Chapter: 105
There exists a prison built in a circular formation.
It resembles a panopticon in structure, but the key difference is the absence of a central watchtower. The circular prison is designed so the victims can see each other.
*
Room 1 is the Hell of Scorching. Both the floor and walls are heated to a degree sufficient to cook protein. The child trapped in Room 1 is slowly roasting.
The process of getting burned, developing blisters, and having them burst only to stick back to the skin repeats endlessly. However, a continuous healing spell is activated in Room 1, so the victim will not lose their life.
But after being repeatedly burnt and scorched, their body is gradually losing its shape. The lower half already looks like goo.
*
Room 2 is the Hell of Hunger. Everything is provided in Room 2: fascinating books, cozy beds, clean bathrooms, and bathing facilities. But one thing is conspicuously absent—food.
The hunger continues unabated. However, nutritional support through magic is being provided to the victim in Room 2, so they remain alive without eating.
A body evolved to consume things constantly sends signals to eat. Especially with the scent of well-cooked meat wafting in from the adjacent room. The sight of herself drooling over the smell of her friend roasting fills her with revulsion, and tears stream down her face.
*
Room 3 is covered with thorns. There is no comfortable position to lie or sit without pain. The victim resembles a cactus.
Room 4 has water dripping from the ceiling. Just as the victim is about to fall asleep, a drop falls from the sky and hits their forehead. The victim has been unable to sleep until now.
Room 5 periodically showcases nightmares, which frighten the victim. They relive their most horrific memories repeatedly, only to fade away.
Room 6 is…
*
Room 12 is the Hell of Knots. No torture happens to her, but her mind is loosely connected to all the children in the various rooms. The pain and anguish of everyone trickles in little by little.
While feeling the sensations of roasting, starving, prickling from thorns, and sleeplessness, she cannot scream. It’s not that she isn’t suffering. Rather, she feels guilty for her friends.
She is watching her friends scream right before her eyes. She can vividly see them begging for death.
If the indirect pain feels this unbearable, how much more torment do the children who are actually suffering endure?
“Don’t be a coward. I have no right to cry. The pain I’m feeling is only a fraction of theirs. I— the least in pain among us— must hold on.”
She must show them it is possible to overcome. She should spark hope for all her other friends.
She must not cry.
*
Seeing someone cry makes one feel melancholy, and witnessing someone in pain brings sadness— this is only natural. Emotions carry a degree of contagion.
The girl, aware of that, thought that even if she was in this prison filled with pain and screams, she should at least smile. She wished to lend strength to the hearts of her other friends.
She forced herself to smile.
When the eleven friends saw the girl smiling, they thought, “She isn’t being tortured at all.” And so, they felt hatred. Why could she be so comfortable while they were suffering?
At the very least, shouldn’t she refrain from smiling while watching their agony?
It was a small misunderstanding.
*
Quantifying an individual’s pain is challenging.
What may seem trivial to one can be a significant wound to another. Pain has different standards for everyone.
However, the synchronization rate set for the girl was 50%. She felt half of all her eleven fellow victims’ suffering, which resulted in a collective stress level estimated to be five times that of other victims by the mages of the Purple Tower.
Yet, despite that, enduring it shows that there is an exceptional factor in the bloodline of the House of Yurensto. Or perhaps it was worth it to have claimed a genius who was destined to lead the future tower as a sacrifice.
The consciousness made smooth progress, achieving results beyond expectations. And──
===============================================================
“………”
“Did you fall asleep?”
“Ah, yeah…”
Tower Master Yuna rubbed her eyes as if sleepy, but in truth, she was not tired at all. She was merely captivated by the memories creeping out from the deep recesses of her mind.
Some memories were far from forgettable.
Though she hid them away under a lid, pretending everything was fine, they could flood out at any moment from even the slightest trigger. This was just such a time.
“What were we discussing…?”
“I reported to the Second Prince. I think we need to check out Duke Redburn’s mansion, but what should we do about it?”
Thump. Rattle.
“So, we’re going to lure the Capital Knights Order.”
The Second Prince entered the room, opening the door. He was accompanied by several Defense Bureau agents. The agents quickly assembled a whiteboard, affixing a simple map and documents to it.
