NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22 – In which jailbreak happens??
Chapter 22 – In which jailbreak happens??
‘It’s too quiet.’
*Huh? Am, do you want us to be louder? You could just ask.*
*Everyone be loud on one–*
*GREEN AnD BLUE oF EaRTh, BLACK aNd WHITE of hEavEN, RED, YELLOW AND PURPLE of fate and death!!!!*
*I didn’t say one yet, you idiot!*
*YeS you did!*
Amara massaged his temples.
That wasn’t what he meant.
What he was concerned about was Seven, who should have escaped or at least tried to.
It was the last day he had, tomorrow morning he would be put in front of Purplus’ citizens, and that didn’t spell anything good for him or for Amara.
But it was too quiet.
No anxious guards, no attendants rushing around…
“Nothing happened tonight or this morning?”
“No, everything is in perfect order, your Excellency.”
Amara asked it in an indifferent voice, as if he just attempted to make some small talk out of boredom, but Phlox would understand his intentions.
According to her, Seven made no moves.
‘No, maybe Rasin is hiding it from her? He could also make sure I’m ‘not disturbed by anything’.’
In that case, should Amara go to check on Seven?
But right now it was risky.
Amara had a plan in case he had to break him out, but it could be used only once…
“Your Excellency, are you concerned about the prisoner? It doesn’t seem he was attempting to escape. Attendants didn’t hear anything about it.”
Suddenly he heard a quiet voice.
He looked up to see Alexandrit standing beside him and refilling his cup of cold black tea with lemon zest.
But could he speak so openly?
“It’s fine, Your Excellency. I made sure no one is listening.”
Alexandrit’s mouth was closed when he spoke.
What a useful skill.
But Seven made no attempts to escape? Did something happen?
“Your Excellency, do you want me to check on the prisoner?”
Alexandrit made surprise after surprise.
If an attendant stayed so close to the Saint for too long without a reason, it would be suspicious, so Amara held out his sleeve, which became a bit loose.
Alexandrit immediately got down to work with it.
At the same time, Amara covered his mouth with a fan, something he used to do when he fell into thoughts, and spoke:
“You’re very perceptive.”
“I just thought about what Your Excellency meant when making these requests.”
He was referring to a request Amara made to the two priests of the Dead and Forgotten Gods.
“But are you really alright with that? That man almost killed you.”
“It’s okay, I’m sure he had his reasons.”
There was not even a hint of animosity in Alexandrit's gaze.
It was like stating ‘Wolves are carnivores so it’s natural for them to hunt and kill.’
It seemed that Alexandrit thought there was nothing wrong with someone trying to kill him.
Amara thought there was something wrong with that thought, but he didn’t press.
It was better that Alexandrit wasn’t advocating for Seven to be executed.
“I’ll be thankful if you go check on the situation… But only if you’re sure you won’t put yourself in danger.”
Amara didn’t question Alexandrit’s abilities.
He suspected that the attendant wasn’t so simple from the moment when he managed to catch the assassin, who escaped the notice of everyone else.
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“And if it looks like Seven can’t do that, tell him I’ll break him out at midnight tonight.”
“Seven?”
“That mister didn’t want to give me his name, so he got a nickname in exchange.”
“... I see.”
Alexandrit’s expression didn’t change, but his green eyes shined a bit, as if he thought it was funny.
Just in time, he finished fixing the sleeve and turned around to leave.
*-*-*
In the deepest part of the prison under the Universe Temple.
Alexandrit approached a lonely cell and lit up an oil lamp he prepared.
A man wearing rags was sitting in the corner, leaning against the wall.
He blinked when light suddenly appeared. It had to be some time since he saw a light.
Alexandrit waited a moment for the man to adjust and then said:
“His Excellency is wondering why you didn’t try to escape.”
The man examined Alexandrit up and down and then said:
“You’re that slave who was in the room that night.”
