Doggone Academy

Liria followed me, keeping a distance of about three steps behind.

Upon opening the iron door, we were greeted by a high-ceilinged hall with a sense of openness.

Large windows flooded the space with light and lush tropical plants decorated the vicinity.

It felt like the leisure resort of the nobility.

Right away, it was clear that the owner of this place must be enormously wealthy.

A woman with a bobbed haircut approached me. The doorman then signaled to her with his hand.

Receiving the signal, the woman said to me,

Please, come this way.

She pushed open the golden gate in the center of the hall and entered.

We passed through a dimly lit corridor to reach a space that opened up broadly.

Immediately, a strong scent of medicinal herbs and hot steam hit my face.

Either side of the central aisle we walked down was lined with huge baths for thermal springs.

Holes in the ceiling allowed all the steam to escape, which explained the massive amount of it streaming out from the entire buildingit all seemed to come from these springs.

Wow

Liria marveled, looking around before suddenly ducking her head in surprise.

People were bathing nude in the springs.

The baths were divided into areas for men and women, but the layout didnt completely block the view from either side. If one intended to, they could peek wherever they liked.

Further inside were more luxurious and private bathing areas.

At the end of the corridor, the bobbed-haired woman escorting us came to a halt.

A large door was blocking our path, with a giant snake embossed on it, serving as a symbol of the organization.

You may go in.

The woman stopped Liria, who was attempting to follow me, with her hand.

No one but the party concerned may enter.

I said to Liria,

Ill be back soon.

I opened the door and stepped in. There was a courtyard leading from the main to the annex building.

Crossing the courtyard, I stood before the annex. After taking a deep breath, I opened the door and was again greeted by hot steam.

Waving my hands to disperse the steam, the first thing I saw when my view cleared was the back of a woman.

A woman, wearing nothing, was submerged alone in the thermal spring, and on either side, female knights stood guard.

On the womans back, visible out of the water, was a snake tattoo identical to the emblem on the large door.

Without even looking at my face, the woman said,

Welcome.

I heard you used the name Erzebet?

Thats correct.

Im not sure if you know who I am, but thats quite a bold lie. Seems like your guts are hanging outside your body.

Youll change your mind once you see what Ive brought.

The woman slowly rose from the water. A dizzying silhouette appeared through the hot mist.

She moved forward, showing me her back, and step out of the pool.

Attendants came with towels to dry her off and dressed her in a robe.

Im not interested in that. Could be stolen goods, after all.

She reclined on a sofa made of snake-like material.

Finally, we made eye contact.

She looked quite young, maybe in her early to mid-twenties.

Are you willing to hear my case?

No, Im becoming less and less interested by the moment.

Damn. Who is this person? A bathhouse owner? A high-ranking noble? A wealthy merchant?

I had no idea I would encounter such a stressful situation. I had vaguely expected to meet some eccentric magus running a magic shop or laboratory.

A miscalculation on my part. If I had known this, I would have thoroughly gathered information before coming here.

If you truly had no interest, you wouldnt have let me in.

She took a pipe from a table at her side, lit it up, and put it to her lips. After a moment, she exhaled a long stream of smoke and said,

Ah, I had some expectations when I heard the grand sorceresss disciple was coming. But this is disappointing.

Clearly, she already knew all about my identity.

What were you expecting?

Well, something I never could have anticipated.

Ive come on a minor errand, nothing more.

A visit to me is hardly minor. And you intend to satisfy only your own needs and leave? Shouldnt I have my terms met as well? Thats how an exchange works.

Ive brought enough money.

Do I look to you like someone in need of cash?

Great. I feel like Im getting steamrolled in this contest of wills.

I pulled out Silveryns letter from within my clothes, hoping it would aid in negotiations.

My master asked me to deliver this.

Hmm.

An attendant took the letter from me and handed it to her.

Without reading it, she casually threw the letter into the flames of a decorative brazier.

!

Boring and predictable.

I swallowed hard. This was the first time Id ever seen someone show such explicit disdain for Silveryn.

Knowing that the introduction using Erzebets name was a lie and that she harbored no fond feelings for Silveryn, I wonder why she beckoned me here.

