“It felt like I was dying from frustration.”
With Serilda’s help, Sena managed to loosen the blindfold that covered his eyes.
Although his hands and feet were still bound, he could see much better now.
As he looked at Serilda with a bright expression, his face quickly hardened.
It was a mess. Lips chapped; maid’s uniform dirtied.
“Why did you come to save me?”
“First, give me your arm.”
He grasped Serilda’s thin wrist in his hand.
‘Just a minor scratch.’
But Sena was angry. Tormenting a defenseless maid?
In Sena’s mind, judgment had already been passed on those responsible.
“Sena-nim, you shouldn’t be here. Why did you… why didn’t you just ignore someone like me?”
“I couldn’t. I was worried.”
“Who risks their life for a maid…!”
Tears welled up in Serilda’s eyes.
“Are you really that foolish…?”
‘Can’t you be a bit more sincere?’
Sena merely smiled awkwardly.
He wished he had appeared more reliable.
“Let’s go now.”
“It’s impossible.”
Serilda buried her face between her knees.
“This room is all obsidian. The handcuffs on your arms and ankles are the same.”
Obsidian was a stone that blocked magic and divine power.
It was like poison to wizards and deadly to priests.
“Jack is thorough. Once he catches prey, there’s no escape. There’s no point in trying.”
Sena grinned.
“Don’t worry.”
“…Yes?”
“I didn’t come here without a plan.”
Clang!
The shackles binding Sena were severed. At least 5cm of them were clearly cut off.
“What…?”
Serilda couldn’t believe it. Obsidian wasn’t something that could be cut so easily, and if the shackles were that size, breaking them with strength was impossible.
“I also called in a favor.”
Sena lightly stretched and then grabbed the lattice made of obsidian with his hand.
And then…
Crack!
The cell bars shattered into pieces like tofu.
“…!”
“I’m not that weak either.”
Apologies filled his unfamiliar world.
Sena called that ‘medicine’, but in reality, its original use was elsewhere.
Understanding the structure of what he touched and the ability to manipulate it as desired.
In short, he could ‘cut’ anything with just a thought.
He only used the ability to ‘kill people’ for ‘saving people’.
After all, isn’t the person using the tool more important? There’s no such thing as a perfect knife like a surgeon’s scalpel for cutting human flesh.
Sena narrowed his eyes and held out his hand.
“Let’s go, Serilda. Her Majesty will be angry if we’re late.”
**
‘What’s going on?’
Perplexed, Serilda followed Sena. A silver-haired youth. Undoubtedly handsome, but honestly not very strong.
“It’s surprisingly empty here, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah. There were a lot more until I arrived.”
The underground prison was empty. Sena looked around and approached a wooden table.
Crack!
He casually cut the table and picked up a piece of wood.
“But we should still take a weapon just in case.”
‘…A weapon?’
It looked too meager to be called a weapon compared to the rock-like axe Jack always carried.
“By any chance, do you know the strength of this group’s forces?”
“Yes, yes. They’re famous in the slums.”
“…Surely, they’re not called ‘Labella’, right?”
When Sena asked seriously, Serilda gasped and shook her head.
“No way. They’re not that impressive. Just a newly established power in the slums.”
“Ah, they were withdrawing from the slums.”
“…Yes. So usually, they’re just a bunch of troublemakers.”
Serilda thought of a man. A man with a scar on his face.
“Jack. That guy is different. There are rumors that he can even defeat knights, so be careful.”
“Okay.”
Sena took the lead up the underground stairs. Gradually, sunlight began to filter in. He was honestly relieved that there weren’t too many people around.
But as expected, life doesn’t always go as planned. Sweaty and panting, Sena came face to face with Jack, who looked like he had just come from a revelry.
“Uh…”
Sena scratched his head nervously.
“Can’t we just let this slide?”
“Nonsense.”
Jack smirked, his massive axe held in his right hand. Just a brush against it felt like it could shatter bones.
“The situation has changed. Just come quietly, and I’ll spare your life.”
’20 points.’
From a kidnapping pro’s perspective, Jack’s line scored a 20. It couldn’t get any higher.
“Serilda, stick to the right wall.”
Of course, Sena had no intention of complying with Jack’s offer.
Sena aimed a piece of wood at Jack.
“…What are you doing?”
Jack chuckled.
“What can you do with a piece of wood like that?”
“Excuse me. This is the weapon responsible for more human deaths than any other.”
Jack sighed heavily as he trudged down the stairs.
“Listen. I’m in a really bad mood right now.”
“Huh?”
“I’m coming from being betrayed by someone I trusted.”
“…Ah, that must be tough.”
“I respected that idol, only to end up with scars on my eyes like this.”
Jack gestured towards the long scar around his eye.
Now Sena understood. That scar reminded him of someone.
