Chapter 31: Unexpected [2]

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A powerful blow landed on the face of a high-level Puppet.

I looked down at the courier beneath me, having just arrived at the carriage station, and didn't hesitate to abduct him. I brought him inside his carriage for a few 'questions.'

"Where is the exit of this island?"

I could see him trembling beneath me, feeling a bit guilty at the sight. This person is just like me, a mere victim of this soulless society.

"I-I don't know..."

Another blow fell on his head. Puppets are taught loyalty from the moment they arrive here; they need some incentive before obeying someone else.

"Where is the exit of this place?"

I repeated, and heard the same answer.

Another blow, and the same answer... repeatedly until I began to feel bored.

'Does he really not know? But a courier should know everything about the island for delivery purposes...'

I thought of another way and sighed, pulling out one of the fruits I had stored.

I didn't have many left. I kept some with me in case I needed to bribe some puppets, just like the courier beneath me. His expression changed completely when he saw the fruit.

"Four kilometers north, there's a gate that leads to the lower part of the island."

I smiled and let the fruit drop from my hand. It landed right at the man's mouth, and he swallowed it without hesitation.

"And what is the lower island?"

The courier replied while still chewing, his voice extremely annoying.

"You'll find the business hall there with three gates! The first is for the puppet's facility, the second is for the hell, and the last is for outside the tree!"

A final blow landed on the courier's head, but this one was stronger than the previous ones. He lost consciousness completely. I took his badge and wore his clothes.

I went out and started driving the carriage north, with a giant puppet leading the way and following my orders. Instead of the sacred fruits, this puppet craved a particular type of black oil. I found some with the courier.

***

The puppet was extremely fast, taking less than half an hour to cross a mountainous area, and another ten minutes to reach a massive facility. I shuddered when I saw that place, its familiar eerie aura and the cries of suffering puppets emanating from it.

I'll see this place often in my nightmares when I leave... especially the pain when my mind was broken. An unforgettable experience indeed... I must find additional ways to protect my mind when I return, that is after I inherit the family, of course.

The guards stopped me at the entrance; they were puppets too. I presented the delivery card I found with the courier. Fortunately, no pictures were included on these cards.

A really strange thing for such an experienced society. The guards let me in after a quick inspection.

"This is my first time here, where can I find the gates?"

One of the guards pointed to a distant building without hesitation, as if I wasn't an unusual case. I thanked him and headed where he pointed with a faint smile.

What I didn't know was that the guards exchanged whispers and clinked their bracelets together...

***

"…"

Gilbert looked down at Lyra's body beneath him, speechless.

Pain was evident on his face, a pain far greater and harsher than what Jin had just experienced.

"She was the first…"

Gilbert spoke in a tearful tone, struggling immensely to hold his sword. Jin felt even more guilt when he saw that.

"She was the first to join… the first to believe in my plans…"

Killian looked at Gilbert from afar and sighed. 'Not again…'

Fortunately for him, Gilbert was more aware of the situation than Jin. A small hole opened in his mechanical hand, and Lyra disappeared inside.

Since she was no longer a living being, there was no issue in placing her inside the storage space.

"Gilbert, I'm sorry…" Jin spoke, lowering his head, barely mustering the courage to speak.

If he had performed his role as the main attacking force well and informed the others about his element, this wouldn't have happened... Gilbert looked at Jin for a long time, his emotions changing with every second.

"It's truly unfortunate, but we can't stop now…" Gilbert sighed, "The best we can do is give her a proper burial when we get out."

Killian was relieved to see his understanding and didn't hesitate to move forward afterward, "Are you waiting for someone else? Or should we proceed?"

He pointed to the door as he spoke, and Gilbert replied without hesitation, "You can't enter; there are two forces inside at rank S- and S. I would appreciate it if you guarded the doo-"

Killian wanted to reply, but Jin spoke first, "Let him in. I can't think of a better person to support us... besides, he's the reason I'm alive in front of you now."

Silence reigned for a few seconds, broken again by Gilbert, "Alright... we should enter as quickly as possible then. Asher and Elara are guarding the entrance against hundreds of puppets; they can't hold on much longer."

Perhaps this was why Gilbert was in such a hurry; he hadn't even allowed himself to mourn the death of his closest friend. If he took his time here, those outside might reach their limits. The entire plan would fail if that happened.

The trio moved toward the entrance decisively, with Gilbert in the lead and Jin at the back, trying to protect Killian from both the rear and front as they entered.

