I don’t understand what happened… when I got to this place…
I was in a dark room in front of a table with all my things… I’m literally in my underwear, but I guess they didn’t want to rob me, just kidnap me, since I’m shackled to the ceiling. But what bothers me most is that they took my gloves.
I wonder what I did to end up here…
“Silver-ranked adventurer, Ester the priest, we meet again.” I see an old, fat man in church clothing approaching me, but…
“Hey, who are you?” The man goes silent, giving me a blank stare before he gets angry.
“Seriously, after everything you did at the Rusthia royal palace… you don’t remember me?”
I squint my eyes and, with a surprised face, say, “Oh, yeah… now I remember you… you… how have you been?”
The man gets even angrier and, calmly, says, “I’m the man you met in the monster zone and who saw through your fake beard at the Rusthia palace.”
I interrupt him and say, “Oh, right, I remember… but I never knew who you were, and I didn’t recognize you with that stupid outfit.”
Darwin was wearing a suit specially made for the Saint of Rusthia, by request of the King of Rusthia. “My name is Darwin de Angelo, and I only wear this stupid suit because of you, after the disaster you caused… but it doesn’t matter anymore, just tell me where my companion is.”
With a smug face, I say, “You mean Princess Kharla Dante Rusthia? I don’t know her.” Darwin looks around, making sure no one else is listening to our conversation.
“How the hell do you know her true identity?”
I respond, “I’ve been traveling with her, and she told the leader of my team. You know, I suspect those two are having an affair.”
Darwin punches me in the stomach. “Stop talking nonsense. You’re just a criminal. We can’t take you to Rusthia for now, but we have good relations with this country. You’ll be locked up in the underground prison with the worst and most dangerous criminals. Now prepare for your punishment.”
Darwin left the room where I was being held against my will; Rusthia is clearly mad at me…
…
That night, I fell asleep while still shackled to the ceiling. I think I was tortured before waking up, but with my passive healing, I don’t know how much damage I actually took. I truly feel exhausted; I guess I must be low on vitality.
I wake up to the sound of boots and the characteristic clinking of armor when someone is running…
They were soldiers from the Kingdom of Dredprism… I suppose they’re here to put me under their custody at Darwin’s request…
With the shackles still on, they took me to a place called “The Underground Prison.” I’ve decided not to cause trouble until I see a chance to escape, so for now, I’m following the guards’ orders.
They took me blindfolded to the famous prison, and because of that, I have absolutely no idea where in the Dredprism capital I am.
The first thing they did was take me to the prison barber. I noticed that the man who was about to cut my hair was another prisoner since he was dressed differently than the guards and was quite a bit older.
I suppose even a prisoner in a maximum-security prison can work honestly.
It took about five minutes for him to cut my hair, and I personally liked the way he did it. I wanted to thank the man, but I decided to keep quiet since it wasn’t the right time to make friends…
After that, they took me to a room with a completely white wall, facing a large rectangular box. The man behind that box said, “Stay still until I say otherwise.”
I stayed still for about a minute, and from the box, a sheet dropped down, which they placed on the wall next to other images. I looked and saw it was a perfect portrait of me.
I ran up to see that portrait, which startled the guards a bit. “Hey, how did you make a portrait of me so quickly?” I asked the prison guard.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen a prisoner so excited over a photograph. Look, kid, this is an artifact made by the rune smiths of this country. It’s very expensive, so it’s used for important things like investigations, journalism, or in this case, identifying criminals.”
Wow, what an incredible artifact; if I could use it for something… I’d like to have a portrait with my friends.
For a moment, I thought of my former comrades, but then, in that mental picture, I included the rest of the people I’d made this journey to the capital with.
I think I already see them as part of my team. I hope we can all be together someday…
After that, they gave me the prison uniform to wear while I’m in this place. As I was getting dressed, I took the opportunity to steal a guard’s gloves. They were black and made of leather; they were a bit big on me, but having my hands bare was even more uncomfortable…
Once I was dressed in the prison uniform, they threw me into a yard with other criminals, and above us were guards watching us from a ceiling. We were like birds trapped in a cage, with some cats watching us from above.
