Chapter 177 – Unexpected Development

When Ciel regained consciousness, she found that her hands and feet were tied up.
Moreover, she was in a dark room that gave off a damp feeling, as if it were an underground cave.
As a catkin, Ciel couldn't help but find this situation incredibly uncomfortable.

However, rather than the uncomfortable environment, Ciel was more concerned about where she had been brought to.
By the looks of it, the dark room was relatively empty.
Apart from a few desks that looked like workbenches, chairs, and empty shelves, she couldn't spot any other furniture in the room.

Currently, Alice was seated before one of these desks and relying on a dim magic light to read a book.
Meanwhile, standing behind her was the silver-haired maid Luna.

Upon seeing Alice, Ciel quickly recalled why she had lost consciousness in the first place.
It was because Alice had struck her with a Milu Rabbit.
Thus, it stood to reason that Alice was also the one who brought her to this dark room.

“What do you want?! Let me go!!!”

After realizing Alice to be the culprit, Ciel promptly began yelling and screaming at Alice.

Part of why Ciel yelled was to instill a sense of deterrence into Alice, and another reason was to dampen the fear she felt.
After all, she had been brought to a dark and isolated room by an unfamiliar person.
Anyone would feel afraid if subjected to such a situation.
Ciel would've probably been frightened to tears if Alice weren't a girl.

“Huh? You're finally awake?” When Alice heard Ciel's yelling, she quickly realized that the catkin had woken up.
Then, after closing her book, she began massaging the corners of her eyes while approaching Ciel and complaining, “You have no idea how terrible the magic light here is.
My eyes have started to hurt after doing all that reading in this dark place.”

“Don't be reading a book here, then!!!” Ciel subconsciously retorted when she heard Alice's complaint.
However, she quickly remembered her current situation and hurriedly shouted, “Where is this place?! Why did you bring me here?!”

“Don't make it sound like this is some underground dungeon.
While this place might be underground, it is the magic workshop of one of the Third Hero's companions,” Alice explained, smiling as she crouched down to look at the tightly bound catkin.
“So, the magic light here is a product of nearly ten thousand years ago.
Its effectiveness is significantly inferior to the magic incandescent lamps we use nowadays.”

“The workshop of a Hero's companion… Why did you bring me here, then?”

Beastkins revered the Hero as much as humans did, so Ciel couldn't help but be a little stunned when she heard Alice's words.
However, this situation also served to further her confusion.
Why would Alice bring her to this place?

“Because nobody else knows about this place.
You're bound to scream for help once you wake up, but I don't know any sound isolation magic, and neither does Luna.
So, we had no choice but to bring you here to avoid attracting attention,” Alice said, shrugging.

Although Alice had already answered her question, Ciel only grew even more insecure after hearing it.
After all, why would Alice be afraid of attracting attention? Could it be…

“D-Don't come near me, pervert!”

“Do I really look like a pervert?” Alice couldn't help but scratch her head at Ciel's accusation.
What she was going to talk to Ciel next was related to her identity as the Hero, so she definitely couldn't risk letting others overhear their conversation.

“If you don't clarify what you plan on doing next, you would indeed look like a pervert,” Luna, who stood behind Alice, honestly voiced her thoughts.
Luna was aware that Alice intended on telling Ciel that she was the Hero, so she naturally wouldn't think that Alice was a pervert.
However, it'd be a different story for those unaware of the situation.

Currently, Alice was slowly walking up to Ciel, a frail catkin girl who had all four of her limbs tied up.
If one looked at this situation from an outsider's perspective, Alice would look like a criminal no matter how one looked at it.
If the police saw this, they'd promptly arrest Alice first and ask questions later.

“This is troubling.
I can't have a proper conversation with you if you keep behaving this way.”

Alice had also noticed that her behavior was a little inappropriate.
However, it couldn't be helped.
If she didn't restrain Ciel, the catkin would definitely try to escape once she regained consciousness.
Meanwhile, if she didn't bring Ciel to this isolated workshop, the catkin would definitely yell for help as soon as she woke up and attract the attention of others.
Hence, Alice had no choice but to tie Ciel up and toss her in this underground room.

Seeing that Ciel was still trying to struggle out of her restraints, Alice pondered for a moment.
Then, seemingly getting an idea, Alice walked up to Ciel and raised her hand.

Smack.

“Meow~❤”

Accompanied by a mild pain coming from the side of her head, Ciel let out a cry that resembled the sound cats made when they were in heat.
Then, she quickly realized how strange her cry sounded, so she hurriedly clamped her mouth shut and looked at Alice with a flustered expression on her face.

When Luna saw this scene, she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
Just now…

“I thought my ears were playing tricks on me on the roof just now, but it seems that isn't the case,” Alice said, narrowing her eyes.
Then, she used the book she held to smack Ciel's head again.

Ciel's body shuddered at the physical impact, and a blush formed on her face.
Even though Alice's strike was supposed to hurt, she couldn't help but shudder as a sense of pleasure spread across her mind and body.
Meanwhile, Ciel couldn't help but grow even more panicked upon realizing this.

Since she was young, Ciel had been the center of attention, so she had naturally experienced such a situation before.
After arriving at the March Academy, she had also taken the initiative to befriend others, just as she did in the past.
Even if there were people who disliked her overly friendly behavior, none of these people had even badmouthed her before, let alone getting physical with her.

Hence, this was the first time Ciel was experiencing such a conflicting situation.
This was a situation she had never experienced before, even when she accidentally hurt herself in the past.
It would seem that she would only experience such stimulation when others were treating her badly.

“Have you calmed down?” Alice sighed in relief when she saw that Ciel had stopped struggling.
“You called me a pervert, but aren't you the one who's the pervert?”

“Meow…” Ciel let out a weak cry, the blush on her face growing even deeper.