Chapter 75: Those Who Lurk in the Darkness of the Underground Prison...

I descended into the basement of the slave trading company.

The air was damp and carried a musty smell.

The stone-walled space had almost no lighting, making it nearly impossible to see.

Still, I could hear the breathing of many people hiding in the shadows. There was also that unmistakable animal scent, like the one you’d smell in a pet shop.

It seemed there was a central corridor with cells lined up on both sides.

"I’ve come to rescue you. I think the slave collars have been removed—how are you all doing?"

"Pi!"

Mixed in with the quiet murmuring, I heard a familiar cry from the right side.

"Iferaski?"

"Pi! Pii!"

The Iferaski who had been deeper inside came right up to the iron bars.

"So it really was you. Don’t get caught again. Alright, I’ll get you out now."

...Crap. I don’t have the key to the cell.

Going back upstairs to get it now feels like too much of a hassle. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"I wonder if I can just rip it open... Step back a bit."

After confirming that Iferaski had moved back, I grabbed the iron bars and pulled them apart.

Creak...

Oh yeah, I really am amazing. The bars feel surprisingly brittle.

But I should still act like I’m putting in serious effort here.

"Nuuuuh...!"

While groaning, I slowly bent the iron bars.

My body, my body feels like it’s burning with power as I spread my arms wide.

"Nuuuh...!"

Iferaski watched me with a worried look.

"Nunh!"

Crunch!

I’d bent them wide enough for a person to pass through.

"Pi!"

Iferaski leapt out and jumped into my arms, licking my cheek furiously.

"There, there. You were scared after being captured, huh? It’s okay now."

I stroked her head with my right hand and her butt with my left. As always, it was a firm, springy, and excellent ass.

"I’m going to free the others too, so step back a little."

"...!"

"Hey, I said let go."

Since Iferaski wouldn’t let go while clinging to me, I slipped a finger into her anus from on top of her waistcloth.

Schlup!

"Pi!?"

The startled Iferaski jumped back. Her eyes darted around in confusion, not understanding what just happened.

Good. Now’s my chance to break the other cells.

"I’m going to destroy the cells now. It should be fine, but please stay back just in case."

I heard several people shifting around deeper inside.

They might be scared since a stranger suddenly showed up. If I break the bars too easily, it’ll probably frighten them even more.

Yeah, better to struggle a bit on purpose.

"Fnuuuuuh! Nuuuuuuh! Nnnnngh!"

Even though I could open them easily if I got serious, I took my time twisting and bending the bars.

"Alright... open. As expected, these old iron bars have gotten quite brittle."

"Th-thank you very much..."

Inside that cell were five dog beastmen.

They were roughly 80% human and 20% dog—very close to human appearance. They were wearing normal human clothes.

All of them were female with distinctive dog ears. They looked like humans with dog ears and tails attached. The one who seemed to be the leader stepped forward and bowed, but the other four stayed huddled in the back, stealing glances at me.

Well, they were captured by humans, so it’s natural they’d be wary of me...

Next, I broke open the cell in the back left.

"...?"

There were signs of life, but no reaction.

"You can come out, you know?"

Strange. There was no aura of fear or surprise.

"Heyyy. Come on out?"

Something slowly started moving in the darkness.

Tap tap tap ×10.

"Capybara girls—!"

There were about eight, nine, ten capybara-type kemololi.

They came out because I called them, but they didn’t seem particularly happy about being freed.

"Where are we going~?"

"What are we doing after we get out~?"

"I’m hungry~"

"Food?"

"I want watermelon."

"Sleepy..."

Everyone was super laid-back and spacing out. Maybe they didn’t fully understand that they had been slaves. Or perhaps it was just late at night and they were still half-asleep.

"Umm... Sorry for waking you up, but let’s go to the church, okay? Your friends who were here until yesterday are there too."

Still, they all looked almost identical in the dark, so I couldn’t tell them apart... Zookeepers can probably distinguish individual capybaras, but it’s impossible for an amateur like me.

Finally, I destroyed the cell in the front left.

Shpaa!

Two of them dashed out at a speed my eyes could barely follow.

A moment later, the last one came out yawning.

"Nyaaaaah..."

It was a cat girl who was roughly half human, half cat. She was quite beast-like. She had fur on her face and long whiskers.

And she was completely naked. The fur covered her nipples and crotch, and she wasn’t wearing any human clothes. I wonder if the fur between her legs was just body fur or pubic fur. Her whole body was covered in fur, with only her chest and crotch looking like they were wearing a bra and panties. Why does that make her look erotic even though she’s fully naked? True to her feline nature, her movements were smooth and her body looked very supple.

The last cat girl slowly climbed the stairs while rubbing her face with her curled paw. Her small butt was cute. Unlike real cats, her anus wasn’t completely exposed, right? If I saw her in bright light, would I be able to see it? Damn. I can’t tell from here.

The cat girl glanced back at me once on the way up, meowed "Nyah," and continued walking. Her tail swayed as if saying goodbye.

"Umm, if you’re ever hungry, go to the Ralm Church, okay? You’ll probably get something to eat."

She’s a cat, so she’ll probably survive just fine somewhere.

With that, I had freed everyone from the cells.

The dogs and capybaras could understand words.

"The slave collars have been destroyed. You are all free now. Those who have homes to return to or can live independently, please do so. For now, anyone without a place to go, I’ll guide you to the church so you can stay there."

"Thank you very much. We have nowhere to go. Please take us to the church."

The one who answered was a reliable older dog girl. She seemed to be the eldest, probably around 30. She had a mature aura. Her long, silky hair and gentle features made her look like a Golden Retriever.

The other dog girls were probably two around 20 years old, one in the mid-teens, and one around 10.

"Is that okay with the capybaras too?"

"Karabiner?"

"That’s climbing equipment. Ca-pi-ba-ra."

"Kalafina?"

"That mishearing is a stretch. Ca-pi-ba-ra."

"Caba-pira?"

"Close! Capybara!"

"Capybara?"

"Yes! Capybara!"

"I’m a capybara?"

"I’m a capybara!"

"I’m a capybara!"

"I am a capybara."

"No, I’m the capybara."

"You’re a Capa-bira."

Two of them started playfully grappling with their short arms. The other eight paid no attention to their friends’ fight, neither moving away nor mediating—they just kept spacing out. It was too dark to read their expressions.

"Well, anyway, just follow me, okay?"

"Understood!"

"Understood!"

(...abbreviated...)

When I started moving, the capybaras followed along.

Just as I was about to climb the stairs to the first floor—

"Pi!"

"Hm? What’s wrong, Iferaski?"

Iferaski tugged on my arm.

She led me back into the cell where she had been held.

Wait, is this girl seriously trying to suck my dick here just because she’s hungry?

"Even for you, doing it here is impossible. Wait until we get back to the church."

"Pi!"

"Hm?"

Iferaski pointed toward the back of the room.

It was too dark to see clearly, but was someone there?

I strained my eyes and finally made out a small, human-shaped figure.

"Don’t stare..."

It seemed a girl was sitting in the corner, hugging her knees.

Looking closer, she had long ears.

Come to think of it, the purchase price had jumped from 2 million to 7 million yen because there was a "problematic elf." So this must be her.