Chapter 677: Prisoner

Asmodeus finally had his chance. After waiting for so long he could finally infiltrate Demon King Bael’s prison. The opportunity had not come easily, and he had no intention of wasting it.

He needed to reach a particular prisoner without alerting Bael or anyone loyal to him, which meant abandoning the methods he would normally use to get what he wanted.

For a Demon King, sneaking around like a common thief was an insult to his pride. Yet Asmodeus didn’t care about that. His objective was far more important than his dignity.

He couldn’t bribe the guards, either. Even if he had enough wealth to tempt them, any unusual movement within the prison might reach Bael’s ears. Nor could he simply walk through the entrance and demand to see a prisoner with his authority.

Bael would immediately question his motives, especially if he learned that Asmodeus was interested in someone who should have remained forgotten.

He couldn’t afford to raise Bael’s suspicions. Not yet.

Instead, Asmodeus relied on his advanced concealment magic and transformed himself into a small spider.

His presence dwindled until even a perceptive Demon would struggle to notice him. With eight tiny legs gripping the stone, he began crawling along the prison walls.

Bael’s prison was nothing like the dungeons used to contain ordinary criminals. It was a fortress designed to hold powerful Demons.

Thick black walls enclosed its corridors, reinforced by layers of ancient magic that suppressed the energy of anyone imprisoned within.

Iron doors stood at regular intervals, each marked with glowing runes that monitored the prisoners’ conditions and warned the guards of any disturbance.

The corridors were patrolled by heavily armed Demons, magical barriers covered the entrances to the deeper cells.

Some doors had multiple layers of protection, each designed to counter a different type of magic.

Even the air felt oppressive, saturated with enchantments that weakened intruders and made it difficult to conceal their presence.

For most Demons entering such a place without permission would be an impossible task. For Asmodeus, it was just tedious.

He crawled along the walls and slipped through narrow gaps between the stonework, avoiding the guards whenever they passed. Occasionally, he stopped beneath a torch or behind a carved pillar, allowing patrols to move past before continuing his journey.

His concealment magic kept his presence hidden, but he remained careful. He won’t take unnecessary risks.

Unfortunately, his information about the prisoner he sought was limited. He knew she was being held somewhere within Bael’s prison, but he didn’t know the exact location. He could only search the cells one by one, relying on what little he knew about her circumstances.

The search took far longer than he wanted. He passed numerous cells containing Demons of various shapes and sizes.

Asmodeus continued deeper into the prison.

He found no sign of her in the earlier cells. That left only the innermost section, where Bael kept the prisoners he considered especially dangerous or troublesome.

If she wasn’t among the others, then she was most likely there.

At last, Asmodeus reached the final cell.

He stopped on the wall beside its entrance and carefully examined the thick metal bars. Unlike the doors he had passed earlier, these bars were reinforced with several layers of enchantments.

Asmodeus peered through the bars. There she was.

A woman knelt in the darkness, her naked body held by heavy chains attached to her wrists, ankles, torso, breasts, and neck. The restraints dug into her skin, leaving deep wounds that continued to bleed.

Her head hung forward and her tangled hair concealed most of her face. Blood stained the floor beneath her, forming dark patches.

Her body was covered in bruises, cuts, and scars. She barely moved.

The sight made Asmodeus sigh. So this was what had become of Graemory.

Once known as Demon Duchess Graemory, she had been one of Clyde’s allies. But Bael eventually discovered her deception. Whatever precautions she had taken, they hadn’t been enough to escape his notice.

Now, the proud Demon Duchess was reduced to a broken prisoner, left to endure Bael’s cruelty in the depths of his fortress.

Asmodeus felt a flicker of sympathy, though it was difficult to say how much of it came from genuine concern and how much came from the inconvenience of seeing a useful ally in such a state.

He couldn’t afford to dwell on it.

The tiny spider slipped between the enchanted bars. His small form passed through the narrow gap without disturbing the magical restraints, and he crawled across the floor until he reached Graemory.

He stopped near her hand and released a thin stream of magical energy.

The energy spread gently through her body, stirring her consciousness without inflicting any further pain.

After several seconds, Graemory’s fingers twitched. Her head lifted slightly. Beneath the tangled strands of hair, her eyes opened halfway, dull and unfocused.

She stared at the tiny spider in front of her. "Who..." she croaked.

The spider’s body glowed faintly before Asmodeus allowed his voice to enter her mind.

"Asmodeus. I think Clyde is alive."

Graemory’s eyes widened slightly.

Asmodeus continued before she could respond. "I don’t have much time. I need your help to support him again. In exchange, I’ll help you."

For a moment, Graemory remained silent. The name Clyde stirred memories she would rather have buried.

She remembered the schemes, the danger, and the suffering that followed when her deception was exposed.

The loyalty she once felt toward him had been buried beneath the pain she endured.

She lowered her head again. "I... don’t want to know."

Asmodeus studied her in silence. He understood her reaction. After everything she had suffered, the last thing she wanted was to become entangled in Clyde’s affairs again.

But he hadn’t come all this way simply to leave her in chains.

A soft glow surrounded the spider as Asmodeus released another wave of magical energy. It flowed into Graemory’s body, easing the pain that tormented her and replenishing some of the energy she had lost.

Her breathing gradually steadied, and the tension in her battered body began to fade.

He was careful not to heal her wounds completely. It would attract unwanted attention. Asmodeus only restored enough of her strength to let her think clearly and endure her injuries without being overwhelmed by pain.

Graemory drew a shaky breath.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the pain receded, no longer drowning out her thoughts.

"Thank you..." she whispered.

Asmodeus crawled a little closer, his tiny legs tapping against the stone.

"Tell me, Graemory. Don’t you want revenge on Bael for what he has done to you?"

The question lingered in the darkness.

Graemory slowly raised her head. With the worst of her pain temporarily suppressed, her thoughts began to clear. Something else began to stir: Anger.

Her fingers curled against the stone floor. The chains rattled as she tried to straighten her back, and her bloodshot eyes hardened.

"I want... to take revenge..."

A smile formed within Asmodeus’s heart. That was enough.

Asmodeus glanced toward the corridor beyond the cell. He couldn’t remain here much longer. The longer he stayed, the greater the chance that someone would notice the disturbance.

"Good," he said. "Then we’re in agreement. Soon, we’ll begin again."

The tiny spider turned toward the bars.

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