Prison (3)

As Raven described what was happening above, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

‘It’s not too late, right?’

Of course, it had not even been three minutes since I felt that explosive tremor. Even so, I could not be sure whether I was still within the golden time or if I had already missed it.

Although I did not know what their plan was, the explosion told me it was already in motion.

‘……Maybe.’

Maybe the golden time was before the plan had even begun. Maybe they had already begun their escape, and there would be no one there even if I went down to the lower floor. Or worse, I might run straight into them on their way up and end up in a dangerous situation.

But…….

Tatadatadat-!

That’s precisely why I’m running down the stairs at full speed!

Kraaash!

I ripped apart the thick iron doors installed on every floor as I went.

“Not yet.”

Seeing the closed iron doors, my hope grew that the bastards might still be trapped in their cells.

Second underground floor, third, fourth…

I quickly continued my descent.

There was still a probability I hadn’t missed that golden time yet.

“Heuk, heuk……!”

As I rushed down at full speed, I heard a desperate voice calling out from far behind.

Then, as I rushed down the stairs, I heard a muffled voice behind me.

“Mr. Jandel……!! Please Wait……!”

She was the one who said we needed to run, yet she was worried enough to follow after me.

I considered telling her to go back up just in case, but…

‘We’re already all the way down anyway.’

All that was left was to check this final level.

If those bastards were still chained up, I just had to go in and ‘dispose’ of them quickly.

And if they had already been freed…….

‘Well, I should at least be able to buy her some time to escape.’

Having made my decision, I ripped open the steel door to the fifth underground level without a second thought about what might be waiting for me on the other side, charging in like a barbarian.

Kraaash!

With my overwhelming strength, the iron door crumpled like paper.

Beyond it was quiet.

“…….”

The prison on the fifth underground floor was arranged like a chessboard. Instead of torches that required constant maintenance, faintly glowing magical devices were embedded in the ceiling, lighting the area.

It wasn’t very bright. Just dim enough to make a person feel gloomy.

Anyway, that wasn’t the important part.

Left. Right. Straight ahead.

I had three immediate options.

Since I did not know where the Noarkans were being held on the fifth underground floor, I had no choice but to run around and search for—

Tuk.

Ah. Looks like that won’t be necessary.

“Damn it.”

I sensed a presence and whipped my head forward. In the distance, I saw a group just rounding the corner.

 

I sensed a presence and quickly turned my head forward. In the distance, I could see a group of people just rounding the corner.

Clang! Clang!

Two kingdom knights moved ahead of them, their armor clanking loudly, as if guiding the group forward.

And then—

“…I knew you’d come.”

Following behind, supported by the escort knights, was Demon Eye Banozant.

“Psiiit…….”

Behind him were the rest of his lackeys.

Even though the situation wasn’t unfolding as smoothly as I’d hoped, I accepted it the moment I saw it.

‘Yeah, I was already too late.’

From what I could tell, they had been stationed right in front of them and let them out the moment their plan began…

Still, the realisation didn’t hit me as hard as it could have.

This was because I hadn’t expected much to begin with.

In my experience, when you feel like you’re already late, chances are you really are. Besides…

‘I’m still glad I came.’

Thinking about it again, this was a place I had to come to regardless.

Because if those guys made it outside, something troublesome was bound to happen.

If I looked at it positively, I had simply missed the timing for an easy kill.

I might not have missed the ‘golden time’ yet.

Step, Step…….

The terrain isn’t bad either.

Kkwaak.

It’s possible to stop them now.

To prevent those bastards from going up to the city and carrying out their plan.

“……As you know, our duty ends here.”

As I prepared myself internally, the two knights at the front spoke to the vice-captain.

“From here on, you must handle it yourself, Demon Eye.”

From what they said, it seemed they’d only agreed to help get them out of prison, nothing beyond that.

“Huff, huff… Mr. Jandel?”

Raven arrived at just the right moment.

Hmm, maybe “perfect” was not the right word.

“Haah, haah… Did you stop… because you’ve decided… to go back now…? H-hiik!” The hope in Raven’s eyes shattered into panic when she noticed the people blocked by my massive frame.

“H-how are th-those people out…?”

What do you mean how?

