Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Darkness Looming Over the Holy Kingdom (3)
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The underground was dark. As if proclaiming its identity as a prison, it was a place utterly opposite to the warm, radiant surface above, brimming with laughter.
It felt like the swamp of despair itself. The prisoners had lost their will to live, harboring no hope whatsoever, counting down the days until their death.
They couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't even die. That was the curse—and the blessing—hung over this prison.
The deeper one went, the worse it became.
"Brutal. Effective, too."
Ninety-nine percent of those here were prisoners who'd committed heinous crimes. This treatment was only natural. It was almost miraculous that the brutish, reckless knights hadn't just killed them outright but had instead shoved them down here.
I passed them quickly. They didn't even turn their heads as I walked by, showing no curiosity. They simply lay on the hard stone floors of their cells, unmoving, barely breathing.
They were as good as dead already. Living corpses.
As I moved past them toward the deepest part, right by the stairs leading to the second floor, a man locked in an iron-barred cell looked at me.
I felt his gaze and looked back. Gaunt body, dull eyes, feeble presence.
He seemed no different from the others—a living corpse—so I was about to ignore him and keep going.
"Grraaah... who... are you?"
A voice rasped from his mouth. It was cracked from disuse, hard to even understand, but unmistakably a voice.
I stopped and looked at him.
'Someone who's been here might have seen who comes and goes.'
There was a high chance. He was a criminal, sure, but he hadn't wronged me, and in his state, he couldn't do much anyway. Better to get help if I could.
I turned, approached the bars, and cast a recovery spell on him as he leaned against the wall. A spark returned to his eyes, a bit of flesh to his bones, his voice a little clearer.
Just enough for conversation.
"Who... are you?"
"You think I'd tell you?"
"I... see."
He nodded obediently and dropped the question.
"My turn. Has anyone gone down to the second floor recently?"
He lifted his head, met my eyes, and nodded slowly.
"Who? One of the cardinals, maybe?"
He nodded again. I cheered inwardly and pressed on.
"Who was it?"
"Aoira, that bastard! That monstrous fucker!!!"
I was briefly startled by his excited outburst, but it revealed the identity of the traitor colluding with the demons.
"Cardinal Aoira, who hosted the Holy Spirit Tournament. So he's the one in league with the demons."
The man shook his head violently at my mutter.
"No... He's... a shell. The real... identity... is a demon. Archdemon... Rank 4... Demon—Puppeteer of the Blood Clan."
Chills ran down my spine at the voice thick with hatred, rage, and resentment. Not from fear, but because his emotions seemed to seep into me.
Who the hell was this guy? More importantly, the cardinal was a puppet? Like that youngest knight?
'Makes sense. No puppet could wield holy power and demonic energy otherwise.'
Not unless he was some fallen angel. But that raised a question.
"How could a demon's puppet wield holy power strong enough to reach cardinal rank?"
Cardinal Bartroy was the strongest in martial prowess, but the others were no slouches either. He'd said so himself, so their ranks had to be at least S-class easily.
And a mere puppet had that kind of power?
"Kuhuhu... all... lies. The secret... is a holy relic... stolen by the Demon King... from the heavens... he possesses it."
My eyes widened. Azazel had mentioned it—heaven had holy relics, one being Longinus.
"I see. So that's how it is."
This was getting bigger. If I played it right, I might snag that relic too. But the key win was identifying the traitor!
That accomplished my goal.
'Problem is, I can't leave right now.'
Getting back into the prison would be impossible. I'd barely made it in once; going out might be doable, but in? No way.
Now that I was here, I had to check what that traitor cardinal had done below—and why this place had such a high difficulty rating.
Before that... I looked at the man. Worn and weary, but unbowed, fueled by rage and indignation.
"Why are you here? This is the deepest prison, for the gravest sinners."
He gave a bitter smile and explained his situation.
In short, he'd competed with Aoira for the cardinal position. The moment he discovered Aoira was a demon, all the crimes were pinned on him instead, and he'd been thrown here without a fight.
Tsk. What a fool. But looking at him reminded me of my parents a bit.
I extended my hand and poured another heal into him.
"Wait here. I'll check what mischief is brewing below and decide whether to get you out or not."
His eyes lit up as he shouted.
"If you get me out! Just do that! I'll help you with anything, no matter what!"
Madness. The gentle fool now harbored venom. I nodded and finally turned toward the lower floor.
Creeeeak!
The door opened. After descending for what felt like forever, the massive door to the second floor finally appeared. Forcing it open revealed the interior.
"What the hell is this?"
It was a living hell. A bizarre place of endless devouring, slaughter, and blood.
"Urk!"
The grotesque, repulsive sight forced me to cover my mouth and swallow back the vomit.
Why? Why were things like this down here?
Then it happened.
-Groooaaarrrrrr
The second floor shook. Like an entire world quaking, the true master of this level awoke.
"Hngh!"
Our eyes met. The calamity-level monster that had turned the floor below into an endless hell of devouring opened its eyes and stared at me from atop its own body.
"Fuck."
That's when I realized. The massive red mass filling this vast second floor was all part of it. It had been torn and reformed through endless devouring.
"How the hell do you beat that?"
Not even descent would work. Impossible. Decision made. If this thing broke through to the surface, total conquest zone? Game over.
Billions of lives would vanish—straight into its gut.
Suppressing my fear and retching, I amplified Sun's Eye further and searched for traces of what Cardinal Aoira had done here.
But no matter how hard I looked, nothing. There had to be some sign of holy power or demonic energy.
'Not on this floor?'
The thought brought immediate relief. I had no idea how they'd sealed an incomprehensible monster like that, but sealing it was impressive, and this underground prison holding it was too.
'Made by gods?'
Probably gods, plural. No single one could design and build this. I swallowed hard and pressed on.
Ignoring the countless eyes glaring at me relentlessly, I found the stairs to the third floor and promptly collapsed, legs giving out.
Aura, killing intent, curses, mental attacks—I'd blocked them all, but it was exhausting. Sweat soaked me head to toe; my limbs trembled.
And as if to say it wasn't over, another message popped up.
To clear the quest, I had to descend all remaining floors. Damn it.
Now I understood the insane rating. Something even stronger waited below, and the erosion of time would cause issues again.
So my goal was to probe the very bottom through these threats.
"Hoo... Let's go."
I stood and descended another endless staircase. At the end, the same kind of door. After a deep breath, I opened it.
Kwaaaaah!!!!
A massive blaze erupted like a dragon's breath, engulfing me.
"Your Eminence. Cardinal Aoira is the prime suspect, no matter how you look at it. He's been spending more time alone lately, met privately with the Saintess for some talk, and most damningly, he reportedly vomited black blood after coughing it up last time."
Cardinal Bartroy frowned and nodded at the reporting knight.
"That blood spell the demon cast on him. Could it be related?"
"Likely, Your Eminence. Backlash from the spell being neutralized. And the day before yesterday, the youngest knight of a minor order exploded bodily, leaving only blood behind. The culprit claimed the knight poisoned and self-detonated on him. He's imprisoned underground for now."
Bartroy had heard. He knew who the prisoner was. Whether the intruder had known and come deliberately or stumbled in, he'd let it be for now.
'I'll retrieve him in three days.'
Two days left.
"He's the most suspicious, for sure. He pushed the tournament through alone and blew it up. It was supposed to just be the Saintess selection. Shady. Heresy Inquisitor!"
"Yes, Your Eminence."
"Tail him secretly for one day and figure it out. Don't get caught!"
"Understood!"
"I'll execute the traitor with my own hands to protect our Holy Kingdom! May divine blessings be with us!"