I thought escaping from here would be difficult.
In the yard, I noticed cells around the perimeter with beds and bathrooms where the criminals lived, but it was in the yard where they socialized. And here I was, completely alone, among the most dangerous people in this country.
image [https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/081/848/039/large/duval-saul-erwrewrewre.jpg?1731405561]
All the criminals watched me as I entered the yard.
All eyes were on me, especially since I still had shackles on my hands. The bastards of the guards sent me here as easy prey for these criminals.
Then, interrupting my thoughts, I saw a two-meter-tall man full of muscles approaching me.
“What a cute boy, looking so adorable with his glasses and shackles.” His gang of prisoners laughed. I guess I’m fresh meat for the lions. I said nothing and kept eye contact with the man, though I think that only made him angrier.
“Kid, you look way too calm for the situation you’re in… This place isn’t a prison; it’s Danan’s house, and I’m Danan… You entered my house without permission; you know you have to pay for entering my house.”
Okay, I get it: they’re going to extort me, and if I don’t cooperate… they’ll beat, assault, kill, or do all three to me. I guess I’ll have to fight if I want to survive.
I’m surrounded by about ten criminals bigger than me. Their boss, Danan, wants my ass, and it’s not a metaphor… my degenerative magic is my best weapon. I won’t kill him, but I’ll make him writhe.
After Danan finished talking, he tried to put his hand on my shoulder.
Once he touched me, it was clear to me that whatever I did was in self-defense. My hands are tied, but I can use my feet.
I kick Danan in the face. The hit wasn’t anything extraordinary, but touching him allowed me to activate my “NERVOUS SYSTEM PARALYSIS.”
Danan is left writhing on the floor. The other prisoners surrounding me just stare at their boss on the ground.
“You son of a bitch, you’re dead.”
The prisoners all lunged at me. I managed to kick three of them, paralyzing them all after each kick.
But I stopped when I felt a sting at my waist. One of the criminals had stabbed me with a sharpened spoon. It hurt, but I punched him and paralyzed him too.
Of the ten men surrounding me, five of them are now writhing on the ground; the others stood still, staring at me.
I pulled the spoon out; it hurt a lot, and the prisoners watched in horror as my passive healing closed the spoon wound.
The guards were silently watching the fight but didn’t intervene. I guess they don’t care if I get killed; one of the guards on the ceiling even says…
“Prisoner Ester, don’t cause trouble on your first day. Your cell is number 7. If you behave, maybe we’ll take off those shackles one day.”
I suppose the guards were expecting me to get beaten up. Either way, I don’t care. I keep walking through the yard, leaving my paralysis on the ones who tried to hit me… they’ll stay like that for a few hours, but I don’t care; they can go to hell.
I walk to cell number 7. As I walk, everyone who was watching me looks away; I guess leaving Danan writhing on the ground served its purpose. Now they’ll think twice before attacking me.
I get to my cell and see there’s a bunk bed. On the top bed, someone seems to be sleeping, but I don’t care and lie down on the bottom bunk. I’m very tired and enjoy just lying down. I say to myself…
“Escaping from here will be hard. I wonder how my teammates are doing; I hope they don’t do anything stupid while I’m here.”
A voice interrupts my mumbling. “Shut up, you’re annoying me, keeping me from sleeping.”
The man comes down from his bed, and I immediately notice he’s not human: he has dark brown skin, red eyes, and arms covered in tattoos down to his hands… but on his hands, there are only four fingers with long, black nails like beast claws…
image [https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/081/848/037/large/duval-saul-rwerewrerewer.jpg?1731405557]
I look at my cellmate with a surprised expression and ask: “Are you a demon?” My cellmate smirks and says, “I could ask you the same; you don’t smell like the rest of the prisoners. Maybe you’re not a demon, but you’re not human either.
