Time flew by, and two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The iron door of the prison cell was knocked on. Grin, who had been sleeping his beauty sleep, slowly awoke, yawning as he stood up.
"What's going on?"
The Guard captain took out a key and, with a "clack," opened the iron door.
"Mr. Green, someone has vouched for you. You can leave the prison!"
Grin's drowsiness vanished instantly as he exclaimed in pleasant surprise:
"Really? Haha, I knew Felt wouldn't forget me! With my monumental contribution, rewarding me with a hundred or eighty holy gold coins wouldn't be too much, right? I'm going to be rich, I'm going to be rich, hahahaha!"
Upon hearing this, the Guard captain looked somewhat troubled and slowly said, "Mr. Green, the person who vouched for you is not the one you mentioned."
Grin was puzzled: "Not Felt? Then who is it?"
The Guard captain continued, "It was Margrave Roswaal of the Menzies Territory, and he even arranged a dragon carriage to pick you up!"
"What!" Grin was shocked. "Holy moly! Why the hell would Roswaal vouch for me? We're not even close!"
Could it be at Emilia's request? After all, the Sword Saint definitely wouldn't claim credit and would have explained the whole story when returning the royal selection badge.
The Guard captain was somewhat surprised. This Mr. Green's identity was indeed not simple; he even dared to curse a Margrave.
That damned Menzies Territory is not an easy place to get by. It's dangerously perilous. Forget about actual ghosts; the most infuriating thing is that Roswaal is the internal traitor.
If I go to the Menzies Territory, wouldn't that be jumping into a pit of fire?
Thinking this far, Grin said firmly, "I'm not going to that pervert's territory. I'd rather continue serving my time here in this big prison. It's quite nice here, with food and drink."
The Guard captain panicked. This lord could no longer be left in his hands. The food expenses had seriously exceeded the budget these past few days. Grin even demanded roasted suckling pig and such, which had him utterly vexed—he hadn't even heard of these dish names.
"Mr. Green, if you don't leave, you will be sentenced!"
"Go ahead and sentence me then. Let's start with two months. Oh, by the way, have you prepared the roasted suckling pig I wanted? I'm tired of red wine; buy some beer. And vegetables, you know? We need to pay attention to a balanced diet."
With that, Grin prepared to go back and continue his deep sleep.
The Guard captain's face turned pale, then purple. It's easy to invite a deity but hard to send one away. This guy is even starting to care about a balanced diet in prison!
They didn't want to offend Grin, but they couldn't afford to offend Margrave Roswaal on the other side either—he also holds the position of the Royal Court's Chief Magician.
Which side carried more weight was immediately clear.
Suddenly, the Guard captain seemed to make a major decision.
Better a short, sharp pain than a long, dull one. This was the only way!
"Alright then. I now pronounce judgment upon you in my capacity as Captain of the Seventh Guard Squad of the Kingdom's City Guard Army. You are hereby sentenced to be exiled to the Menzies Territory for labor reform!"
"What! This is abuse of power! I'll sue you!"
"Brothers, quickly tie him up and put him on that dragon carriage outside the prison!"
"Hey, don't come any closer! Help! Otto, how can you sleep like a pig? Agh, I don't want to go!"
...Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
On the main road leading from the Royal Capital to the border, a high-quality dragon carriage was moving at a steady pace.
Driving it was a pink-haired girl wearing a maid outfit.
At this moment, she was focused on driving, but the anger in her eyes was unmistakable.
On the other side, Grin was carefully hugging his knees and shrinking against the edge, not daring to say much.
In the end, the pink-haired maid spoke first.
"I heard you impersonated Lord Roswaal and kissed the Sword Saint on the street?"
"Huh?"
Grin almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
"Is rumor-mongering in this country always this intense?"
"A rat who tarnishes Lord Roswaal's reputation should be left to rot in prison!"
The pink-haired maid glared fiercely at Grin, baring her teeth as if she might bite at any moment.
Grin Felt a bit guilty under Ram's gaze but still retorted stubbornly, "Does his reputation even need someone to tarnish it? His face is like paint..."
"Hah, you dare say that, Mr. Possum."
Ram looked at Grin, her pretty face cold as ice.
Grin sensed something amiss, swallowed, and said, "Paint... especially his face, is very handsome. He has great fashion sense, knows how to apply makeup, truly a perfect man."
"Hmph, a mere field mouse."
Ram gave Grin a sidelong glance and turned back to focus on driving.
You're the field mouse!
Grin muttered quietly.
This sharp-tongued brat—swallowing her own saliva could probably poison her. Currently, her only redeeming quality seems to be that she's rather good-looking.
Pink eyes and peach-colored lips, neck-length short hair, with bangs covering her left eye. Her hair parting was different from most people's, and she wore a floral ornament at the ends.
Her attire was a black-based apron-style maid dress with a white headdress. The maid dress was specially modified, exposing slender shoulders and showcasing the curves of a young girl.
If I remember correctly, this little she-devil is only 17 years old, 154 cm tall. Hmm, as for her three measurements, what were they again?
"Hmm?"
Ram seemed to notice someone's actions.
"Disgusting fruit fly, your gaze is about to set Ram's clothes on fire!"
"Have I been downgraded from rodent to coleopteran already? Ram, your personality is even worse than I imagined..."
Grin's chest heaved violently. He was almost at his limit. Should he quietly give her a knock on the head and drive the carriage away?
From an observer's perspective, Ram's sharp tongue might seem playful and amusing, but being the one on the receiving end, the anger builds up quite quickly.
"Someone who holes up in the slums probably rarely gets to see a cute woman like Ram. Ram will take pity on you and add some material to your crude dreams."
Ram stiffly raised the corners of her mouth, her eyes narrowing into slits like a cunning fox.
That's clearly mockery, dammit!
It seemed her goal was to infuriate Grin to death.
Unfortunately, the power of "Queen Snow White" leans more towards support and isn't outstanding in combat, otherwise Grin would really want to teach Ram a harsh lesson.
"Is this the attitude a maid of the Mejereis Household shows towards Roswaal's guest?"
"Hahaha, Ram can't help but laugh out loud. Mr. Prisoner, it seems you still haven't recognized your position."
Ram laughed as if she had heard the funniest thing in the world, her body trembling slightly.
"That's not right, Ram. Didn't you say that guy Roswaal vouched for me? At the very least, I should be given the status of a guest, right!"
"Such is the thinking of a parasite. But Ram did indeed receive your Sentencing Document from the Guards. Let me see... Green Andersen, illegally staying in the Royal Capital, inciting public panic... Sentenced to three full years of border labor."
After saying this, Ram took out a scroll of documents from her pocket, waved it before Grin's eyes, and read it gloatingly.
Grin reached out to snatch it, but Ram was quick-eyed and swift-handed, promptly putting the document away.
"Ah, that bastard Guard!"
Grin was somewhat frantic. He swore he would buy a pair of pointed-toe boots and kick that Guard captain's ass hard!
Just as the two were struggling over the Sentencing Document in the carriage, danger suddenly descended.
Whoo!
A drawn-out, shrill cry rang out, breaking the night's tranquility like an air-raid siren.
A huge black shadow loomed over, gradually drowning out even the moonlight.