Chapter 174: 174 Subduing a High-Level Knight

Chapter 174: 174. Subduing a High Knight

The dungeons of Wushan Castle were a wretched place.

Year-round, the subterranean depths remained gloomily dark and damp, the walls overgrown with patches of mold, while the air hung heavy with a suffocating, putrid stench.

Each cell was exceedingly small, barely large enough to accommodate a crude, flimsy cot.

Confined within such squalor, the prisoners lived entirely cut off from the outside world, never seeing a single ray of sunlight, constantly preyed upon by starvation and disease.

Many a convict lost their mind, spiraling into utter madness, after less than two or three months within these walls.

According to Rulance, even if Leisen had played no part in the assassination of Wiggins and Blanche, the man's baronial title and the Thayn Fief would still be stripped away.

Consequently, Toru showed absolutely no leniency or preferential treatment toward such a criminal; he confined Leisen to the deepest recess of the dungeon, binding his limbs with thick, heavy iron chains that even a Bronze Knight could never hope to break.

In addition, Toru had stationed guards to watch over him day and night, and though formal torture had not yet commenced, the agonizing methods of sleep deprivation and starvation were already being employed.

If Leisen did not divulge something of substance, he could forget about eating, and he could forget about closing his eyes.

While the interrogation of Leisen remained confined to the psychological realm, the knights and servants of the Thayn Fief who had accompanied him enjoyed no such restraint, as clubs and long whips had already begun to rain down upon their flesh.

Several of the physically weaker maidservants, unable to endure the torment, had already swooned into unconsciousness; whether they would ever wake again depended entirely on the resilience of their fates.

Under the harshness of this severe interrogation, eager to lessen their own suffering, these people quickly revealed a great deal concerning Leisen's affairs, including the massive annual shipments of grain, vegetables, and fruits brought in from the Mountain Forest Town.

Furthermore, several professional knights who had once accompanied Philidun on the raid against the Mountain Forest Town betrayed Leisen's secret plan to ambush and assassinate Ronin.

With this, the evidence of the Thayn Fief encroaching upon Wushan Castle's resources and attempting to assassinate Ronin grew undeniable, and Leisen's guilt became an inescapable certainty.

...

The year's end celebrations passed, and the dawn of a new day marked January 1st of the year 969 of the Imperial Calendar.

For many, this day was a joyous occasion, for a new year brought a new atmosphere, and many sought to secure a auspicious omen on this very morning.

However, Ronin, having risen early, made his way to the dungeons of Wushan Castle, accompanied by Maken and Tom.

He was here to meet a certain individual.

"Lord Ronin, the dungeon environment is wretched; whomever you wish to see, we can simply bring out to you, there is absolutely no need for you to come down in person."

Knight Gallier, who stood guard outside the prison, had never expected Ronin to arrive at the dungeon so early in the morning.

How could a place as filthy and foul as this prison be fit for a gentleman whose name now resounded with such great renown?

Ronin politely declined the man's counsel, "Please, lead the way for me. I happen to want to take a look around this place while I am here."

"Very well, then."

Gallier conceded helplessly, "Please, follow me."

He ignited a torch, and accompanied by several jailers, led Ronin and his two companions down into the bowels of the prison.

The gloomy darkness was filled with the agonizing groans and desperate shrieks of convicts, lending the atmosphere a hair-raising horror that would make the faint-hearted turn back after a mere couple of steps.

"Lord Ronin, is it Leisen you wish to see?"

Gallier inquired as they walked, "Though that fellow hasn't slept a wink all night, a Bronze Knight possesses formidable endurance; he shows little sign of exhaustion as of yet, and he has confessed to nothing."

He shifted his tone, "However, his retinue has confessed to quite a bit. Leisen's attempt on your life can certainly never be washed clean now."

Ronin shook his head.

His descent was naturally not for Leisen; to put it precisely, how that particular man would be dealt with hereafter had nothing to do with him anymore.

"Among the knights who came with Leisen this time, there is one named Joffrey. Take me to see him."

"Joffrey?"

A look of bewilderment crossed Gallier's face, for he did not understand why Ronin would want to see this fellow, though he did harbor a rather deep impression of him.

"When we apprehended them last night, it was this Joffrey who put up the fiercest resistance. The two intermediate knights who initially charged him were instantly hurled to the ground, and even Captain Garman only managed to fight him to a draw."

Ronin smiled faintly, "Joffrey should possess a strength close to the peak of a high knight. To subdue him easily indeed requires a few more men."

