One-Eyed Monster

The discussions among the Little Black Hands were clearly all about the world they were summoned back to.

Gradually, from their shattered memories, they pieced together fragmented images and realized how wonderful their own world was—as brilliant as a starry sky, as clear as a lake’s surface...

They couldn’t help but yearn for that place...

Then they suddenly realized that the place they were returned to now was utterly pitch-dark!

Devoid of life, devoid of vitality, without a shred of amusement...

Even trying to sleep in that dark environment was nearly impossible.

It was, quite simply, a Black Cage!

”We had a world of our own too!”

”Yes, I suddenly realized our world is just as colorful. It’s not any less vibrant than the world we see now.”

”So, why should we stay here any longer? This just doesn’t make sense.”

”Indeed. Why are we still lingering around here?”

Once the Little Black Hands began a discussion, they wouldn’t stop on their own. The only way to interrupt them was to join in. Otherwise, there was no way to break it off.

Igor remained silent at this moment. He wanted these Little Black Hands to reflect first, believing that only then would their subsequent exchange flow more smoothly.

Kadi, naturally, didn’t understand Igor’s intentions. He looked at Igor and then asked, ”I was asking perfectly fine just now. Why did you interrupt me? Now look, I can’t get a word in at all. We just have to wait for these guys to quiet down before we can proceed.”

Igor responded to Kadi’s confusion with a foolish chuckle.

Kadi, thoroughly puzzled by Igor’s reaction, turned to Stan Sol and asked, ”What’s with him? Did he suddenly turn silly?”

Stan Sol looked at the pair of live wires, shook his head, and joked, ”Hasn’t he always been this silly?”

Kadi was dumbstruck...

Stan Sol didn’t forget to add, ”Just like you.”

Alright, Kadi’s mood plummeted again. He felt like he was the only one who didn’t understand the situation. What on earth was going on...?

Just as Kadi was racking his brains, Stan Sol gave him a friendly tip, ”Listen carefully. Hear if there’s anything unusual. The answer we need might be in there.”

So Kadi put his confusion aside, followed Stan Sol’s advice, and listened attentively.

Kadi listened and found that the phrase he heard most often was ’Black Cage.’

He had not yet figured out what this ’Black Cage’ was.

He wasn’t familiar with matters concerning Spirits; he only knew the basics. These Spirits had been summoned here and had a task to perform. Once the task was completed, these Spirits would be recalled by the Summoner.

Or, if they couldn’t complete the task, the Summoner would recall them anyway.

Kadi heard these Spirits say that the place they returned to was the ’Black Cage.’ This suddenly reminded Kadi of a long-unseen old friend. Of course, he couldn’t really be called old; this friend had been with them not long ago, but now, who knew where he had run off to.

The friend Kadi thought of was Baharo, who was currently held captive in the Lubin Tavern by people from the Alchemy Workshop. Kadi remembered him because hearing the Little Black Hands discuss the Black Cage reminded him of something Baharo had once said.

Back then, Baharo had said that captured monsters met miserable fates: they were either sold and killed, or locked in cages.

Were these Spirits also captured and locked in a cage...? Kadi wondered. And perhaps, whenever those people wanted to use these Spirits, they would release them, only to lock them up again when they no longer needed them...

The more Kadi thought about it, the more he pitied these Spirits.

Then he started to pity himself too. After all, since I don’t look like those people, if I were captured, my fate would probably be no different from these Spirits.

Kadi suddenly became indignant. No matter what, I have to help these Spirits escape that fiendish control! he resolved.

Although Kadi had no idea how, this didn’t affect his determination.

Kadi began to listen carefully again, and he noticed another frequently repeated word: ’agreement.’

It seemed this ’agreement’ was the very shackle binding these Spirits!

Kadi had just been wondering: if the beings in the cage were released, how could they possibly be recalled later? He had absolutely no clue.

Could it be that they put a shackle around the neck of every captured individual to restrict their movement? That didn’t seem likely. Such a control method was too primitive and not very powerful. Any Adventurer with Class or beast could break free from such shackles.

Then, could it be a mental binding?

Kadi thought carefully. That seemed possible. To be put under someone else’s spell and forced to obey their commands—he had heard of such things often...

It looked like this ’agreement’ was the shackle binding these Spirits. If this agreement could be broken, everything would be resolved smoothly.

That was what Kadi thought, and he shared this idea with Igor and Stan Sol.

Stan Sol chuckled after hearing him out. The young lad’s mind is truly agile, he mused. He himself, about to enter young adulthood, could no longer claim such mental agility.

After listening, Igor frowned, then smiled. Kadi’s idea is quite daring, he thought. However, Kadi’s method isn’t the optimal solution, he also thought.

”Then tell us, what is your optimal solution then?” Both Kadi and Stan Sol were intrigued by what Igor would say.

”HEH HEH HEH.” Igor gave another foolish chuckle.

”Stop keeping us in suspense! We’re getting impatient!” Kadi exclaimed, clearly dissatisfied with the current situation.

”Look, whether their tasks are completed on time or not, the Summoners will still lock them in that cage.”

”So, we have to break that agreement! Once it’s broken, everything will be settled!” Kadi insisted. He still thought his plan was perfect. But why did Igor consider it suboptimal?

After a moment of silence, Igor finally began to speak. And this time, he truly took the helm...

This was going to be a headache.

Igor stated his idea, which he felt was quite special.

”Let’s hear it then,” Kadi said weakly, standing there, genuinely anticipating Igor’s ’perfect plan.’

”We just need to destroy that cage!”

Destroy the cage?

Igor’s idea was simple, yet those who heard it found it incredible.

”Just imagine, what would happen if the place they’re ultimately summoned to suddenly vanished!”

”When the Black Cage is destroyed, let’s see where these fellows try to run then...”