bleeding. "

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The wound on Erza's knee is healed by the healing spell.

"That should do it. "Well, then, welcome, Miss Randall. You are welcome."

Elsa looks again at the man's face.

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She is not sure if he is in his twenties or thirties. He had a flat white face and gray hair. His gray eyes were narrow and seemed to show madness behind them.

His body is lanky. Even slimmer than Reinhardt. He seems tall enough to be recognizable from his chair.

"I'm not Randall anymore. I've given up that last name."

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As usual, the choker is pressing down on his throat, making it difficult for him to speak.

"Oh, I see. My men report that you and the nanny were trying to escape to the kingdom of Celuloa.

The man said with a serpentine grin.

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"I'm sorry to be late, but my name is Parcel Marces de Canagelion, the leader of the 8th branch of the Unification Party (Unifiler).

Erza felt a sense of dread, even after all this time, thinking that this was the base of the Unification Party (Unifiler). But she hid it and ruminated on the name she had just heard.

"Nobles of the Kingdom of Cerroa?

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Nobles in the Kingdom of Celuloa are supposed to be named according to the following rules: first name, family name, and gift name.

"Oh, you see. She's a very intelligent woman."

The flattering look on his face only disgusted Elsa.

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"Now, before we get down to business..."

Purcell ordered his men to sit Elsa down in a simple chair.

"We can't keep the lady standing for too long, can we?"

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With that, Purcell finally got down to business.

"Well, first of all, I invited you here for two reasons. Or should I say three?"

Either way, it would not be pleasant for me, Elsa thought as she looked at Purcell's feet.

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"One. First, a check against Mr. Reinhardt. This has already been done, hasn't it?"

"What?"

Erza wondered for a moment what Reinhardt had to do with her, but then she realized that her gentle cousin might have to do what was in the interest of the Unifiler if he was being held hostage.

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"Second. A mysterious magical craftsman (magi craftsman) suddenly appeared. I would like to know more about him and the golem he is carrying.

Jin, who had foiled the Unifiler's plan, wanted to get this information from Erza, who was with him.

"I don't know, I don't know. Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you.

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Elsa declared shortly, glaring at Purcell.

"......3 one. You are a good mage. We want you to be a member of our Unified Party.

"Who?"

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Erza turns her head to the side.

But Purcell continued to taunt her with a smirk.

"You'd better think about it," he said. You've already fulfilled at least the first part of your request. And if you refuse the second and third, we have our own way.

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He was as polite as ever, but this time his words had an icy coldness to them. Elsa looks at Purcell's face.

"As long as you are alive, you meet the first condition. As long as you can speak, the second condition will be fulfilled.

A look of horror came over Elsa's face as she realized the meaning of those words.

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"Do you understand?　It's the gentle ones who rip off their fingernails. Breaking a finger. Sharpen your nose. Tear off an ear. Cut off a limb. There are other ways to torture a woman, but I don't want to do that to a lady."

That's a lie. The man in front of her, Purcell, does it willingly. Elsa felt it in her gut.

"Well, that doesn't change my problem.

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Elsa said this with all her might, but her body was trembling slightly.

"Oh, so you like to be blamed, then?"

"No, no. Neither, no."

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Purcell heard that and started to laugh.

"Well, well, you are a selfish girl. All right, I'll give you one day to think about it. Tomorrow morning, I'll ask you again for your answer. Until then, please think about it.

"No matter how much I think about it, my answer will be the same."

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Elsa replied in a trembling voice, and Purcell stared at her,

"Oh, your eyes are beautiful. They are like the finest aquamarine. I wonder what they will sound like when I hollow them out, don't you?

She licks her tongue.

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"I wonder what it will sound like when I hollow it out, don't you? ............"

Elsa fainted quietly.

"Oh, no, that's boring. You've fainted. ...... put her back in her cell."

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* * * *

When Elsa regains consciousness, she is in her cell. The bars were closed and the door was locked. There were no windows, so she could not tell the time.

But no matter how much time there was, Elsa's mind was made up. She had betrayed those who had been kind to her and run away, but she would never betray them again.

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That was the one thing she would not change no matter what happened to her.

Suddenly, I think of Reinhardt's words when Jin gave me the dagger he had made.

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What I didn't understand then, I understand now. Take your own life. The dagger for that.

But I left it behind. I left it behind... along with my nobility.

But now I..."

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Erza swears to herself. She will never sell Reinhardt and Jin. No matter what she has to suffer as a result.

That is my pride.

Closing my eyes, I remember the journey so far.

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"It was fun, wasn't it?"

The trip with Reinhardt. I went to the Golem boat race. On the way back, I was with Jin. I learned many things. I met many people.

When I think about them, even in times like these, I can feel my heart warm.

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I'm satisfied.

Elsa lay down. There was still time before night, but her body felt tired and sluggish, and her consciousness faded into darkness.