Gallier agreed wholeheartedly; in the end, it had taken Garman joining forces with another knight squad captain to finally bring Joffrey down.

"This fellow's mouth is tightly sealed as well; despite a whole night of interrogation, he hasn't yielded a single piece of valuable information."

"How is he doing now?"

"Fair enough, he won't die."

Gallier remarked, "For a high knight of this caliber, we still try our best not to damage them too severely; selling him to a slave caravan is far better than beating him to death."

As they spoke, the group arrived before a particular cell.

The jailer unlocked the cell door, and the men stepped inside, the torchlight illuminating the cramped space.

By now, the armor Joffrey usually wore had long been stripped away, leaving him clad in nothing but a set of hempen clothes, which had been shredded into bloody tatters by the lashing of whips, staining his body a crimson hue.

At this moment, Joffrey's breathing was alternately heavy and shallow, his condition visibly poor.

"Joffrey, wake up!"

Gallier stepped forward, slapping the man's face with considerable force.

Joffrey shuddered violently, opening his eyes, his body instinctively recoiling into a protective crouch, "My Lord Knights, regarding many of Leisen's affairs, I truly know nothing!"

That a burly, imposing warrior could display such a pathetic side showed that the beating last night had indeed been brutal.

In truth, for Joffrey, the time from last night until now had been nothing short of a living nightmare.

He had followed Leisen originally to escape his status as a wildman and to carve out a grand career. At the time, the man had promised to grow powerful and prestigious, vowing to forge the Thayn Fief into a viscountcy family.

Yet the ways of the world were unpredictable; he never imagined Leisen would be cast into a dungeon so swiftly, and rumor had it that his noble title and lands were about to be stripped away immediately.

For the present Joffrey, achieving merit and establishing a career was entirely out of the question; whether he could even leave this cell alive was a glaring uncertainty.

After all, the interrogators, seeing that he possessed the greatest strength, concluded he was Leisen's trusted confidant knight, and had done nothing but relentlessly pressure him to confess to Leisen's crimes.

Yet he had never even entered Leisen's inner circle, and he had no way of knowing any of the deeds the man had committed.

Joffrey felt an immense bitterness in his heart.

Had he known a few days prior that such events would unfold, even if it meant betrayal, he would have accepted Ronin's recruitment.

"Perhaps you truly are ignorant of it all."

A high knight newly joined to the Thayn Fief, who had neither fully gained Leisen's trust nor escaped the suppression and ostracization of the knights Leisen actually trusted—it was only natural that Joffrey knew little of Leisen's confidential matters.

Hearing these words, Joffrey's entire body stiffened, for he knew all too well to whom this voice belonged.

When he raised his head and clearly discerned the face of the speaker, he trembled with sheer excitement.

"Lord Ronin, I beg of you, please save me!"

Joffrey crawled forward with great effort, sinking onto both knees upon the cot, "After I pledged my service to Leisen, I was stationed in the Black Fief tribe for the vast majority of the time. It was only recently, because Leisen suspected I might betray him and surrender to you, that I was transferred to escort him to Wushan City. Regarding the crimes Leisen committed, I truly know nothing!"

"You ought to thank your 'ignorance,' for it is precisely what has saved your life."

Ronin valued Joffrey; on one hand, the man possessed sufficient strength and talent—after all, a thirty-one-year-old peak high knight was considered quite excellent anywhere.

On the other hand, the man's background was relatively simple, meaning the loyalty of such a person would be comparatively pure.

"Rydal told me long ago that your strength is formidable, and on the road to Wushan Castle, I extended an invitation to you. How have you considered it by now?"

Joffrey trembled all over, never expecting that Ronin would personally descend into the dungeon to recruit him; this degree of courtesy and regard caused him to shake with profound emotion.

At the same time, he understood that now, only by following Ronin did he have a glimmer of hope.

“I am willing, my lord—I am willing!”

“From this day forward, Geoffrey’s life belongs to you!”

Ronin’s lips curled slightly; offering coal in snow was always better than adding flowers to brocade.

The upper echelons of combat strength in the Mountain Forest Town were already in place; the gaps in the middle tier must be filled as soon as possible—Geoffrey’s arrival was perfectly suited.

“McKen, Tom, take Geoffrey out.”

As Ronin spoke, he tossed five healing spell scrolls. “Oh, and if your wounds are too severe, tend to them first.”

Hearing this, and recalling Ronin’s repeated overtures, Geoffrey was overcome with emotion, tears welling in his eyes.

To him, Ronin stood as towering and majestic as Mount Wushan—he would forever look up to him and follow.

(End of Chapter)