Chapter 2517: Chapter 2518: Human Roulette
As soon as everyone emerged from the prison, they were hit head-on by a brutal scene at the entrance.
Directly in front of them, two men with stripped clothing were hanging upside down from a crooked-neck tree.
The wind swayed them back and forth.
Lady Melo, evidently seasoned and knowledgeable, remained unfazed, acting as if she hadnât noticed. Behind her, Siberâs pupils shrunk for a fleeting moment, her scream nearly reaching her throat, but she forcefully suppressed it, maintaining her aloof persona.
As for the third woman present, Amisha, she too showed little reaction; having grown up in the junkyard, she had witnessed all manner of lowly deeds. Nevertheless, the disgust in her gaze was unmistakable.
Angel, like the other males present, showed little emotionâmerely glanced at the Knightâs armor discarded beneath the tree, then quietly contacted Dox.
"Were those two at the entrance your doing?"
Soon, Dox responded: "You saw them? How do they look? Do you feel a sense of artistic inspiration?"
Even through the brief message, Angel sensed Doxâs pride.
Angel: "Artistry? All I see is vulgarity blown by the wind."
Pausing briefly, Angel continued: "You hung them upside down from the tree, mimicking the Princess?"
Dox: "Although that Princess has some twisted methods, I must admit, they carry a certain unconventional artistic flair. When I came from the castle, I saw two people at the prison entrance, and my hands itched, so I..."
Angel terminated the conversation, knowing it was Doxâs handiwork was sufficientâany further content would likely be lacking in substance.
"Lady Melo, did the Princess do this?" A cool voice softly asked.
The speaker was Siber, maintaining her etiquette, cocking her head to inquire of Lady Melo, while simultaneously shielding the offensive sight from view.
Lady Melo was uncertain how to answer; while on the fourth level of the prison she heard fellow inmates speak of the Princessâs characterâcapable of striking even at her subordinates. But whether these two were her doing, she didnât know.
At this moment, Angel chimed in: "You can consider it the Princessâs work; so, if you plan to follow me to the Princess Castle, you might witness more scenes like thisâpotentially more gruesome. At least, those hung on the tree are merely passed out, not dead."
Of course, they werenât far from death, evident from their swollen, blood-red faces.
"So, do you still plan to follow?"
Angel posed the question as if offering them a choice, though in reality, they had none; only Lady Melo had the power to decide. Angel wouldnât purposely lead them awayâonly Lady Melo, once her strength was restored, could extract them from the Princess Castle.
Lady Melo didnât hesitate much, nodding: "Letâs go together, bring Golos and Bruiser back."
To Lady Melo, gruesome scenes were nothing compared to the methods Black Wizards employ to select Talented Ones. If the castle indeed harbors more savage tableaux, it might as well let these Talented Ones taste some earthly truth.
Angel paused briefly, then nodded: "Letâs go."
While Angel offered the choice, privately he hoped Lady Melo would first lead them away. However, it seemed Lady Melo misunderstood his intentions.
The reason Angel wished not to take them along rooted in Doxâs explicit words; the two naked, suspended men imitate the Princessâs methods. Prior to this, Dox also mentioned to Angel how Bruiser and Golos were hung upside down in the Princessâs chambers.
Though they are both male and their exposure isnât as humiliating, being seen in such plight by future colleagues would be awkwardâAngel empathized as he imagined the scenario. If they survived, theyâd likely avoid this group for years to come.
Since Lady Melo failed to grasp his point, Angel resigned to leading them to the castle.
Just as Dox had noted, they barely encountered anyone along the way.
Only as they neared the castle did they observe an increase in peopleâguards perused the vicinity, while servants managed various attractions in the amusement park.
Despite the environment making typical concealment futile, cloaked by Angelâs Illusion Technique, they strode boldly into the castle.
Entering through the main gateâconveniently left ajarâa group clad in black puff skirts, donning white headscarves, resembling nuns emerged, carrying plates.
As Angel and the party passed them, they could distinctly see each bore carved scars across their faces, appearing menacingly grotesque.
These must be the castle maids Dox spoke ofâthe Princess had "artistically" altered every maidâs visage resulting in such appearance.
What lay concealed within the maidsâ plates remained unknown initially, as silver covers hid the contents.
But as one maid stumbled momentarilyâthough she didnât toppleâthe lid fell away, revealing human foot severed within.
The maid hastily replaced the cover and departed with lowered head, following her peers.
Meanwhile, Angel and company brushed past, entering deeper into the castle.
"Serving human feet on plates... is the Princess a cannibal?" As the ladies hesitated, the cluster of men began shivering discussions.
"I canât say if sheâs a cannibal, but if you donât shut up, discovery is inevitable." A cold voice from Siber cut through.
The trio of men, realizing the inappropriateness of the moment, immediately silenced.
Nonetheless, they underestimated Angelâs Illusion Technique; besides blocking perception and recognition, it also obscured sound. Whether they whispered or sang openly, no outsiders would notice.
Angel didnât bother to explainâquiet suited him just fine.
Through an unremarkable corridor, they arrived in the hall on the first floor, where a rich aroma of cream hit them.