Anyway, we’re roommates. I’m half-demon; my mother was a soldier who fought in Amster… I guess something happened there because when she returned from the war, she was pregnant with me. She kept me away from prying eyes, but five years ago, she died from a strange illness, and I ended up alone. I admit I didn’t make the best choices and ended up here… and you, what did you do?”
Wow, that’s a pretty grim story. It made me feel guilty for asking. I just replied, “I attacked the royal palace of Rusthia and kidnapped a princess.”
The man starts laughing. “I guess we both have unusual stories. Anyway, now we’re together in this hole. I heard you thinking about escaping. It’s impossible… the knights watch us from above all the time, they even observe us while we crap. You can only get out of here if someone comes for you from the outside, and that won’t happen unless you have good friends.”
Interrupting our conversation, a guard says, “Prisoner Ester, you’re requested in the interrogation area.” Well, I guess I have more problems. I say goodbye to my cellmate, following the guard who guides me from the ceiling. I arrive at a room with only a chair and a window with many bars. On the other side, there’s a very young soldier with a face that looks familiar…
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Ester. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Richard Dante Rusthia.”
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The prince looked regal in silver armor with the Rusthia symbol on his chest, just like the soldiers who captured me, with an elegant red cape. I also noticed he carried a square combat shield on his back that seemed to be made of iron.
image [https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/081/848/035/large/duval-saul-egfgtre.jpg?1731405554]
I said, “Do you want something? Because I was really comfortable in my bed, and the soldiers from your country left me hanging by my hands all night, and I don’t really feel like dealing with royalty… and sorry for the damage to your castle… that was definitely my fault.”
The prince looks at me seriously and says, “Look, Mr. Ester, I’m not here to discuss any political matters. Everything we say is being overheard, so I hope you’re aware of that.”
Prince Richard subtly slides a paper into my hands through the bars.
I glance at the paper discreetly, take it, and hide it between my hands. The prince continues speaking: “I only came to ask you not to make a scene here, behave yourself. I’ll see you tomorrow to make sure you don’t do anything wrong.”
Without giving me a chance to respond, the prince leaves. Under the watchful eyes of the guards on the ceiling, I return to my cell and get into my bed. Once in bed, I cover myself with the blanket and see that on the paper the prince gave me, there’s a letter and a small piece of chalk. I read the following message…
...
“Ester, it’s Raiza. I know you’re in trouble, but stay calm; we’ll get you out of here. It’ll only take us a month at most. Kharla’s brother secured your things, so just be patient and don’t draw attention to yourself.”
Seriously, I’ll have to stay here an entire month…
I feel a bit angry since I wasn’t the only one responsible for the disaster in the palace… well, I did blow up the roof and possibly caused the deaths of many innocents…
Okay… I think I deserve this punishment…
Anyway…
I’ll have to get used to being surrounded by hostile people who want to kill me. I guess the chalk is to send a message on the back of the paper the prince gave me. I think I know what to write…
...
The next day, Richard came to see me again. I guess he was expecting a reply to the letter. The conversation was the same as yesterday, we only exchanged a few words to avoid alerting the guards; I handed him the paper and left.
On my way back to my cell, I saw many prisoners exercising with a set of weights, and I thought…
Well, I’ll be here for a month; I might as well use the time to work out.
...
...
...
A while back, the same day I was arrested, a man was finishing his training at the barracks in the capital.
The man was full of energy today, as he would finally see the woman of his dreams. He had always wanted to see her, but he couldn’t leave the capital since he was a special guest from a foreign country or a political prisoner. His sacrifice was for maintaining relations between two countries.
This man was Prince Richard Dante Rusthia. As a political prisoner, his actions were highly limited, but today was special.
Since childhood, Richard had always been alone. The only person who took care of him was his mother, one of the king of Rusthia’s concubines. At the age of 10, he was sent alone to the Dredprism Empire. He was well-treated by the people of the neighboring country, but he always felt alone...
Since his first night alone, he began having the same dream every night...
