Chapter 164: Your Wife, I Will Provide For
This Hero is truly vicious.
Augustus looked at the Second Hero before him and offered a heartfelt compliment, “Hero, your heart is so vast, your inner darkness so profound…I mean, like the sun dispelling the darkness, your benevolence deeply moves me.”
“Therefore, I am willing to make an exception and grant your request.”
“However, only you can come with me. Karsus’s fiancée cannot,” Augustus said with a smile.
Qin Chu also smiled. “Thank you for your generosity, Your Holiness. I believe Norma will be very grateful.”
After finishing his conversation with Augustus, Qin Chu returned to Norma’s side, a melancholic expression on his face.
Norma asked cautiously, “Mr. Qin, how did it go?”
Qin Chu sighed softly, his demeanor making Norma’s heart sink.
“This is a very important matter, even Augustus can’t make the decision alone. The Pope’s meaning is clear. The news of Karsus’s public trial has already spread. If he goes back on his word now, he will lose face,” Qin Chu said, spreading his hands.
Norma understood. The resistance to this was too strong.
She had been mentally prepared for the possibility that the Hero’s words wouldn’t have any effect, but hearing it now still made her feel a little sad.
“Augustus still needs to discuss it with Wadsworth and the others, but before that, we can visit Karsus first,” Qin Chu said.
Norma’s eyes lit up. Just as she was about to speak, Qin Chu interrupted her, “Of course, only I can go in, you can’t. After all, you’re his ex-fiancée, that identity…”
Although she was disappointed, Norma understood this decision.
“Please, Mr. Qin, please tell Karsus that I’ve been trying to find a way to save him, tell him not to give up,” Norma said after a moment of thought, her voice low, “And also, his teammates in the Hero Squad are also trying to find a way to save him.”
“Yes, I’ll remember,” Qin Chu readily agreed.
Under Norma’s hopeful gaze, Qin Chu entered the Holy See with Augustus.
As soon as he reached the entrance, Qin Chu was met with a strong stench.
Torches lined the walls of the passage leading underground, but their flickering flames didn’t illuminate much, only adding to the gloom.
As they descended the spiraling staircase, the sound of their footsteps echoed in the air.
“The ones guarding this place are Douglas’s people… Although I don’t have a good relationship with him, I have to admit, Douglas’s subordinates are very good at handling these things,” Augustus said casually as they walked.
“Coincidentally, those Holy Knights killed by Karsus were leaning towards Douglas. He was planning to recruit them, but they were all eliminated by Karsus, so Douglas is very angry.”
“These days, he’s been busy fabricating… ahem, collecting all sorts of crimes against Karsus, making sure he’s nailed to the pillar of shame.”
Augustus didn’t hide his conflict with Douglas… After all, anyone in the Imperial City who wasn’t a fool could see it.
Qin Chu nodded slightly. No wonder Augustus was so pleased.
It wasn’t his people who died, and he could not only take this opportunity to gain fame in the Church but also weaken his rival’s power.
Karsus’s actions had created a win-win situation for Augustus.
Finally, they reached the bottom of the stairs and a relatively flat ground. Some Holy Knights and priests were guarding the entrance and immediately saluted when they saw Qin Chu and Augustus.
Augustus waved his hand casually and led Qin Chu inside.
Karsus was imprisoned in the deepest part of the dungeon. The deeper they went, the worse the environment became. Under the flickering torchlight, dirty dust could be seen in the air, and the ground was muddy.
A disgusting stench hung heavy in the air.
The deeper they went, the less ventilation there was, and the stronger the stench became.
Even before they reached Karsus’s cell, they could hear his pained groans and screams.
In the oppressive environment, the sounds of his suffering were especially chilling, making their scalps tingle.
Beams of Holy Light could be seen dispelling the darkness.
The deep corridor flickered like a faulty lightbulb.
Finally, Qin Chu and Augustus arrived at the cell at the deepest part of the dungeon…
The floor of the cell was lower than the corridor outside. The Death Knight, who once had a sinister yet handsome aura, was now completely different.
