Chapter 27
Chapter 27
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Abyss (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Deep underground, the prison carved out of a natural limestone cave resembled a cross-section of hell itself.
The Abyss was so vast that its end was nowhere in sight, filled with primordial cold and darkness passed down from ancient times.
The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of natural limestone, with patches of navy-blue moss clinging here and there.
...Drip!
Water droplets fell from the tips of stalactites that grew like teeth, shattering the silence inside the cave.
The prison entrance was blocked by a massive iron gate, beyond which endless corridors and staircases stretched out.
Like an anthill, the high, low, winding passages were lined on both sides with countless cells.
Rusted iron chains and shackles hung sporadically from the walls and ceilings, hinting at the horrors that had once unfolded here.
Rumble...
Torch flames fueled by animal fat burned at regular intervals along the corridors, but they were insufficient to fully illuminate the surroundings.
The flames flickered like living beings in the cold, damp air, casting grotesque shadows on the walls.
In this place, light was merely a faint extra, existing only to emphasize the darkness.
Step— step— step— step—
Federback walked through the prison corridors.
'Not a bad atmosphere.'
A brutal and ominous space.
To Federback, who had lived through the Great War with the demon realm, it felt somewhat familiar.
As he ventured deeper into the Abyss, a vast plaza-like area opened up.
The ceiling was so high its end was invisible, and the walls were rugged natural limestone.
This space exuded a grand, overwhelming atmosphere like an ancient altar.
Here and there, wooden watchposts had been constructed, with chests storing daily necessities below them.
"This is where the guards reside."
The guards following behind Federback explained.
Even in the guards' quarters, the floor bore old bloodstains.
Without the bars, the guards' rooms were little different from the prisoners' cells.
The rooms gaped open like the maw of a fangless beast, too dark inside to make out anything.
"So this is where I'll be staying."
Federback nodded.
"I've seen it all. Let's head back to where the prisoners are."
An unexpectedly calm reaction.
Most who saw the Abyss for the first time panicked or collapsed in violent nausea.
The guards had been anxiously awaiting what they would do if Federback fainted.
But Federback inspected the prisoners with a perfectly composed expression.
The prisoners thrust their hands through the bars, trying to grab him.
"Let me out..."
"I'll tell you everything, please!"
"Please, just get me out of here..."
"Kill me instead! Kill me, I said! Aaagh!"
"Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee—"
Federback examined the prisoners' conditions by torchlight.
What is the limit of how wretchedly a human can become?
The answer lay in the inhabitants of this Abyss.
The prisoners were wretched and miserable, their human dignity utterly destroyed.
Their skin had discolored and grown soggy in the cold, damp environment.
Their faces were splotched with dark, irregular patches, and the spots where they had lain or sat on the cold stone floors for long periods were festering with pus-filled wounds.
Untreated, the wounds oozed pus or blood and were left to rot, filling the air with the stench of decay.
Their bodies were skeletal like dry twigs, ribs protruding sharply as if about to pierce the skin.
Malnutrition had wasted away their muscles, leaving limbs thin and frail.
The meager prison food and water barely sustained their lives.
Their hair had grown long and matted into filthy clumps.
Beards had grown similarly wild, covering their faces like those of primitives.
Deep-sunken eye sockets held lifeless, vacant gazes.
Lips were cracked and swollen, bleeding; teeth rotten and crumbling.
Hoarse voices bore the raw traces of endless wailing and screams.
Nails were long and broken; clothes reduced to rags.
Federback nodded.
"Indeed."
The Abyss was no mere confinement.
It gnawed at prisoners' souls, amplifying their despair ever deeper.
A place for only the most heinous and vicious criminals, it was only natural.
This space itself was a massive living entity, feeding on fear and pain to grow.
Federback nodded again.
"Quite a crowd of guests. How are you serving their meals?"
"Twice a day, potato stew and a hunk of black bread."
"Quite luxurious."
After a moment's thought, Federback issued further orders.
"Soon, a large batch of new inmates will come down from the surface. From now on, feed them once every two days. No bread, just stew."
"Understood."
The guards nodded at Federback's command.
Soon after, Federback gave another order to the guards.
"Before receiving the new prisoners, I'll conduct interviews with the guards. One-on-one, to check for any issues and address them."
"Yes, sir!"
The guards nodded once more.
With a new warden arrived, they seemed eager to voice their suggestions.
One guard asked,
"Will you do the interviews in order of rank?"
"No. The order is already set."