"Whatever is behind this door... it's undoubtedly dangerous, but it won't kill us."

Those were Killian's last words before they were engulfed by an illogical wave of mana. Inside, there was an interesting scene. Jin was the most surprised, finding a familiar person slung over someone's shoulder inside.

"Cassia-"

Gilbert spoke before Jin, cutting him off.

"Something unexpected happened; there are two guards in this room…"

"...."

"..."

"...."

Cassian and Jin exchanged glances, each looking at the other foolishly.

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A few moments earlier...

(Cassian's POV)

Just as the many puppets had told me before, upon entering the indicated building, I was met with three enormous gates, with raging spatial mana swirling around them. Even someone like me could feel the mana emanating from them, which alone was impressive.

The room inside was completely white—the ceiling, walls, floor, and even the undeveloped lighting inside emitted only white light.

The room was not decorated at all, which was expected given the rarity of the lords coming to this place; usually, only delivery puppets and messengers pass through.

Unsurprisingly, my luck was terrible. So bad that someone emerged from one of the gates the moment I entered the room. I wouldn't have been worried if it were just another puppet... but I clearly felt it wasn't, unfortunately.

Just having his aura directed at me was enough to knock me down, thankfully, he didn't. I tried not to make any unnecessary movements, pretending to be an emotionless doll, and walked slowly while carrying a bag on my back.

I kept it with me as an excuse for delivery in case I encountered a similar problem or if the room was monitored.

'I'm a mail carrier, I'm a mail carrier, I'm a mail carrier,' I advanced with these thoughts toward the last gate, where I was supposed to exit this cursed place.

I glanced at the man out of the corner of my eye, analyzing him, 'He's very majestic... I definitely don't remember a character design like this...'

Everything about him exuded an aura of pride and wealth, his sharp features and long, unshaven beard indicating his age. It was meticulously groomed like his shiny blonde hair.

It was styled back with utmost care, showing how much he took care of himself.

He wore a navy blue suit resembling the old style from hundreds of years ago, not the suits of this era. His gray eyes turned toward me at that moment, feeling like dark steel, analyzing my entire soul in a second, or so it felt.

He seemed about to do something but stopped upon seeing the mail carrier badge on my chest. He continued walking without giving me any attention. Both my body and mind relaxed at that moment, and I continued toward the gate.

At that moment, a loud noise came from the man's watch behind me, completely ruining my plan.

[Alert from the facility guards: unregistered mail carrier entering the transport room. We request your intervention due to your proximity to him. His features are as follows: ...]

I didn't wait any longer and immediately leaped toward the gate with all the speed I could muster. I stopped in mid-air strangely, and the man's weary eyes looked at me with strange boredom.

"You are the first of your kind... how did you break the curse?"

The man advanced toward me slowly, and I couldn't understand a word he said, 'Curse? Does he mean the sacred fruits?'

Even if I wanted to reply, it was extremely difficult. The strength I had struggled so hard to build was nothing compared to this old monster. I could activate the Sloth Seal to relieve the pressure, but it wouldn't help me much in defending myself against someone like this man.

In fact, it might do the opposite, prompting him to kill me upon sensing that power. I could see dark circles under his eyes, indicating lack of sleep. I unconsciously activated the sloth effect around my body upon seeing that.

The man's eyes closed for a few seconds, and the pressure around me eased significantly. I jumped again toward the gate and could see my finger entering it. I felt an indescribable excitement.

"Cheap trick."

I felt a strong hand on my neck at that moment and was forcefully slammed to the ground. My nose broke completely, and blood flowed onto the white floor.

After all I'd been through, I could partially ignore the pain and focus on my current situation.

'What should I do? How can I fix this?'

Fortunately, the man didn't suspect that I was the source of the strange sloth effect he felt, perhaps blaming it on his extreme fatigue or something else.

"Very annoying... I'll leave the interrogation to someone else..."

The man tapped his strange watch and started speaking, "Sebastian Arovan speaking, I've found the intruder and sentenced him to hell. Over."

He didn't wait for a response and ended the call immediately. His arrogance likely stemmed from his high status. Someone with this much power couldn't be in a mundane place wherever he went.

Sebastian tossed me over his shoulder like mere cargo and entered the third and last gate... hell.

"Your body will be modified again, and you'll become more of a slave than you were before." He spoke to me in a sarcastic tone

Those were the last words I heard before we disappeared into the gate.