His hard, black armor had been stripped away.
He wore a special collar around his neck, just like Angelica once did, but the color and effect were different. This collar could seal Karsus’s Battle Qi.
The cell was filled with sewage, almost level with the corridor. Half of Karsus’s body was soaked in the water, dead rats and other creatures floating on the surface, white maggots wriggling on the corpses.
Chains hung from the ceiling, piercing through his wrists, forcing his hands upwards. His handsome face was now covered in filth, even insects crawling on his face and neck.
His once neatly combed hair was now a tangled mess.
The once handsome, powerful, and valiant Death Knight was now reduced to such a pathetic state. It was truly tragic.
He hung his head, pained groans escaping his throat.
His body was covered in wounds, the blood staining the sewage a dark red.
A priest wearing a monocle was looking through a document in his hand… or rather, a record of Karsus’s crimes.
“Karsus, you are suspected of defiling and killing the youngest daughter of the Vick family two years ago, and even slaughtering the entire Vick family. Do you confess?” the priest asked coldly, a quill in his other hand.
Karsus just kept gasping for breath, not answering.
Seeing this, a priest beside the cell immediately cast a Holy Light spell on him.
Holy Light was used for healing, and it could also be used as a light source… In short, for any normal person, it would only bring warmth.
Except for the Death Knight.
For the Death Knight, Holy Light was as terrifying as using gasoline to put out a fire, or using cephalosporins to sober up.
The bright Holy Light dispelled the darkness and shone on Karsus, like pouring concentrated sulfuric acid on his body. A large amount of white smoke with a foul smell instantly rose from him.
Large patches of festering flesh appeared on his body, visible to the naked eye.
Pieces of bloody skin fell from Karsus’s body, and the intense pain made him scream.
“Ah…”
Coupled with the gloomy surroundings, his screams were chilling.
But the priest seemed very pleased. “Oh, Karsus confessed. That’s wonderful.”
As he spoke, the priest ticked a box on the crime record.
So this was the so-called warmth of the Holy Light?
As expected of the Holy See, they always came up with new ways to torture people.
“The next crime, before slaughtering the Holy Knights, you had already lost control and massacred the entire Auville Village. Do you confess?”
Auville Village, Qin Chu remembered this village.
It was a village under the protection of the Holy See, but due to their negligence and lack of attention, it had been razed by Demon Beasts.
The Holy See was now shifting the blame for their mistakes onto Karsus? Anyway, this guy was about to be executed, and a dead person couldn’t refute anything.
Along with the Holy Light came screams, and another tick on the crime record…
The sins Karsus bore grew heavier and heavier.
Seeing Karsus being tortured like this, reduced to such a pathetic state, neither human nor ghost, Qin Chu didn’t feel any pity at all. A sense of satisfaction even welled up within him.
But his expression remained calm. He had become very good at controlling his facial expressions… Only the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
The Holy See was doing even better than he had imagined. Even he couldn’t have done it so perfectly.
As expected of the members of the Inquisition, they were truly experts in this area.
Karsus, oh Karsus, you’ve finally met your match!
How did it feel to be tortured? How did it feel to be falsely accused and framed?
It must be very comfortable, right?
You treated me the same way. Now, experiencing it yourself, you must be very touched, Your Excellency Death Knight?
Yes, just like this, suffer, scream, wail, struggle, despair…
Watch your own blood flow from your wounds.
Watch your own flesh rot under the Holy Light.
The number of unwarranted crimes on your head is increasing.
Feel your life slowly fading away.
At least you can still scream. He couldn’t even speak back then.
Another Holy Light bloomed on Karsus’s body. There was almost no intact skin left on him, his entire body covered in a foul-smelling, dark red mucus.
Maggots even started to wriggle on Karsus’s body, bringing even more intense pain.
This was hell!
At this moment, the priest in charge of fabricating… no, recording the crimes finally noticed Qin Chu and Augustus. He quickly stopped what he was doing and came over to salute.
