Worthless Skill Escape (WN)

Chapter 237

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TL: ALT

Chapter 237 – The Fake Capital

The girl was overwhelmed by the gray skyscrapers.

Corridors ran in all directions from underground to above ground, and on the ground, rows of inorganic buildings of dizzying height stood side by side.

The streets between the buildings were crowded with steel carriages without horses rushing past at high speed.

People poured out of the buildings and carriages, only to be absorbed by other buildings and carriages.

All this is maintained by an unspoken harmony.

There is no doubt that this is the product of a highly advanced civilization and order.

It was God or the devil who created this world.

This was what she thought the first time she saw the streets of Shinjuku.

From then on, every time she passed through the area around Shinjuku Station before entering the dungeon, the girl felt the same way.

However,

“Hey, don’t just stand there, Number 1. I paid a lot of money for you, so I expect you to work at least that hard.”

The girl was knocked down from behind.

It was a young man in a black hoodie who kicked her in the back.

The long hair, dyed a mottled color, gave the impression of being dirty.

…This is a city of demons.

The clear, bright early winter sky of Tokyo was a mismatch with the unhealthy gray buildings.

It was not God but humans who lived in this super-giant city surrounded by man-made objects.

The girl did not think that the people of this world were particularly terrible.

She just thought that they were no different from the humans of her former world.

The girl brushes the dust off the robe with the emblem of the now-defunct kingdom and lets her disheveled blue hair fall behind her.

Her fingertip brushed against something cold around her neck.

It was a metal collar that looked like it was meant for a guard dog.

In this world, humans call it a “freedom contract collar,” but in her home world, it was nothing more than a slave collar used to control magical beasts.

Originally, it was not intended for use against an opponent with a high level of intelligence like a human.

However, the magic technology of the fallen elven king Clovis made it possible to create a collar that could bind even humans.

In addition, the science and technology brought by humans made it possible to mass-produce them.

It is said that the factories built in Japan’s puppet state, the Republic of Ramanna, produce thousands of these collars every day.

The kingdom of Erythusia, the homeland of the girl who cried out that she was incompatible with a nation that mass-produced magical devices that enslaved people and who bravely fought to form a coalition army for salvation, was overrun by a single “hero.”

This hero, who called himself Kasuganomiya Yuto, presented the kingdom with terms of surrender.

He demanded that the kingdom surrender all of its combat-capable personnel.

This diabolical demand was followed by another.

First, he demanded that the best of the royal family, the court magicians, and the knights of the royal guard be surrendered.

If the kingdom did not comply, he threatened to turn the land of Erythusia into a scorched earth.

The kingdom, loving its people and its land, had no choice but to comply.

And the first human sacrifice offered by the kingdom was Shaina, the fourth princess and court magician―in other words, the girl who is now kneeling on the asphalt in Shinjuku.

The hero said,

“If you obey me, I won’t do anything bad to you.”

Japan has a wonderful constitution.

It is a constitution with a beautiful ideal that all people are equal and that basic human rights are guaranteed no matter what happens.

So, as long as you do not violate Japanese law, you will not be treated badly.

As the Fourth Princess, who has been involved in politics since her childhood, and as a court magician, she did not take his words at face value.

However, it was also true that she was interested in the amazing science and technology of the other world.

If it was about exploring the dungeons of another world, it was a condition she could accept, as long as she could suppress the twinge of pride that told her it wasn’t something a member of the royal family should be doing.

In any case, if Shaina didn’t accept, the offer would simply go to someone else.

Considering her frail younger sister, who had an extraordinary gift, she couldn’t disobey.

But…

“Get up, now. You’re wasting my time.”

The man who continued in an arrogant tone was Sakaki, the master of the Hecatonchires explorer guild.

“If you hadn’t kicked me, I wouldn’t have fallen.”

“What? Slave-chan, don’t you dare talk back to me!”

Sakaki kicked Shaina with the toe of his pointed leather shoes.

“Guhh…”

“Explorers are so handy, aren’t they? You can hit and kick them as much as you want, and they won’t die. If you don’t want to get hurt, you’d better not be rude.”

Why is such a despicable man the master of an S-rank guild?

Shaina can’t help but resent the absurdity.

“Damn, if it weren’t for these boring ethical restrictions, I’d make you do whatever I want, even at night…”

The words he says, as if spitting them out, make her shudder.

The ” freedom contract collar” does not force complete subordination to the “master.”

While it is necessary to follow “all instructions” that are necessary to accomplish the goal of exploring the dungeon, there is no obligation to follow instructions that are not related to exploration.

Therefore, even if she is ordered to do something like the man just said, Shaina is free to refuse.

However, this does not mean that she will be safe.

If she is forced to obey all the dangerous orders during the daytime exploration and then confronted at night with such “requests” that are left to her “free will,” there will be some that she will not be able to refuse.

Speaking of Sakaki, who was a brothel manager before the dungeon appeared, it should not be difficult for him to take away the women’s escape routes and force them to take customers.

…It’s full of loopholes.

You should be able to see those loopholes if you think about it for a moment.

People in this country don’t think about it for a moment; they don’t look at it, and they pretend they don’t know about it.

Because it’s got nothing to do with them. Because if they get involved, they’re going to get in trouble.

