Chapter 267 - 115: Since You’re Here! Welcome to the Black Dungeon

Chapter 267: Chapter 115: Since You’re Here! Welcome to the Black Dungeon

The officer turned his head and glanced at the Priest. He didn’t say a word, but suddenly snapped his whip toward Fritz’s cell once more!

CRACK!

"AHHH—! Why me again?!" Fritz was on the verge of a breakdown, the pain causing him to curl into a ball in the corner. "He was the one who asked! Whip him!"

The officer snorted. "Because I can. Got a problem with that?"

From another cell, a Holy Knight inquisitor spoke in a grave tone, "You can’t keep us locked up like this. The military and the Tribunal will notice something is amiss sooner or later, and they will take action. This won’t do Lord Lynch any good either. Please, you must deliver a message..."

CRACK!

The whip cracked against Fritz’s body yet again.

"AHHHHH—! WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!" Fritz’s agonized wail echoed through the dungeon.

"Our master will deal with you when he’s done with his business," the officer said, putting away his whip and waving a dismissive hand. "Just wait quietly! Any more nonsense, and everyone’s rations will be halved tomorrow."

With that, he led the two Black Corpses that had delivered the meal out of the dungeon without a backward glance.

The heavy iron door clanged shut once more.

The dungeon instantly fell into a dead silence.

After a long moment, a low voice, thick with suppressed rage, sounded from a dark corner. "...Fuck!"

The speaker was the Tier Four guard captain.

His injuries were severe and his voice was weak, but his tone was filled with bitter resentment.

"If it wasn’t for some overconfident fool... Did he really think he could throw his weight around everywhere just because of his family name? He should’ve looked at where he was! This is the border, a military-controlled zone! These people earned their status through blood and battle. They have soldiers and territory. Why the hell would they just surrender meekly because of a few words from him?"

"Exactly. ’Kill them on sight,’ he said. Tsk. Look who ended up being the prisoner."

"And he dragged us down to suffer with him!"

"The House of Hohenzollern? Heh. Here in Red Ridge Mountain, a big name isn’t worth a damn!"

Days of imprisonment, terrible treatment, and the fear of an uncertain future finally made these normally restrained officers of the North Wind Legion snap, unleashing their resentment on the one who caused it all.

"Enough!" the Holy Priest shouted, his face etched with exhaustion. "What’s the use of blaming each other now? The Holy Light Church and the North Wind Legion’s high command won’t just stand by. Let’s all just wait patiently for now... Lynch is holding us to leverage some benefit or to make a point. He won’t actually kill us... I hope."

He spoke the last two words with little confidence.

The dungeon fell silent again, the only sound the occasional, suppressed sob from Fritz.

*****

「At that very moment, at the Lakefront Town Griffin Station.」

Two majestic Griffins folded their broad wings, descending smoothly with a whoosh of air.

Once the Griffins had touched down on all fours and stood firm, two figures—one tall, one shorter—leaped from their backs.

The taller of the two was a middle-aged man clad in a deep blue Mage Robe with silver trim.

He appeared to be in his forties, with scholarly features and a tranquil demeanor. His sapphire-blue eyes were as deep as a frozen lake.

Following him was a young woman of about seventeen or eighteen.

She wore a form-fitting, sky-blue Mage Robe that accentuated her slender frame. Her long, ice-blue hair was draped casually over her shoulders, and her delicate features held a cold indifference that warned others to keep their distance.

However, unlike the middle-aged man, whose Mana was so perfectly contained that it showed almost no fluctuation, a faint aura of cold air swirled around her. As she walked, she even left a thin layer of frost in her wake.

It was a good thing the Griffin’s hide was exceptionally thick and resistant to the cold. Otherwise, the creature would have been thoroughly frozen during the flight.

"Thank you. We appreciate your efforts." The middle-aged Mage spoke gently to the Griffin handler, handing him a few Gold Coins. "Please see to them. Give them some fresh meat."

The handler accepted the Gold Coins, his face full of reverence. "Yes, Lord Edmund. You can rest assured."

This handler had a military background, so he naturally recognized the man before him.

This was none other than the Chief Magic Consultant of the North Wind Legion, the Tier Seven Peak archmage, "Frost Master" Edmund Frost.

After leaving instructions with the Griffin handler, Edmund led the young woman down the mountain path toward the center of town.

As they walked, Edmund didn’t miss the opportunity to instruct her. "Eleanor, you must learn to control the Elemental Mana within you, not be controlled by it. You see? The ground frosts over where you walk. This proves your control over your power is far from perfect."

Eleanor furrowed her delicate brow in frustration, her very breath crystallizing into tiny shards of ice. "Grandfather, I know. But ever since I absorbed that fragment of the [Eternal Freeze Core] in the Secret Realm, my advancement has been irrepressible. My Mana growth is almost out of control... I really am trying my best to control it."

"You simply lack true tempering," Edmund said, shaking his head, though his eyes held a hint of affection. "You’ve grown up sheltered by the family and in the simple environment of the academy. You have the realm and the power, but you lack the refinement that comes from experience and the tempering of real combat."

"That’s why I brought you to Red Ridge Mountain this time. I want you to see what the frontier is really like, to encounter... different kinds of people and situations."

Talking as they went, the pair soon entered Lakefront Town and made their way onto its bustling streets.

Unlike the tension and hostility Fritz and his group had provoked upon their arrival, the townspeople merely cast curious glances at these two Mages. They noted their extraordinary aura, but also their gentle demeanor.