Chapter. 21. Into the storm (6)
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『Aaaaa!』
“Wait quietly here.”
『Aaaa!!!』
“The lord said he would interrogate you personally-”
『Aaaaaa!!!』
“….”
“I’ll tell you in advance, we have never been ordered to torture you.”
“So who gives a name like ‘front yard’ to a dungeon?”
A crying sound as if raw flesh was being torn apart. Its identity was the heartbreaking cry of an elf whose hope had been betrayed.
The driver said he would take us to the ‘front yard’ of Yeongju Castle, but why would there be any reason to drag a suspected spy to a garden full of flowering trees and plants? It’s not like I’m going to have a cup of tea.
The ‘forecourt’ mentioned in the article was the nickname for the dungeon of Wind Hall Castle. I heard that when the lord of this place gets tired from hard work, he comes down to the prison and enjoys making fun of the prisoners. That’s probably why it got its nickname.
Whatever the reason, our tree-addicted elf was brought to a place where there were only cold stones instead of soft soil and fresh air, and was so desperate that he was crying until his ears hurt.
“hmm. “Is there a real garden out there or something like that?”
“If it weren’t for a city where the land was rotting, there would be no way for such an unproductive luxury, right?”
“We’re in big trouble. Once the elf mentality breaks down, it doesn’t come back easily. “If I leave that alone, you’ll cry until you’re exhausted?”
『Aaaaaaaaa-!!!!!!!』
“….It’s not good.”
The elf’s blood-curdling cries and the knight’s expression that looks quite perplexed. When I looked sideways at that sight, a small line was drawn around my mouth.
‘It looks more awkward than I thought… I guess the lord told us to keep it in good condition?’
Our current situation is literally like walking on a knife edge. They are convinced that our party is a spy for the Warlord, and under normal circumstances, they would not keep a spy who broke into the city in a cozy and quiet place like a ‘dungeon’. Usually, when the number of people in the torture room is about four, one or two people are sent straight to the gallows as an example.
However, we were quietly placed in the dungeon, and the knight, who seemed to be receiving orders directly from the lord, was quite concerned about our group’s condition. Even in this place, at the very end of the dungeon, there were no guards, just the knight and our group. This means that Lord Windhall has taken my request for ‘a place with no ears to hear’ very seriously –
‘It means that the Lord is very thirsty for information about the Warlord!’
The story goes that the bait I threw was much more appetizing than I thought.
『Ugh! ‘Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!)
‘…First, I guess I’ll have to do something about Tarimus.’
“The knight over there.”
“Berkut Rahad. “Please call me Night Rahad.”
“Yes, a noble knight. There must have been a small sapling among the confiscated items. Please put it in the elf cell. “Before I die.”
“Your personal belongings are being inspected by wizards and magic engineers belonging to the territory. Until it is judged that there is no additional risk-”
『Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa of of of of no further risk
not?… Then, why don’t you just bring it to the lord in that condition? Didn’t you bring us here because you wanted to hear something from us? “If I wait for about 10 minutes, I think I’ll be so exhausted that I won’t even be able to hold a pen, let alone speak.”
“…Let’s inspect it first and send it down as soon as it’s finished. “Until then, let’s figure out how to appease him.”
Berkut, like a knight, started moving as soon as he decided what to do. The sound of the knight’s plate boots faded away, and we were the only ones left in the damp dungeon, each locked in a solitary cell.
“Hey Tarimus. “You can stop crying now.”
“Keueuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu heruuuuu heruu heru heru her her hera her o her heri o her hers….”
“Hey, are you gone? “The presence of Aurors has risen far above!”
“Oh, I know, but it’s not easy. I can’t stop crying. “I was just imagining a tree truly rooted in the soil…”
“Did you really expect it? “Did I tell you that the ‘front yard’ was never going to be what you thought it would be?”
“Isn’t there such a thing as what if? I had a small hope that a noble from the Western Empire, which has a different culture from Teldrat, would be able to plant real trees and tend a garden… Ugh.”
Of course, just because Tarimus fell from a tree for a moment wasn’t enough to make him lose his senses like that. If it had been that bad, I wouldn’t have been able to make a living as a salvageer in the first place. Because you can’t take saplings all the way to the ocean.
The important thing is that although it is not Tarimus, there are actually quite a few elves who are as addicted to trees as I am. Moreover, elves are a rare race whose numbers have decreased significantly with the death of the World Tree. The story of their pathological love of trees became known through rumor at the level of a ghost story.
To take advantage of that prejudice, I asked Tarimus to cry a little, and thanks to that, we were able to spend time alone with the four of us in a dungeon with no guards. Well, I can’t escape from the imaginary ‘front yard’ that Tarimus came up with to act out tears.
“Tarimus.”
“Uuuuuuu…”
“Moss grows in the corner of the cell over there.”
Jump up!
“Oooooh! “What kind of vitality is this!!!!”