 

Someone with deep influence within the royal palace had released them.

‘Looking at them, they seem to have been given back all their equipment too…….’

I did wonder why they were still on the fifth underground floor. It seemed they needed time to reorganize the equipment that had been confiscated from them.

Step

As the two knights stepped aside, Demon Eye Banozant slowly walked forward and quietly asked me.

“Planning to stop us? Alone?”

Well.

“What do you think?”

I chuckled and asked back. The guy silently stared at me.

Those unsettling, lifeless eyes that didn’t seem to see people as people.

But maybe thanks to the lesson I gave him last time—

“Hmm. From what I see…”

He got it right this time.

“You’ll make another foolish choice.”

I can’t say I agree with the word “foolish,” but he did predict my actions correctly.

So, yeah.

“……”

Instead of answering, I raised my Aegis Wall, then activated Giantization, blocking off the only exit to the surface with my entire body.

And—

“Mr. Jandel… this is too reckless—”

I cut off Raven’s anxious rambling.

“You go up first. I’ll hold them off here. There’s no reason for you to put yourself in danger.”

After a brief pause, she replied “……Ah, are you really going to keep saying hurtful things like that? If that was the plan, I wouldn’t have come down here in the first place.”

“Uh…”

“You plan to hold out, right? So those people can’t go up and do something bad.”

“That’s……”

“I’ll help. I might not be of much help in this situation, but despite how I look, I learned a lot of support spells while in the army, you know?”

“Hmm……”

There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in her voice.

Even as my heart filled with warmth, I could not help but wonder.

What was I supposed to say to her? Should I refuse her help, or promise that I would make it up to her later?

I didn’t take long to decide.

“Raven.”

“Yes?”
‘
“Always… thank you.”

“…….”

She didn’t reply to my sincere thanks, but I didn’t push for an answer.

If she did respond, it would just get more awkward.

Besides, our opponents were watching us with puzzled expressions.

“…Are you done? pssit.”

Quit snickering, you bastard.

Looking ahead, I saw the Noark bastards slowly approaching me.

Corpse Collector, Witch of Screams, Demon Eye and many others whose names I did not know but who were clearly powerful, including Glasses.

‘How long can I hold them?’

The thought crossed my mind, but I dismissed it just as quickly.

“Bethel—raaaaaaaa!!!”

Come on.

I don’t know what you’re scheming, but I won’t let you have it your way—

Boooooom-!

Another roar from the surface shook the entire underground space violently.

Ddeuddeuddeuddeuddeu……!

A tremor incomparably more intense than before.

The earlier shock had already damaged the pillars supporting the place, and it would not have been strange for them to start collapsing at any moment.

“Randolph, is the mass teleportation spell ready?”

…Huh?

“Yes. The magic negation field has also been deactivated so we can activate it immediately.”

……What?

“Execute it.”

“But if we do that, we won’t be able to use the plan of releasing the
other prisoners.”

“Losing more time here is a strategic loss.”

“Understood.”

The two of them spoke openly, as if no one else were listening, when a blue light suddenly began to shine from beneath their feet.

The situation was painfully clear.

‘So they weren’t staying on the fifth underground floor because of their equipment?’

I didn’t know why, but at this rate, I would have no choice but to let them escape.

The weakness of a mass teleportation spell was its long activation time and how easily it could be disrupted.

But from the looks of it, everything was already prepared.

Still, I couldn’t give up.

Thud!

I kicked off the ground and dashed forward.

Even as a tank, my physique as a top-tier explorer was more than sufficient to swiftly close this short distance.

Of course, that was assuming there was no interference.

「Roland Banozant has cast Green Demon Eye」

Even as a tank sized barbarian charged toward them, the vice captain remained calm, his irises turning green.

And at that moment…….

Hooouuung-!

A translucent green wall rose between us, blocking my path.

Bang

Even smashing it with my hammer didn’t leave a single crack.

Switching to my No.687 Siege Slaughterer made no difference either.

Booom!

I kept slamming into the impenetrable wall as the unstable ceiling began to collapse around us.

But I didn’t stop swinging.

Shhhhh—!

Beyond the barrier, the blue glow intensified, signalling that the spell was about to be completed.

KRAAAANG!

