There is a prison constructed in a circular shape.
While resembling a panopticon in structure, there was a crucial difference—there was no central watchtower. The circular design ensured that all prisoners could see each other.
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Room Number 1 is the Hell of Fire. The floor and walls are heated to searing temperatures, enough to cook flesh.
The child trapped in Room Number 1 endures constant boiling.
They suffer burns and blisters that burst and reform repeatedly. A continuous healing spell is active in Room Number 1, so the victim will never lose their lives.
However, the body, subjected to relentless boiling and burning, gradually loses its human shape after multiple iterations of destruction and repair. His lower half already resembles that of a slime’s.
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Room Number 2 is the Hell of Starvation. It contains everything: interesting books, a comfortable bed, a clean bathroom, and showers. However, it’s missing just one thing. There is no food.
The starvation continues. However, Room Number 2’s victim receives sustenance via mana, ensuring survival despite starvation.The human body, evolved to crave sustenance endlessly, sends signals. This is because the smell of cooked flesh is wafting in from the neighbouring room. Seeing herself drooling over the smell of her friend being continuosly burned alive, she cried in shame.
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Room Number 3 is covered with spikes on the floor. Whether standing or lying down, there is no respite from pain. The victim becomes akin to a living cactus.
Room Number 4 suffers from a leaking roof. Just as the victim is about to fall asleep, a single drop of water falls on their forehead. The victim has not been able to sleep even until now.
Room Number 5 is plagued by periodic nightmares that manifest the victim's worst memories and then disappears.
Room Number 6 is….
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Room Number 12 is the Hell of Knots. While not subjected to physical torture, the occupant's mind is linked with the suffering of the children from the other rooms. A fraction of their pain slowly seeps into her consciousness.
Though she feels the burning, the stabbing spikes, and the insomnia, she cannot scream. It's not that the pain isn't excruciating; rather, she simply felt sorry for her friends.
She could see her friends screaming out directly in front of her eyes. Begging for death. She could see it all clearly.
The pain she felt indirectly is already overwhelming.
The other kids are actually experiencing this, just how much pain must they be in?
I shouldn’t be a crybaby. I have no right to cry. I only bear a small fraction of their pain. Since… Since I feel the least amount of pain, I must endure it.
I have to tell everyone they can do this. To be a beacon of hope for all my friends.
I mustn’t cry.
⋯⋯⋯⋯.
Feeling sadness at others' tears, empathizing with their pain, is a natural reaction. Emotions are contagious to some extent after all.
In this prison of agony and screams, the girl understood this fact very well. She had to smile to help her fellow prisoners endure.
She forced a smile.
Her eleven friends see her smiling and wrongly assume that she receives no torture. So, they despised her. They questioned how she could be the only one so comfortable while they suffer.
At the very least, shouldn’t she have the decency not to mock their pain?
It was a small misunderstanding.
⋯⋯⋯⋯.
Quantifying one's pain is difficult.
What's trivial to one person, can be a huge wound to another. Pain is subjective.
However, the synchronization rate given to the girl was 50%. She felt half the pain of all eleven other victims, the Purple Magic Tower’s wizards calculated her stress level as five times that of the other victims.
The fact that she could still endure such suffering—does it stem from a superior trait within Duke Yurensto's bloodline? Or was it deemed acceptable to use a potential genius who could have led the Magic Tower's future as a victim.
The ceremony went well, yielding results beyond expectation. And then──.
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"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
“Did you fall asleep?”
“Ah, eung….”
The Purple Tower Master Yuna rubbed her eyes as if she were waking from sleep. But in truth, she wasn't sleepy at all. Memories were resurfacing.
Some memories linger, refusing to be forgotten.
You could pretend to be fine by burying them or hiding them away, but they always resurface at the slightest trigger. This was one of those moments.
“What were we… talking about again?”
“We reported to the Second Prince. We are probably going to have to visit the Duke Red Flavour’s mansion, and we were discussing what to do…”
Bang. Drrrrrk.
“That's why we will be luring out the Capital Knight Order.
The Second Prince entered the room, followed by several Defence Bureau agents. The agents quickly set up a whiteboard, pinning a simplified map and some documents to it.
“The Capital Knight Order’s headquarters are near Duke Redburn’s cottage, which is where the operation will take place. Crazy Wizard, that is where you were taken.”
