“What on earth…”
Henrik felt like he was dying.
He had been tortured continuously since he was kidnapped.
His face, swollen red, was stained with blood, and his once intelligent eyes were vacant.
Scars were visible through his torn clothes.
“Ugh…”
It was so painful.
As a butler who had served Count Beerton for a long time, it was the first time he had experienced such agony.
He wanted to scream from the pain, but he couldn’t.
That cruel Ogre grabbed his head and repeatedly waterboarded him. After the water torture, it beat him all over with its monstrously large fists.
The repeated pain made it difficult to breathe.
His breathing became so irregular it was constant.
His voice was completely hoarse from screaming so much.
‘How much time has passed?’
It felt like a long time, but he couldn’t know for sure.
More than anything, why was he experiencing such suffering?
Henrik couldn’t understand.
However, he knew one thing. If he was tortured any longer here, he would be in real danger.
Realizing he might actually die, Henrik mustered all his remaining strength and opened his mouth.
“Please… please spare me…! I’m dying!”
Perhaps it was his desperate plea, using his last ounce of strength.
The Ogre, which had been moving, stopped.
“What should we do, Left? Human. They shouldn’t die.”
‘Right,’ the head on the Ogre’s right, said with a worried expression.
The Administrator had clearly instructed them to torment the human, not to kill them.
“Don’t worry, Left. I will ask. I will ask the Administrator.”
“Oh! I believe you, Left!”
With that, the Ogre left.
When the source of his torment disappeared, Henrik let out a sigh of relief.
‘I can rest for a moment.’
There was a Water Spirit in the form of a giant mass of water next to the Ogre, but it didn’t seem to be a major problem.
In fact, the Water Spirit had remained motionless throughout the torture.
Henrik took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He felt a little more at ease.
As his mind settled, he began to think about the ones who had done this to him.
‘What exactly are those things?’
First, he could accept the woman who had disguised herself as a maid, but a place with an Ogre and a Water Spirit?
‘This is definitely no ordinary dungeon.’
Henrik had served Count Beerton for a long time.
While he didn’t know everything about monsters and dungeons, he had a decent amount of knowledge.
The dungeons he knew were never like this.
‘For a dungeon monster to even kidnap someone…’
He knew this was no ordinary situation.
If monsters could act so freely, the Sail Kingdom would have been destroyed by them long ago.
‘More importantly, the inside of the dungeon is too clean.’
At first, he thought it was just a dungeon that looked like a cave. But upon closer inspection, there were subtle differences.
The cave walls were not rough but smooth and flat.
It looked as if someone had artificially shaped and refined it.
‘Is it a high-rank dungeon…?’
A high-rank dungeon.
It was the worst-case scenario he didn’t want to consider.
Moreover, hadn’t the monster left him here unattended?
‘It means I can’t escape even if I get out of here.’
Henrik thought so and glanced at the Water Spirit.
The Water Spirit remained in its place without moving.
If he escaped now, wouldn’t that spirit intervene?
However, Henrik slowly shook his head.
‘No. Escaping from here would be a bad move. I can’t escape in my current condition anyway.’
He didn’t know how large this dungeon was, and more importantly, his body was in poor condition due to the torture.
If he were caught while trying to escape, he might truly die this time.
Still, as he organized his thoughts, he became certain of one thing.
‘There’s someone behind this.’
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have kidnapped a mere butler like him.
Even as a butler, nobles saw him as just a tool.
If they were after ransom, they would have kidnapped a noble lady, not a butler.
‘Is it a dispute between nobles? No, that’s definitely not it.’
Small wars over territory sometimes occurred between nobles. However, they always involved engaging in honorable combat with troops.
Prestige and honor were important in battles between nobles.
They wouldn’t do something that scorned such honor.
‘Could it be the royal family?’
The possibility seemed quite high.
The current king was a distant relative of the royal family with a strong commoner lineage, so he wouldn’t care about honor.
Furthermore, the motive for doing such a thing fit perfectly.
Count Beerton, whom Henrik served, was the leader of the Aristocrats, and thus naturally had a bad relationship with the royal family.
‘Is the royal family trying to send a warning?’
Even for a king, interfering with nobles was a gamble.
That’s why they might have kidnapped his butler.
‘If that’s the case, this location makes sense too.’
A country’s king could easily acquire a place like this.
And he would have secretly raised ogres, too.
The woman he saw earlier was likely a product of magic cast by mages.
Henrik saw the possibilities as fifty-fifty.
The other half was a negative thought, as the Sail Kingdom was currently hosting an envoy from the White Church.
Raising monsters was strictly forbidden, so if the royal family did such a thing, they would be branded heretics by the Church first.
That’s why he thought negatively, but nothing was absolute in this world. If his speculation was indeed correct, Henrik had no intention of staying silent.
‘If I can survive here…! I will inform Your Excellency and the Church of all this!’
Moreover, the Church’s envoy and Count Beerton maintained a quite close relationship.
