Chapter 100: Blessing in Disguise (13)

The old man said, "I am a blacksmith. I insisted I couldn't work while under the influence of opium... That's how I survived."

The old man continued telling the story. The marquis seemed moderately convinced. Though he had discerned that the old man wasn't an addict, he didn't show much interest.

The old man resumed guiding the marquis into the lord's inner castle. The gates of the inner castle were wide open. Panicked officials rushed out, bowing their heads. Before entering the open space, the marquis suddenly halted.

Did he sense a trap?

The marquis reached into his saddlebag, and the people standing nearby flinched.

Rustle.

However, nothing violent occurred. What the marquis pulled out wasn't a weapon but a firework with a long fuse attached to it.

A signal flare?

The marquis gently tugged the string at the end.

Fwoosh!

The fuse ignited, burning quickly.

Fweee!

The fireworks shot swiftly into the sky.

Bang! Bang!

Blue streaks spread across the darkening evening sky.

This is...

It was reminiscent of something I had seen before. When surrounded by T&T's inner circle, Rena had used similar fireworks.

Who is he calling?

With an expressionless face, the marquis proceeded into the lavish inner castle after launching the flare.

I recalled the lord's corpse, his face brutally smashed by the guard captain's hammer in their battle.

[Accounting Lv. 1 activated!]

My newly absorbed skill from the imperial knight activated. I surveyed the scene before me that was something no honest administration could afford.

They've embezzled an enormous amount.

The money from selling travelers like Rubia had likely been used for this opulence. A cold fury boiled in my bones as I glanced at the people around me. The men bowing and opening doors trembled visibly.

Administrators.

These were individuals who had actively cooperated or passively enabled the corruption. Even with just Lv. 1 Accounting skills, their guilt was apparent. They must have been far more adept at hiding it.

Too caught up in the chaos to flee?

They were undoubtedly complicit in heinous crimes through their collaboration. The marquis didn't lift a finger, nor did he release any killing intent, as he had with the guards. Yet, not a single person inside the castle dared to move freely. Even by merely standing still, the marquis filled the inner castle with an oppressive aura, like a thick fog. It was palpable—a formless energy emanating toward the administrators.

"

Ugh... Uhh...

"

Thud.

Within mere seconds of the energy spreading, one man collapsed and fell unconscious. The marquis stopped the energy flow as if that had been the signal. The administrators didn't even check on their fallen colleague. Sweat drenched their skin despite not experiencing any physical torture.

I could faintly sense the marquis retracting his energy.

So this is another way to use qi...

It looked as if a few more seconds of that would have stopped the administrators’ hearts while they stood.

The marquis said in a low voice, "Documents."

"Yes! Yes!"

"All of them."

"Understood!"

The frozen men scrambled to gather documents as if begging for their lives. Those unable to breathe under the oppressive aura trembled as they crawled on all fours toward the study. It took them over ten minutes to stand upright.

"These are the lord's ledgers!"

"This is the opium cultivation log!"

"These are the human trafficking records!"

The marquis quickly skimmed through the documents. He flipped through them and only glanced at the table of contents.

"You've been busy. The imperial seal might have made things convenient, but..." the marquis said, surveying the administrators. "There are too many missing links..."

The men trembled violently. They seemed clueless about what the missing links might be.

Of course, they wouldn't know.

The administrators of Yublam couldn't possibly know about the emperor's assassination. Even handing the emperor's seal to the guard captain had happened barely an hour ago.

To them, it must have felt like a bolt from the blue. From their perspective, it would seem like divine punishment. They probably thought that the Empire had sent this man as retribution for Yublam's myriad sins.

"Speak," the marquis ordered.

Perhaps for that reason, the administrators began confessing the evil deeds of the lord and the guard captain in meticulous detail. It was as if they believed this was what the marquis wanted to hear. They had no room to calculate what to hide or reveal.

One administrator pointed at a spot on the map. "The opium cultivation cave is here! It has been converted into a greenhouse."

For security reasons, the map bore no markings, but the confessions flowed easily.

The man gulped before adding details. "Cross the stream and go three kilometers through the thicket! The cave entrance is hidden within the bushes."

Another chimed in. "We deliberately planted more weeds, so it's an unusually overgrown area. There are three guards posted there."

The marquis glanced at the map. I also looked at it. I had a clear view from my perch on the lord's chair.

I'll remember this.

This was information that could prove useful later. It wasn't easy to acquire, so there was no harm in paying attention.