“Ah, so the red building three buildings away from it?”
“Yes. It’s no longer in use, with minimal maintenance—just a monthly cleaning crew. You said this is where the Black Wizards perform their rituals?”
“Yes. According to our intel.”
The Second Prince pointed to a spot on the map as he spoke.
“I cannot make a move directly. However, I can create a diversion to pull some members of the Capital Knight Order away. So, do not get caught. And if you do…… Find clear, incriminating evidence. Then I can cover for you.”
“Yep.”
“If not, I do want you to reconsider giving up. I contacted His Highness. Black Wizards reaching the Sublimation Realm is an emergency. It will take some time, but I expect that the ‘Boy Knight’ will be deployed.”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
‘Are you still going to go?’ The Second Prince asked with his eyes.
The Purple Tower Master hesitated briefly, then nodded. The echoes of nightmares and the cries of her friends were still screaming. To erase them.
To inflict upon those who caused suffering the same torment they had inflicted. To erase them all. That was her mission.
As long as the tragedy remained etched in her memory, she could not turn away from the path of vengeance. Revenge could not be delegated to others; it was hers alone to pursue.
Yuna clenched her fist so tightly her nails dug into her skin.
“..... The Royal Guards do not operate outside the Golden Ring. ‘Boy Knight’ is also on a business trip. That leaves us with two primary concerns: the power of the Black Wizards and... the Capital Knight Order’s Commander.”
“The Capital Knight Order’s Commander…. What kind of person are they?”
“They have reached Sublimation. You can describe them with many different words. ‘Budget Destroyer’. ‘Walking Earthquake’, ‘Starving Demon’, and most notably, ‘Battle Maniac’.”
“Battle Maniac…. You say”
The Second Prince recalled the Capital Knight Order’s Commander: always challenging the Boy Knight, charging headfirst into battles when encountering strong opponents. She was a woman who was crazy about fighting.
Almost everyone in the Capital Knight Order had a strong sense of justice, but she was the sole problem child that had popped up out of nowhere.
If the Purple Tower Master is spotted by the Capital Knight Order’s Commander, you can say that a fight is almost guaranteed to break out.
She enjoys fighting, not killing, so she would not aim to take a life or cause a fatal accident…. But it would be problematic nonetheless.
“Going off of what I heard, the Capital Knight Order’s Commander has an unbelievable amount of Mana. I heard that she fights with brute force.
The Second Prince quickly briefed us on the intelligence gathered by the Defence Bureau agents. The blueprint of the mansion, the safer routes with fewer people, and an emergency base were all provided.
“I wish you luck.”
And, wished us success on the operation.
The plan was finalized. Now, the only task left was its execution.
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After 『The Lamb』 left, Duke Redburn Maximus played chess alone. The only knight remaining on the board was the black one. The white knight existed only in the duke’s memories.
Tap. The white queen took control of the battlefield.
“If the sewage hideout was destroyed, they will be coming to my mansion next. No matter which path they choose, they will be lured here…..”
Tap. He threw a bait to pull in the white queen.
“The Capital Knight Order’s Commander is like an enraged boar, so just a slight push would be enough. . Using the pawn I planted within the Knight Order, I’ll leak that the Purple Tower Master snuck in unauthorized…. And is soon going to head towards the Duke Redburn’s mansion.”
Tap. He used the black queen to restrict the white queen's movements.
“Even without interference, the Capital Knight Order itself must be drawn out. There can be no obstacles when hunting a target.”
Tap. He used a pawn to divert attention.
“The Capital Knight Order’s Commander recently caused a big incident. Even that idiot would understand the need to avoid property damage. She’ll drag the Purple Tower Master far away to fight.”
Tap. The white queen left the white king’s side.
With no pieces left to protect the king, Duke Redburn quietly advanced the black knight.
“When the Knight Commander separates Purple Tower Master and the target, go ahead and kill him, my son.”
From the shadows, a man with slicked-back crimson hair stepped forward and knelt before Duke Redburn.
“Yes, Father. I, Rodeus, the Redburn Duke’s second son, 『The Nightmare of Wizards』 will complete the mission.
He had the ability to directly touch and destroy Mana, making him the perfect counter for their current target, a wizard.
***
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