The banquet that was being prepared before he was kidnapped was for interacting with the Church’s envoy.
It had been a while since the Church’s envoy visited the kingdom, but there had been no significant interaction.
The opportunity for that interaction had finally arrived, and then this happened.
‘Yes, it’s certain. It must be the royal family’s doing.’
Otherwise, there was no way to explain the current situation.
They must have done this to prevent the exchange between Count Beerton and the Church.
Henrik had already concluded that it was the royal family’s doing.
Now, all he had to do was return alive.
*Thud*, *thud*-
While he was deep in thought, he heard footsteps.
‘…The torture will begin again.’
As the footsteps grew closer, his fighting spirit from moments ago vanished.
The thought of burying his face in the Spirit’s body again brought a suffocating fear.
He waited for the Ogre, trying to control his trembling body, but the owner of the footsteps was an unexpected person.
“Huh? Uh…”
Henrik’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he saw the figure.
“Why…?”
The person approaching him was not the Ogre. Nor was it the woman who had kidnapped him.
It was a figure clad in magnificent white armor.
“Paladin, why are you here…?”
So surprised was he that Henrik forgot his pain and sat up.
That figure was definitely a Paladin.
The insignia engraved on the armor was clearly the Church’s insignia.
It was certain, as that insignia could only be used by the Church.
‘But why?’
If he was indeed a Paladin, what was this situation? Henrik’s mind was in a tangle.
Judging by the atmosphere, it was definitely not a Paladin here to save him.
Furthermore, the Paladin was positioned so comfortably here, as if it were his own home.
‘This is like…’
He looked like he had been here from the start.
‘Could it be the Church…?’
Suddenly, Henrik had an even worse assumption.
‘What if this is all a scheme by the Church, not the royal family?’
As the shocked Henrik watched, the Paladin’s mouth slowly opened.
“May I lead you to the Great One?”
* * *
“Are you sure we can just let him go?”
Paladin Eric.
More accurately, the Banshee controlling Paladin Eric spoke to Celia.
They had kidnapped a human and tortured them for a day.
After the torture, Eric had appeared before the human and said a few words.
– If you make a silent oath to the Great One and keep your mouth shut, I will spare you.
Upon hearing Eric’s words, the human nodded frantically.
He nervously promised not to tell anyone.
That was the last conversation with the human.
Chief Administrator Celia released the human.
Of course, rather than simply releasing him, she knocked him unconscious and sent him somewhere via Shadow.
“What if the human talks about this?”
Eric was curious about the Chief Administrator’s plan to release the human.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the Chief Administrator.
The Chief Administrator had always achieved great results and received the favor of the Great One, so he was simply curious about her plan.
Celia smiled at Eric’s question.
“Of course, he will talk. About everything that happened here.”
“Then shouldn’t you not have let him go?”
“That one human will cause ripples in a calm river.”
Celia answered his question, but Eric didn’t understand. It didn’t really matter if he didn’t understand.
He just had to believe and follow.
“By the way, Eric, you’ve worked hard too. Are you still in contact with Vice Captain Liana?”
This time, Celia asked Eric first.
“Yes, I am still in contact with Vice Captain Liana.”
Vice Captain Liana.
She was the vice-captain leading the Knights of the Church of the White Church.
“Isn’t it truly amazing? To have won over the Vice Captain of the Knights of the Church to our side.”
The Great One, with his tremendous power, had captured Vice Captain Liana.
It was by sending ‘Maru’, a Skeleton Dark Knight, or rather, a Skeleton Paladin, who served the Great One.
“I didn’t know Lord Maru possessed such abilities.”
Eric was amazed.
An undead monster possessing Holy Power, an element diametrically opposed to them…
The one who made it possible was the Great One.
Witnessing Maru, a Skeleton possessing Holy Power, Vice Captain Liana was greatly shocked.
She called it a miracle and agreed to join ‘our’ cause.
Although it was more ‘Maru’s’ will than ‘ours’, Maru was a subordinate of the Great One.
Ultimately, Vice Captain Liana joining us meant following the Great One’s will.
Furthermore, His grace didn’t end there.
Chief Administrator Celia had suggested to Him that Eric himself could also possess Holy Power.
Thanks to that, he was able to perfectly imitate a Paladin.
“Indeed, all of this is according to His will. Hooh.”
Celia nodded as if it were natural.
Eric also agreed with Celia’s words.
It was certain that even this would be nothing to Him.
He must be looking at something far higher than I imagine.
Perhaps He has plans beyond imagination.
Eric simply had to be loyal and follow.
* * *
“Haha, how is it? Is it not magnificent?”
Count Beerton spoke with a proud expression.
As the Count said, a luxurious atmosphere filled the mansion.
Decorations of vibrant colors glittered, adorning the room, and music and laughter filled the air.
People danced to the music, and they laughed and chatted around tables laden with sumptuous food.
Knights were densely stationed inside and outside the mansion, prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.
