I Was Reincarnated as the Villain Who Confines the Heroine in an Eroge World, But for Some Reason I'm the One Getting Confined by the Heroine Instead - Chapter 18: The Villain Who Escapes the Locked Room

Chapter 18: The Villain Who Escapes the Locked Room

“Damn it, still no good.”

It was the night of the second day since Safira locked me up.

She had been summoned by the duke, so right now I was alone in the cabin.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Of course I wasn’t going to waste it. I struggled desperately to break the handcuffs, but unfortunately they wouldn’t budge.

No matter how much magic I poured in, they didn’t even twitch.

“One would be easy, but three is too much.”

With three pairs locked on, there was nothing I could do by myself.

These weren’t ordinary handcuffs; they were special ones reinforced with magic. The kind used to capture dangerous criminals, far stronger than normal steel.

And I had three of them. No wonder I couldn’t break free.

“Maybe I should just carry the whole bed?”

The cuffs were chained to the bed frame.
In theory, I could lift the entire bed and walk out with it. In theory.

The problem was that the guards would spot me instantly.

Even if the duke’s gate security was laughably lax and didn’t check IDs, anyone carrying a bed on their back would get stopped.

Actually, they’d tackle me on the spot.

Which meant I had no moves left.

“I feel so weak… Must be the drug after all.”

If only I hadn’t drunk that grape juice.

But regretting it now was pointless. No one could stay rational in front of grape juice.

“Grape juice… I want some.”

Thinking about grapes suddenly made me thirsty.

Escape could wait—first I needed grape nutrition.

The problem was that the juice was out of reach.

Several bottles lined the table by the window, including the Merlot she had fed me mouth-to-mouth earlier.

I wanted it right now, but the handcuffs kept my arms too short. So close, yet so far.

“Grape… grape juice… want…”

I refused to give up.

I rubbed my body against the bed frame like a worm inching along the mattress, slowly scooting toward the window.

From the side it probably looked like a caterpillar wriggling on the sheets, but I didn’t care. I had thrown shame out the window long ago.

“…Still no good.”

I stretched as far as I could, but my fingers fell just short.

“Guess I have to use my feet.”

Only my wrists were cuffed. My legs were free. If I stretched, I could reach a bottle with my toes.

Even I felt a little embarrassed, but I twisted my body at the edge of the bed, dignity be damned.

“—!”

I stuck my leg out in a breakdance-like pose.

The cool glass touched my toes.

“Yes!”

I grabbed the bottle with my foot, rolled it onto the bed, loosened the cap with my fingers, brought it to my mouth, and tilted it back.

“—⁉︎”

Sweet-tart grape scent flooded my throat, and my vision sharpened.

The acidity raced through my body like a cleansing wave.

“This is way too good.”

I tilted too hard; juice spilled everywhere, soaking my clothes and the sheets.

But I didn’t care.

The overflow just filled the air with more grape aroma. Honestly? Heaven.

“Ahahahahahahahaha…”

It was so delicious I couldn’t stop laughing.

Anyone watching would think I was high, and that was fine. Right now, nothing mattered more than grape intake.

“So good! Too good! I can’t stop laughing—wait, huh?”

As I kept chugging, my mind cleared. The drug-fogged brain sharpened.

Magic flowed freely again; power surged through every cell.

“Ahahahahahahahaha…”

Grapes really are the king of fruits. They even restore vitality.

“Alright!”

Now I can do this!

With this much strength, I could definitely break the cuffs.

Convinced, I unleashed all my magic at once, focused it in my wrists, and yanked with everything I had.

“—!”

Metal groaned.

A crack ran through the links; tiny fractures spread like lightning, and then—crash—the cuffs shattered.

The broken pieces clattered onto the bed, and my arms were finally free.

“Freedom!

I swung my liberated arms in circles, barely containing my joy, and thought it over.

Why could I break them now?

Probably because the drug’s effect had worn off.

Whatever Safira slipped me had suppressed my magic. That’s how she caught me so easily.

But the grape juice overwrote it.

The liquid diluted the drug in my system and gave me my power back. Yeah, that had to be it.

I don’t really know the science, but it was definitely the grapes. Because grapes.

Grapes for the win!

“Alright, time to escape!”

I psyched myself up—only to find the door thick, heavy, and locked tight. Pushing and pulling did nothing.

Turning the knob didn’t work either; it was bolted from the outside.

“Guess I have to break it for real.”

The window was too small, and smashing a wall might bring the whole cabin down.

Blowing the entire door frame out was the safest bet.

I charged magic into my leg and kicked with full force.

The floor shook; a dull clang echoed.

“One more!”

“One more!”

“One more!”

I kept kicking.

The sturdy door slowly warped, and on the tenth kick—

BOOM!

The door flew forward in a deafening explosion.

“Uwaa⁉︎”

“Guh!⁉︎”

“Guhah⁉︎”

Fresh air rushed in; cool night wind brushed my cheeks.

The smell of grass filled my nose. I had made it outside—then I froze at the bizarre sight in front of me.

“—⁉︎”

Three black lumps lay crushed under the door.

Three men dressed head-to-toe in black, masks and all, groaning in pain beneath the wreckage.

“…Huh?”

They were breathing. No blood. Probably not dying.

But they weren’t getting up anytime soon.

“Oh crap…”

If they were the duke’s guards, I was screwed. Injuring the household guard meant execution, no question.

“But look at them.”

They screamed “suspicious” from a mile away.

Assassins or thieves—definitely not legit.

“Perfect. Let’s bail.”

Yeah, best plan.

Clearly the kind of people you don’t want to get involved with. Reinforcements might show up, and luckily no witnesses right now.

Just walk away like nothing happened.

“Intruders on the estate? Terrifying.”

I gave the three black-clad figures one last glance, silently pitied the duke’s security, and ran.