Alexandrit was surprised that the assassin would remember someone like him, an insignificant attendant.
But it didn’t matter, he had information to bring to his Saint.
“Yes, you’re correct. Now, may you explain what is stopping you from escaping? It may affect His Excellency’s plans, so it’s very important you tell this humble one about it.”
“Your eyes are so strange…”
For the first time in the long years of his life as a slave, Alexandrit struggled a bit to keep an expressionless face.
‘Okay… Let’s do this his way.’
He took a deep breath and asked:
“What is so strange about my eyes, Mister Seven?”
Seven’s brow twitched when he heard ‘Seven’, but he replied:
“You don’t seem angry.”
“Why should I look angry, Mister Seven?”
“... I tried to kill you?”
“And?”
If Alexandrit’s eyes were showing any emotion, it was incomprehension.
Seven shut his mouth. It seemed that he wasn’t sure what to say.
It was a perfect opportunity to direct him to the correct topic!
“Then why didn’t you try to escape, Mister Seven?”
“I tried.”
“You tried?”
Why has no one heard about it?
Did the head priest hide everything so deeply even attendants didn’t know?
“But I wasn’t able to even escape that cell.”
“... Yes? You’re not strong enough to do that?”
Well, of course, the head priest wouldn’t put an assassin capable enough to sneak into the Saint’s room in some flimsy cell.
That cell was littered with holy biding formations and those chains and bars looked really heavy and sturdy, but still…
Somehow Alexandrit expected that Seven would be at least able to bypass that…
He looked at his hands. The broken fingers didn’t look as strong anymore…
“For some reason my mana isn’t working properly in this place. And I don’t think it has anything to do with the formations in this cell. I had this feeling from the moment I entered the temple… and the longer I stay here, the worse it gets.”
“... I see, what type of feeling?”
“Wet.”
“Yes?”
“Cold and wet. Like in a really dense fog?”
Alexandrit never had such a feeling, but he knew someone whose emotions and mind felt like this.
‘But how could His Excellency affect the entire temple and even do something to mana here..? No, maybe if it’s His Excellency, it would be weirder if he didn’t have this ability?’
Alexandrit nodded and then said:
“His Excellency also said that he would break you out at midnight tonight. Please be prepared.”
Then he took out a very small pouch from his robe.
“And here, please eat it.”
In the pouch was some food Alexandrit managed to get.
It wasn't very much, most of it was just part of Alexandrit’s breakfast, which he left for later.
Food wasn’t easy to get even with his abilities.
If it was, not so many attendants at the temple would be starving.
Seven looked at it with an odd gaze.
“Isn’t it your food?”
“Mhmm. Well it’s yours now if we have to decide.”
Seven’s eyes turned even weirder and he opened his mouth to say:
“I can’t tak–”
But Alexandrit cut him off.
“Please, make sure you eat and not ruin His Excellency's plans. If you make a mistake because you’re weak and ruin the plan, then I’ll be angry. So please take it and eat.”
Then he turned around without waiting for an answer.
Alexandrit didn’t expect to see that man ever again.
*-*-*
But he was mistaken.
“I’ll need you to cooperate with Priest Phlox and Geod in breaking Seven out of the prison.”
Amara, who heard Alexandrit’s report, said that.
“I planned to do this myself, but someone mixed up schedules and apparently I have ten hours of Moon and Night’s rites tonight.”
His gaze was fixed on Phlox, who was spread out on the floor and mumbling:
“I ask Heavens for forgiveness, I ask Earth for forgiveness, I ask ancestors for forgiveness, I ask mountains and rivers for forgiveness, I ask…”
*-*-*
Under a girl who was rapidly losing her warmth, a pool of blood was forming.
Someone grabbed the hand of the girl, and with her finger dyed with blood, they wrote on the floor:
‘Descendant of fucking dog Craya, you—’
They left the bloody text unfinished.
As if the girl died before she could finish.