Wizard's Journey

Chapter 278 The Desperate Chamber

The knightly corps numbered over three hundred, all clad in metal armor and disciplined, unlike the decorative figures Green had seen in noble circles, or the so-called knights who teetered on the edge of a knife in low-class taverns.

If one had to describe them, these knights were practically an army.

As far as Green knew, not only the entire East Coral Island, but also most of the areas surrounding the Seven Rings Tower were divided into regions ruled by castle nobles descended from wizards.

It was simply unimaginable for such pleasure-loving nobles to want to build a disciplined army.

After all, even the most powerful knightly legions are no different from paper in front of wizards, and in the eyes of these wizard descendants, it is a completely hopeless endeavor.

Yorkriana's cloudy eyes flickered as she glanced furtively at the unsettled Grimm beside her, hoping to glean some emotion from the eyes beneath Grimm's Mask of Truth, which were fixed on the ground.

"Did Raffaele make all of these?" Yorkriana asked.

Looking at the jubilant civilians on the street, Green shook his head and said, "I don't know, maybe."

Maybe……

This superficial prosperity and happiness are merely a cover for some truly sinful nature.

After all, even the most skilled dark wizards would inevitably suffer significant losses in experimental materials when collecting humanity's despair.

Under Yorkriana's constant pampering and affection, the myna bird had already jumped from Green's shoulder to the old witch's. At this moment, the myna bird chuckled mischievously, "Giggle, young master, how about I go check it out first?"

Green's gaze slowly shifted from the jubilant crowd to the prisoners bound by the knights' chains, gradually disappearing into the grandest and most magnificent castle gates of Bisser.

The closer he got to the truth, the calmer Green's heart became.

Green ignored the myna bird, turned around and looked in a direction outside the city, recalling the warm home that once belonged to him in his hazy memories.

"Regardless of whether the city lord here is Raffi or not, let's not disturb the peaceful lives of the city's residents. Let's investigate again tonight. Now..."

Yokliana asked with some surprise, "Since your loved ones are all dead, why bother with the thoughts of ordinary humans?"

Green did not answer Yokliana, but flew towards the place he remembered in the distance.

After a while.

Green and Yorkriana landed on a muddy path, a path worn smooth by villagers from outside the city on their long journeys to Bisel.

There were no pedestrians on the path, and Green landed on the ground without a care, letting the mud get on his shoes. Green seemed to be enjoying it, even rubbing his toes against the soft mud, recalling the warm and happy memories of his childhood driving the carriage with old Ham.

Yorkriana floated slightly off the ground, seemingly disgusted by the dirty, muddy ground beneath her feet.

"If you don't mind, you should get off."

After saying a few words, Green casually opened a dimensional gap and pulled out two civilian clothes from a large pile of clothes, throwing one of them to Yorkriana.

These clothes were props that Green had prepared for the possibility of using the alienation technique to disguise himself in the future.

Yorkriana sighed and stepped onto the muddy ground. She took the clothes Green handed her, said nothing more, and quickly changed.

"Huh? Young Master..."

After changing his clothes, Green threw the myna bird directly into the dimensional rift and led Yorkriana along the muddy path.

More than two hundred years is enough time for the terrain of the village in my memory to change.

Green vaguely remembered that back then, the village where he and Old Ham lived consisted of only about thirty or forty households, scattered across a large area on both sides of the ravine, with few neighbors.

Today, a village with hundreds of households living closely together has completely replaced the empty ditches of my memory.

Perhaps because few strangers entered the village, the old people at the village entrance, mending and shelling beans in the sunset, all looked at Green and Yorkriana.

Green and Yorkriana ignored them and walked past two old farmers returning from plowing the fields. Then, what they saw made Green freeze in shock.

It's still there?

And, were they protected?

Green stood there, stunned, staring at the dilapidated stone house in front of him. At that moment, he felt an overwhelming pang of sadness.

This stone house and that old horse were everything that old Ham cherished most.

