Chapter 268: The Mad Mage and the Broken Ones
Chapter 268: The Mad Mage and the Broken Ones
He really does act according to his disposition.
The phrase, scrawled on the wall, made a certain kind of sense when I recalled the information I’d gleaned from Mavolo with my Third Eye. Steeling myself, I threw the wooden door open. The moment I stepped forward, a strange, hot wind washed over my entire body. It wrapped around me in an instant, a powerful stench assaulting my sense of smell.
“Eh…? The, the smell… It’s a strange smell…”
“Ugh.”
Perhaps because they were more sensitive to it, Ahn Sol and Lee Yoojung covered their noses and retreated behind me. The other clan members remained silent, but I was sure it had turned their stomachs as well. The smell was that hot and foul.
“Hanbyul, you can cancel the Light.”
Judging by the time it took to descend the stairs, the basement was quite deep. There were no windows, so it should have been pitch-black. But the ceiling was studded with light stones, and torches were hung at intervals along the walls, brightly illuminating our surroundings.
The sphere of light slowly faded away. We walked along a path of rough, vermilion bricks. At first, the passage stretched straight ahead, but it soon split to the left and right, ending at a large wall where we paused.
Right or left.
Unfortunately, I knew very little about the castle’s basement. The records never mentioned its layout in detail. As I debated which way to go, I turned to the clan members.
“From now on, all clan members will use Sensing.”
“…”
“Spread out a little more as well. You can use a wide, circular scan or increase the density and focus on detecting in your assigned direction. If you sense anything at all, report to me immediately.”
I wasn't just telling them to find the Users; I was telling them to be prepared for anything else that might be down here. At my command, the clan members immediately activated their Sensing. I could feel the flow of their multicolored magic spreading across the floor. Nodding, I turned and started down the left path.
“Ko Yeonju, you said you felt a reaction before we came in, right?”
“Yes. I can still feel it now. The shadows are telling me.”
I gave her a blank look at her cool reply, but I soon realized it was plausible. The fact that Ko Yeonju hadn't said anything was probably proof that I was heading in the right direction. Or perhaps it meant it didn't matter which path we took.
We walked for about five minutes. The castle basement was silent, the only sound being our own footsteps echoing in the passage. Just as I was beginning to feel the passage narrowing, a faint, unfamiliar sound reached my ears.
Clang… Clang…
“Soohyun.”
“Yes. I heard it.”
“If you keep going straight, the passage will curve to the right. From there, it gets extremely narrow—barely wide enough for two people to pass through. The source of the sound is there.”
“Let’s change to a two-column formation. And the clan members on the left, take two steps forward. We’ll proceed in that formation from now on.”
Ko Yeonju naturally moved to the very back. After confirming the clan members were in a staggered line, I began to walk faster than before. Just as she’d said, the passage was now visibly narrowing. As a solid wall came into view ahead, I spotted another passage branching off to the right. The moment we rounded the corner, the sight before us made us all stop in our tracks once again.
I think I have a rough idea of the layout.
The connecting passage was just as Ko Yeonju had described. It was narrow enough for only two people to pass through, and its right wall was punctuated by massive holes at regular intervals. Above and below each hole, iron bars as thick as a woman’s forearm were embedded in rows. If I imagined the wall before me as a giant square, there were likely similar holes on the opposite side.
“This isn’t an underground labyrinth… It’s an underground prison.”
Just as Kim Hanbyul said, this place was, for all intents and purposes, an underground prison. I led the stunned clan members into the passage, and the nauseating stench we first encountered grew even more intense. I thought I had gotten used to it while walking through the previous corridor, but the closer we got to the holes, the more the foul odor returned.
Clang… Clang…
The sound of chains I’d heard earlier echoed again. Moving to the first hole, I cautiously peered through the iron bars. The first thing I saw was that the space inside was nothing more than a cave, about 170 square feet in size. And then…
“Oh, my God…”
“This is horrible… sob…”
A single female User was hanging from the ceiling of the cell. Her arms were bound tightly in chains. But what truly made the clan members grimace was her physical condition, which was clearly critical.