I knew that would happen, so I kept an eye on it on the way home. This neighborhood is suitable for growing edible moss. They produce enough moss to feed an entire city, so it’s no wonder that the same type of moss grows in the damp, dark prison.
Starting with the sound of Tarimus coming to his senses, the group, who were scattered in their respective cells, could be seen clinging to the iron bars.
“You came into the castle calmly without any hot iron clubs or whips.”
“What did I say? In an intangible transaction like this, does it mean that the one who is disappointed will always be quiet? Judging from how they are treated as children, the Warlords in the Western Empire are exaggerated almost to the level of monsters in the closet.”
“Boo. That’s not an exaggeration. Eggwill, that guy still appears in my dreams.”
“…It feels like the fear of the unknown. anyway! As we are presumed to be in direct contact with him, talking to him, etc., this is seen as a golden opportunity to reveal the outlines of such an unfathomable enemy. That means they won’t interrogate you like a regular spy by rubbing rice into your freshly cut finger. “It’s too valuable enemy information to be treated like that.”
“I’m glad I heard that.”
Isena’s voice sounded somewhat shocked, as if she had only thought about the general torture of losing and losing.
“I’m still not relieved. If you just pretend to be a spy and give out information about the Warlord – after hearing everything, the lord will say, ‘I heard you well. Now, shall we check if it’s real?’ “Because they will drag us to the torture chamber.”
“Cough!”
“right?”
Why are you so surprised? Unless the lord is a fool, will he just believe the spy’s words? Beat it once when it’s fine, cut it into pieces, and once after making it sick. If you compare the information you received twice and they all match, then you will be sure that it is the correct information.
“So, until after the inspection of the Tarimus sapling was completed and the knight who went to retrieve it brought the lord. In that short period of time, I need to refine the story a bit. A story that makes our words sound like the truth even without separate torture or other verification, and that hurting us feels like a loss.”
“How?”
.
.
.
.
“….well?”
Karrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
The sound of claws cutting through the air was heard coming from the cell on the other side. Well, I’m pissed. But really, there is no way to explain this. I was just good at it since I was young.
‘230 steps from the castle gate to the guard building. From there, it was 500 steps to the inner castle, and from the inner castle to the dungeon, it was roughly 400 steps.’
Sir Berkut did not look like someone who would just rush around saying something urgent. Your belongings were confiscated at the security building, so if you hurry, it’s a 7-8 minute walk. I’ll spend a few minutes inspecting the seized items, and then a few more minutes since I’ll have to return here to deal with the lord and bring him back.
“I got about 15 minutes. “I’ve spent about 3 minutes so far.”
“So, what I saw when I was dragged in. “Or if you find out anything about the city, I would ask you to tell me as soon as possible, right?”
“Oh, what did you find out? “Nothing in particular…”
“Just tell me about the people on the street you saw on the way, even if it’s just a piece of stone. “I will filter it out on my own.”
Now 11 minutes. In short, 10 minutes.
In 10 minutes, I had to come up with a story that would fool the lord who held the power over the life and death of the four of us.
“10 minutes.”
At that level, I had enough time to close my eyes for a moment and then get up.
****
Slack, clang, clank, clank.
Jump, jump, jump, jump.
『Kwaaaaaaah!!!!』
….Tak.
“Lord Berkut.”
“yes.”
“I remember I ordered you not to treat prisoners harshly.”
Lord Gideon Glenn frowned at the screams that rang through the dungeon and eventually reached the stairs leading down. They clearly have valuable information, so I ordered them to be treated with caution. But what on earth did they torture them for, making them scream so horribly?
“You wouldn’t have been stupid enough to misunderstand such a simple command, would you?”
“Like you said, I have never treated them harshly. “I inherited the guards and soldiers, so there are no soldiers to persecute them.”
“Then what is that sound?”
“…I’m an elf.”
“Elf? Ah, it’s their ethnic disease that I’ve only heard about. So you brought some wood?”
“yes. It was more monstrous and serious than what I had heard. “It was judged that the spy would lose consciousness if left as is, so we had to bring the elf’s personal belongings.”
“….is it. Because of my stubbornness, I made an honorable knight do errands for me. “I apologize.”
“That is absurd. “As this is an issue, no matter how much attention we pay to security, it will not be enough.”
Clap! With the words of the loyal
knight,
the door to the dungeon opened. Aside from the sorrowful cries, it was clearly a sign of affection that could be felt.
‘This is an opportunity made in heaven.’
A chance for genius. Indeed, how could such an opportunity come to us if it were not for the blessings of His Majesty the late Emperor’s Holy Spirit?
Lord Gideon Glenn recalled the story of those who had been captured by the gate guards a few hours ago.
=========
‘….You have also been ordained, albeit informally. Do you know that if what you say is a lie, you cannot easily overlook it?’