Old Ham, who had painstakingly saved up two gold coins, had originally resolved to find a wife for Green after renovating the house in the spring, so he could fulfill his wish of having a grandson. But then...

It was so close!

Old Ham ultimately failed to realize his wish. After a life of poverty and toil, he was still unable to hold his grandson in his later years and enjoy the warmth and joy of life before he died.

With lightning speed, Green casually rubbed his eyes, concealing the vulnerability he felt inside.

"Is this where you used to live?" Yorkriana asked.

Although the stone house was extremely dilapidated, it was supported and protected by neat wooden beams, which looked so strange.

Squeak.

The wooden door opened, revealing the most basic furniture in the room. Green walked to the bed where he used to sleep every day, but the bedding was gone.

Green ran his fingers lightly across the bed frame; there was only a thin layer of dust, as if someone regularly came to clean and tidy it.

Suck……

Green's sadness gradually faded. He took a deep breath of the room's atmosphere, and a relieved smile appeared on his lips. Green seemed to smell the old Ham and his own past years, as well as that pleasant and charming scent.

call……

After exhaling, Green turned to Yorkriana and smiled, "It seems that Raffi has indeed returned."

……

In the dead of night, the dark and quiet sky was dotted with stars, and a crescent moon displayed an eerie arc.

She had long, jet-black hair that flowed freely, seemingly blending into the night. Her fair skin was like pure white snow, untouched by any dust. Her tall, graceful figure was a gift from nature, and her bright red lips were like the allure of a devil.

It seems to be a poignant and captivating picture of a young girl in the prime of her life, a scene of devastation and beauty.

but……

"Ah...you old monster, you evil dark wizard, I'll never let you go, even if it kills me!"

The flickering firelight cast long and short shadows of the blood-soaked shackles, and the mournful howls sounded like the chants of demons. Dew dripped from the cold, damp stone walls, and the prisoners in their cages stared at the abyss-like black eyes before them, their faces filled with fear and despair.

"Hmm? Should we deepen the level of despair?"

With slender, fair fingers, she slowly pulled the steel needles out of the prisoner's body. A flash of silver light, and a section of the prisoner's finger fell off.

"what……"

Amidst heart-wrenching screams, the imprisoned captive stared at his severed fingers.

My finger fell off? Now I'm a cripple...

A sense of despair arose, and the prisoner, suffering immense physical and mental anguish, shed tears.

"Yes, that's how it is."

The girl spoke calmly, and a malignant tumor hidden by her hair at the back of her head twitched slightly. Then, she began to stop the bleeding and bandage the prisoner.

The dark wizard's collection of despair is not as crude as that of a witcher conquering another world, who uses killing to collect it.

In the eyes of the dark wizard, ordinary humans who have attained the despair of humanity are a precious and renewable energy source. They will die with the dark wizard's permission when the collector is dismantled to pieces and the despair is collected to its limit.

The Black Wizard Laboratory is truly a hellish place of utter despair.

After bandaging the prisoner's wounds, the girl's indifferent and calm eyes turned to the other cages, where the crippled prisoners began to cry in despair, awaiting the arrival of the messengers of hell.

These men, in their thirties and forties, were crying as timidly as babies.

Squeak!

Suddenly, the steel door to the underground chamber was slowly pushed open. The magical restrictions attached to it flickered slightly and then burst like bubbles. Two figures walked in and both of them shuddered as if they had been electrocuted.

One of them, who resembled the most wicked old witch in a fairy tale, trembled as he looked at the beautiful woman holding a blood-soaked tray of knives and stammered, "You..."

The other person wore a gray-white spiral-patterned mask, with long, flowing golden hair, and was incredibly mysterious.

At this moment, the eyes beneath the mask were unfocused and moist.

"Laffey...you're really back. That's wonderful..."

Ding-dong!

The bloody knife fell from the girl's hand, and she covered her face with shame and helplessness, like a child caught stealing candy, looking at the two people who suddenly appeared in the underground chamber.

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably...

(End of this chapter)