“From today, you will work as slaves for my empire. Oh, but slaves shouldn’t have money, should they? Cough up 10,000 Gold each, and be quick about it!”
Then, two more men in similar colorful costumes boarded the carriage.
“Here, hand over the money!”
“Eep, yes… here you go.”
“There, I’ve got it. This is proof of your slavery.”
“Kyaa!”
A female passenger handed money to a man who had boarded. He then attached a collar with a short chain to the female passenger.
“Hey, boyfriend over there spacing out. You hand over your money too!”
“Y-yes. Here you go.”
“Got it, congratulations. You’re now a slave in our country too! Work hard.”
“Waaa, it, it won’t come off!”
Money was collected from the man who seemed to be the female passenger’s boyfriend, and a collar was attached to him as well.
“Oi, it’s your turn next!”
“Hmph, Kent!”
“Just give me the money and… oh, right, hand over the invitation ticket too.”
“An invitation ticket? Is this what I should hand over?”
Money was collected one after another, and collars were put on the passengers. Finally, a man approached Josette’s seat. Kent gently took Josette’s trembling hand and softly murmured, “Josette, hand over the large silver coin (equivalent to 10,000 Gold) and the two invitation tickets you have.” Josette did as she was told and handed them to the man.
“I see, so this is for your boyfriend next to you. As for me, I’m satisfied with just this ticket. I’ll return this one.”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
Josette, who had one large silver coin returned to her by the man, had a bewildered expression.
“Next is you. However, since I’ve already received two tickets from you, you’re exempt from the money collection.”
Saying that, collars were attached to Josette and Kent.
“Well then, we’re heading to the slave holding facility as is. Oh, but before that, it would be bad if our country’s location were known, so we’ll be lowering all the blinds. Oi, if you’re ready, move the carriage!”
All the blinds on the carriage windows were lowered, making it impossible to see outside. Then, at the command of the man who had boarded, the carriage began to move.
“Waa, where are you taking us?”
“I don’t know either.”
Aside from Kent, all the other passengers wore anxious expressions. Josette also looked at Kent worriedly.
“Alright, we’ve arrived at the holding facility. Get out, quick!”
The man said this in a rough tone, but he didn’t touch any of the passengers. The carriage doors were opened, and the passengers were disembarked one after another.
“Next you two. Watch your step so you don’t fall!”
Kent and Josette also got off the carriage. They found themselves inside some kind of building.
“Now, walk properly.”
Guided by the men, Kent and his companions were led into a large room.
“I know we’ve just arrived, but from now on, you’ll be working for this country. I’ll come to get you in 30 minutes. Use this time to prepare!”
With that, the man left the room. Then, a loud noise came from outside, and the room was locked.
“Kent, this is a bit strange for a place to confine slaves.”
“Yeah, it probably is.”
The interior of the room was unsuited for a slave holding facility. Although it was locked and they couldn’t leave, the walls, which appeared dilapidated, were solidly built. There were sofas for resting, and even drinks were available on a self-service basis. The facility was also equipped with restrooms, making it a comfortable place to spend the 30 minutes the man had mentioned.
“Josette.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“If you need to use the restroom or anything, you should go now.”
“K-Kent! How can you be so calm when we’re being held captive like this?”
Josette pressed Kent.
“…Can I tell you?”
“If you have something to say, you should say it clearly.”
“Really? Okay, then I’ll say it. This is a performance.”
“Eh?”
Josette froze upon hearing Kent’s words. From the men’s attitude, Kent realized this was a welcome performance for the theme park called the “Underground Kingdom.” While the men’s acting skills were impressive, they did not harm the guests in any way. Even though their words were harsh as part of the act, Kent was convinced because safety precautions were in place.
“They didn’t charge us money for the invitation tickets, did they? That 10,000 Gold was the admission fee.”
“So… that’s what it was. I really thought we had been captured.”
“I think your Older Brother put a lot of effort into this facility to make it so convincing, Josette. Since we’re here, we should enjoy it.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
When Kent revealed the truth, Josette seemed to understand.
“More than 30 minutes have passed, and no one has come, have they?”
“No, they haven’t.”
Josette checked the time on her smartphone and spoke. About 40 minutes had passed since the men had left the room.
“Waa, what’s that! A-smoke!”
“F-fire! We have to escape!”
Suddenly, someone in the room cried out. They were looking at smoke that was seeping into the room through the gap in the locked door.
“Kent, it-it’s fire! We have to escape quickly!”
“This is probably part of the act too. See, it doesn’t smell smoky, does it?”
“Oh, you’re right.”
Josette checked the smoke as Kent had told her, and indeed, it wasn’t the unpleasant kind that made her cough. However, everyone else, except for the calm duo, was panicking, trying to escape the approaching flames.
*Bang!*
Then, with an explosion, a part of the wall collapsed.
“Hey, looks like we can escape from here!”
“Ooh, don’t push!”
“Let’s go!”
The collapsed section led into what appeared to be an artificially dug cave. Lamps were placed in various spots for illumination, ensuring visibility inside. The people in the room rushed to escape, disappearing further into the cave. Soon, only Kent and Josette remained in the room.
“Come to think of it, I heard that the Underground Kingdom your Older Brother created was built in an abandoned mine. I’m sure there are many mechanisms ahead.”
“I think so too. Josette, shall we go exploring?”
“Yes.”
Kent and Josette held hands and slowly walked deeper inside.
“Oh, this is a fork in the road as well.”
“You’re right. I thought it would be easier to get through, but I guess I was mistaken.”
This abandoned mine was apparently a source of mineral resources in the past, but it is now defunct. Barriers were erected in some areas, and only the wider passages, originally used for transporting mined minerals, were utilized as part of the theme park. Therefore, the width and height were perfectly adequate for them to walk. However, the scale of this abandoned mine was immense, and even this wide area was complexly divided, causing Kent and Josette to lose track of their path. This intricate branching meant they didn’t encounter the people who had gone ahead, leaving them in a space for just the two of them.
“Kent, there’s a pond here.”
“You’re right.”
“It’s beautiful.”
Kent and Josette emerged into a slightly more open area. There was a small pond, and the water was so clear that the shallow bottom was clearly visible. Several lamps were installed there, illuminating the water’s surface and creating a mystical landscape.
“Josette.”
“Yes? Nn, K-Kent.”
Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, Kent kissed Josette on the lips. Josette wrapped her arms around Kent’s back, pressed her body against him, and sought his kiss.
“Kent, I already…”
Josette reached for her jacket.
“Josette, stop!”
“W-what is it?”
Josette, who was getting into the mood, tried to take things further but was stopped by Kent. Disappointed, Josette looked at Kent with a sad expression.
“Look at the sign over there.”
“A sign? Huh? Ah!”
Josette saw a sign standing in a corner of the pond.
[Please refrain from sexual activity in this area. – Management]
It seemed similar incidents had occurred here in the past. Josette, seeing the discreetly posted sign, removed her hand from her jacket.
“This is a waterfall. The water is falling with great force.”
“I wonder where this water is coming from?”
After finishing their look at the pond, Kent and Josette proceeded further inside. They then entered a place with a high ceiling. There was something like a waterfall, though the amount of water flowing was small. They listened to the sound of flowing water for a while.
“Listening to this sound is so healing.”
“It is.”
The sound of flowing water and the negative ions had a healing effect on Kent and Josette.
