The armor all had the emblem of a "wreath holding a thorn sword," undeniably, this was the princess’s guard.
This group of guards had seven members, one leader, six followers.
Angel lightly stomped the ground, and a power of the Nightmare Illusion silently spread from underground, enveloping the leader.
The leader felt nothing, nor did his eyes lose focus, but he suddenly recalled a rumor he had heard recently.
It was said that the prison guards had gained many benefits from the prisoners. Although these prisoners were only apprentices, there was always someone with a stroke of luck outside, and perhaps what the prison guards obtained were significant treasures.
With this thought, the leader felt a certain itch in his heart.
Those prison guards were just a bunch of weak, potential-less waste; why should they get good things? If anyone should use these things, it should be someone with power and potential like him.
Upon thinking this, the leader suddenly stopped.
Under the puzzled gazes of the six people behind him, he turned and said, "I’ve heard that recently there have been instances of lax oversight by the prison guards. If this is true, they must be punished! Little Tom, you come with me to check the prison. The rest, continue patrolling."
No one questioned his words and promptly complied. However, their eyes were filled with envy as they glanced at the one called Little Tom. Little Tom used to be just like them, but by flattering his way up the ranks, the leader often took him along, allowing him to benefit greatly. This time, going to the prison, they’ll likely skim some benefits off those guards again. Even if Little Tom can’t have a piece of the main course, he can still catch some soup, which is why they couldn’t help but feel envious.
After dividing into two teams, the leader took Little Tom in the opposite direction.
None of their actions, including the leader’s, seemed abnormal to them. But in truth, all of this was orchestrated by Angel with that little bit of Nightmare Illusion technique.
His so-called "confirmation" of the dungeon’s location was not by asking, but by directly letting the other party lead the way, saving him from speaking.
Following behind the leader and his group, they walked further into the desolation.
Angel originally thought the dungeon would be beneath the Princess Castle, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. The dungeon was quite far from the castle.
After about five minutes of walking, the leader and Little Tom stopped in front of a black fortress-like building surrounded by spiky iron railings.
The railings had a Magical Energy Array, as did the fortress’s exterior. Though they weren’t considered high-level by Angel’s standards, in this place, it was considered well-defended.
Angel didn’t disrupt the Magical Energy Array but followed openly behind the leader, entering the black fortress with them.
The first level of the black fortress was very spacious and appeared empty, with only a dozen or so gargoyle statues.
With just a glance, Angel realized these gargoyle statues were mostly fake, with only one being real. It was likely captured to act as a guard.
The gargoyle, hearing footsteps, began to inconspicuously sniff for scents.
Angel had prepared in advance; all pheromones were constrained, so the gargoyle couldn’t detect anything unusual. Unless it were an advanced gold gargoyle, Angel had other strategies to counter, like using an Illusion Technique.
It was clear the scent of the leader and Little Tom had been long remembered by the gargoyle. It didn’t move, remaining disguised among the statues.
Through a spiral staircase, they arrived at the second level.
Upon reaching the second level, Angel’s first sight wasn’t of the prison guards, nor the blood-stained torture devices hanging on the walls or piled in corners, but... various oddly-shaped dolls, a seesaw, and a slide.
They looked somewhat playful.
But that playfulness was marred by one end of the seesaw being studded with arm-thick spikes, and the slide covered with shards of broken glass. Otherwise, the scene was one of cruelty, not playfulness.
Angel estimated these slightly "childish" things might be the work of a certain princess.
Because not long ago, Angel had received information from Dox.
Dox was excitedly saying, "You know what I saw in the castle kitchen? A giant dartboard! Each section of the board had something edible written on it, like pancakes with milk, cream noodles, roast chicken platter... seems the princess has a bit of a hard time deciding."
Up to this point, the description seemed normal.
But what Dox said next shifted the tone.
"By the way, the names of those foods were written on people, twelve in total, painted different colors, stuck on the dartboard. And, the darts were axes."
This was the princess’s twisted and cruel sense of fun.
The rotating dartboard and this seesaw and slide shared the same flavor of sadistic amusement.
Angel hadn’t met the princess yet, but his impression of her was already changing.
The descendants of King Gumman seemed to have some mental issues, including that Mandhela he encountered in the Black Castle. But now, Mandhela, under the lead of a simple-minded, strong-limbed babyface, was gradually becoming more gentle. Even though she died and turned to spirit, she managed to escape the quagmire.
The leader and Little Tom began negotiating with the prison guard.
The leader remained arrogance personified, and the prison guard dared not show resistance, revealing the vast gap in their hierarchy.
The leader came to the prison specifically to extort benefits, starting naturally with the second-level prison guard.
Angel felt no desire to continue watching, choosing instead to walk into the deeper corridors, considering something else.
From the second underground level onwards, containment begins.
However, this level held only mortals, and apart from some handsome men and beautiful women, many of them were tortured beyond recognition, living on the cusp of life and death. These attractive few, too, had been hollowed out inside, with empty eyes and bodies stained with copious blood, riddled with cuts and scrapes. Clearly, the seesaw and slide were intended for them.
The humiliation they endured had already erased their will. They were practically the same as dead.
Angel sighed lightly in his heart and continued forward.
He soon arrived at the third level.
The third-level prison guard was a fat man carrying a massive wolf fang club. Unlike the second-level guards who stayed in the guardroom, he patrolled between the cells with his club in hand.
This level housed Transcendents.
The fat guard was patrolling specifically alongside the cells of the Transcendents.
He cackled, trying to seem ruthless as he threatened the Transcendents in their cells, demanding they obediently hand over whatever goods they possessed.
Angel paused for a moment, seeing this scene.
Previously, his Nightmare Illusion on the leader suggested there were guards threatening Transcendents in the prison for goods, sparking the leader’s greed to come to the jail.
Unexpectedly, the excuse he had previously made on a whim turned out to be true.