Chapter 340: Let’s Just Start Now. (1)
The guard hit by Ghislain’s kick collapsed instantly. The expressions of the surrounding guards turned grim.
“What the hell is this crazy bastard?!”
There were quite a few guards in front of the mansion. They all rushed toward Ghislain and started beating him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Even as he lay on the ground being trampled, Ghislain shouted.
“This filthy world! Some people live in huge mansions like this, indulging in idle pleasures every day! While others can’t even afford a piece of bread! It’s unfair!”
“What the hell is this guy saying? Are you out of your mind?!”
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The soldiers’ kicks grew harsher, but Ghislain didn’t stop his rant.
“Hey! You dog-eat-dog world! All nobles should be stabbed to death with spears! We need a revolution! Freedom and equality! We are all brothers!”
The moment the word “revolution” escaped his lips, the soldiers froze, startled.
“Is… is this guy insane? What did he just say?”
“Is he part of the Revolutionary Group?”
“He just seems like a drunkard… But still, his thoughts are dangerous, aren’t they?”
The Revolutionary Group was an organization aiming to overthrow the current order. Even Claude had been falsely accused because of them in the past.
Since then, merely uttering the word “revolution” anywhere could get one arrested and subjected to torment. The soldiers stopped their beating and grabbed the fallen Ghislain.
“Lock this bastard up for now. Report this to the higher-ups. He mentioned the Revolutionary Group.”
If he was just a drunkard, they could beat him up thoroughly to vent their frustration and let him go. As a vagrant, they could even throw him in prison if they felt like it.
But they couldn’t simply let someone who uttered the word “revolution” go. He could very well be an agent of the Revolutionary Group. Even if he wasn’t, someone harboring such thoughts could pose a threat in the future.
And so, Ghislain, tied up with ropes, was dragged to the underground prison.
Inside the prison, numerous prisoners were already confined. Most of them were petty criminals or people falsely accused.
“Hmm, the cells are full.”
The soldier frowned as he looked around.
The prison was indeed overcrowded. Not only were there already many detainees, but about fifty dwarves had been arrested all at once.
The dwarves, who were lounging around idly, were startled when Ghislain was brought in.
The same thought crossed all their minds.
‘There’s no way that man got caught on his own.’
The dwarves were convinced by their years of experience. If their lord had been captured, it meant he had done so deliberately.
Galbarik and the dwarves smirked. With the lord’s overwhelming skills, escaping from here wouldn’t be difficult.
Coincidentally, Ghislain was placed in the cell opposite Galbarik’s. The cell already held other prisoners.
Normally, dangerous figures like those connected to the Revolutionary Group would be confined separately, but the prison was so overcrowded that they had to put him wherever they could.
The prison warden spoke to the soldiers.
“I’ll file a special report regarding that strange fellow. As for the dwarves, they’ll be moved to the special prison tomorrow, so keep a close watch on them.”
The special prison was used to detain knights or nobles of high status.
Dwarves were valuable slaves. Martin wouldn’t just leave them in a common prison. He would either coax or coerce them.
For now, persuasion would be the priority, so he planned to move the dwarves to a better facility.
This was precisely why Ghislain had acted immediately. While it might not happen right away, the dwarves wouldn’t remain in a regular prison for long.
After the soldiers left, Galbarik grabbed the bars and whispered to Ghislain, loud enough for only him to hear.
“As expected of you, my lord! You’ve come to rescue us!”
“No, I got caught too.”
“…”
Galbarik avoided Ghislain’s gaze, his expression turning sheepish.
‘Damn it, he’s sulking.’
Galbarik clicked his tongue inwardly. Ultimately, the failure of the operation was their fault.
But he felt wronged. It wasn’t a difficult mission, but their bad luck had been astounding.
The dwarves had overheard the soldiers’ conversations on their way to the prison and pieced together why they had been caught.
Galbarik, desperate to defend himself, began to plead his case. His tone shifted, reflecting his frustration.
“My lord! Please listen to me. Our plan was flawless, I swear! But wouldn’t you know it, a lazy soldier was hiding and napping there of all places. On that day! At that time! It’s like the heavens were deliberately against us!”
Ghislain chuckled at Galbarik’s words. Watching him desperately making excuses was almost endearing.
Unexpected problems could arise at any time. No matter how much information one had or how carefully a plan was crafted, absurd situations like this could always occur.
Whether it was due to a mistake, bad luck, or the enemy’s skill, such issues were inevitable.
