It would also give me a way to take Nala and Albion with me when I leave the ship. It would have to be something like a small world from manga, but I don't know if I can do it. Even if I can, it wouldn't be quick, I would need to do a lot of experimenting.

So, even though it is an interesting idea, it isn't something that can help me right now. Instead of standing here hesitating I turn and head for the estate that has three elves. I will see what kind of condition they are in and then decide my next step.

This estate is a bit smaller than the first one, but it looks older and higher quality. Even the fence and gate are enchanted, but that won't cause me much trouble. In fact, it only takes me a minute to study the enchantment and find the weak spot.

Sending a small spike of mana into the weak spot completely destroys the enchantment. This causes the gate and the fence to shoot off sparks, causing the guards to turn and look. It is the last thing they ever get to see before my dagger ends their lives.

As their dead bodies hit the ground I push open the gates of the estate and walk in. I don't make it very far before another group of guards rushes up to attack me. As I am dealing with them I send my mana out to scan the estate and find the elves.

Instead of being in the main building of the estate, this time the elves are in a small outbuilding. The fact that they are not tied up in a bedroom is a relief and makes me hope they are in better shape. I would really prefer to be able to get all the elves out of here in just one night.

Unfortunately, when I find the elves I find out that my hopes were in vain. If anything, they are in even worse condition than the four from the first estate. The three of them are covered in wounds, both old and fresh, and are on the edge of death.

As soon as I see them I start throwing my strongest healing spells on them. Their wounds quickly disappear under the effect of my spells, but I am struggling with my rage. All I want to do right now is slaughter everyone in the entire estate.

However, first I need to finish healing the elves and see if their minds have survived. Who knows how long they have been here and suffering this torture. It wouldn't be surprising if their minds are broken, there is a limit to what someone can take.

Luckily, at least one of them has survived, I can tell from the look in her eyes when she wakes up. The other two are still asleep, despite their bodies being fully healed. As I pick up the two sleeping girls I explain the situation to the awake one.

She follows me without any hesitation and there is even a small spark of hope in her eyes. That spark of hope vanishes and is replaced by terror a few minutes later. It is her reaction to seeing a large group of guards heading our way.

I gently put the two elves I am carrying down, take the fire sword out of my pouch, and then stop fighting my rage. The surprise and joy on the elf's face as I massacre the guards gives me hope. Hope for her at least to have a chance at recovering from what she has been through.

Once all the guards are dead I pick up the other two and lead the way out of the estate. Now it is time for a decision, do I gate them out or drag them along to the next estate. Out of curiosity, I tell the two options to the awake elf and ask what she wants to do.

Not surprisingly, her opinion is to go to the ship, but her reason is the two who haven't woken up. Deciding she has a point I lead her into an alley where we won't be seen. Just as I am about to open the gate I have a sudden idea, so I use some pure energy. By using it to enhance the mana I can use a lot less mana to open the gate.

It means using up some of the pure energy, but I prefer that to not saving all the elves. In the end, opening the gate uses up about a quarter of the pure energy I have. However, the amount of mana required is about a tenth of what it normally takes.

Once the gate is open I hand the two still sleeping elves to the awake one. She struggles a bit, but with some help she is able to hold onto them and walk through the gate. As soon as she is through I cut off the mana supply and let the gate close.

Then I turn and head for the next estate, avoiding the patrols of city guards. After the commotion I caused at the other two estates, it is no surprise that the guards are out in force. However, unless they get in my way I plan to leave them alone, killing them would just waste time.

The next estate only has two elves, but it is right next to another estate that has elves. So, my plan right now is to try and hit both estates before gating the elves back to the ship. However, it is only a rough idea, I will make whatever changes I need to.

Since the estates are right next to each other I want to try and avoid making a big fuss. So, instead of killing the gate guards I find a quiet spot and jump over the fence. When I scan the estate with mana I find that the two elves are in the main building on the upper floor.

That means the chances of me doing this quietly are a lot lower than I was hoping. However, I still plan to try, so I sneak across the grounds to the main building. I manage to avoid being spotted by the patrols, but all the doors of the main building are guarded.

However, I quickly spot a balcony on the upper floor and that is where I want to go anyway. So I jump up onto the balcony and manage to land silently, none of the guards notice me. The only sound I make is the snap of the lock as I open the balcony door.

Luckily, that sound is not enough to wake up the occupants of the master bedroom. Which is where I find myself when I walk through the balcony door. The room is dominated by a huge bed, where the two elves and a human are sleeping.

All three are naked, but the two elves are chained to the bed and covered in bruises. While not as bad as the other elves I have found, they are obviously not in good shape. The human looks to be in his forties, big and muscular, but carrying some extra weight.

It is obvious what has been done to the two women and it makes me want to kill the human, slowly. Unfortunately, that would involve a lot of noise and lower my chances of getting the other elves. So I reach over and cover his mouth, then as he wakes up I activate Dark Mark.