In the dream, he was always with the same woman: her white hair, her rosy skin, and the curious flowers on her head. After each night dreaming of her, he started falling more and more in love with her, and despite seeing her every night, it took him three years to ask who she was...
She introduced herself as the Dryad of the South, a wandering spirit of the forest. Both of them wanted to meet, but Richard couldn’t leave Dredprism since he was essentially a political prisoner. By this point, Richard was already 15 years old, but since a human’s life was so short from the perspective of a Dryad who could live for centuries or thousands of years, she feared losing that precious time with her beloved… she began a journey to reach him before it was too late...
...
What the Dryad didn’t know was that her powers were an obstacle for the demon king’s plans, so the Heralds of Amber blocked her path.
She had to spend five years hiding, moving slowly until she reached the city of Cuencas. She hid in the medicinal herb fields of the Abrahán company...
Until the company’s manager, Miss Fernnanda, noticed her presence, as her crops had been much more prosperous in recent years for no apparent reason.
Fernnanda thanked the Dryad for her help and wanted to assist her. The Dryad only asked for help to reach the capital of Dredprism. Fernnanda agreed to make a deal with the Dryad to get better crops in exchange for using her contacts with the mercenary guild, so the Dryad could travel as safely as possible...
It was an eight-year journey, an entire lifetime for a human child, but only a blink of an eye for a forest spirit… after such a long journey… today was the day of their long-awaited meeting...
...
That day, Richard Dante Rusthia followed his usual routine... he left the military barracks where he had been training. There, he noticed a luxurious carriage waiting for him.
Some guards who were guarding the carriage approached the prince, and after bowing, the soldiers exclaimed: “Prince Richard, we request a brief audience at the request of the saint of Rusthia.” Since the prince wasn’t very familiar with the events of his country, he didn’t ask any questions and entered the carriage...
He didn’t know the man in front of him, who wore an extravagant priest’s outfit.
“Hello, prince, I am Cardinal Darwin. I arrived in the capital yesterday and wanted to present my respects to you, your highness.” The rest of the conversation was tense, and the prince merely listened; what caught his attention was that the cardinal was there as a member of his false brother’s team and to clean the royal family’s honor.
None of this mattered to Richard, and he just wanted to end the conversation.
...
When the cardinal finished speaking, the prince was already tired of being with him. “Thank you for informing me personally about your mission, Cardinal Darwin. However, I am currently busy with a personal matter; I would like to resume this conversation another day.” Darwin thanked the prince for his time and left, allowing the prince to continue on his way.
...
Later that same day, the girl of his dreams would arrive in the capital of Dredprism, and it was his duty to receive her as she deserved. With a bouquet of flowers and his heart in his hand, the prince arrived at the mercenary guild to meet the Dryad...
He saw something very suspicious: he caught sight of the same carriage from the cardinal speeding away from the mercenary guild. The prince had a bad feeling and ran to see the Dryad.
Richard rushed into the guild so quickly that even the flowers he had lovingly carried were lost along the way... his troubled heart only relaxed when he saw the Dryad calmly sitting in the waiting room.
It was the first time they met in person, but they had known each other for a long time. Without saying a word, they approached, taking each other's hands, and then gave each other a tight hug.
A tear of happiness fell from the prince’s eye…
…
As they left the mercenary guild, they saw a crowd near the jewelry store. Some local merchants were arguing: "How is it possible that foreign soldiers arrest people on the streets of our country?" They were very upset about the presence of Rusthia soldiers...
"Yes, I saw them take away a priest. He was very young and wore glasses; he didn’t seem like someone dangerous to arrest without saying a word." "Maybe he didn’t seem dangerous, but I saw him leaving the mercenary guild; he must have been up to something."
Richard felt the Dryad's hand tighten around his at that moment.
…
The Dryad was overwhelmed with anxiety, a feeling Richard immediately picked up on. "Dia, calm down. I think I have an idea of what’s happening, but for now, you need to relax…" The Dryad, still not calm, noticed a familiar silhouette in the distance...