Watching me stubbornly continue, Demon Eye spoke to me as though I were a child making a foolish mistake.

“Baron Jandel, this isn’t the time for that. Don’t waste your strength. Hurry.”

His dull eyes glanced past my shoulder.

I didn’t need to hear what he was implying.

Because—

“I heard you care deeply for your companions.”

BOOOOM!

The ceiling finally began to crumble above us.

***

A large fragment from the collapsing ceiling hit my shoulder.

That was when I finally stopped swinging my hammer.

I had to admit it.

I couldn’t stop them from escaping now.

But—

“I don’t know what you’re planning.”

I had to say this.

“But it won’t go the way you want.”

Barbarians specialize in ruining things.

“…I’ll look forward to it.”

Look at him trying to act cool.

‘Whatever.’

I’d said everything I needed to say anyway.

TAT—!

As soon as I had finished my business there, I turned around and dashed towards the stairs where Raven was.

FLASH—!

A powerful light flashed behind me, but I didn’t bother looking back.

There would be no one there anymore anyway.

Right now, the priority was getting Raven and escaping to the surface—.

“Mr. Jandel! The stairs going up are blocked!”

“…What?”

I picked up Raven and checked the stairs myself. Sure enough, the path upward had completely collapsed.

‘Do I need to move each piece one by one as I climb?’

I did not even have time to think. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could and began clearing the debris blocking our way with my bare hands.

“Mr. Jandel, it’s already too late!”

Too late…….

Well, it might seem that way.

“So you’re saying we should just die here?”

To a K-Barbarian, giving up is like—.

“No, that’s not what I mean! Let’s go down! We can escape using mass teleportation magic too!”

Ah……?

There’s a method like that?

“Just buy me some time until I finish the spell” she argued.

Why didn’t I think of that and immediately tried to use brute force?

I felt a bit embarrassed, like my brain had truly gone full barbarian, but there was no denying it was the best plan.

So—

Ddeuddeuddeuddeu-!

I ran down the collapsing steps until I found ground stable enough to stand on.

“Over there!”

Raven pointed to a corner farthest from the entrance.

From what I could see, two heavy pillars had collapsed against each other, forming a space just large enough to fit two people.

Alright, I decided, still running down the corridor. ‘If I hold it from below, we should be able to hold out until the spell is completed—.’

“…Huh?”

“…W-what?! Kyaaaa!!”

The floor gave way.

And—

BOOM!

When I came to, an unfamiliar ceiling filled my vision.

Well, waking up was probably the wrong way to put it.

The barbarian body was not so fragile that a short fall after the floor collapsed would knock me unconscious.

Every moment played back vividly in my mind.

My heavy step hitting the floor.

The cracked surface giving way.

Turning myself over and taking the fall on my back to keep Raven safe.

I remembered it all clearly.

Still, one question lingered in my mind.

“This place is……”

Even without anyone explaining, I could feel with my whole body that this place was safe.

Somehow, while the upper floors were all collapsing, this space below where I fell was intact without any rumbling.

Aside from the small section of ceiling broken by our fall, there was no damage.

“Underground… Floor six?”

The royal underground prison only went down five floors.

That was true in the game, and in reality as well. There were no stairs leading down past the fifth floor.

I’d never heard of the prison being expanded either.

“No, more importantly.”

…Could this even be called a prison?

It was a massive cube-shaped space.

There were no iron bars, not even an entrance leading into this place. At the center of the space was a single cube-shaped structure.

The place felt like a matryoshka doll. One box nested inside another. What kind of place was this?

There was no way a space like this had been hidden away without purpose.

“Raven, get up. Quickly.”

I quickly woke up the mage to find out.

Fortunately, she had only been unconscious briefly, regaining consciousness the moment I shook her.

“W-where is this…?”

“We fell, and this is where we ended up. Do you know what this place is”

At my question, Raven swept her gaze around the area before fixing her eyes on the cube-shaped structure at the centre.

“Do you know what that is?”

When I shook her shoulder again and pressed her for an answer, Raven replied in an uncertain voice.

“I-I’m not sure what it is, but…”

“But?”

“I think th-there’s a po-portal inside it…?”

Just what in the world was this place?

 

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