The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 361: Voluntary (3)

[Our masters are Monte Donquixote! Madeline Usher! Hopps Reviadon!]

[Their true names are Chimera! Andrealphus! Phlorosya!]

[P-Please! I’ll say anything! Please stop! What else do you want to know!?]

Pedro, Isotrope, and Thomas shouted until their throats were hoarse.

Their desperate cries were enough to send shivers down the spine of any listener, yet Vikir remained unmoved, not a flicker of emotion on his face.

“I’m not curious about anything. I’m just enjoying myself.”

Vikir, with eerie precision, slowly twisted Pedro, Isotrope, and Thomas’s bodies with a grotesquely twisted iron spike.

And each time, they cried out miserably.

[No, please stop! Just kill us!]

Vikir’s torture techniques, making even demons plead and beg, were learned from the era of destruction.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Naturally, as Isabella, Banshee, Mozgus, and Lovebad were beings of the present era. It looked horrifying to them.

Vikir’s tortures were at a level that even Mozgus the inquisitor would dare not touch.

Mozgus himself would have gagged at Vikir’s torture methods and skills.

Eventually, Vikir washed the black blood splattered on his face.

Crash-

The disgusting scent of demon blood washed away in the cool seawater.

‘It was a productive time.’

He said so, but of course, torture wasn’t the only thing he did to relieve stress.

Pedro, Isotrope, and Thomas were aides to the top executives; they must have known a lot of information.

And through brutal torture, Vikir roughly obtained the information he wanted.

The information the demons whispered would surely become valuable groundwork someday.

… Thud!

Vikir roughly tossed the three battered demons onto the deck.

“Soak them in salt and store them in barrels. Since we’ve kept them alive, feed them every week. Mixing a few drops of human blood with alcohol should suffice.”

A clear command.

But among the people standing on the deck, there was no one who objected to his words.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Isabella, Banshee, Mozgus, and Lovebad were sweating coldly.

An inmate destined for Nouvellebag had just saved their lives. And during the escort for extradition, no less.

This was a scandal big enough to flip the empire upside down.

And with demons appearing en route, one couldn’t even fathom the extent of the aftermath.

And the protagonists of this major event, Isabella, Banshee, Mozgus, and Lovebad, couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

Isabella asked in a hushed voice, “…Where are we going now?”

With the night hound freed from the chains and bars, the answer was obvious.

He would surely flee to a distant place where he could never be caught.

…The problem was the means of escape.

If it were on land, it might be different, but here they were on the sea; they needed a boat to escape.

If the determined Swordmaster Vikir decided to seize a boat, the situation would become dire.

No matter how many of them there were, facing Vikir’s aura, akin to the black sun he displayed when subduing the three demons just now, they didn’t have the confidence.

Even if they outnumbered him, it would be meaningless; everyone on the boat would have to risk their lives.

…But Vikir’s response was unexpected.

“That’s not a question for the escort to answer.”

“…?”

“Obviously, we’re going to prison. We’re going to Nouvellebag.”

After finishing his words, Vikir casually turned around and went back inside the bars he had just broken out of.

His overly calm demeanor left Isabella, Banshee, Mozgus, and Lovebad dumbfounded.

Isabella, bewildered, asked, “Weren’t you supposed to seize this boat and escape?”

“No way. I have no intention of causing trouble to others.”

Vikir’s answer was both sensible and nonsensical.

The situation was unfolding in a completely unexpected direction.

* * *

Vikir had indeed kept his word.

He waited until Isabella, Banshee, Mozgus, and Lovebad’s mana had fully recovered and allowed the ship to reach its destination.

Thus, the ship managed to navigate through rough storms and waves, reaching the coordinates they had initially aimed for.

Kuooo…

Maelstrom. The giant whirlpool known as the “navel of the sea” was gaping open.

From the edge of the vessel, one could see the color of the sea turning black.

This was because it was a section where the depth of the water suddenly increased.

…Thud!

After anchoring the ship with dozens of anchors around the surrounding reefs, it finally stopped.

“It’s a whirlpool that only opens at midnight. It’s the middle gate to Nouvellebag,” Isabella said, to which Vikir nodded.

Nouvellebag, the worst prison, was deep below this whirlpool.

Naturally, prisoners were thrown into it alone, and as they descended to the depths where Nouvellebag lay, most succumbed to the pressure and suffocation, with only a handful enduring to be imprisoned there.

Vikir willingly entered the cylinder attached to the end of the ship.

The Iron Maiden.

A human-shaped coffin embossed with the face of a gentle, smiling woman with closed eyes.

Inside this terrifying structure were spikes made of orpharion alloy, and once a prisoner entered and the lid closed, numerous holes would pierce their body.

The spikes were strategically placed to avoid vital organs, maximizing pain.

As a result, the blood that filled the container would flow out through cracks near the maiden’s eyes, creating a spectacle as if she shed tears of blood for the prisoner’s demise.

Kuguguguk…

With newly adorned BDISSEM handcuffs, shackles, and chains, Vikir walked into the container himself.