Federback continued toward the guard.
"Is there a guard named 'Byron Hadley' among you?"
"Yes. He's a Grade 2 guard working the lower levels."
"Start with him. Bring him."
"Yes, sir."
The other guards responded but tilted their heads in confusion.
As they turned away, they muttered among themselves.
"Why does Young Master Federback want Hadley first?"
"Maybe that guy had connections after all?"
"No way. That psycho couldn't have backing. Especially not from someone as high up as Young Master Federback."
"Wait, wasn't Hadley from a fallen noble family? Maybe he has ties to Young Master Federback?"
"No. His great-grandfather was from a fallen baronet house at best. The guy had a poor commoner childhood. Worlds apart from a current earl house like Meursault."
No one knew why Federback sought out an utterly ordinary Grade 2 guard.
"......"
Only Federback, the regressor, knew the reason.
'It's been a long time here too.'
Federback took in the Abyss's scenery, reminiscing.
......Flickering torch flames.
......Fishy-smelling chains and shackles.
......Cold groundwater trickling down the walls.
......Jagged stalactites and stalagmites like teeth.
Federback had once practically lived in this Abyss.
'I spent nearly half a year without sunlight suppressing the rebellion here.'
About eight years from now, a massive revolt would erupt in the Abyss.
The prisoners' riot would kill most guards, and the knights and soldiers sent to suppress it would suffer heavy losses.
The incident that served as the catalyst for House Meursault's downfall.
Federback had slain countless prisoners to quash that revolt.
And finally, he had severed the head of the ringleader.
'......I truly felt how one person could endanger an entire group.'
A herd of lions led by a deer is no threat.
But a herd of deer led by a lion is terrifying.
Federback recalled the one who had led the prisoners' uprising.
Through that single person, the Abyss's inmates united, employing terrifying schemes and tactics to inflict massive damage on House Meursault.
'This time, I have to prevent that from the root. Eliminate the spark early.'
Federback had descended here to snuff out the fuse of the massive disturbance that would arise in the Abyss.
The depths of the Abyss.
Here, one guard was beating prisoners.
...Thud! ...Thud! ...Thud! ...Thud! ...Thud!
A hulking figure with cold eyes, one eye covered by a black patch, trampled the prisoners with his military boots.
"What? Your buddy's hurt? Send him to the infirmary? You scum acting loyal? As if vermin like you have that."
His name was Byron Hadley.
A Grade 2 guard working the Abyss.
Then, fellow guards called from behind.
"Hey— Viper Hadley!"
"Beating prisoners again today?"
"Hey, don't go too hard on the ones who didn't do anything."
Hadley narrowed his one good eye and replied.
"I can't stand watching these prisoner scum pretend to be human. Everything locked up here is trash, right? Seeing them act upright makes me want to hit them."
"Ease up. You always pick on the educated ones with good jobs. It's inferiority complex."
"What? Inferiority? To these prisoner scum? You're joking, right, guys?"
Hadley growled at his comrades.
His massive frame radiating killing intent made even his fellows flinch.
One guard forced a smile.
"No, I mean, don't go too far. Remember that incident a dozen years ago?"
"......"
Hadley shut his mouth.
The others chimed in.
"When was it? You tortured that administrator couple who came in framed, and accidentally killed them."
"Yeah. That was 14 years ago. They were later proven innocent and set for retrial, but you killed them, so it was pointless."
"Because of that manslaughter, Hadley couldn't promote to Grade 1 and's stuck at 2."
At that moment, Hadley bellowed.
"Shut up! Who says those bitches were innocent!"
"W-well, the later trial revealed their rivals framed them..."
"Don't screw with me! Once a prisoner, always a prisoner! Anyone in here is guilty! Framed? Bullshit! They committed crimes!"
Panting, Hadley continued at his comrades' words.
"I remember it vividly. Those damn bastards. No matter how much I tortured them, they kept claiming innocence and injustice. I separated them, starved them, beat them, sowed doubt, but they never betrayed each other. Hypocrites. How dare they act noble in the Abyss?"
Bloodshot eyes, foam bubbling at his mouth.
His comrades shook their heads at his reaction.
Right then.
Guards descending from the upper stairs gestured to Hadley.
"Hey, Hadley! Head up top!"
"What? Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Beating prisoners more important? Young Master Federback is looking for you."
"What? The new warden? Why me?"
"How should I know? You mess up?"
"No way."
Hadley just shrugged at his comrades' words.