The Dryad took Richard’s hand and ran at full speed, chasing the silhouette, which turned out to be an elf wearing a ridiculous helmet to hide her identity.
She was eating street food and had no manners, buying various types of food while focusing solely on eating everything from the market…
Until, when the elf turned around, she saw the little Dryad crying behind her...
Raiza had crumbs all over her face and felt very uncomfortable when she saw the little Dryad crying...
Raiza was eating a breaded sausage on a stick and, feeling somewhat embarrassed, offered the food to the Dryad: "Sorry for my bad manners, I just wanted to relive the street food I always ate after my military training. It’s not that I’m selfish or anything... this... would you like to try some?"
The Dryad just cried harder. Richard couldn’t take it anymore and said, "Miss Dia is crying because the knights arrested Ester." Raiza almost choked on the sausage she was eating…
…
After explaining what happened, they went to the prince's mansion, which was actually a property of the Rusthia Empire. The prince had prepared a room for the Dryad, and the three of them were there.
The Dryad was still restless, but didn’t speak; she just hugged Richard. Raiza asked what was wrong with the Dryad, who hadn’t stopped crying the whole way to the mansion.
Richard responded, "Dia feels guilty. Mr. Ester was arrested for bringing her safely to the guild. If he had left her at the entrance of the capital, none of this would have happened… or that’s what Dia thinks."
Raiza sighed and said, "Dryad, this isn’t your fault, it’s mine… Ester helped me free the elven forest from the tyranny of my biological father, and for doing that, we earned the resentment of the Rusthia kingdom. It makes sense that they arrested him. Now the question is how we get him out of wherever he’s locked up… Richard, meet with that cardinal. I’ll wait here with the Dryad."
…
Richard was very upset. He had always dreamed of the day he would meet the Dryad, and now the cardinal had ruined this special day…
Richard used his power as prince to locate the cardinal. It turned out that the cardinal and his team were going to stay at his mansion, in the guest rooms, so he just had to wait...
Richard waited from noon until 7:00 PM, when the cardinal's carriage arrived. From it, Darwin, Carlo Dante’s double, and Flamma the mage got out. The three of them gave a slight bow when they saw the prince, and at that moment Richard requested a private audience with the cardinal.
Richard met with the cardinal in one of the guest rooms of the mansion. "Prince, you look very anxious. I thought you didn’t want to speak with me, as in our last conversation, you didn’t seem very interested in what I had to say, Prince Richard."
The prince said, "Cardinal, you arrested a priest today."
"Are you referring to the terrorist who destroyed the palace and kidnapped your sister? Yes, that bastard admitted to the palace bombing, but then he came up with some nonsense about being friends with the princess he kidnapped."
Richard made a serious face and said, "What if that wasn’t a lie?" Darwin looked seriously at the prince, and just as he was about to speak, he saw a woman step out from behind a curtain in the room.
"It’s a pleasure to see you again, Cardinal," said a tall woman with a helmet that hid her identity, but Darwin recognized her as the woman who had been with the priest when they killed the fake Carlo Dante.
Darwin’s face turned pale, and he didn’t even have the courage to scream for help... "Cardinal, before you jump to conclusions, let us explain the situation..." said Raiza, staying calm even in this complicated situation...
…
The next day, Raiza went to the general’s mansion, where she found Chizze waiting for Ester in the mansion’s courtyard...
Once she gathered her team, she said, "I have bad news, but trust me, everything will be fine. But now we need to keep a cool head...
Ester was arrested by the Rusthia soldiers because of the mess we caused in the royal palace. He’s still alive, but we need to do something before rescuing him...
Kharla, you’ll have to come with me to prove that you’re safe, so Darwin will be merciful with Ester, and even if we succeed, getting him out of the underground prison will take at least a month..."
"Chizze and Yoko can’t be depressed right now; that’s why I’ll enroll them in the military academy."
