I was transported from Lobotomy Corporation to another world.

Noelle tossed her long, freshly washed hair; it definitely wasn't as oily as before.

Noelle asked Jerome to wipe her face for her; the itching and bloodstains were gone.

Jerome, hands on his hips, asked, "How was it? Not bad, right?"

Noelle looked at her long hair and said, "My servants wash it better."

Jerome [sadly] "Hey, you should at least thank me."

Noelle shook her head. "No way! It hurt when you wipe my face!"

Jerome scratched his head [embarrassed] "Haha... I think it's hard to wipe the blood off my face."

Suddenly, the door to the room was opened, and Noelle and Jerome looked towards the doorway.

Reed opened the door and walked in. Noelle, seeing Reed return, angrily asked, "Reed! Where have you been?"

Reed glanced at Noelle, then looked at the bed and lay down to prepare for sleep.

Noelle wondered why Reed was in this state; had something happened?

Noelle jogged to the bedside and whispered, "Reid, what's wrong?" Her voice and tone were gentle, a gentleness born of concern.

Reed, lying on his side in bed, waved his hand and said, "I went out for a walk, but I was really bored, so I came back."

[Yawn] "I want to sleep, don't bother me..."

Noelle realized she had worried for nothing, and to avoid bothering Reed, she decided not to say much more.

Reid had recently expressed interest in the demi-humans' territory, but after taking a few steps outside, he got bored and went straight back to sleep.

The departure time is tomorrow. It's currently noon today, so the three of us have plenty of rest time, which is one of the few rest periods we have available.

Reed was sleeping on his side on the large bed. Noelle had initially been squatting beside the bed watching Reed sleep.

Noelle thought Reed snored when he slept; she'd heard that people under a lot of stress often dream or snore.

No matter how you look at it, Reed seems to be under a lot of pressure, but he's surprisingly quiet when he sleeps.

Only some soft breathing sounds.

Afterwards, Noelle chose to return to her room and think about her next course of action.

Jerome, however, began to think about finding an opportunity to escape. In fact, the best opportunity was when he was washing Noelle's hair.

Knock Noelle unconscious or use other methods to stun her, then jump out of the window to escape. Not only will you successfully escape, but you'll also complete the mission.

But Jerome hesitated to act for a long time because he didn't know what was going on in his mind.

Now that this best opportunity has been missed, and Reed is back, if we attack Noelle and Reed discovers our heads, they'll be sent flying into the Arctic.

Now he had no choice but to run away. He couldn't really betray the priests, after all, he hadn't received his wages yet!

Jerome stroked his chin, pondering how to escape...

【afternoon】

Red woke up, and after the three of them ate something together, they went about their own business.

Noelle looked out at the bustling crowd from the small balcony.

Jerome had already devised a plan to escape, but the time was not yet right.

Red took a nap and is no longer sleepy.

They started by tying hemp rope to the pickaxe, creating a grappling hook-like device.

This kind of hemp rope is not easy to slip out of your hand, and it is also quite strong; it takes a while to cut it with a knife.

I chose to use both ends because I had enough strength to throw it out and hook it onto the wall.

Ordinary grappling hooks require finding the right support point, making them difficult to use in actual combat, and they also don't allow for calm aiming.

Reed was strong enough that the pickaxe could be driven deep into the wall in the instant it was swung out.

It can also pull distant enemies over, or be used as a ranged weapon.

Reed looked at the latest finished product; it actually looked quite ordinary.

It's just a pickaxe tied with a rope, and it looks like it would be very difficult for an ordinary person to use.

Reed held it in his hand and turned it around a few times, feeling that it was securely tied.

Reed wrapped the grappling hook around himself, from his left shoulder to his right waist.

This will not hinder one's actions or attacks, and can be quickly deployed when needed.

However, he still had some experience; Reed stood alone, practicing how to quickly draw his grappling hook in combat.

The rest of the time wasn't important; the three of them did their own thing—some relaxed, some practiced.

Everyone went to sleep at night...

The next morning

After the three finished breakfast, they put on black robes and left the inn.

To find the [Pandera], you need to go through this demi-human settlement to the other side.

Of course, you can choose to take a detour, but going straight will save a lot of distance and time.

Since none of the demi-humans noticed their black robes and recognized them as humans, the three safely reached the other exit.

Without any incidents, the three successfully left the demi-human residential area.

Walking again on the muddy, wet ground, as the demi-human settlement receded into the distance...

What lay ahead of the three was not a jungle, but a strange area.

There were no trees or flowers, only stones. On the stone ground were traces of blood or bones.

There was also a sign standing in front of the others: [Danger Ahead! Non-combatants Prohibited!]

There was only a sign, and I didn't see any adventurers passing through this area.

This place is extremely desolate, seemingly devoid of any living creatures, filled with various irregular rocks and stones.

Some rocks are unusually tall and obscure, leaving one wondering if there are any dangers or other creatures inside.

Noelle asked, "Is this where [Pandera] is located?"

Jerome glanced ahead, then at the map, and nodded slightly. "This should be it. Most [Pandera] live in their lairs and don't use magic."

"In other words, they don't have the ability to breathe fire; they only attack using the various human-like hands they grow."

Noelle still didn't understand, or even could not comprehend, "Why would a dragon have human hands? I've never seen a dragon like this in any books..."

Jerome shook his head, indicating he didn't know either. "I also find it strange. Dragons are a noble and powerful race with immense magical power."

"No dragon, regardless of its species, will grow extra limbs or organs, although some may be deformed."

"But if we're talking about differences in appearance among dragons, it's just that different types of dragons have different colors or different scales."

"I've never seen anything like it with human hands growing out of its body before."

Reed just wanted to find the dragon quickly and end the fight. "So all we have to do is find its lair and kill it, right?"

Noelle looked at Reid and asked, "Reid, are you confident you can defeat that dragon?"

After all, Reed was a human while his opponent was a dragon; stories of one person defeating a dragon still only exist in books.

Reed thought for a moment and then said, "I don't know, but we'll find out after a fight."

Noelle: "Reed, how are your injuries?"

Reed is "doing better".

Noelle: "Reed, how are you feeling? If you're not feeling well, should we wait a bit before going in?"

Reed: "I'm fine, there's no need to worry unnecessarily."

Noelle: "Reed, have you eaten...?"

Before Noelle could finish speaking, Reed, whose helplessness was practically etched into his bandages and mask, covered her mouth with one hand.

Reed found Noelle suddenly very talkative: "You're so annoying, can you shut up?"

Noelle felt wronged, but Reed's heartless words made her feel even more aggrieved.

?·°(??﹏???)°·? (I'm just someone you care about...)

After saying that, Reed ignored the "No Entry" sign and went inside.

Noelle and Jerome followed behind Reed.