Then, he turned to Isabella, Banshee, Mozgus, and Lovebad standing outside and said, “Could you please close the door?”

His calm tone, inappropriate for the situation, evoked extreme discomfort.

Despite Isabella, Banshee, Mozgus, and Lovebad having experience with numerous escort missions, they couldn’t help but shiver with an eerie sensation.

At that moment,

Banshee Professor, the escort of Morga, stepped forward.

“…Vikir, s-sir.”

“Yes?”

Vikir’s nonchalant response made Banshee flinch slightly.

However, he soon mustered the courage to speak up.

“I am a professor at the Colosseo Academy, and you are a student of the Colosseo Academy.”

“…”

“No matter what the current situation is, no matter what your identity may be, you are still my student.”

Banshee took a deep breath.

Then, in the same stubborn and assertive tone that was always heard in the halls of the Colosseo Academy, he continued:

“As your mentor, not as an escort or a bureaucrat, I will speak.”

Eventually, everyone was surprised by Banshee’s words, even Vikir.

“Run away.”

Isabella, Mozgus, and Lovebad turned to Banshee in astonishment.

But Banshee’s demeanor remained unchanged.

“Frankly, I’m still not very good at discerning good from evil. I don’t really understand demons or abyss tree. I never imagined I’d experience such confusion at an age where everything should be clear… But still, I’ve seen you throughout your time at the academy. You’re not a villain. That much is certain.”

“…”

“Nouvellebag is like hell itself. Once you enter, you can never return to the world. Sending a kind and brave young person like you to such a place is unthinkable.”

At that moment, there was someone who stepped forward to support Banshee.

It was Mozgus, the escort of Quovadis.

“I too have heard all the stories from Lady Dolores.”

“…”

“Honestly, I couldn’t fully accept Lady Dolores’s words about you being a demon hunter. As a priest, I simply couldn’t believe that demons were so prevalent in the human world. But after witnessing the true nature of the demons that were just in front of us, I now understand everything clearly. You must survive. Why did I only realize this now?” Mozgus chastised himself, pounding his head with his fist.

Beside him, Lovebad, the escort of Bourgeois, also stepped forward.

“Do you remember my cousin? Her name is Merelini Lovegood. She fell for you at first sight during the university league. She’s not eating food upon hearing that you, who are supposed to be a night hound, will be imprisoned in Nouvellebag.”

“…”

“As soon as I return, I’ll present the demons as evidence and request a retrial. So please, escape from here. It might be difficult during the escape, but if you could secretly meet my sister once, I would be truly grateful. I’ll take responsibility and erase your tracks, so don’t worry about the money.”

Banshee from Morg, Mozgus from Quovadis, and Lovebad from Bourgeois made a shocking declaration of rebellion.

Now, the only one left was Isabella from Baskerville.

“…”

Quietly, she lifted her head.

Her piercing gaze spread a sense of unease throughout the atmosphere.

“…Truth be told, I’ve been entrusted with another mission besides the empire’s escort mission.”

Isabella’s following words were astonishing.

“A top-secret order has come down from Baskerville. Kill everyone on the escort ship and help you escape.”

Upon hearing this, Banshee, Mozgus, and Lovebad all swallowed their breath in disbelief.

They couldn’t fathom why a figure as grand as a Countess would personally, and even after retiring from the Imperial Arrest Squad, come here. But now, they seemed to understand.

Moreover, Isabella had disguised a dozen or so core members of the Doberman Order as low-ranking crew members and stationed them in the hold, waiting for orders.

“Even if it means sinking the ship, there was a contingency plan. Vikir, there was an order from the patriarch to help you escape.”

So, Baskerville, even if it meant turning against the other six noble houses of the Empire and the royal family, had intended to protect Vikir.

Banshee, Mozgus, and Lovebad murmured with a sense of disappointment.

“We almost ended up being executed.”

“God…”

“Damn it, it’s always Baskerville. They’re like crazy hounds.”

Vikir himself also asked, seemingly surprised.

“Weren’t you telling me to commit suicide before?”

“That was said to conform to public perception. Besides, you’re not someone who would really commit suicide.”

Everyone, including Isabella, urged Vikir to flee.

Coincidentally, due to the fierce storm, all the crew members had retreated to the hold.

Since the demons were all confined in salt and trapped in cages, there were only four escort officials here who could witness Vikir’s final moments.

If all four of them testified, Vikir could avoid being trapped in Nouvellebag and return to the surface.

However.

“I refuse.”

Vikir casually ignored the urging to flee as if it were obvious.

Banshee asked incredulously.

“Don’t you know what Nouvellebag is? Being trapped there is more horrifying than death!”

Isabella, Mozgus, and Lovebad also nodded in disbelief.

But Vikir’s voice remained indifferent.

“I could have escaped anytime. What makes you think I silently awaited trial for?”

Nouvellebag. And Vikir, who quietly accepted over three thousand life sentences.

He merely chuckled dryly before the escort officials, who seemed utterly unable to comprehend the situation.

“I’ve been waiting for the trip to Nouvellebag for the past nineteen years.”