“There’s a headquarters of the Capital Knights Order near the operation area—the building where that crazy wizard got captured.”
“Oh, so that nearby red mansion?”
“Exactly. It’s barely used, managed loosely with a cleanup crew coming by once a month. That’s where the Black Wizards’ rites are supposedly happening, right?”
“Yes, according to the information we gathered.”
The Second Prince pointed to a specific spot on the map.
“I can’t move directly. However, I will create a commotion to draw away the Capital Knights Order. So, be careful not to be caught. If you do get caught… bring back solid evidence. Then we can cover for it.”
“Understood.”
“Otherwise, I’d actually suggest backing off. I’ve contacted His Majesty the Emperor. The addition of sublimation-grade force to the Black Wizard faction is a state of emergency. It may take some time, but they’ll probably send in the ‘Boy Knight.’”
“………”
Still, will you go? The Second Prince seemed to ask with his eyes.
Tower Master Yuna hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Nightmares were screaming. Memories of friends still cried for her to erase them.
They wanted her to wipe out everyone who made them suffer, endure the pain, and the agony they felt. Then this would become her mission.
As long as she remembers that tragedy, it would be a revenge quest she could never back down from. Revenge done by others is merely vengeance. So, she must…
Yuna clenched her fist until her nails dug into her flesh.
“……… The Imperial Guard does not venture outside the golden ring. The ‘Boy Knight’ is also on a mission. So, the risky factors are two: one, the powers of the Black Wizards, and the other… is the leader of the Capital Knights Order.”
“The leader of the Knights Order… what kind of person are they?”
“They are one who has reached sublimation. There aren’t many words to describe them: ‘Budget Destroyer,’ ‘Walking Earthquake,’ ‘Beast,’ and above all, ‘Battle Maniac.’”
“Battle Maniac… I see.”
The Second Prince conjured an image of the leader of the Capital Knights Order in his mind. A woman who attacked whenever it seemed like a strong fighter was involved, no matter how many times she challenged the Boy Knight.
Though most were dedicated knights embodying a strong sense of justice, she stood out as an eccentric.
If Tower Master Yuna caught the interest of the leader, a fight would inevitably ensue.
It wasn’t about killing, but rather enjoying the brawl, so no life-threatening incidents would occur… but it would definitely be a problem.
“Reportedly, the leader has an absurdly high amount of magic. They tend to use brute force.”
The Second Prince briefly briefed the agents on the information they gathered. The internal structure of the mansion, relatively safe and less populated routes, and the locations of potential bases for emergency use.
“Good luck.”
And with that, he wished for the success of the operation.
The plan was complete, and now all that was left was to act.
===============================================================
In the absence of the ‘Lamb,’ Duke Redburn Maximus played chess alone. The board was filled only with black pieces. The white pieces existed solely in the Duke’s mind.
Tap. The white queen roamed across the battlefield freely.
“If the base in the underground sewers has been destroyed, they will surely come to my mansion next. Regardless of the path they’ve chosen, they would have been guided to the mansion…”
Tap. He lured the white queen with a bait.
“The leader of the Capital Knights Order is as angry as a wild boar; just nudging them slightly will suffice. I’ll use the pawn I’ve planted in the Knights to leak information about the Tower Master entering unlawfully… and that she’ll soon head for Duke Redburn’s mansion.”
Tap. Using the black queen to restrict the white queen’s movement.
“I can leave the leader alone, but the Capital Knights Order itself needs to be distracted. There should be no distractions when hunting a target.”
Tap. He utilized the pawn to divert attention.
“Recently, the leader made a large blunder. It’s time to engrain ‘We must refrain from property damage’ into that foolish head of theirs. If that’s the case, the leader will likely take the Tower Master far away to fight.”
Tap. The white queen departed from the side of the white king.
Now, there are no pieces left to protect the king. Duke Redburn quietly pushed forward a black knight.
“If the leader distances the Tower Master from the target, you go and kill her. My son.”
A man with crimson hair slicked back stepped forward from the shadows, kneeling before Duke Redburn.
“Yes, Father. Roderus of the House of Redburn, ‘Nightmare of the Magician,’ answers your call.”
He possessed the ability to directly strike and break through with magic, making him undoubtedly the optimal choice for targeting a magician.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.