Chapter 38: The Prison
“What grounds are you using to sentence me?” Nith asked as the adrenaline pumping through his veins evaporated with the royal soldiers flooding the hall.
No one, literally no one, dared to go against them. All the disciples and even the old master stood silent, waiting for more information to be provided.
One of the soldiers replied, “You’ve insulted the crown’s daughter. You have the right to remain silent and explain yourself back at the office.”
Huxley howled, “He insulted Princess Valora! He called her a bitch! I heard it clearly during our spar! This bastard deserves the worst sentence for scheming against our kingdom’s beloved princess! This ungrateful son of a bitch has been taking advantage of the Princess’ Guild, only to harbor animosity toward her!”
He sneered behind his mask, pressing his hand to the wound from which blood fountained.
It took a second for his hand to be covered in blood, but Huxley didn’t care about his state. The adrenaline of seeing Nith getting the short end of the stick utterly delighted him. He stared at him as if he had won from the start.
Kyouka shouted from afar, “That’s… that’s wrong!”
The soldier shook his head. “We’ve been notified of the man’s exact crime, and it matches what this man has said. It appears there’s nothing to clarify. Nightshade, will you resist?”
Nith shook his head. “Nah.”
Kyouka screamed, “Stop! I told you to stop taking him away! It’s just the way he speaks! He talks like that! There’s no real intent behind it!”
The old master curtly nodded. “She’s right…”
Nonetheless, it didn’t help Nith’s case. He should have been much more careful, especially when casually spitting out such words or their synonyms. Everyone was used to it, except a few, including the snitch who reported it to the soldiers.
Someone skilled enough to hear the conversation between Nith and Huxley had to be behind this. The first potential culprits that came to Nith’s mind stood behind the old master. Those people were experienced enough to see through the dark haze.
He didn’t rule out some disciples, but that didn’t matter. He was at fault, and he’d take it like a man.
Nith raised his head and shouted at Kyouka, “Stop bitching around! I’ll be back sooner or later.”
“Shut up! Don’t tell me what to do after messing up so much!” Kyouka shouted back at her beloved.
Nith twisted his face. “I know you want to go to the banquet! It’s in fifteen days! I swear I’ll be back!”
Ignoring this, Kyouka ran away from the hall. The banquet? She might as well leave this country and begin a new adventure with Nith, living in the wilderness instead! That said, no one knew what was going on in her head.
Meanwhile, Nith had been escorted back to his cell, all under the curious and bewildered eyes of onlookers. No one listened to him at all, and it had been decided that he’d be sentenced to prison for eternity.
All in a single day.
–
Nith had been stripped of his clothes.
He threatened the soldier to take care of his black cloak and pass it back to Kyouka, but the man’s poker face didn’t twitch under Nith’s threat. The soldier simply finished his job and then pushed Nith into a cold, empty corridor.
A heavy gate closed behind him. Across from him, the corridor stretched toward an unknown end, a curtain of darkness preventing Nith from seeing what lay ahead.
Coldness scratched at his feet, and there was no telling whether anyone would provide him food here. Compelled to embark on this journey in nothing but black rags, Nith trudged forward, curious to find out what was happening there.
‘I don’t recall any prisons back in the day,’ Nith thought. ‘Criminals were either sold as slaves or killed on the spot.’
That much was because of people’s strength. A highly skilled criminal would eventually find a way out of the prison unless someone with equal strength kept tabs on him.
In this world, people could easily hide many abilities under their titles, so keeping them locked and powerless in a single place didn’t sound simple. Rather, it sounded way too complex.
Nith endured three hours of walking in a single direction under harsh conditions. He halted before what appeared to be a huge vortex of red-blue energies, where countless circles swirled in different directions, weaving something far too intricate.
Nith deadpanned, “Dungeon?”
Stretching his hand toward it, he touched the vortex. Upon his contact, Nith’s status formed itself before him, warning him about the dungeon.
[You’re about to enter The Wilderness Dungeon.]
[Would you like to enter it?]
“There’s no choice, huh?” Nith nodded.
The instinctive power read his intent, bringing him to a new world. He appeared under clear, blue skies, with a ridge of red mountains extending across the horizon. The forest of green trees appeared like the mountain’s carpet, and vast monsters resembling wyverns flew overhead, screeching as if to announce the arrival of a new visitor.
Beside Nith was a man in official clothes, with The Mythverios Crest pinned to his chest. He sat at a wooden table, his bottom resting on a chair of the same material.
He adjusted his monocle and slightly pushed it with his palm upon meeting Nith’s eyes.
“You?”
“I’m the director of this dungeon. Sir Graham’s the name,” Graham said emotionlessly. “I’m aware of your treason and your sentence. Everyone sentenced to eternity is required to take part in The Wilderness Dungeon, which is essentially your prison. You’ll make your meals and bed here. It’s your new life until your imminent demise.
“But…” Graham added in a deep voice.
‘Yeah, of course there’s a but,’ Nith inwardly commented.
“If you swear an oath of servitude to The Mythverios Crest, you’ll receive special privileges in this place and be a proper part of the nobles’ game.”
“You’re here to witness the oath,” Nith said.
Graham solemnly nodded.
“Then you can go back home ’cause I’ve already sworn an oath of servitude to someone else,” Nith said.
Graham widened his eyes and bolted upright. “Which house?!”
“Not to a house, but to my bitch,” Nith sneered.
He shoved his hands into his ragged pockets and ventured deeper into the forest, much to Graham’s bewilderment. The official dropped back onto his chair and clutched his chest, trying to calm his racing heart.
Meanwhile, Nith breached the boundaries of the forest and was not so warmly welcomed by its dwellers.
