Chapter 14 - Action
Joshua sorted out the items that the third prince had left behind before he left. Halfway through, Joshua noticed that the prince had invented something similar to a four-dimensional pocket on a little blue fat cat.
In it was a whole load of bizarre relics, and Joshua managed to find a ring that could come in handy.
The ring was called the "Ring of Metamorphosis", or in its more trendy name, "the Ring of Joshua Annerlaude". The object was enchanted with magic that could affect the minds of everyone in its vicinity. As long as he put the ring on, he would look like a different person in the eyes of the people around him.
When Zenarth was slaughtering the bandits, the villagers and the caravan members had seen Zenarth talking to Joshua. That made it impossible for Joshua to pretend to be a hunter and blend into the group, so he had to find a way to change his appearance.
"Hmm... Hmm... Hmm??!"
As Joshua was wondering how he should test the ring out, a series of strange whining could be heard. When Joshua looked up, he realized that Ciri was the source.
His water elemental servant had brought dinner and set everything up on a dining table. It was a sumptuous dinner, and for a programmer like Joshua who survived on cup noodles, the roasted meat, and other dishes on the table were indeed lavish.
As for Ciri, the food on the table was something that could not afford to eat even once a month.
Driven by hunger, Ciri's table manners were non-existent, and even her intellectual mage side was totally destroyed by her puffed cheeks.
Yet, she looked rather cute for some reason? Adorably dumb in a way...
"I'd suggest that you don't overeat, Ciri. We have lots of physical work to do soon," Joshua said as he pushed a glass of water before Ciri.
From the non-stop beating of her chest, she had clearly choked on her food.
"What physical work? And why has your appearance changed?"
Ciri took the glass of water, and only after she gulped down its entire contents that she avoided the fate of being "the first mage to choke to death on food".
"This is just a little trick, but it is not the point. Did you forget about the breakout plan at midnight?"
Joshua pulled off the ring, and even a novice mage like Ciri could see the difference. Clearly, the Ring of Metamorphosis could only deceive ordinary folk with little magical knowledge. Nonetheless, that was more than enough.
"I have not forgotten about it, but you sure are not afraid of trouble."
Ciri wiped the edge of her mouth with a napkin on the table. Ciri only partially heard what Joshua had said earlier as all of her attention was focused on the delectable meal.
Although she had only heard part of it, Ciri had an idea of what Joshua was trying to do.
"For the creation of a good movie, this little work is nothing at all."
Comparing the filming conditions Joshua had now to those back on Earth, humble would be considered praiseworthy already.
A good movie on Earth would generally take a long time from filming to production. For example, "Cast Away" took almost one and a half years from filming to its release. Part of that time was spent waiting for the male lead's hair and beard to grow to the appropriate length.
Joshua's only advantage was his memory and the abilities of the actors in this world.
Joshua could remember every shot of the movie, so he did not need to worry about technical questions like what sort of angle he should use to express the scene properly. Joshua only needed to shoot the entire movie once. The only difference was the cast.
"While I do not really understand what this whole movie thing is about... I do want to see the ending of Beauty and the Demon."
Sure enough, Ciri was passionate about the story. Besides, Ciri had read the script that Joshua left on the table, only to see the ending unwritten.
If it had not been for the fact that Ciri was starving to death, she might have actually fretted over the story and not eat.
"You'll know how it ends in a few days' time. Time to work now."
Joshua calculated the time, and it was now close to midnight. Four hours had passed since Ynor was sent to the dungeon.
If Ynor's skills were up to snuff, four hours would be enough to get the villagers to accept him into their flock.
Joshua put on the Ring of Metamorphosis again, changed into a decent-looking robe, and picked up a somewhat useless staff...
The staff had been shaved out of a stick by Joshua for four hours, and aside from being a prop, it had no other use.
Joshua now had the image of an able mage.
"Can you not just tell me the ending? Uh... I see."
Ciri reluctantly stood up. If earlier she listened to Joshua out of fear for her life, now, she was driven by conscience instead.
She had promised the villagers that she would return to rescue them before she escaped. It was a casual lie, but she never expected to see it through today...
And her role in the operation was as Joshua's assistant...
When it came to her own life, the mage could still be trusted. Not to mention, Joshua had promised her a lifetime of meat to eat if she followed him and the ending of the script.
Joshua actually had experience in breaking someone out of prison. While it was all done in games, at least he had some prior practice, and that gave him enough mental preparation as well.
The Royal Capital's prison was indeed very close to the Royal Castle.
It took about half an hour for Joshua, with Ciri in tow, to see the prison in dim green light beneath the night sky.
"Ciri, relax a little. The denizens of the Demonic Realm are ordinary citizens with minds of their own. They will not harm you."
Ciri had been tense and nervous the entire way; she was a human, after all! A human sashaying down the street in the Demonic Realm would attract every pair of eyes in the area.
She could hear the whispers from the corners of the street almost constantly. The murmurs sounded like "seems tasty" and "smells really good", which sent chills down her spine.
However, Ciri was not the type to be messed around with. The word timid was never in Ciri's dictionary, so she had always just rolled up her sleeves, picked up her dainty staff, and put on a face that was ever ready to fight.
That was the law of the jungle, which she had learned from the jungle. She learned it when she confronted a bear once!
The moment she retreated when they met, that would mean she had lost. As for mere demons, Ciri could simply clobber them down with her short staff.
Yet, when Joshua reminded her and pointed at her neck, her will to fight and momentum disappeared instantly.
A mighty beast would never win against a crafty hunter. No! Not to mention, Ciri was no mighty beast as her strength was about that of a small cat with slightly sharper claws.
"We have arrived."
Joshua stopped a few steps before the prison, and a few wardens appeared from the shadows and gave him the go-ahead.