Aside from being stripped naked and suspended, there wasn't a single part of her body left unscathed. Her entire body was covered in bruises, and sharp whip marks were carved into her most sensitive areas. That wasn't all. Along with the metallic smell of blood, the cell was filled with the scent of a man’s seed. Hardened, whitish solids were concentrated on the woman’s lips, breasts, and private parts. Just seeing those marks was enough to guess what had happened here.
“Ahn Sol, prepare a healing spell.”
“Sob… Yes!”
I immediately drew the Sun and Moon Divine Sword and began to cut through the ends of the iron bars. Mere steel could never block my Authority, and I quickly created an opening large enough for a person to enter.
“Hyung, bu-but how do we get those chains down…”
After entering the cell, I swung my sword at the chains hanging from the ceiling.
Ping! Slice! Clang!
Ahn Hyun, who had been looking around for a device or a key, immediately shut his mouth when he saw the woman fall as the chains snapped. I caught the female User as she fell squarely into my arms and gently laid her on the floor. Her breathing was almost inaudible, but the slight rise and fall of her stomach told me she was still alive.
“───. ───. ───. Cure!”
A warm cluster of light seeped into the groaning woman. But a single healing spell wasn't going to be enough. Baek Hangyul quickly handed me a healing potion, and as I sprinkled it evenly over her body, her wounds began to close with a hiss of white smoke.
“Ugh…”
The woman finally managed to open her eyes after three more healing spells and two more potions. She stared at us with hazy eyes before they shot wide open, and she quickly scrambled to prostrate herself on the ground.
“Are you conscious?”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Hey, just a moment.”
“S-save me! I was wrong! I was so wrong! Please, save me!”
“…”
The woman’s first words, which began with a scream, ended in a torrent of wails as she begged for her life. While the others looked on, unsure of what to do, I grabbed her chin, lifted her head, and met her eyes. Her pupils were colored with extreme terror. She immediately slammed her chin back down and cried out.
“Please calm down and look at me.”
“Save me, please save me. Please forgive me just this once.”
“The mage is dead. The people here are a secondary rescue team dispatched to save you. You can rest easy now.”
“Forgive… Save me…?”
I had imbued my words with magic, so she must have heard me clearly. The woman, who had been rubbing her hands together and bowing her head, lifted her head ever so slightly at my words. Her trembling gaze swept over our group, and then her eyes rolled back as she fainted.
“…Soohyun. This woman is…”
“Probably one of the captured Users.”
“I know that. But what do we do now…”
“She’s breathing. She likely fainted from the release of tension after being pushed to her mental limit.”
I spoke calmly, then gestured to Ahn Sol, Kim Hanbyul, and Baek Hangyul. The three of them hesitantly approached the collapsed woman, swallowing hard as they looked at me.
“The Users’ conditions seem more serious than I thought. We’ll divide roles from now on… First, you three. You’ll form the treatment team. When Ahn Sol begins healing, Kim Hanbyul will assist her. And Hangyul, you stay beside them and hand out potions and things right away.”
“““Yes.”””
“I’ll go around and start breaking the bars on the cells. Yoojung, you follow me. If you find a User, bring them out so the others can treat them immediately.”
“Okay, Oppa.”
“Ko Yeonju, Ahn Hyun. You two will be a team. Ko Yeonju, check if there are any other prison passages besides this one. And if you find someone in truly critical condition… Ahn Hyun.”
“Yes, Hyung.”
I paused for a moment and offered the Sun and Moon Divine Sword to Ahn Hyun.
“I’ll lend you the Sun and Moon Divine Sword. It’ll be better than your spear. Someone of your skill should be able to cut through the iron bars. And take a few potions, just in case. If Ko Yeonju finds someone, bring them to Ahn Sol immediately. Got it?”
“Understood.”
“Move out now.”
Ahn Hyun took the sword, exchanged a glance with Ko Yeonju, and they ran off. Seeing Yoojung dragging the fainted woman outside, I drew Formless Sword. Then, I spoke to the three who were standing there with pale faces.
“Let’s get started, too.”
