#When I returned, my family was ruined (31)
Right after my conversation with Lawrence a few days ago.
Hans’s thoughts about resting comfortably in the castle were completely changed.
It was for this very reason that he was now imprisoned in a dungeon that was notorious even in the Barony.
It’s already been three days since I’ve been in this damn prison.
Now his face was extremely haggard, unlike three days ago.
It wasn’t just the face that changed.
Because my whole body was covered with all kinds of wounds.
‘Keuuuu…’
In his head, the conversation he had with Lawrence, whom he had met a few days ago, was playing over and over again.
“If things continue like this, Hans’ life will be in danger. “I’ll probably be dealt with without even a rat or a bird knowing.”
It was such a shocking statement.
While I was dumbfounded.
Lawrence continued speaking in a blunt tone.
“Did Cheyman really trust only the deacon and sit still and wait for news from the Baron?”
“….”
“I think there are 9 out of 10 cases where he was followed. He will want to check whether he is really trying to surrender to himself or whether it is the Archduke’s interference. “Unless he’s an idiot.”
When I heard that.
How much it sent shivers down my spine.
Hans instinctively realized this.
There was nothing wrong with what Lawrence said.
Chaiman is not a fool and would not send himself alone to wait for news.
“Let’s assume that Hans is being followed by someone with enough skill that he wouldn’t notice. “Have you already seen him come into my inner room?”
“You entered the inner castle through a small side door. “Since we didn’t go in head-on… how can we cover it up by saying we had help from collaborators?”
“well. Doubt is not an emotion that can be easily erased. If you, who said that you absolutely hate and despise the Archduke, saw yourself entering the maw of a tiger…” “
….”
There is no need to go into the inner palace to seek information.
All I had to do was secretly call one of the people working in Naeseong. A contradiction had already arisen.
At this moment, Chaiman’s suspicions must have begun to deepen.
Hans was in tears.
“Then… what should I do?”
“If you want to live, you must do as I say from now on. Only then will the count’s suspicions be lifted.”
As her words continued, Hans could not help but be astonished.
In short, it was a story about just rolling and rolling.
But there was no way to refuse.
In Hans’s opinion, he thought that doing something like that would allay the Count’s suspicions.
“I’m crazy… ugh… I can’t think of that simple principle!”
If it were normal, I would have suspected him of being followed at least once.
However, at that time, I was so conceited and had a sense of superiority that I had successfully deceived a high-ranking nobleman called the Count, that I could not even think of such elements.
That was why he was now imprisoned in the dungeon.
Soon the prison door opened.
It was Lawrence who opened the door and appeared.
“Are you comfortable staying in prison?”
“Ugh…do you think this is worth it?”
My body was getting chills from the cold that had seeped into my bones, and my eyes were puffy, probably because I hadn’t slept well for several days in a row.
The body and lips that had started to dry out were a bonus.
“I can’t help it. Only by spending time in a real prison will your appearance change. “Then shall we start today?”
Lawrence took out all the tools, including the whip, hanging inside the prison.
These were all tools that seemed to be extremely painful.
Hans’ eyes trembled at that sight.
It’s already been three days since I did this.
I really felt like I was going out of my mind.
“Please… please be gentle. “I’m really going to die like this!”
“I will never die at this level.”
“…How can you be sure of that! “Even now, I feel like I’m going to die!”
“I’ve done a lot.”
“But…”
“Are you going to keep treating me like this? Shall I just send you out as you wish?”
Only then did Hans become completely mute.
That could never happen.
In order to erase the count’s suspicions, it had to look like he had been pushed to the verge of ruin.
Lawrence lit an incense stick.
It was said to be a fragrance containing medicine to relieve pain, but it was questionable whether it really had that effect.
“Let’s begin.”
Lawrence, pulling the whip taut, struck his body.
The moment one more solid red line was added, Hans screamed inwardly.
No matter how much Lawrence took care of the situation, it wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t feel the pain at all.
This was especially true when it came to whipping.
“Off!”
“There are nine left.”
‘Ugh!’
After the whipping course, all kinds of torture came.
‘Is this… this is taking care of the situation?’
From the process of delicately extracting blood from inside the fingernails to the process of leaving bruises all over the body.
The whole process was incredibly painful. It is said that this is a process that is being carried out at an appropriate level so that there will be no aftereffects in the future.
Those words were almost unbelievable.
‘He’s really… a really scary person.’
You can’t believe you’re pushing your fellow ally like this!
The person who was torturing him right now in front of his eyes was definitely a madman.
‘I’m crazy, I’m crazy!’
A person like that would cry and quit his job after just a few days?
I feel like punching myself in the face for having such carefree thoughts a few days ago.
Because I was the one who was really crying and clinging to him.
After about three hours, Lawrence put down the tools.
Lawrence looked at Hans’ body and nodded in satisfaction.
“I think even the Count will have faith in me at this level.”
“Off….”
It was really like that.
If a person was pushed to this extent, he would not think of himself as being on the same side as the Archduke.
Even if they were on the same side, their appearance was so miserable that it made you think that they would change their minds overnight.
“There will be trouble in the dungeon tonight.”
“If it’s a disturbance….”
“It means the prisoners started a riot. In the process, Hans escapes the inner city with the help of collaborators he knew about in advance.”