But even when such problems arose, Ghislain always managed to resolve them. This time wouldn’t be any different.
“Well, now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever carried out anything quietly.”
No matter how much he tried to handle things discreetly, it always ended up noisy. Most of it involved actions that defied common sense or were carried out with reckless abandon.
If avoiding the chaos was impossible, the only choice this time was to proceed loudly again.
“Rest well until nightfall. When I make my move, head straight for the tunnel. The knights will be waiting there. Got it?”
“Are you sure you don’t need us to fight?”
The dwarves were skilled in combat. If they put their minds to it, they could easily take down a few soldiers.
But Ghislain had no intention of involving them in the battle.
“No need. If you get injured or caught, it’ll just make things more complicated. Just move immediately.”
“O-Okay, we’ll do that.”
Honestly, with the lord’s skills, escaping on his own wouldn’t be a problem. The real issue was the hostages.
Between Martin’s private army, the guards, and the city’s defense forces, there were over a thousand men. No matter how strong Ghislain was, rescuing the hostages safely from such numbers wouldn’t be easy.
Considering all of that, it seemed best for them to step aside.
As they decided to wait until nightfall, trouble arose from another corner of the prison.
“Hey, newbie. If you’re new here, you should greet your seniors. What’s so fascinating about those dwarves? They’re going to be moved soon anyway, so why are you chatting them up?”
Ghislain turned around.
A burly man, covered in hair, was lying down, scratching his belly. His clothes were barely on, leaving him nearly naked, making for an unsightly appearance.
When Ghislain simply stared at him without saying a word, the burly man gestured with his hand.
“Don’t know why you got caught, but you look soft and pampered. Come here, and I’ll take good care of you.”
Looking around, Ghislain noticed the others huddled against the walls, their faces pale with fear. It seemed this hairy giant was the leader of the cell.
Well, all except for one middle-aged man.
The man glared at the burly giant with eyes full of resentment. He was covered in bruises and blood, evidence of a severe beating.
As Ghislain alternated his gaze between the two, the giant smirked and spoke.
“Wondering why that guy looks like that? I beat him to a pulp right here. He tried to kill me, the fool. He doesn’t know his place. I’m going to kill him one of these days, quietly.”
The burly man’s casual words piqued Ghislain’s curiosity.
“What’s your crime?”
“Robbery, rape, murder. Heh heh heh.”
The giant spoke proudly of his crimes. But what he said next was even more shocking.
“That guy’s daughter. She was mine. He got caught here after trying to complain to a knight. The people here sure have a twisted sense of humor, putting a father and his enemy in the same cell. I enjoyed it, though. Keheheh.”
“You bastard!”
As the giant laughed heartily, the middle-aged man, barely able to stand, charged at him. The burly man got up and kicked him away with ease.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The middle-aged man collapsed from the single blow. The giant swaggered over and began stomping on him mercilessly.
“Hey, you piece of shit! You think you can take me? Know your place before you come at me, you bastard!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The middle-aged man was savagely trampled. The others in the cell pressed themselves even closer to the walls, their faces filled with fear.
Even Galbarik and the dwarves, who had been watching with amusement, frowned after hearing the story.
After thoroughly stomping on the middle-aged man, the burly giant turned his gaze to Ghislain.
“You see that? I’m the kind of guy who loses it and goes wild. So, come over here while I’m still talking nicely.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you die right here. For the record, I’ve killed five people. Heheh. Unfortunately for me, I got caught because of that guy’s daughter. But today, you might become number six.”
Galbarik and the dwarves were dumbfounded by the giant’s words. Boasting about murdering five people in front of a human weapon like Ghislain? Some people were truly born to die early.
Ghislain’s expression turned icy as he opened his mouth to speak.
“I’m not in the habit of picking on the weak.”
“What?”
“But I do like cleaning up trash.”
“You bastard, what nonsense are you spouting? You’re dead, you piece of shit!”
The giant furrowed his brow and approached Ghislain or at least, he tried to.
Click!
“What the?”
As Ghislain slowly extended his hand, the burly man abruptly froze in place. It was as if he were tightly bound by invisible ropes, unable to move.
“What… what the hell? What’s happening?”
The burly man gritted his teeth and tried to force his body to move, but Ghislain casually twisted his hand.
Crunch!
“Aaaaargh!”
One of the burly man’s arms contorted grotesquely, bending in an unnatural direction. Moments later, his other arm and both legs followed suit, twisting into similar deformities.
Thud.
In the end, the burly man collapsed to the ground, unable to even balance himself.