Isabella, the boss of Labella.
“But… Do you know what she said to me?”
‘Is Isabella here?’
To be honest, Jack’s words were hard to follow. He seemed a bit unhinged.
But contextually, it seemed like Isabella was here.
Could it be that the boss of the resistance with a 50 million gold bounty on her head had come here?
“She told me I have no talent! She even said I shouldn’t dream of joining Labella!”
Jack raged as he sharpened his axe. Sena snapped out of his reverie. It was time to offer some comfort.
Jack swung his axe upwards towards Sena.
“Does this look like the work of someone untalented? I was a prodigy who killed a knight at age 10! There’s no way I don’t have talent!”
“…A prodigy?”
“Yeah, a prodigy!”
Jack roared like a beast. But seeing Sena’s cloudy eyes, his pupils shook as if in shock.
“W-wait, do you think the same way? That I’m not a prodigy?”
“I know only one prodigy. Sorry. You don’t seem…”
Sena poised the wooden piece menacingly.
“This seems sufficient.”
“Aaaah!”
Jack screamed as he swung his axe.
Crash!
The low ceiling of the stairs was sliced through by his axe, rushing towards Sena.
Monstrous strength. But…
‘You shouldn’t exert that much force on stairs. Doesn’t he know about the laws of physics?’
Sena took a step diagonally to the right, then leaned forward and tapped Jack’s knee from behind.
“Ugh.”
Jack staggered, trying not to fall. Sena pushed him away with the piece of wood.
Thud!
Jack tumbled down below. The screams grew fainter.
‘Ouch, that must hurt.’
“Sena, are you…?”
“Yeah?”
Serilda swallowed dryly.
The duel moments ago had left her palms sweating.
And that nonchalant expression.
There was no doubt.
“Sena, are you… a Sword Master?”
Sena’s body swayed.
‘You surely don’t believe Jack’s skills are exaggerated…!’
Indeed.
Sena hailed from the slums.
Therefore, he knew. Tales like defeating knights, just like “Jack the Swordsman”, were common brags among slum thugs.
Most of their skills were exaggerated…!
**
In the end, Astria had to force herself to come.
Arriving where Sena was waiting, her mood was far from good.
It was because she was facing an unwelcome adversary.
“Your Majesty, what brings you here?”
An attitude that even dared to be disrespectful in front of the Empress.
A woman with charred skin, a sturdy body, and a spear held in her right hand.
A woman with a striking black eye patch.
Isabella, the leader of Labella.
“Chris, since when has the Empress’s garden been crawling with cockroaches?”
“To a Knight Commander I haven’t seen in a long time, I have no words.”
Isabella walked towards Astria while observing her sitting in a wheelchair.
But before long, when Chris stepped forward and placed his hand on his sword, she stopped.
“Oh, I heard you were about to die, but seeing you quite intact, I guess rumors are unreliable after all.”
“I met a skilled healer. But, Your Majesty looks like someone who’s about to die.”
Astria’s brow furrowed at the clearly mocking tone.
“I should have killed you then.”
“After a long time, feeling the Empress’s presence, my right eye stings. I want to kill you right now.”
“How insolent.”
Chris spoke calmly as he drew his sword halfway.
Isabella smirked.
“If you’re so confident, draw it, Chris. But the moment you do, I’ll have to attack the powerless Empress in front of me.”
Chris had no choice but to sheathe his sword.
Isabella, also the head of the Royal Knights, was a skilled individual within the Empire.
When self-loathing overwhelmed her,
Astria spoke arrogantly.
“Try it.”
Between Isabella and Astria, an unusual tension filled the air.
In a tense moment,
-Se… Sena?
-Quiet! Stay hidden!
All three turned their heads simultaneously at the sound of hushed voices.
Stairs leading down to the underground prison.
Two rabbits peeked out, staring in their direction.
“…”
“…”
Suddenly, everything seemed trivial.
Isabella smiled wryly, adopting a knightly manner towards Astria.
“We’re leaving for today. In the first place, I only came to listen to my benefactor’s personal request.”
“I don’t particularly care right now.”
“You’re always so stubborn. Well then, until the next time we meet. My only wish is to defeat a perfect Empress.”
Isabella glanced at the bewildered Sena.
“…I’ll heal myself without you having to say it.”
Astria said sharply.
“Get rid of those dirty eyes. He’s my personal physician.”
“I’m sorry, but Sena wrote the letter to me, not to Your Majesty. It’s obvious who he trusts, isn’t it?”
Isabella chuckled knowingly.
Astria was visibly irritated, her hand trembling slightly.
Nevertheless, Isabella waved to Sena and shouted loudly.
“Sena!”
“Whenever you need us like today, find us. Labella is always with you.”
Isabella disappeared into the distance, saying what she had said when parting with Sena some time ago.