There seems no further reason for me to stay. I shall convey your response to the professor.

As I made to leave, the woman spoke.

Who says youre free to go?

Clang!

The guard knights suddenly drew their swords and pointed the tips at me.

Her provocative response made it seem like she harbored some curiosity about me.

Am I not free to leave?

Youve set foot into the tigers den. You need to seek my permission first. Here, I am the king, and my word is the law.

If it comes to that, will we see bloodshed?

Do you not care what becomes of your cute little girlfriend you brought with you?

What do you intend to do?

That depends on what you do.

So shes taking it this far.

What do you want?

With half-lidded eyes, the woman took another puff of smoke, grinned slyly, and gave an order to a maid.

Call the waterway supervisor.

The maid nodded and exited through a side door, returning shortly with a middle-aged man whose hair hung like seaweed.

The man kneeled on one knee before the woman and said,

You summoned me, Lady Ella.

Give our friend here a tour of the underground waterways.

The man scanned me with viperous eyes, revealing his yellow teeth in a displeasing grin.

Keheheh, as you command.

He pulled handcuffs linked with a chain from his waist like a leash and locked them around my wrists.

He then began to search my person, confiscating the pouch with gold coins, a mask, the list of herbs, a wrought-iron bracelet, candy, and even the ring of Eternia from my belongings.

With all the knights pointing their swords at me and with Liria being threatened, I couldnt simply resist.

This is strange. This cant be happening.

The waterway supervisor tugged the chain as if he was handling a dog on a leash.

Come with me.

Two guard knights followed behind me with their blades drawn.

I quietly went along with the supervisor.

We walked down a corridor and came to a drained bath. The supervisor manipulated a magic stone on the wall, causing a section of the bath wall to begin moving.

Hidden behind was a staircase leading underground.

The supervisor led me down those stairs.

After a long descent, a grid-like passage of an underground waterway was revealed.

The waterway supervisor bowed to the guard knights and said,

I shall take care of things from here.

The knights exchanged looks and went back up.

Thanks to the magic stones hanging on the walls, it wasnt pitch black. Bands of light intermittently revealed steam, cobwebs, rat bones, insects, and mushrooms.

The putrid smell of sewerage assaulted my nostrils.

The supervisor led me deeper into the waterways to a thick iron-barred section and stopped.

He unlocked the gate and then, quite unexpectedly, thumped a fist into my abdomen.

Thwack!

Ugh!

A sharp pain radiated from my abdomen to my back.

Damn, thats filthy painful.

Arent the welcoming festivities a bit much?

Be quiet.

He cocked his fist again and struck another blow to my abdomen.

Thwack!

I grit my teeth and absorbed the punch with my body.

A barrage of indiscriminate violence ensued.

Only the dull thuds echoed through the waterway.

After a satisfactory beating, the supervisor kicked my back and shoved me into the barred area.

I stumbled forward and fell.

It seems shes crossed a line, punishing someone innocent like this.

I spit out blood-tinged saliva and said,

Be mindful who you smack around.

The supervisor cackled mockingly at me.

Youd better watch your own mouth given the situation.

He picked up a pebble and threw it into the dark interior of the cage.

The pebble clattered, echoing through the dim space.

Soon, something that had been lurking in the darkness awoke with an irritated cry.

Grrrr

Good luck to you.

The supervisor locked the gate and left.

That strange sound echoed once more through the waterway.

Grrr

Then heavy footsteps began to approach me. Soon, their owner became visible in the dim light of the magic stones: an abnormally large torso with short legs, a hide rough like studded rock, and forearms as thick as logs.

It was a monster. If my memory served me right, it was, without doubt, a rock troll.

Id heard that some cities trained rock trolls to dig tunnels.

Never had I imagined I would encounter one here.

Grrr! Grrrrr!

The rock troll, clearly agitated by the presence of a stranger, started to grind its feet as though preparing to charge.

Was the woman named Ella intent on killing me?

Is she really allowed to act so rashly? It felt surreal. What am I missing?

I slowly got up and surveyed the ceiling and ground.

A bit of commotion wont bring it down.

For now, I had to deal with the imminent threat.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel