Chapter 104 - A Burning Impulse
I've never been inside the warden's office, but it seems to double as both a study and a private room. At night, he should be sleeping here.
Someone is definitely in the room, but the multiple auras suggest there are several people. What are they doing at this hour of the night?
I push open the unlocked door and stride in. I toss the barely alive scumbag aside and am surprised by who I see inside.
"…What are you doing here?"
"Quite the greeting. You woke me up in the middle of the night, you know."
"I didn't mean to wake you. Warden, explain what’s going on."
The warden, the head of this place, is here along with the six female prisoners I saw before.
"Consider the situation. Even a willful woman has her limits. I begged the Countess to forgive me. These are her messengers."
Hmm, so there's a connection there.
"So, the Countess is finally here? I was about to lose my cool and tear everything apart. I hope you have an explanation for all this trouble."
The warden, a middle-aged female prisoner known as "Iron Blood," seems to be the one in charge.
"Fine, I'll explain. In short, we needed time to see if you were trustworthy. Reputation and information from Lord Gerdodus aren't enough. I couldn't just let you meet our leader."
That makes sense, but putting me in prison is a bit much. The bar is set too high.
It's too much of a hassle to deal with. I might as well thank her when I meet her.
"If that's the case, then it's fine. I guess I'm through with this farce. I should thank the Countess for putting up with such nonsense."
"Watch your words. Our leader is a generous person, but if you become an enemy, there will be no mercy."
Well, that's fair. I don't really care anymore. I'll judge when I meet her.
"You've wasted a lot of my time. I'd like to say I'll be merciless, but I'll hold off for now. When can I meet her?"
"Don't rush. I'll arrange it for the morning. I'll also warn you: don't get too cocky. No matter how skilled you are, you can't defeat us with that magic-sealing bracelet on. Besides, the leader has elite guards. Behave yourself."
So, the bracelet hasn't been noticed as non-functional yet. I thought the warden would have realized I escaped so easily.
Maybe the warden is just keeping quiet.
Regardless, if this farce is over, the details don’t matter anymore. I’ll pretend the half-dead fool’s actions never happened.
I'll return to my cell and sleep. It's still the middle of the night.
Lack of sleep is bad for the skin. Thanks to my daily training and magic, I have incredibly smooth skin. The only issue is that it’s pale to the point of being sickly.
With the conversation over, I leave the warden's office and head back.
I ignore the guards, who keep their distance and just watch. If they had done that from the start, it would have been better.
Finally, it's over.
Well, not exactly, but the tedious prison life is about to end, and that's a relief. I just need to release this stress.
Using my special skill to fall asleep instantly, I secure the few hours of sleep I need until morning.
When I wake up, I spend the time until breakfast as usual.
High-intensity magic-assisted training and visualization exercises. My body aches for a release.
I wash my face with cold water to cool down my overheated body when a messenger arrives much earlier than expected.
"That's quick. Well, I have no complaints about it being early."
"Our leader is an early riser. Hurry up and get going."
I follow the middle-aged female prisoner out of my cell before the morning roll call.
I wonder what happened to my clothes and belongings. They'll be brought later, apparently. That's fine.
I expected to head towards the prison exit, but instead, we walk deeper into the complex.
After navigating a maze-like series of corridors, we reach a large iron gate guarded by watchmen.
Following the middle-aged prisoner through the gate, we emerge into a spacious area that could almost be considered a courtyard, but it's more than that. A luxurious mansion stands at the end of a stone path through a carefully maintained garden, and the sound of birdsong adds an unexpected touch of elegance.
The stone path leads to the mansion, but a knight stands in the way, flanked by about twenty more knights. They all wear matching red armor but no helmets.
The lead knight's long blue hair shines in the sunlight, and their androgynous features make it hard to tell if they are male or female from this distance.
The knight holds a large sword in its sheath, planted firmly on the ground, and observes me with a critical eye. I can sense their appraisal. Well, it’s mutual.
When I use Physical Enhancement Magic to provoke, they send a strong, unfiltered combat intent my way.
...Ah, this is intense. Intense, intense, intense!
I'm not sure what they’re trying to do, but I can't stand it. This knight is incredibly strong, someone I've been desperately seeking. And they might even be a woman!
We haven't even engaged yet, but this knight is on par with my higher-ups, maybe even better. A completely unknown powerful opponent.
"Hmm..."
I can feel my face relaxing. I must look ridiculous right now.
I can't take it anymore. This is all your fault, isn’t it? You’re sending me such passionate combat intent. I can't hold back.
Unable to resist the heat building up, I take off my prison uniform jacket and throw it aside, leaving me in just a sleeveless shirt. I also remove the magic-sealing bracelet and toss it away.
"How did you...!?"
The middle-aged prisoner isn't much of a threat. They're fairly strong, but they pale in comparison to the supreme prey in front of me.
Let's see what you can do. I create an iron ball and toss it lightly at the blue-haired knight. For a normal person, this would be a lethal blow.
The knight doesn't flinch, knocking the ball away with their sheathed sword. Ha, good. That wasn't enough to gauge anything.
Good, good. My body is heating up even more.
The middle-aged prisoner's shouts are irrelevant now. Let's start.
I walk slowly, sending a hot gaze to the knight, who is still some distance away. I've never felt like this before. I can tell I've been holding in a lot of stress.
As I walk, I gradually increase the output of my Physical Enhancement Magic. I'm not even close to my limit yet.
The knight, who had been calmly observing me, starts to show a slight change in demeanor. Good, I'm not an opponent to be underestimated.
The other red-armored knights, who had been waiting in the background, start to move, but the blue-haired knight raises a hand to stop them. No unnecessary interference, I see. Good, I like it even more!
Suddenly, a thick wall of ice appears in front of me, blocking my path. The knight must have created it. It's a challenge: break through if you can.
The supreme prey is on the other side of the clear ice. A little ice won't stop my burning desire.
I approach the ice wall and deliver a powerful punch, shattering it. This won't stop me. It's a mere inconvenience.
With the obstacle gone, I lock eyes with the knight. Is this all you've got?
It's like a telepathic connection, a mutual understanding.
The knight must have sensed my intent, as a more intense wave of magic follows, and an even thicker ice wall appears. It's hard to tell how thick it is, but it’s substantial.
Even I can't break this with a bare-handed strike. I'll need to use a different approach. I have no qualms about it.
I show them one of my tricks. From beneath the ice wall, I cause iron spikes to erupt, shattering the ice. The shattered pieces sparkle in the sunlight.
My approach continues. I create iron spikes at the knight's feet, but they sense the magic and step back, deflecting the spikes with their sheathed sword. Impressive.
With the obstacles gone, our intense gazes remain locked. A cold exterior, but a passionate soul. My body is heating up. I can't stand it.
There's still a distance between us. The fun is just beginning.
I step over the remnants of the ice wall and sense another wave of dense magic. It's coming from the blue-haired knight’s vicinity, but it’s not another ice wall. What’s next?
A satisfying clank sounds in front of me, followed by a series of high-pitched noises. My Active Armor blocks the ice spears. The knight creates a barrage of fine, needle-like ice spears that rain down on me. They sparkle in the sunlight but are nearly invisible to the naked eye. Only my Active Armor, which reacts to magic, can block them. I might be able to dodge a few, but not all of them.
What an interesting attack. Good, good. My body is burning!
My Active Armor deflects every ice spear. I’m closing the distance to the knight.
Enough with the preliminary tests. Our intense gazes communicate our mutual understanding. The knight draws their sword.
Taking this as a signal, I burst forward with explosive speed. I can't hold back anymore!
The knight creates multiple ice walls to slow me down, but they’re too thin to stop me. I maintain eye contact and shatter the ice as I approach.
The moment I enter sword range, the knight swings down with a powerful overhead strike. It feels like time stands still.
I can’t dodge. Blocking with my bare hands is out of the question. My light Active Armor can’t stop the momentum and will be knocked aside.
I don’t flinch as the sword approaches my shoulder. I keep my eyes locked on the knight.
The knight’s cold expression belies a burning passion. I almost smile. They sense my confidence and hesitate, but it’s too late.
The explosive reaction armor activates, and the knight is hit by a directional explosion.
Even as the knight steps back, I don’t slow down.
I grab the knight’s arm and pull them close. The sword remains in my shoulder, but I don’t care. It hurts, but I don’t care!
The knight is stunned by the sudden move. In this close range, they can’t use their sword. They look confused by this unfamiliar technique.
I press my body against theirs and perform a perfect throw, lifting the knight high and slamming them to the ground. This feels right.
The impact might be absorbed by the armor, but the humiliation of being thrown is undeniable.
I look down at the knight’s burned face and say, "I win, don't you think?"
I always say this after executing this move. The knight’s stunned expression shows they’ve lost their fighting spirit. They look just like the others I’ve defeated.
Thanks to this wild fight, the burning impulse is gone. I feel refreshed.
Ah, but my shoulder hurts.