The sweet scent stirred an instant hunger in everyone.
The scent emanated from behind a draped fissure to their left.
Unconsciously, all eyes turned to the curtain simultaneously as it parted, and a head-bowed maid emerged, pushing a cart from behind it.
Although the maid hung her head low, Angel saw her surrounded by an intensely tangled sense of sorrow.
As for the cause, it was probably the "thing" on the cart.
On the cart, it wasnât the imagined creamy dessert, but a dead body. This dead person wore the same attire as the maid; she was likely a servant of the castle when alive. A giant axe was embedded in her forehead, piercing through her skull. Whitish brain matter seeped through the cracks, covering the front half of the cart with viscous material.
You rarely see such a scene. Even the Talented Ones stared blankly as the maid slowly pushed the cart away.
No one spoke up until the maid disappeared behind another curtain, softly asking, "Why did she die?"
"Maybe because she was the castleâs traitor? Punished?"
A few men discussed the reason behind the maidâs death.
Meanwhile, Siber didnât interrupt their conversation because she was quietly talking to Lady Melo.
"I think I saw something on the deceased maidâs body, a paper with writing on it..."
Lady Melo supplemented her remaining words: "It said, âCream Cake.â
Cream Cake? Why would it have that name? Could the cream smell from before be connected to the dead body?
For a moment, everyone was speculating.
Angel didnât join the discussion; his Spirit Tentacle followed the maid into another room. He saw a fat man in a chefâs outfit holding a Chopper, expertly chopping up the dead maid into several large pieces, then plating them and covering them. Meanwhile, he ordered the waiting maids at the door to carry these plates to the feeding grounds.
Seeing this scene, Angel roughly guessed that the maids he encountered at the door carrying plates probably came from this chef.
And so-called feeding grounds were actually that Phantasmal Beast forest Angel first entered.
Previously, Angel hadnât considered why those Phantasmal Beasts and Magical Beasts were all so well-fed, but now the answer was clear.
Angel withdrew his Spirit Tentacle, sighing silently in his heart.
Now he somewhat understands why the White Bear, even if it means walking for years on its two feet, would escape Gumman Kingdom.
This is just a small domain of the eldest princessâs daughter, and itâs already to this extent.
King Gumman has many offspring. There are even more people related by affinity. If theyâre all acting like Princess Castle, itâs evident how chaotic Gumman Kingdom is.
As for whether there are any good people among King Gummanâs offspring and relatives, maybe there are, but under King Gummanâs tyranny, they all fall one by one. For instance, the phenomenon of secretly capturing Transcendents nationwide is undoubtedly King Gummanâs order. Even the princess does it; will other offspring and descendants not follow?
Angel came to his senses to find others still discussing the paper slip with âCream Cake.â
There were various guesses, but none were correct.
After all, even those among Talented Ones with evil thoughts are normal people. Normal people canât understand a madmanâs logic.
"Itâs human roulette," Angel directly revealed the answer.
Occasionally, when dining, the princess has some eccentric "creativity." Human roulette is like this: stick the foodâs name on people, stick them on the turntable, spin it, close eyes, throw an axe, decide the food based on which it hits.
These were told to Angel by Dox.
But back then, Dox only saw the human roulette without it being used.
Now, itâs clear itâs time for the princessâs meal; and thereâs evidence of at least two deaths as a result.
After hearing Angelâs explanation, even Lady Melo gasped in shock.
This brutal method is merely part of the princessâs dining ritual?!
"I remember hearing the princess was around twelve years old, and sheâs so young..." Yet so cruel?
Angel: "Precisely, eleven years and eight months."
Because the princess is a child, this place is a paradise. Of course, apart from a small part meant for her amusement, the rest, seemingly entertainment props, are actually instruments of torture.
Others were stunned; hearing Angelâs prior mention of cruelty, they never expected to witness such madness and brutality upon entering the castle.
Angel glanced at the curtain where the maid emerged with the cart.
The Spirit Tentacle slowly floated inside, revealing the vague sight of a little girl facing away from him, eating a cream cake.
He guessed she must be the princess.
Angel didnât continue to pry, as Dox had previously advised Angel that there was an Official Wizard protecting the princess, and Dox faintly felt the princess herself was somewhat threatening, though the source was unknown.
Angel had already noticed the Official Wizard guarding the princess, seated in the corner, showing a compassionate expression towards the human roulette.
This Official Wizard Angel heard of, a Wizard from the Falwenrock family, who calls himself Gray Raven.
The Falwenrock family controlled this Wizard Market even when it was called Merlandi Market. Now Merlandi Market has turned into Princess Town, and the Falwenrock Familyâs Wizard became the princessâs bodyguard.
Thereâs likely some undisclosed experience in between.
Yet, this isnât crucial to the current situation. Itâs enough to know that Gray Raven has been brought under the Gumman royalty.
Since the princess is currently dining on the first floor, including Gray Raven protecting her, the princessâs room is likely not heavily guarded.
Angel doesnât plan on confronting the princess now; heâll take the chance to rescue Golos and Bruiser first... and discuss more later.
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