Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 167: Break Out (2)

Chapter 167: Break Out (2)

Adrian sighed inwardly when the door was opened. He didn’t show it, but he was surprised when the guard blatantly asked him for a password.

It was a surprise for Adrian as he didn’t think someone as drunk on power as the Pope would allow a Paladin to ask him for a ’password’.

Had he not noticed the Paladin’s signal to his partner, he would have fumbled the ball, and god knows what would have happened then.

’I couldn’t even use [Illusionary Eyes] on them since their magic resistance is off the charts,’ Adrian breathed a sigh of relief. ’The only way to stop them is by physical force, and I’m unsure if I can do that...’

Adrian’s relief at successfully passing through the doors was short-lived. As he entered the room, his relief turned into a seething rage.

In the cold, dark cellar, Adrian could hear chains clinging. As he looked around, all he could see were blood-drenched weapons and torture devices.

A knot formed in his throat as he began imagining what the Pope might have done to Vesper. Adrian curled his fists as Vesper’s smile flashed in his mind right before she pushed him inside the Veil to save him.

’...these BASTARDS!’

"Is everything alright, Your Holiness?" one of the Paladins asked Adrian, concerned that the Pope had suddenly gone silent.

"It’s... nothing," Adrian somehow managed to reply.

As they got deeper inside, Adrian peeked into the room and noticed someone at the centre of the room.

A woman hung naked, her bruised and battered body adorned with the scars of relentless torture. There wasn’t an inch of her body that wasn’t covered in insects trying to feast on her injuries.

Vesper’s overgrown hair covered her face, obscuring her view as she lifelessly struggled against the chains that bound her.

The sight of Vesper’s sorry state made Adrian see red. His vision blurred as his heart rate jumped significantly, so much that he couldn’t hear the Paladins talk beside him. All he could hear was his heartbeat.

He didn’t even realise that the Paladins had opened the final door and gone inside.

Vesper’s heart sank with despair as the heavy wooden door creaked open. She knew what awaited her—a fresh round of torture at the hands of her ruthless captors. She had miraculously held on to her sanity until now, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she could take.

She didn’t know how long she had been kept in the room. It could have been days, weeks, months or even a year. However, none of it mattered to her as long as Adrian and the rest were safe.

With a trembling voice, she mustered what little defiance remained within her heart and said, "No matter what you do... I’ll never betray Adrian... or any of the heroes... stop wasting your time."

"This imbecile!" One of the Paladin gritted his teeth, picking up the bloodied whip lying nearby. "How dare you speak in such a manner before His Holiness!?"

With that, the soldier stepped forward, ready to deliver another round of punishment upon the helpless woman before him. But before he could strike, Adrian grabbed the whip, snatching it away from the Paladin’s hands.

The sudden force made the Paladin lost his balance and fell on the rat-infested floor. Shocked, he looked at the Pope and, for a moment, saw his death in his eyes.

The other Paladin was surprised as well. In all the years he had faithfully served the Pope, he had never seen him so enraged as he was in that moment.

"Leave... us... alone," Adrian instructed them, slowly wrapping the whip around his arm. "I’ll deal with her myself."

The Paladins didn’t know what was happening, but they thought the Pope meeting must have gone wrong, and he was angry. As such, he was there to take it out of Vesper, much like they had done in the past.

However, a Paladin remembered the one rule the Pope had always abided by not to get involved in violence directly.

No matter how angry the Pope had been previously, he wouldn’t do anything to harm his position, and violating the oath of non-violence would get him in trouble.

Concerned, the Paladin turned to remind the Pope about the oath. But things didn’t go as planned. Out of nowhere, Adrian raised his hand and delivered a resounding slap across the Paladin’s face.

The Paladin recoiled in shock, his hand instinctively moving to his cheek as he stumbled back, momentarily stunned by the unexpected blow.

"I said... LEAVE!" Adrian yelled, gritting his teeth.

The Paladins hesitated, still concerned for the Pope. However, the command left no room for argument, and with reluctant nods, they turned and filed out of the cellar, leaving the Pope alone with Vesper.

As the door closed behind them, Adrian slowly approached Vesper. He knew she would be in a bad state, but not even in his wildest dreams would he have thought to see her like that.

Adrian knew he had to be strong at that moment, but his eyes teared up as he took in the sight of her broken and battered form. Gently, he reached out to touch her face, but Vesper flinched in fear the moment his hand brushed across her bloodied face.

"It’s alright, Teach," Adrian said softly. "You’re safe now. I won’t let them do anything to you..."

"Ad-Adrian...?" Vesper mumbled, trying to lift her face, but she didn’t have the strength to do it. "It’s... one of those dreams... isn’t it... he isn’t here. Adrian is safe somewhere..."

Adrian couldn’t hold it anymore as tears overflowed his eyes. Even though Vesper was broken, she was still more concerned about him than herself.

However, the moment didn’t last long as the Paladin returned, weapons at hand. But unlike before, they weren’t being polite and were openly hostile as they pointed their swords towards Adrian.

"Who the hell are you!?" The Paladin whom Adrian had slapped yelled at the top of his lungs while his partner stared at the impostor.

"You shouldn’t have returned..." Adrian snarled, his eyes turned crimson as he dropped his disguise. "but I’m thankful you did."