“Guh… guh… ahh…”
He couldn’t regain his senses. The man had thought Ghislain might be a mage, but why would a mage end up in a common prison?
Regret surged through him as he realized he had picked the wrong target.
Ghislain stared coldly at the crumpled man for a moment before turning toward the iron bars and making a swift gesture.
Screech.
Part of the bars was cleanly cut away. Ghislain grabbed one of the severed rods, poured mana into it, and sharpened its end to a deadly point.
With just one thrust, it could easily kill a person.
Step. Step.
As Ghislain approached, the burly man, now drooling uncontrollably, began to plead.
“P-Please spare me. I didn’t recognize your greatness…”
Unable to move his body, he could only writhe on the floor, his mouth babbling.
After briefly gazing at the man, Ghislain handed the sharpened rod to the middle-aged man and spoke.
“Revenge… only those who taste it will truly understand.”
The middle-aged man, who looked bewildered at first, clenched his teeth and stood up.
His daughter’s enemy was now lying before him, crippled and squirming.
And in his hand, he held a sharp weapon.
This was the moment he had prayed for countless times.
The middle-aged man staggered toward the burly man. Everyone around held their breath, watching the scene unfold.
Galbarik and the dwarves watched silently, as did the other prisoners from the neighboring cells.
“N-No… please, don’t… spare me,” the burly man begged, his voice pitiful.
The middle-aged man glared down at him, his eyes burning with murderous intent.
“My daughter probably said the same thing.”
“S-Spare me…”
“Go to hell and apologize to her.”
The middle-aged man climbed on top of the burly man, who struggled feebly to escape.
Thwack!
The sharpened rod was thrust into the burly man’s neck without hesitation.
“Gurgh!”
The burly man screamed, blood bubbling from his mouth. The middle-aged man didn’t stop there, continuing to stab him relentlessly.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
His hands moved with unwavering fury, driven by the deep resentment he harbored.
The burly man’s neck quickly turned into a mangled, bloodied mess.
“Grrk… guhh…”
Before long, the burly man let out his final groan and died, his eyes unable to close.
The middle-aged man, who had been staring at the body for some time, finally stood up and bowed his head to Ghislain.
“Thank you… I don’t know how to repay this debt…”
Before he could finish his sentence, screams erupted from the neighboring cells.
“A-A man’s been killed!”
The commotion quickly attracted the guards, who rushed to the scene.
“What’s going on here?! What happened?!”
“How did he die?!”
“Weren’t they just fighting?!”
The guards had been lounging at the prison entrance, either napping or chatting idly. Prisoners fighting each other was something they typically ignored.
But someone being killed? That was a different matter. Fights often ended in death, and disposing of the body was usually more convenient than dealing with the aftermath.
However, the use of a weapon changed everything. This time, they would have to bear responsibility, as it meant a weapon had been smuggled into the prison under their watch.
“Get those bastards out here! Everyone, lie down against the wall!”
At the shout of one of the guards, the prisoners hurriedly obeyed, pressing themselves against the walls. Disobeying could lead to a brutal beating, so compliance was the safer option.
Ignoring the commotion, Ghislain calmly rolled up his sleeves and asked the middle-aged man a question.
“Do you have any family?”
“No… After my daughter died, I’ve been alone.”
“Then, if you’ve nowhere to go, come to the northern Fenris estate. You’ll have no trouble making a living there, and you won’t find scum like that around.”
“W-What? But… I’m a convict. How could…”
Ghislain grinned as he replied.
“I’ll get you out. A lot of people are going to die here tonight, so it won’t be easy for them to come after you.”
Clank!
The prison bars swung open, and the guards stormed in, their anger palpable.
Galbarik muttered under his breath as he watched the scene unfold.
“W-Weren’t we supposed to wait until night?”
Judging by how things were going, waiting until nightfall seemed out of the question.
One of the guards swung his club at Ghislain, shouting.
“Get down, you bastard!”
Thud.
“…?”
The club was caught in Ghislain’s hand. He shook his head and muttered.
“Nothing ever goes quietly, does it?”
Plans always had a way of going awry. The important thing was ensuring the desired outcome.
Even if the process turned out to be a loud and chaotic mess.
Boom!
With a single strike, the guard was sent flying out of the cell. No one saw how Ghislain had moved.
“What… what the hell…”
Both the guards and prisoners froze in shock. Ghislain grinned as he looked at the guards.
“Let’s just start now.”
It was time to rescue the hostages and make his escape.