"If you plan to burn it, lighting a fire here will spread the flames inward!"

The other administrators eagerly added more details, pointing out other spots on the map.

"This is where the guard captain buried silver bars. I know because I managed it."

"There's another stash here!"

Three hidden treasure locations were revealed, each unbeknownst to the other administrators.

An administrator with a sinister appearance said, "There's a special room beneath the castle. It's used to lock up those addicted to opium after withdrawal, leaving them to convulse from withdrawal symptoms in iron cages for spectators to watch."

That administrator’s eyes were sunken, and he looked fatigued. Sounds of gulping came from all around. Most of the men didn't seem to have known about this.

Finally, the youngest administrator pointed at a section of the map and explained, "This is... the spider den. Those who resist are dragged here and fed alive to the spiders."

This piece of information appeared to be common knowledge, as everyone nodded slightly. However, his next words left their eyes wide open.

"A few days ago, my father was also taken there. I went inside the den, hoping to recover his remains..."

The others stared at him as if he were insane. Some murmured, wondering how he had returned unscathed.

The young administrator continued, "But there wasn't a single spider left. They were all burned to crisps."

The marquis muttered softly, "Burned to crisps..."

The marquis' expression turned pensive, and he removed the gag from the guard captain.

Thud.

A grotesque hiccuping sound mixed with blood, spit, and broken teeth erupted from his mouth.

"

Hic... cough... ugh!

"

It seemed the marquis had already infiltrated the captain's nerves with qi during the journey. The captain trembled uncontrollably with sweat and blood pouring down like rain.

"Is it true?" the marquis asked.

The guard captain nodded spasmodically. He stammered out a story about capturing the rebels and spiders, only to find out that someone had already burned everything down.

At that moment, the old blacksmith stepped forward.

Thud.

The old blacksmith said, "I'll explain. At my house, I had a liquid weapon that could ignite with just a splash..."

The marquis showed a faint interest. "The Fire of Grassmere?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"You made it?"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"Impressive. They say even master craftsmen rarely manage to make one in their lifetime."

"I was lucky. I hid the one I had very carefully... but a few days ago, it was stolen."

"Stolen?"

"Yes. I don't know who the thief was. I couldn't even suspect anyone, which left me uneasy."

Hearing this, I muttered internally,

I’m sure of it.

There was no doubt that Rena had been here. It couldn't have been anyone else. She must have snuck into the castle and stolen The Fire of Grassmere. I had precisely informed her of the old man's location and where the fire was hidden.

She used the information well.

Rena had successfully conquered the spider dungeon alone.

She did it.

For a moment, I forgot my current predicament. Rena would continue to do better after perfectly executing the first step. She must have realized the accuracy of my information during her dungeon raid. With what I provided, she could push forward into the world. In this violent, greed-driven world, I sincerely hoped she could live the way she wanted.

Just as I began to feel some relief, the marquis furrowed his brow slightly.

"

Hmm...

"

A wave of tension gripped me as the worst-case scenario played in my head.

He's not going to chase her, is he?

If the marquis decided to chase her, she wouldn't be able to escape no matter how much Rena had grown. He would inevitably catch her. This was the man who traversed the maze I mastered over three years in a single attempt. His tracking abilities were unimaginable, and his combat prowess was beyond question.

I have to stop him.

Thinking of what had happened to me and the bald guard captain, I resolved to prevent Rena from enduring the same fate. This time, I didn't want to interfere with her life in any way. I just wanted to help her.

Clatter!

I moved to draw attention. The marquis glanced at me with an expression that seemed to ask, "What now?

"

Ignore the spider dungeon. Please just let it go.

At that moment, the door to the inner castle swung wide open.

Creak.

Knights clad in armor similar to the marquis’ entered confidently. Their steps were as light as feathers, as if they were wearing cloth rather than steel full-plate armor.

There were only seven of them, yet the entire inner castle seemed to fall under their command as soon as they entered. They stopped precisely ten steps before the marquis.

Clank.

In unison, all seven knelt on one knee, placing their fists over their hearts.

"We, the Seven of the Blue Lion Knights, salute you, Master."

"You're quick."

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Our garrison is in Dovencarte, but we happened to be patrolling nearby. It is an honor to answer your summons first."

"Good. Do you hold any rank?"

The knight who had spoken first raised his hand. "Knight Merek Abenbic. I hold the rank of tenth-grade left chief."