He was satisfied that the banquet was proceeding without any issues.
In fact, the banquet was a very important occasion for Count Beerton.
The envoy from the White Church had visited the Sail Kingdom quite some time ago, but there had been no interaction until now.
Of course, he had arranged simple gatherings, but this was the first time meeting the real power behind the envoy.
The members of the envoy before him were not ordinary priests.
‘Titan, the one leading the envoy.’
He was not a mere high priest.
Count Beerton had researched Titan and learned he was a former Inquisitor.
He heard that, as a former Inquisitor, he oversaw the Church’s Inquisitors and was loyal to the Church to the bone.
‘I must be very careful with my words.’
The Church’s Inquisitors were truly terrifying beings.
If you went against the Church’s will, they acted with force before dialogue.
If you were suspected of being a heretic, they would readily obliterate an entire city.
And his gaze shifted to the person next to the Shin-gwan.
‘Jerard, the Captain of the Knights of the Church.’
It was Captain Jerard, who commanded the Church’s Paladins.
In other words, two individuals responsible for the Church’s military might were present before the Count.
“Well, this grilled fish is also very delicious. It’s the finest fish caught in Lake Diyat. It’s become quite a rare delicacy these days since the supply is low. Haha!”
Count Beerton even more diligently entertained Titan Shin-gwan and Captain Jerard.
Butlers continued to bring out dishes made with expensive ingredients and fine wines.
Since the current situation was flowing favorably for him, such an investment was nothing.
The Church’s envoy had visited the kingdom to investigate the disappearance of priests and paladins.
However, despite extensive investigations, no leads had been found.
Perhaps that was why this opportunity had arisen.
‘Yes, I am the de facto power in this kingdom; they can’t investigate without me, can they? Hehe.’
Count Beerton thought sinisterly to himself and took a sip of wine.
The Church must have contacted him because the investigation was not going as planned.
And Count Beerton intended to use the Church to check the King.
In fact, the atmosphere in the Sail Kingdom was not good.
With Inquisitors persecuting the people day after day, how could the atmosphere be good?
And Count Beerton, as a noble of the Sail Kingdom, should have avoided such a banquet given the kingdom’s internal atmosphere.
But Count Beerton acted without reservation.
Regardless of the royal family’s mood or the people’s complaints, the Count laughed heartily.
‘Once this matter is settled, I won’t need to worry about catching eyes to take control of the kingdom.’
He just had to act as he always had.
Looking back, he had been lucky so far.
Count Beerton had not always been the leader of the Aristocrats.
The original leader of the Aristocrats was Count Derek.
But for some reason, he got into a sword fight during a party.
All of that was caused by Celia and Princess Irena. However, the current Count Beerton had no way of knowing that.
‘…What a fool.’
Well, even if he thought so in his heart, it wasn’t a bad situation for him.
Thanks to Count Derek’s outburst, he became the leader of the Aristocrats.
Although the Aristocrats’ position was shaken for a while by that incident, everything had returned to normal now.
On the contrary, the royal family had been suffering since the Church’s envoy visited.
‘Princess Irena spends most of her time shut up in her room, and the King is just a figurehead.’
In the future, the Sail Kingdom would be swayed by the Aristocrats.
And since the leader of the Aristocrats was himself, he was confident that he would essentially become king.
While harboring sinister thoughts, Count Beerton maintained his composure on the outside.
Everything was proceeding smoothly for now.
However, as the Church’s envoy was officially investigating the kingdom, a single wrong word here could result in losing everything.
‘For now, let’s focus on the banquet.’
The important conversations would likely happen after the banquet. For now, he just had to immerse himself in the banquet’s atmosphere.
As the Count savored his wine, someone cautiously approached him.
It was a butler.
“Count, that… Butler Henrik wishes to meet you.”
The butler whispered to Count Beerton.
“Henrik?”
Why would the head butler want to see him now?
Before that, he had received a report that Butler Henrik had suddenly disappeared.
When he brought the Church’s envoy to the mansion, Henrik had vanished.
The previous day, Henrik had disappeared while preparing for the banquet, but he was suddenly showing up now?
While feeling a bit indignant, he was curious as to why he was seeking him now.
Henrik had served him for a long time here.
‘He must know how important this occasion is.’
Count Beerton decided to leave his seat for a moment due to the unexpected situation.
“Haha, I apologize, but I have a matter to attend to. I will be back soon, so please continue your meal.”
“Very well.”
Titan Shin-gwan replied indifferently to the Count’s request for permission.
The Count bowed and quickly left.
“……”
As the Count disappeared, Titan Shin-gwan turned his head.
“Captain Jerard.”
The Shin-gwan’s voice was very stern.
“Yes, Shin-gwan.”
“Doesn’t something seem strange to you, Captain?”
Titan Shin-gwan’s expression turned terrifying.
He looked at the Count’s knights stationed around the area.
“There are things here that shouldn’t be.”