“It’s okay, the Hero and I just came to see what the Death Knight looks like now,” Augustus said with a smile, “You’re doing a good job, keep it up.”
A smile bloomed on the priest’s face.
“By the way, how’s the collection of Karsus’s crimes going?”
“Reporting to Your Holiness, I’ve already fabricated… ahem, I mean, I’ve already extracted 281 different crimes…”
“This Death Knight is truly heinous. Even dying ten thousand times wouldn’t be enough to atone for his sins. I will continue to work hard to bring all his crimes to light.”
“Very good, very good,” Augustus praised with a smile.
“You all step back for now. The Hero has something to say to the Death Knight,” Augustus ordered.
Although these people weren’t Augustus’s loyal subordinates, they didn’t dare to disobey his orders. They retreated, leaving the area to Qin Chu and Augustus.
The heavily panting Death Knight Karsus heard the voices and slowly raised his head. The moment his cloudy eyes landed on Qin Chu, they were filled with intense hatred and disgust.
Karsus still hated Qin Chu to death.
He blamed his current predicament entirely on Qin Chu. If it weren’t for Qin Chu’s slip of the tongue, he wouldn’t be suffering like this.
It was all Qin Chu’s fault.
Well, Karsus wasn’t wrong. It was indeed Qin Chu’s plan, although on the surface, Qin Chu seemed to have nothing to do with it.
“Qin Chu…”
“Despicable thief…”
Karsus’s voice was hoarse, but he could still speak.
In Karsus’s heart, Qin Chu was a thief who stole the title and glory of the Hero, making people gradually forget about Jie Luo.
He let out a shrill question, “Are you here to see my pathetic and miserable state, to mock me?”
“Yes!”
Qin Chu answered frankly and shamelessly.
“You know, you’re hanging in the cage, and I’m standing outside!”
“Watching you, your clothes tattered, your body covered in wounds, not a single patch of intact skin…”
“Watching the once proud Death Knight reduced to a state worse than a dog…”
“Watching the person who tried to kill me twice, living a life worse than death, even maggots eating your flesh… that feeling…”
Qin Chu spread his hands, a slightly exaggerated smile on his face, “It’s amazing!”
What was revenge? This was revenge.
Simply chopping off his head would be too easy.
Not every member of the Hero Squad would be as lucky as Benson.
Karsus was stunned by Qin Chu’s answer. He had thought that Qin Chu would say some polite words, but he didn’t expect him to admit it so shamelessly.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. After a few seconds, he let out a disdainful roar, “As expected of a filthy otherworlder. You’re not worthy of being compared to Lord Jie Luo. You’re not even worthy of carrying his shoes…”
“Your nobility is not even a fraction of his…”
Qin Chu wasn’t angry at all. Even in this state, couldn’t he be allowed to rant a little? He wasn’t as cruel as them.
He was merciful, giving Karsus ample opportunity to speak.
It was just a pity that Karsus kept repeating the same few sentences, nothing new. It made Qin Chu’s ears callous. He dug his ear impatiently, “Are you done?”
“No…” Karsus continued to roar, seemingly full of energy.
It seemed that the previous torture hadn’t really damaged his vitality. Or maybe he was stimulated by Qin Chu and suddenly became energetic, who knew?
He could tell the priests at the door to work harder later.
“Perhaps I will die… But I will be waiting for you in hell…”
“No, I will crawl out of hell, I will crush you with my own hands, drain all your blood, and let your soul suffer the burning of the dark demonic flames forever…”
Karsus howled like a madman, “I curse you, your future will be even more miserable than mine, you will live a life worse than death, you will be reviled by everyone, you…”
“Your fiancée is in my hands…”
The howling stopped abruptly.
A deathly silence descended upon the surroundings because of Qin Chu’s words.
Karsus’s eyes widened with disbelief and fear.
“Ah, sorry, I misspoke.”
“It’s your ex-fiancée, Miss Norma. She’s currently living at my place…”
“You can rest in peace, I’ll take good care of your fiancée, don’t worry!”