‘I am serious, my lord! They are definitely the Warlord’s spies!’
‘They played with us like children even though we were trained as knights! ‘I’m not an ordinary person!’
‘Four unidentified people with no record of entering port on a regular continental ship. He drifted on the ocean currents, had great skills, and as soon as he arrived in the city, he headed towards Wuthering Heights without stopping…’
‘Yes! These guys are extremely suspicious! He immediately told us [Tell us everything about the Western Empire!]’
‘That and! He sent us away and told us to tell him this! [There are things such as guards that shouldn’t be there, so prepare a place with fewer ears]!’
‘…Would you risk your lives that that statement is true?’
‘I’m serious, my lord! ‘Trust me!’
‘I’ll bet on that! ‘I will risk my life!’
=========
When I heard the words of those with swollen faces, how much did I hold my breath to protect my body as a nobleman?
‘Warlord. ‘The true nature of the enemy, whom I had only heard about through rumors, is right in front of my eyes!’
The conflict between the knight groups, commonly referred to as loyalists and traitors, was becoming more intense by the day. It is clear that if the strong mutes had not acted as suppressors, a war between cities would have occurred at any time. The new force that permeated the Western Empire, which had maintained such a tight balance, was the Warlord’s soul magicians.
‘…Can’t say that in a place where there are guards. I said it was a story that had to be told to a place with few ears.’
Extreme vigilance. This is a warning that there may be another Warlord’s agent inside Wind Hall. The moment they are discovered to be in cahoots with the enemy forces, their lives will become like a candle in the wind.
‘He doesn’t even trust the guards and is trying to talk to me directly. It means that they are on extreme alert and that there is something they need to convey, even revealing their true identity as spies.’
What is it? Why on earth do those who came to observe the Western Empire’s movements under the orders of the Warlord want to have a private meeting with him?
Whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be a light story. Now that we have heard that some of the fortress cities belonging to the traitorous faction have joined hands with the Warlord’s forces, information about them is priceless.
Maybe it would be possible to borrow the Master Knight of the Silver Lion Knights.
Jeopuk Jeopuk Jeok-
“My lord, in case they could attack you by surprise-”
“That’s why they locked him in prison with an empty body.”
Anticipation hurried my steps.
The first thing we encountered was a strange beast-man tribe with green scales and hair growing on all joints.
“Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Ugh-! Free us! human!”
Aggressive look. He didn’t seem like a person who would intentionally send a twisted message so that people would notice.
Next is the troll.
“Boo. “Eggwill is hungry.”
“…What about interest?”
“It’s a troll. “I personally checked it and found that it is an ordinary troll with only physical abilities and no magical tattoos.”
“You must have been a problem back home.”
The troll shaman’s fame also spread the customs of their tribe. A troll that cannot emit magic, an innate racial ability, even at the level of dust. If you think about the wise appearance of the shaman troll in the story, the opposite troll would be just as stupid as he appears.
And….
『Aaaaa!!! Ahhh!!!!』
“….I’m too shy to listen, so please give it back.”
“yes.”
An elf howling like an animal with bulging eyes. When I handed him the small flower pot, he smiled like an idiot. There was absolutely no way that elf had secretly invited him.
‘Then there is one left in the end.’
The deepest part of the dungeon. A man occupying the last cell in a row of cells.
“Is it you? Someone who wanted to have a close conversation with me.
“…Forgive me for not being polite enough to bow down, my lord. “The person attending is different.”
“Since there is a bar between us, let’s give that level of tolerance.”
‘That’s right.’
The lord was sure. Although he pretended to be relaxed, his eyes were shaking with anxiety and constantly looking around his surroundings. A look of determination. Even the way he rolls his eyes and chooses his words.
‘This is the one who received the Warlord’s orders. The other three are Sioux.’
“I-”
“There is no need to explain. “I just figured it out.”
The lord felt a little proud of himself for understanding the other person’s psychology and stopped his horse.
“I guess you have something to tell me outside of the Warlord’s orders. “It’s a story that, if you go too far, will put your lives at risk.”
“…I had no other choice, so I used Wind Hall, but since you are so smart… I was lucky.”
The man said, lowering his head once again.
“Hyde. As the lord said, I am a follower of the Warlord’s orders and have come to the Western Continent to carry out those orders.”
“If it’s not a long-winded cry to be hanged, there must be a different meaning.”
The lord saw venom growing in the eyes of the spy named Hyde at his subtle threat.
“…I don’t mind if you do that. “If only you would listen to my story here to the end!”
“I will listen and judge.”
Hyde stood up. The lord stopped the knight who was blocking.
“That guy… is crazy.”
“The Warlord, a Shard Knight steeped in madness, plans to absorb all life in the world into his body!”
Both the lord and his knight were immersed in the blood-curdling story of the spy.
Without knowing that the mouth that was speaking passionately was grinning knowingly or unknowingly.
****