“If that happens…”
“The person who was following Hans will probably reach out out of curiosity. “That person will also have a communication crystal ball, so you can contact the Count at that time.”
“…All right.”
That night.
There was a great commotion in the inner city.
News spread widely that people imprisoned in the dungeon had escaped, starting with fires being set everywhere.
Among the list of people who escaped, Hans’ name was also written.
Hans escaped from the castle in the middle of the night like a beggar.
“Come this way!”
“Who…who are you?”
“This is the Count’s article. I have been ordered to escort Hans. “Hurry this way!”
Hans was shocked.
As Lawrence said, Chaiman was really following him with an article.
‘Neither the mouse nor the bird would know….’
He almost got disposed of by that guy, Chayman. He ran to the driver with an urgent expression on his face.
“Please…please save me!”
“Please follow me.”
I went through the maze-like path with him. After running for a while, the two people stopped.
“Huh. “Huh.”
“Oh my…what on earth happened to you?”
In contrast to his worried tone, the knight’s eyes were shining sharply.
Hans, whose hands and feet were shaking, slowly revealed what he had experienced.
The story was that while trying to break into the castle with the help of a collaborator and obtain information, he was caught and locked in a dungeon.
Knight Lothern nodded when he heard that he had been brutally tortured.
Even from the perspective of a 5-star knight, Hans’ wounds looked very serious. There was no doubt that they had tortured him with the intention of killing him.
‘This is enough.’
Everything that was there will be gone in an instant. Even after being tortured so cruelly, there would be little chance that the author would follow the Archduke.
“Ethan… I will definitely… tear that damn bastard limb from limb!”
“Calm down. My physical condition is critical. First, after receiving treatment…”
“Whew. no. Even though my body was like this, I was able to obtain very important information. This is a matter that must be reported to the Count as soon as possible. “Do you… have a crystal ball?”
“yes. there is. What crystal ball did you originally have…?”
“It broke while being chased out of my castle.”
“okay. Please take it.”
The crystal ball given by the knight.
Through that, I contacted Count Chayman. It was only for a moment that he looked surprised when he saw Hans in such a miserable state.
“The plan was successful.”
At those words, Chayman began to focus on Hans’ words. As the details of the dungeon’s events flowed from Hans’ mouth, the Count’s eyes gradually grew bigger.
When all that was said was over.
-Good job. great job! You’ve had a lot of trouble!
A smile appeared on Chayman’s lips.
“…no. I was caught because I was inexperienced. “I’m sorry, Count.”
-Nope. If you hadn’t been kind to the people in the Barony, how could you have escaped like this? I’m so glad you came back alive. So…
“Please excuse me.”
―After you gather yourself, can you dig up more information about the Baron? This is something that requires your strong connections.
The inner city was tightly guarded. Even if you tried to recruit people who could spy on you, it wasn’t easy.
In such a situation, Hans, who had connections in the inner city, was a talented person who was like rain in a drought.
So much so that I can continue to use it for now.
“…If it helps Chaiman, of course I will.”
-haha. Thank you. Thank you. I’ll give you plenty of money for treatment, so make sure you get a blessing from the priests.
‘I lived.’
Hans sighed in relief.
If he didn’t trust himself, he wouldn’t have handed over money to get a priest’s blessing, which cost a lot of money.
He must have been thinking about using this more.
Hans shouted loudly.
“I will be loyal!”
It could be said that it was both the worst and the best day for Hans, as his irreplaceable life was saved.
* * *
Ethan looked at Sylvia.
“Hans?”
“It seems that the Count has also gained some suspicion. “He seemed to be moving around well.”
He nodded.
Hans was too good to lose in vain.
That was why I entrusted this task to Lawrence.
This incident must have been a great wake-up call, so we will not let our guard down in the future.
This was a life lesson learned very cheaply.
“I plan to vacate the territory for the next two months.”
“Do you have somewhere to go?”
“It appears.”
Ethan recalled what he had heard from Paulton last night.
“Grand Duke. Are you planning on moving to attack Baron Romenton?”
“maybe.”
“It may be true for one family, but from two, the response will be different. Although the Archduke is growing rapidly now, it could be dangerous.”
“so?”
“His Excellency the Marquis has contacted me. What the Archduke lacks is time. He said he could provide very useful help if you would wait for about two months.”
How to save time.
There is only one thing.
‘Elixir.’
If the Marquis had spoken so confidently, he wouldn’t have handed over a flimsy elixir.
“Wait.”
He nodded willingly.
‘Because I had something to do.’
Ethan looked at his great sword. It was a sword made of an appropriate level of steel.
Since my achievements have been low so far, I have been able to withstand the infusion of fire mana.
‘Even if we just enter the process of circulation.’
It was obvious that the sword body would slowly begin to melt.
This is especially true when using arcane sword techniques.
In order to destroy the collateral bastards, you had to have a sword that could be of use.
To make a good sword, of course you needed good metal.
A metal that is harder and lighter than steel and does not easily melt even at high temperatures.
I happened to know a place where you could get such metal.
‘There was a famous dungeon in the past.’
A dungeon located not far from Baron Kargath.
There you would be able to get the metal you wanted.
Get metal in the dungeon, craft a sword, then return and take the elixir.
The next plan had been decided.