In fact, when Shaina gets kicked in the face in the middle of a busy street, everyone just looks away as if they’ve seen something disgusting and walks away quickly.

One thing that surprised Shaina when she came into this world was the television, a device that receives images.

It is an amazing device made of pure technology and without any magic.

On a news program broadcast through this device, Shaina’s cousin, a member of the royal family, was being interviewed.

She spoke with a strained smile, saying things like, “There are no human rights violations, the guild members are good to me, Japan is a good country with advanced civilization…” It was painful to see her like that.

The newscast was full of lies.

It stressed that the Republic of Ramanna in the other world of Springraven and Japan had a mutually beneficial relationship, but Shaina knew that Ramanna was a puppet state of Japan.

It is reported that some of the remaining people of the former Kingdom of Erythusia and its allied countries have become terrorists, but they are merely trying to reclaim their country.

It is claimed that the “Freedom Contract Collar” is only put on after the person in question has voluntarily expressed their intention to wear it and that it is in no way something that robs people of their free will, but it is not mentioned that those who “chose” to wear the collar had no choice at all.

The otherworlder explorers are touted as a valuable fighting force for the party, but there are countless instances where they are forced to take on vanguard roles through reckless use or are forced to take on “side jobs” that have nothing to do with exploration.

The most serious of these “side jobs” is the forced prostitution of good-looking women from the other world, but this is never openly reported.

And there is another thing that has not been reported…

“Tsk, let’s go quickly.”

Sakaki completed the reception process at the new special gate on the surface of Shinjuku Station and entered the S-rank dungeon, “Shinjuku Station Underground Dungeon.”

The “Shinjuku Station Underground Dungeon” was recently in the news due to a special flood that caused no monsters to appear.

Although the flood stopped by itself after a very short time, the dungeon’s opening moved to the surface, and a large area centered on the west exit was swallowed by the dungeon.

It is considered a blessing in disguise that the station’s function was not swallowed by the dungeon, but it is strange that the people of this world have no sense of crisis about leaving a busy station in such a place.

Sakaki’s guild, “Hecatonchires,” was a rough and unrefined exploring party.

What made this possible was Sakaki’s unique skill, Thunder Chain.

“Oraaaa!”

Sakaki’s many lightning balls explode in the monsters’ vanguard.

The exploding lightning spread out in countless lightning chains, quickly trapping the entire swarm of monsters.

The members of the Hecatonchires charge at the Adamantite Ants, who are now immobilized.

The swarm of Adamantite Ants feared for the hardness of their exoskeletons and the strength of their jaws, but they were destroyed without a fight.

“Yes! I’m the strongest!”

Sakaki, who had clenched his fists and let out a roar of victory, was showered with vulgar cheers from his comrades.

“Hey, Number 1, what the hell are you doing? How much do you think we invested in you, huh?”

Shaina staggers as she is pushed aside.

“If I had used magic in this situation, I would have gotten our allies involved.”

If she had been honest, she would have liked to have involved them.

However, the restriction on her collar that says “Obey the laws of Japan” does not allow for intentional injury.

“Hmph.”

As the man backs away, Shaina breathes a small sigh of relief.

Even the mages in the rear guard are treated this way.

Had she been in the front guard, she wondered how she would have been treated.

The proud knights of the Erythusia are also brought into this world one by one, with collars attached.

They are the ones who protect the king, and they are all on the front guard.

They have sworn allegiance to Shaina and even worked with her before, so the thought of them being treated like meat shields makes her want to scream.

Why is this happening?

After the fallen elven hero King Clovis was finally driven out by the revolution, an invasion from another world began.

With the collars around their necks, they’re powerless to do anything, even when their countrymen are in danger.

Or even protect themselves…

The kingdom of Erythusia is no more.

She clings to her pride and sense of responsibility as a princess, but can she really go on like this forever?

It’s a life no better than slavery without hope.

Even if she could somehow endure this time, if she were asked if she could endure for a long time after that, it would be difficult to say without hesitation that she could endure.

But even if she couldn’t endure, what would happen?

As long as the collar is there, she will be forced to obey the instructions of the explorers.

Even if she cried and resisted, Sakaki would just smile and give orders.

There is nothing easier for Sakaki to deal with than a woman who has lost her place and is desperate about her situation.

She moves through the dungeon with a depressed heart.

Sakaki’s “Thunder Chain” is powerful.

As a mage, it’s easy to focus on shooting powerful magic from the backline.

It must be said that Sakaki’s companions are excellent frontline fighters.

After defeating a group of monsters for the umpteenth time, Sakaki let out a suspicious voice.

“What the hell is that?”

Following Sakaki’s gaze, Shaina’s eyes widened.

At the end of the passage, on the first level of the Shinjuku Station Underground Dungeon, which looked like the inside of Shinjuku Station, there was what looked like a water mirror.

Of course, when it comes to water mirrors in dungeons, it’s a portal.

Even if there was a water mirror floating in the air inside the dungeon, there was no reason to be suspicious.

It would be strange to have a portal in the middle of the first floor, but it wouldn’t have the same reaction as Sakaki just now.

Even Shaina wouldn’t have been surprised enough to open her eyes wide.

However,

“A blue… portal? What the hell is that?”

As she listened to Sakaki’s mutterings, Shaina felt her heart leap with hope.

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