Chapter 65: This Really Is Too Much (23)

Although Herbert now possessed the ability to open doors and teleport within the Third Commandment Hall, this ability was not yet perfect—his clearance was still not high enough.

He only had access to the first five levels.

And Herbert had to first enter one of the levels before he could teleport; otherwise, he could only stand outside the door and stare blankly.

"What a hassle. I have to light up a checkpoint before I can teleport—what kind of game dungeon is this? Do I still need to light a bonfire?"

Herbert was helpless and couldn't help but grumble to himself:

"Where's my Fire Keeper? Where's my little wooden doll? Where's my witch… oh, not that shapeshifting kind of witch."

Not the Witch pathway.

Furthermore, from the results of this test, Herbert could also draw a somewhat unexpected conclusion.

The nine demiplanes of the Third Commandment Hall were not stacked in layers from top to bottom as he had previously imagined.

Instead, they took the Endless Maze—the first zone—as the central plane, with eight smaller planes arranged in a ring around it.

"In other words, once my clearance is high enough in the future, I can enter the ninth zone directly…"

Herbert mulled this over as he continued walking through the darkness, his gaze sweeping across the gloom that had previously been impenetrable.

He discovered that, after gaining night vision, the scenery here had changed dramatically.

It was not empty.

The ground was in fact covered in all manner of intricate patterns; the walls bore enormous murals; and even the vaulted ceiling was a finely crafted arched dome painted in vivid colors.

In other words, if this place were lit up brilliantly, it would look less like a prison cell and more like a royal ballroom.

And Herbert was actually very familiar with ballrooms of this design—he had once been a regular at the Frost Crystal royal court's ballroom, often spinning in circles there with the young ladies and ladies of various families.

"But why would this space look like this?" Herbert was once again a little bewildered, unsure why the monastery had designed its prison this way.

Special treatment for prisoners?

Hoping that humane care would make them turn over a new leaf?

Herbert thought for a while, then paced over to the black-iron coffin.

"Hm?"

He walked a circle around it and observed, discovering that the black-iron coffin sat exactly at the very center of the entire Lightless Prison.

Moreover, the black-iron coffin was fitted snugly into a depression in the middle, not hauled in from somewhere else.

"Mm… mm?"

Looking at this scene, a strange thought suddenly surfaced in Herbert's mind.

This place…

Could it have originally been Elisa's home?

The more Herbert thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He carefully examined the surrounding patterns and compared them with the scenes in his memory.

That's right.

They bore many similarities to the palace patterns he had once seen in Prince Fart's memories.

So, she was… working from home!?

Oh, community service.

But that can't be right, can it?

Whose community service moves the criminal—house and all—into the prison!

At this thought, Herbert sucked in a breath of cold air and clicked his tongue: "Holy crap… isn't that a bit too overbearing?"

How excessive!

Even I, one of their own people, can't stand to watch.

He shook his head and sighed: "This really is too much…"

Click.

A soft sound came from inside the coffin, and a pair of eyes appeared in the crack, gazing at Herbert with a faint, eerie light.

"Too much? Who are you calling excessive?"

Elisa ground her teeth indignantly, glaring at the white-haired youth outside the coffin, and snapped: "Who could possibly be more excessive than you?"

A holy professional, and yet he refuses to honor his word… what a bully.

This really is too bullying!

At the mere thought of it, Elisa's heart bled continuously.

Drip.

Drip.

Before Herbert could answer, he heard the sound, tilted his head in puzzlement, and asked: "Hm? Where's that water sound coming from?"

Whose pipe is leaking?

"Hmph! Mind your own business!"

Elisa merely snorted in irritation, pouting: "It's all because of you, you damned holy knight who doesn't keep his promises!"

She pressed her hand to her chest, pushing the fresh blood flowing from it back in.

Yes.

She was literally, physically, bleeding from the heart!

Because Elisa was far too weak, the wound Herbert had last time opened in her chest with his sword had not yet fully healed.

The moment she flared up, her qi and blood surged, squeezing a few more drops of essence blood from her heart.

Other people's girlfriends, when broken, at most leak air.

But hers leaks blood…

Seeing her so vexed, Herbert chuckled, shook his head, and said: "Oh, come now, don't put it like that. When have I ever not kept my promise? Isn't this me coming to fulfill it?"

"I never said I wouldn't give it to you, just that I'd give it to you a little bit later."

Right.

It's just that the cash flow has had a tiiiny bit of a problem, and I need every colleague to temporarily push through this difficult period together with the company…

"…Really!?"

Elisha's eyes lit up sharply the moment she heard those words, but still a little doubtful, she stared at him suspiciously and said, "You can't go back on your word this time."

"Really, really, would I lie to you?"

Herbert's expression turned solemn, and he said earnestly, "I'm a Holy Knight, I never lie."

A certain Mr. He has lived an upright life all his days; he never changes his name when walking, nor his surname when sitting, and never speaks a single false word.

I don't even lie to a Rathalos, so how could I lie to a tiny little bat spirit like you!

Elisha squinted her eyes, was silent for a good while, then reluctantly nodded and said, "Then… well, I'll trust you this once for now."

Although she still had some doubts in her heart, the thing was still in someone else's hands, and she couldn't afford to question it any further.

What if he got pressed and then refused to give it to her!

She had compromised, but at this moment Herbert fell silent again, staring at her with a very strange gaze, looking her up and down.

?

What does that mean?

"What is it? You're going to back out again?"

"No, I just…" Herbert shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitched, and finally he sighed with emotion, lamenting: "No matter how I look at it, it doesn't look like her!"

The greater the contrast between the Elisha in his blood-memory—so wildly cool and awesome—and the scraggly little female brat before him now, the greater the shock.

Time, truly, is a butcher's blade.

"Sigh…"

Elisha:???

Sighing while looking at someone else's face… what does this guy mean?

Are you looking for trouble on purpose?

Just as she wanted to press him, Herbert had already taken the initiative to prick his finger, held it up to the crack in the coffin, and said casually, "Here, ten drops, help yourself."

!!!

Elisha had no complaints at all; in her eyes there was nothing left but that Bai Xi jade-like finger.

Blood!

Real blood!

But just before Elisha moved her mouth, she asked once more out of suspicion, "Really?"

"Enough! If you waste any more time, I won't give it to you."

Herbert pursed his lips speechlessly, making as if to pull his finger back.

Elisha panicked on the spot and immediately stretched her mouth to bite—but the narrow crack simply wouldn't let her stick her mouth out.

In her desperation, the starving-mad Elisha actually stuck out her own tongue, trying to catch the falling drops of blood.

My blood!

And at the very same moment.

Herbert looked at that little pink tongue, and the only thought that surfaced in his mind was—if he shut the coffin lid right now…

Would she cry for a long time?

(End of chapter)