Chapter 47: You Did Well!

It’s truly the case that when you try hard to grow flowers, they won’t bloom, but when you carelessly stick a willow branch in the ground, it thrives.

Herbert squinted, sheathed his sword, and silently followed behind the Desecrator, moving forward with it.

The events of this night were truly unpredictable.

The first half of the night chatting with a hungry dragon, the second half playing in the water with the Mermaid Princess, just before dawn encountering a fanatic fish lover, and finally being invited by an elf elder sister to play cards in her boudoir…

What a fulfilling night!

Though the journey was wildly turbulent, the outcome was at least decent—I finally met Svan Ni .

He was quite interested in this prisoner who competed with him for control of the Darkless Prison.

You say Valentina isn’t strong?

No, her power is extremely formidable; her destructive capability ranks among the highest of all prisoners.

Does Freyme lack depth?

No, as one with the bloodline of the Sea Monster royalty, she possesses many hidden secrets.

Yet both were defeated before the sealing array, with little ability to resist.

As fellow prisoners, why does this Dark Elf Grand Mage possess the strength to rebel—and even turn the tables? What is the true gap between them?

Talent? Experience? Or… wisdom?

Perhaps, it truly can only be said that even among prisoners, there are differences.

No sound came from the darkness, only Herbert’s breathing and the faint clinking of bones.

Click. Click. Click…

As time passed, the power enveloping the Desecrator grew stronger, and its flesh vanished faster.

Within ten minutes, it vanished entirely, reduced to nothing but a skeleton that moved only by instinct.

Herbert had originally been puzzled, wondering where it had been injured.

But once he recalled what places the Desecrator had passed through before arriving in the Third Zone… Herbert began to guess the origin of its horrific wounds and the corrosive force.

First beaten by Valentina, then forced to listen to Freyme sing, right?

“One handles killing and arson, the other handles erasing the corpse—what a perfect partnership!”

Ugh, what terrifying women!

You two did well!

Without them acting, I’d have had to fight the Desecrator one-on-one—and likely lost.

“I never expected Freyme’s song could have such a terrifying effect. Ordinary people truly couldn’t endure it.”

Herbert sighed, understanding why Freyme had been so ecstatic once she confirmed he was unharmed.

Others who might have been lucky enough to hear it would likely not live to finish—turning to withered bones halfway through.

For all these years, I’m probably her only listener.

Sea Monsters are a race inherently fond of singing; they use their voices to lure passing ships and to communicate with their kin.

“She must have been holding it in for ages… Huh?”

The Desecrator walking ahead of Herbert seemed to trip, stumbling forward with a jolt, emitting an unsettling crisp sound.

Crack.

“Huh, that little noise was awfully crisp…”

Just as Herbert wondered how much longer the Desecrator could hold on, its body suddenly shuddered violently.

Clatter…

The entire skeleton collapsed in a heap, scattering bones everywhere with a clatter.

The blackened bones appeared to have rotted for years; only a faint aura remained in the skull, its hollow eye sockets flickering with an extremely dim blue-purple flame.

“Moor… my lord…”

The Desecrator tried to speak, but its mouth opened and closed without producing any sound.

It could no longer speak.

Nor could it continue forward by sheer will alone.

This arduous journey had to end here.

The flame in its eye sockets slowly dimmed, and within a few breaths, it would vanish completely.

But at that moment, it was gently lifted up.

!!!

“I don’t know who you are, nor what you sought by entering here. By principle, as warden, I should expel you.”

Herbert looked at the suddenly flaring soul-fire, nodded, then unceremoniously clamped the skull under his arm like a basketball.

“But since you destroyed this body, I’ll reluctantly lend you a hand.”

“Come on, I’ll take you to her.”

Herbert had some memory of this Desecrator—or rather, the “Grass Carp Cultivator.”

He was connected to certain noble families of the kingdom, planted as a pawn within the monastery, and had subtly opposed Herbert since his arrival.

Now seeing him reduced to a pile of bones, Herbert felt no emotion—not even sorrow, but a faint urge to laugh.

Meow!

Without the burden slowing him down, Herbert, now leading the charge, moved much faster, striding boldly through the darkness.

He wasn’t worried Svan Ni would set traps to harm him.

On one hand, Herbert trusted Svan Ni wasn’t foolish enough.

Besides, if Svan Ni truly had the power to kill him, why wait until now?

She would have acted long ago.

On the other hand, his dear ally Nenasha, no matter how unreliable she usually was, wouldn’t stand idly by if real danger arose.

She’d at least give a warning—whether Shanyi or Eyi was another matter, but she’d make some noise.

Now, not only had Nenasha not interfered, she was even eagerly urging him to go see for himself.

“It seems I’m not the only one interested in Svan Ni .”

After walking a while longer, Herbert suddenly saw light.

Wait—light?

This was the Darkless Prison; there should be no light at all.

He raised an eyebrow but kept walking, soon seeing the source of the glow.

Not candlelight, nor magical artifact luminescence.

Emitting faint light in the darkness were some bioluminescent plants.

In this dark world, the bioluminescent plants shone like countless eyes in the dark.

He had entered what felt like an underground garden—or perhaps a kingdom of glowing flora.

Vines hung from above, each slender tendril bearing soft blue nodes at regular intervals.

Beneath his feet grew emerald-green grass and tiny mushrooms glowing in various colors.

Rustle…

Suddenly, Herbert found himself within a forest.

At the path’s end, he saw a colossal tree radiating a deep blue glow.

As he drew near, the trunk slowly split open, revealing an ancient wooden door.

“So Dark Elves are elves too? All of them like living in trees.”

Very elf-like.

Herbert admired the beautiful surroundings, about to enter, when he blinked—suddenly realizing something worth mocking.

“You made your own home this luxurious, yet just watched your roommate huddle inside a broken coffin?”

That’s really…

You did well!

(End of Chapter)