The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 394: The Worst Torture (5)

“……?”

His eyes rolled as if he couldn’t understand the noisy gibberish.

Vikir repeated himself.

“It’s about time the Queen saved you. Didn’t you hear? Or are you too dense?”

“I-I heard. I heard it.”

Sakkuth hurriedly responded.

Vikir clicked his tongue, watching him.

“Good, you heard. You fool.”

“You, you… You’re not suggesting I was about to betray the Queen, are you?”

“Shut it, you idiot. The Queen is still working to get you out of here. That’s why I’m here.”

Vikir berated him and left with a poker face.

“The moment the blue orb at the heart of the level ten construction zone explodes is the perfect timing. The plan was to activate it and get you out of here. If you hadn’t been so foolish, things would have gone smoothly.”

“Are you asking me to believe that? You could have heard my usual conversations and made up stories…”

“Don’t want to leave? You’ve been uncooperative since earlier.”

“…That’s not it but…”

“Then shut up and listen.”

Sakkuth closed his mouth, feeling unjust.

Vikir then loosened his collar slightly.

“I’m not telling you to trust me blindly.”

At the same time, Vikir showed him an item he had retrieved from Andromalius’s ring.

A blade with a white bottom, a black middle, and a red top, with spiral patterns.

This was fragments of the Winter Blade, Orwell.

It was a legendary sword that only allowed its wielder to hold its handle, once owned by Winston, the former principal of the Colosseo Academy.

His eyes widened at the sight of it.

“T-that’s the key to Nouvellebag’s main gate…! No way!?”

Vikir nodded quietly.

‘Queen’ who sent Sakkuth here, and ‘Orwell,’ the item she was fighting for.

A being imprisoned deep within Nouvellebag by Orca and Winston during the 47-person incident.

Vikir spoke, combining various keywords in his mind.

“Miss Ouroboros sent me here. To help you.”

“Oh… oh! Oh, Queen! You haven’t abandoned me! You remembered me…!”

“Shut up, fool. The guards might hear.”

Vikir pulled down his hat and raised his collar slightly.

Then his bare face was revealed, shocking him.

As Sakkuth swallowed the empty words, Vikir continued speaking.

“Didn’t I tell you? I had some hopes for you.”

Sakkuth’s mouth opened wide in a moment of realization. He recalled a previous conversation.

‘Escape from Nouvellebag? What nonsense is this…’

“Why do you think escape is impossible?”

“What?”

“Your thoughts don’t go beyond that? You might think you’ve been abandoned, but that’s not the case. It’s because I saw potential in you.”

“?”

“I’ve been watching you for the past two years. You might lack strength and determination, but your stubbornness and initiative appealed to me. Your loyalty is somewhat strong too.”

“Why all this nonsense from earlier?”

“You’ll find out soon. After I escape from here.”

With this recollection, Sakkuth opened his mouth with a crestfallen expression.

“S-So, from the beginning…?”

“That’s right. The Queen sent me here to test you. And you, in your own way, didn’t betray her by revealing information. That’s why I gave you a passing grade.”

Of course, it was all lies. Vikir had found the connection between Sakkuth and Sadi thanks to Decarabia’s testimony.

[Their blood smells similar, his and Sadi’s.]

After Vikir finished smoking the cigarette stained with Sakkuth’s blood, Decarabia was sure enough.

There were enough clues to speculate about who the ‘Queen’ was, the one who sent her subordinates here to rescue ‘that person,’ from Nouvellebag.

Vikir growled his words.

“I was planning to pull you out at the right time, but you had to make such a foolish mistake. And you even tried to sell me out to the guards?!”

“S-Sell you out!? Absolutely not!”

“I already know you tried to push me onto Souare. Lie to me again, and I’ll make sure you rot here forever.”

“Ughh!? I-I’m sorry. I-I didn’t, I had no idea about the identity of the Night Hound, I swear…”

Sakkuth recalled his past before being trapped here.

The Queen he served seemed to talk quite often about wanting to meet the ‘Night Hound.’ Maybe it wasn’t just about finding subordinates or allies.

“At that time, I just thought it was a talk about finding underlings or a partner… I was, I was too short-sighted.”

Sakkuth was completely overwhelmed by Vikir’s gaze. At the same time, an infinite trust and relief sparkled in his eyes.

“So, can I survive? Can I get out of here?” Sakkuth asked eagerly.

“There’s still a chance,” Vikir replied.

“H-How do I do that?”

“As I said. Activate the blue orb in Level ten and rescue ‘that person’ to get out.”

“Please instruct me!”

“Then from now on, follow my instructions diligently. Considering the trouble you caused today, I’d like to kick you out of the escape team… But…”

As Vikir revealed his discomfort, Sakkuth shrank, visibly nervous.