*
With only one priest, the rescue operation was bound to be slow. That was why I had assigned everyone a role. The process was simple. I would cut the iron bars, and Lee Yoojung would immediately go inside to bring out the User. Then, the waiting treatment team would begin healing. There were times when I had to go in myself, like with the first woman, when they were suspended high up or completely bound.
Occasionally, we found empty cells that showed signs of having been occupied. In any case, treating the Users was the priority, so I focused on breaking the bars to make their treatment easier.
In the end, my judgment was correct. Each of the cells lining the passage held at least one, and sometimes two, Users.
The problem was that the further we went, the more severe the condition of the Users in the cells became. They were all suffering from serious physical and mental trauma. The first female User we found could be considered to be in relatively good condition. In fact, even the second and third Users we rescued—a man whose body was bruised black and blue and a woman with a swollen belly—seemed fine in comparison. At least all their limbs were still attached.
But the condition of the Users we rescued after that was too miserable, too wretched to look at.
“Heh…”
“O-Oppa. There’s something strange about this one!”
“Hehe…”
About thirty minutes into the rescue operation, we reached the last cell in the passage we had first entered. Inside was a single boy, imprisoned and naked. At first glance, he didn't seem to have any particular injuries. He was in much better shape than the Users who had been mutilated or subjected to other horrific acts. However, his eyes had lost their focus, and he was just letting out empty, wheezing sounds from his dead-looking face.
“O-Oppa, what’s wrong with him? He doesn’t look hurt anywhere…”
“His mind must have broken. Get him out of there for now.”
“Okay. But his wounds…”
“…Lay him face down. So his backside is visible.”
“Huh?”
At my words, Lee Yoojung tilted her head and looked at the boy’s back. A moment later, a small shriek, “Kyak,” escaped her lips. The boy’s rear was caked in dried blood and was horribly mangled. Lee Yoojung’s eyes widened as she spoke with a look of disbelief.
“They, they touched him too? Even though he’s a boy?”
“…Who knows. It could have been the female Vagabonds.”
“Those fucking perverts!”
Lee Yoojung’s expression turned from pity to a sudden burst of rage. It was clear that the boy had suffered more mental trauma than physical. His expression was completely vacant. I watched him dispassionately before letting out a deep sigh. We had only cleared one passage. There were no more cells ahead, so it was time to check the remaining two sides.
Just as I was about to turn away.
“Uwaaaack!”
“Uwaaaaah!”
Hearing a sudden sound of retching mixed with crying, I rushed out of the cell. I saw Ahn Sol and Baek Hangyul simultaneously hunched over in front of the male User with the grotesquely twisted limbs we had just rescued. Kim Hanbyul, standing beside them, hadn't gone that far, but her face was deathly pale.
“O-Oppa.”
Kim Hanbyul’s voice was trembling violently. Her gaze wasn't fixed on the User below or on me. She was staring at someone directly behind me. I slowly turned around. And there…
“Hyung…”
Ahn Hyun was standing there, holding someone by the waist. I couldn't see below the person's hips. In his arms was a male User whose limbs had been severed, his head hanging low.
“…Is he still alive?”
“Yes. She said he’s still alive for now. She told me to bring him here first…”
“Right. I understand. Let’s treat him quickly. Bring him over here and lay him down.”
“Ye-yes.”
Ahn Hyun swiftly laid the man on the floor. There was no movement from him whatsoever. He was alive, as Ko Yeonju had said, but it was the same as being dead. I gestured for Kim Hanbyul to bring the other two over and asked Ahn Hyun.
“How much of the passages have you checked? And how many were trapped over there?”
“Well… both passages. And he was the only one.”
At Ahn Hyun’s words, my hand, which had just uncapped a potion, froze. One person. Ten members of the Rapids’ Edge Clan. Fourteen members of the first rescue team. We had confirmed one death, which meant a total of twenty-three people had been captured. I turned my head and counted the Users lying in the passage. There were seven of them. That meant the other sixteen were all…
“Ah, Hyung. And Nuna told me to pass on a message.”
“Ko Yeonju? What did she say?”
“She said she found a passage leading down to the second basement floor…”
The moment I heard that, my conversation with Mavolo flashed through my mind.
‘Margarita… well, what do you think happened to her? Ke-ke-ke.’