[Imperial Etiquette Lv. 1 activated!]

The title of left chief referred to the ninth rank of the Empire's twenty-tier hierarchy. It was a rank fully suitable for managing a rural lordship.

The marquis said, "Good. Left Chief Merek Abenbic, I entrust Yublam to you. Handle the security void and..."

He glanced at the administrators. "Investigate them, and execute sentences according to their crimes."

The administrators' faces turned deathly pale. Some trembled so violently that they collapsed to the ground.

"I will carry out the master's orders."

"You may exercise discretion in reducing sentences for those who cooperate with the investigation."

"By your command."

A glimmer of hope flickered across the administrators’ faces as they had been on the verge of collapse.

The marquis turned his gaze to the map.

"The opium den and spider dungeon..."

Please.

All my nerves tensed as he continued.

"...shall also be entrusted to Left Chief Merek."

Phew.

The stiffness in my bones slowly eased. For now, it seemed the monster wouldn't be chasing Rena. The marquis turned to the administrator with a grim face.

"You said there's a prison beneath the castle?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Lead the way."

Step.

The marquis headed toward the underground prison. He brought me along as though he couldn't leave me behind. The dark corridor reeked of blood and disinfectant. Hoarse screams painted the air. Desperate voices pleaded to give up their eyes or hearts for just one more hit of opium.

The marquis swept his gaze across the prison with an indifferent expression. Then, he casually placed his hand on the guard captain's bald head. A crackling energy seeped into the captain's skull, scratching his nerves. The captain convulsed violently. The gag was already removed.

Without being asked anything, the bald man confessed his sins endlessly. He begged to die as if that was the only way to end his suffering.

Aside from his inability to speak properly due to his missing teeth, their conversation followed a consistent pattern.

"Those completely lost are thrown into the opium den—"

"Next."

"We cut off their limbs and—"

"Next."

The marquis seemed dissatisfied with every answer. He dismissed the information with a mere "Next" each time, uninterested in anything the captain revealed.

But there wasn't much new to learn. Even the confessions failed to provide what the marquis sought.

Of course.

The guard captain had nothing to do with the emperor's assassination. The only one who knew the full story was me. If the marquis was curious,

Maybe he should reattach my jaw first.

My lower jaw felt conspicuously empty, having been ripped off by the marquis. I couldn't even clench my teeth. Not that I intended to reveal anything, even if he did reattach it. I'd only consider speaking when I was certain I could escape from him.

"Next. Next."

The marquis repeated the word over and over, enduring a barrage of useless confessions. The guard captain even divulged stories of bullying a child and committing assaults during his youth.

As much blood poured from his body as secrets spilled from his mouth. There were no wounds from weapons—only the pure agony of his torment caused blood to drip from his eyes and ears.

"

Haa.

"

After some time, the marquis let out a short, heavy sigh, seemingly having decided there was nothing more to hear. The screams of those writhing in withdrawal from opium and the captain's choked gasps formed a bizarre harmony in the prison.

Finally, the marquis pointed at me with a finger and asked the captain one last question. "You really don't know anything about him?"

"

Keeek... Hiiiic...

I-I don't... know!"

Of course, he doesn't.

The marquis's expression soured with genuine irritation. He ceased the torture and turned to the administrator standing nearby.

"Bring me a lump of opium."

"Y-yes, sir! Here it is!"

The administrator opened a box in the corner, retrieving a lump of black opium. The marquis shoved the entire lump into the captain's trembling mouth. There were no teeth to get in the way. Swallowing the lethal dose of opium, the captain began spewing blood even from his nose.

"He'll live for about thirty minutes," the marquis assessed.

Then he bent the iron bars confining the opium addicts.

Creak, creak.

Though the bars were iron, they crumpled like clay, unable to resist. The marquis threw the guard captain through the gap.

"

Eeeek... Eeek!

"

The addicts' eyes rolled back, and they pounced on the captain. They clawed at his stomach, tearing into his flesh and ripping apart his innards in a frenzy to claim even a morsel of the opium he had swallowed.

"

Ugh... ack! Aaahhh!"

The prison turned into a scene resembling a dying fire being fed kindling. Instead of sparks, blood and entrails flew into the air. The administrator collapsed to the ground, trembling violently.

The marquis left with a bored expression.

I didn't spare a thought for the captain's soul. I had no room for such luxuries; my mind was consumed with plans to escape the marquis.