Eventually, Vikir noticed the procession of guards sneaking up behind Sakkuth.

“If you can handle the upcoming events smoothly, I’ll overlook it. Until the ‘incident’ happens, you need to behave like a model prisoner. Understand?”

“Y-Yes. I’ll do my best, even risking my life.”

“I’ll trust you once more. But if you cause trouble again, there will be no mercy.”

“Yes!”

“Good. For now, let yourself be arrested by the guards approaching from behind. Just make some noise and struggle a bit.”

“Yes! But if I get caught, will I be taken to solitary confinement? Or maybe even executed…”

“Be prepared for solitary. I can’t prevent that. You’ll have to go that far to escape. But if a death sentence is issued, it’ll expedite our escape plan. So don’t worry.”

Sakkuth nodded with bright eyes, relieved.

Suddenly, there was a shout, “Now! Attack!”

The thunderous sound echoed from behind. Simultaneously, guards, including Captain Bastille, rushed toward Sakkuth from behind.

“Gasp!? W-What’s this! When did they get here? I-I didn’t expect this! A-Aaaah!”

Sakkuth collapsed to the ground, acting so convincingly that it even made Vikir’s heart race with anxiety. Fortunately, the tense atmosphere prevented anyone from suspecting anything.

…Thump! …Grr! Thud! …Clang! …Clunk!

Sakkuth’s arms and legs were confined with BDISSEM restraints.

At that moment, as Sakkuth and Vikir’s eyes met…

Sakkuth winked at Vikir, smiling.

Vikir nodded dryly in response.

Before long, their faces returned to their usual demeanor.

Soon, even Vikir was surrounded by junior guards.

“Garam! Are you okay!?”

“Wow, smoking really suits you, man!”

“Huh? Why is your face covered in dirt? When did that happen?”

Vikir had managed to recreate the burnt marks on his face with the hot earth he had grabbed from the floor. The slight differences in the scars were masked by dirt, sulfur powder, and bloodstains.

The junior guards clustered around Garam, chattering excitedly for a while.

Then…

“…!”

The junior guards around Vikir suddenly cleared a path, and someone approached.

It was Kirko.

“…Um.”

Kirko slowly approached and stood in front of Vikir. Then, in a small voice, she asked, “Are you okay?”

“…”

“Your face… seems pretty badly injured…”

She hesitated, unable to take her eyes off Vikir’s face.

“It’s fine. Leave it, and it’ll heal.”

It was true. With Basilisk’s power, a burn like this would regenerate in an instant.

But Kirko, unaware of this fact, didn’t leave Vikir’s side.

“Just a moment.”

“….?”

Before Vikir could protest, Kirko took something out of her front pocket.

It was burn ointment.

“…It must’ve hurt.”

Kirko muttered absentmindedly. Then, without waiting for a response, she started applying the burn ointment to Vikir’s face, keeping her mouth shut.

Considering her usual cold and aloof demeanor, it was a surprisingly unexpected scene, leaving the junior guards around them astonished.

Meanwhile, Vikir was about to refuse the help but decided against it. There were more pressing matters at hand.

Vikir glanced over to see Sakkuth being dragged away by senior guards, presumably to solitary confinement.

“Listen up! You’re going to solitary for three months!”

“Solitary won’t be the end! After solitary, we’ll work you like a dog!”

“After that, you’ll be executed! Got it!?”

“I swear on my name! You’ll end up on the gallows for sure!”

The senior guards couldn’t hide their anger at Sakkuth’s foolish riot.

Justice always prevails. It was the natural consequence.

‘…Can’t hold out for long.’

Vikir grimaced in thought. He had never intended to let Sakkuth off lightly, not since he knew he was the culprit behind the “Red death” that had ravaged Ballaks and other tribal people. Even if Sakkuth endured torture and solitary confinement, Vikir had already planned the next steps. It didn’t matter.

He heard the mocking laughter of Decarabia from within his chest.

[Hehehe – Trying to calm the rebel prisoner with the futile hope of escape. Lies of the lowest order. Walking step by step towards death without even realizing you’re being deceived. Isn’t this the cruelest torture? Who’s the demon and who’s the demon hunter, I wonder.]

“Shut up.”

Vikir pretended to be annoyed and thumped his chest with his fist.

“Anyway, this should end the situation.”

The riot among the Level 8 inmates.

This recent disturbance, which could have escalated into a major disaster, was swiftly resolved thanks to the remarkable performance of a junior guard.

And then…

“Hey, guard.”

Vikir heard Captain Bastille, the chief supervisor of this operation, calling him from behind.

“You did well. Really well. I never knew I had such a capable subordinate under me. Why didn’t I recognize this talent before?”

As Captain Bastille praised him, patting his shoulder, Vikir could anticipate what would happen next from his words.

It was time for rewards and recognition.