I am the Enchantress!

Chapter 95 The Man in the Cage

Even if the kobolds are the most brilliant architects, their underground lair is still underground.

It was unusually dark here, with only a few dim kerosene lamps for illumination. Humans without night vision would find it difficult to adapt to such an environment.

Of course, this is not the most unbearable thing.

The earthy smell constantly rising from the ground, combined with the pungent odor emanating from the kobolds' dwellings, made one's stomach acid rise and prepare to vomit at all times.

However, Maeve endured all of this.

What worries and terrifies her most is her impending fate.

Hidden within all the unpleasant odors is a murky and greasy fragrance.

She dared not guess what it smelled like, but every time she smelled it, she felt a rush of panic, shortness of breath, and dizziness.

I……

Will they die too?

For some reason, all three of her teammates were killed on the spot by the kobolds, but she was the only one left alive.

This inevitably led her to associate it with negative thoughts.

If you ask her to do this or that...

I'd rather be dead!

She gripped the cage that held her tightly with both hands, wishing she could just smash her head against it and die.

But after thinking about it, I'm still a little afraid of the pain.

We absolutely cannot allow ourselves to be treated this way or that way!

Just then, footsteps echoed in the dimly lit space, sounding like five or six people.

Maeve's heart leaped into her throat.

Still here.

And so many at once!

We have to crash into it; not a second can be wasted!

"Bang!"

Her fair and round forehead slammed against the wooden cage with a dull thud.

"Ouch, that hurts..."

She felt a rush of stars before her eyes, and it seemed as if she were hallucinating—

A human is walking with a kobold!

Moreover, the dog-headed man's attitude was unusually good, with even a hint of flattery and ingratiation in his eyes.

Looking at that human again, he appeared to be under twenty years old, yet he had an air of nonchalance, walking through the underground lair as if he were strolling through a market…

On a side note, he's really handsome.

Three humans followed behind him: one tall and big, one thin and slender, and one short and ugly.

Who are they?

Why are they able to swagger into the kobolds' lair?

Is it...

Maeve kept reasoning in her mind, even conceiving a huge conspiracy of "humans controlling kobolds to plant spies in multiple dimensions".

Most likely, he damaged his brain and is hallucinating...

"Hey, stop hurting yourself."

The handsome young man suddenly looked at her and said, "We'll come to save you after we kill these kobolds."

"You're not friends of the kobolds?" Maeve exclaimed.

"Well... to be precise, we are friends of the kobolds."

Wilder responded with a laugh, "But these beasts aren't our friends, can you understand?"

Maeve paused for a moment, then said, "You used bewitching magic?"

"You seem quite knowledgeable."

"Because we also have a mage in our team, he mentioned it to me."

"Hmm... your teammate smells almost cooked."

"Please don't mention this, okay?"

"Okay, fine."

Wilder waved his hand. "Do you have any intelligence on your end? About these kobolds, especially that priest."

"The priest is the true leader of these kobolds. He has the ability to cast spells, including the [Fear] spell and the [Freeze Human] spell," Maeve said rapidly.

Wilder blinked.

Unexpectedly, I ran into a fellow practitioner; this kobold priest was also skilled in bewitching spells.

"So..." he asked, "your squad was defeated by these two spells?"

"Um……"

Maeve lowered her head, looking dejected. "We have no experience dealing with bewitching spells, and we are completely helpless against them."

She suddenly looked up and asked, "Do you have experience in this area?"

"no."

Wilder shook his head; he had indeed never encountered a monster skilled in bewitching magic.

However, they lacked experience in resisting bewitching spells.

He, however, has extensive experience in liberation.

Having confirmed that he could not extract any more valuable information from the girl, Wilder prepared to leave with his team.

"etc."

Maeve called out to them.

"Is there anything else?"

She didn't speak, but simply put her hands together in front of her chest, making a triangle shape.

A few seconds later, several golden rays of light burst forth from her chest, then slowly drifted toward Wilder and the others, gently enveloping them.

"This is……"

"【Blessing Spell】can slightly increase your constitution and agility for fifteen minutes," Maeve explained.

"Are you a pastor?" Wilder asked.

"Junior Priest, my name is Maeve," she introduced herself.

Why didn't you say so sooner?

Wilder looked at Gru, "Use the axe to chop the cage open, but don't use too much force, the animals just fell asleep."

"Leave it to me."

Gru grinned, wielding his axe in one hand, and with a swift, sweeping motion, shattered a corner of the cage with a "bang."

"With your size, you should be big enough to squeeze through."

"……Thanks."

Maeve was somewhat dazed.

If you can save yourself, why are you only doing it now?

Wilder certainly had his reasons.

Maeve's squad was completely defeated, with not a single member escaping, so their strength must not be very good.

Even if we rescue an adventurer like this, she won't be of much help and might even cause trouble. It's better to let her stay in the cage for now and rescue her after we've dealt with the kobolds.

However, if she were a priest, we could consider asking her for help; the team is in need of someone like that.

Even if she isn't very powerful, having various buff spells cast on her is better than nothing.

"After we start fighting the kobolds, find a corner to hide in and cast buff spells on us at the right time."

Wilder advised her, "Kobolds aren't very intelligent. As long as you don't rush too far ahead, they won't attack you unless provoked."

"OK!"

Maeve clenched her fists and agreed.

……

A kobold led the way, with the four members of the team plus Maeve following behind.

As for Joffrey, his effectiveness is maximized only when even his teammates don't know where he is.

Their battle plan was simple: a decapitation strike.

Infiltrate directly into the deepest part of the underground lair, kill the priest and the leader first, and then deal with the remaining bastards slowly.

Clearing out the kobolds at dawn is a wise choice.

Except for the guards who were awake with their blood-red eyes, most of the kobolds in the lair were asleep.

If they are lucky enough, they can even kill a kobold priest instantly in his sleep without any effort.

Although the underground lair was crudely designed, it covered a considerable area. They had been walking for a quarter of an hour and had not yet reached the room of the chief and the priest.

Along the way, they encountered three or five kobold guards, all of whom were instantly killed by Cyrion's one-handed sword.

Having learned from yesterday's experience of exhausting his mana, Wilder was quite frugal with his spells today.

So far, I've only used [Crazy Crown] once and [Quick Friendship] once, and my mana perception is still surging.

He wouldn't covet the experience of the little ones, but he was determined to get his hands on the experience of the two leaders and the priest.

The kobold walking ahead suddenly stopped in front of a rock wall and pointed to the tunnel entrance next to it.

"Hahaha, la baha!"

(We've arrived at the leader's room!)

"Hala."

(Thanks.)

"Pfft—"

Wilder swiftly plunged his crude dagger into the kobold's neck.

To prevent it from getting confused about choosing between its leader and its friends, Wilder decided to kindly send it on its way first.