Chizze was terrified, with teary eyes, and Yoko hugged the trembling Chizze and said, "Trust in your master... if you trust him, you know it will be fine. The plans to go to the war zone haven’t changed, that’s why we need to be stronger for when the priest needs us."
Chizze wiped her tears and said, "Chizze will get stronger, but if after that month, master is not free, Chizze will destroy the underground prison..."
Raiza felt calmer seeing that her companions, although sad, hadn’t lost hope. Well, all but one...
Kharla had a nervous expression and said, "My adventure is over, I wanted to go with you all to Amster." Kharla seemed like she was going to cry, but it wasn’t a cry of sadness, more of anger.
Raiza hugged Kharla and whispered in her ear, "We’ll all go to Amster together, and that includes you too, Kharla..."
Kharla truly believed Raiza’s words and returned the hug.
…
In the afternoon of the same day, Raiza and Kharla went to an empty house in the commercial district and went up to the second floor, where they found Prince Richard and Cardinal Darwin sitting at a table having tea.
Darwin was happy to see Kharla, but felt conflicted thinking that the story the woman with the helmet told him—that Kharla had been kidnapped by mistake—was true. Just thinking about it made his stomach hurt. Upon seeing Darwin, Kharla ran to give him a hug, "Cardinal, how have you been? I hope I didn’t cause you too many problems, but... why are you wearing such a ridiculous outfit?"
Darwin hated wearing saint’s robes, but it was thanks to that title that he had the power to find Kharla.
"Princess, this outfit was one of the problems caused by your escape from the castle. After that priest knocked down the event hall’s ceiling, your father almost got buried under the debris. And since I was the first to help the king, the king’s main artificial servant recommended me to your father, and that man made me a saint for no particular reason."
...
After greeting Darwin, Richard approached Kharla to give her a hug. It was clear that Richard loved his sister, but Kharla felt somewhat distant; it didn’t feel like she was greeting a brother she hadn’t seen in over 13 years, but more like reuniting with an old neighbor. Even so, Richard was happy to see his sister once more.
Kharla, after apologizing to Darwin and reconnecting with her brother, told them about her journey...
The reason that led her to the attack on the palace...
The liberation of the slaves from the elven forest...
Her vacation in Cuencas and the dangerous journey to the capital...
And how Ester had protected her at all times...
Darwin listened to the conversation with a heavy expression and said, "That’s a hard story to believe, and even assuming all of it is true, that man attacked the royal palace, and even if he had a good reason, it’s still a crime..."
Raiza interrupted the cardinal and said, "In that case, it was my crime; I ordered Ester to carry out the attack."
Raiza removed her helmet, revealing her ears. "I wanted to make up for the harm my people caused by enslaving the ogres of the forest and repair some of the sins I carry on my shoulders."
Darwin recognized her face; in Dredprism, there are many statues of her, the missing hero from over 100 years ago, the hero of Dredprism: Raiza Corddian.
…
After the initial shock, Darwin began to process all the information that the princess, whom he had cared for since she was 10 years old, was now a companion of a true hero, instead of the fake Carlo Dante, and that everything he had done had only gotten the priest of her team into trouble...
"Princess Kharla, I’m very glad to see that you’re safe, but I’ll need some time. Yesterday, I told Mrs. Raiza that, even if I wanted to, it would take at least a month to come up with a plan to get Mr. Ester out of prison. The options would be to fake his death, frame someone else for the crime, or break him out by force, which would likely lead to a diplomatic conflict, as he was arrested at the request of the Rusthia kingdom..."
Richard added, "I could deliver a letter on a small piece of paper to tell Mr. Ester that we will rescue him from the underground prison, but it will take us a month."
Raiza took out a small piece of paper with a small chalk and handed it to Richard. "Visit him for two consecutive days; I’d like to see what he responds to my letter. And by the way, Prince, two of my companions agreed to enroll in the military academy, and I would appreciate it if you could help me with the paperwork."
Richard took the paper and said, "Leave it in my hands."