The Grand Duelist

The briefing that Javier gave to Ezreal and Joseph finally ended. The two understood that within the Underground Penitentiary. They could do everything that they wanted apart from going towards the surface.

If found that they illegally climbed at the surface without the permission of the Jail Warden...

They would have their qualifications as a Jail Warden, removed and also executed for treason.

When Joseph and Ezreal heard about this, the former bitterly smiled while the latter merely shrugged.

"It seems like I need to get used to the environment of this Penitentiary." Joseph thought to himself as he and Ezreal parted ways. Joseph entered the barracks that Javier indicated, while Ezreal entered his own barracks.

"Master, I'll be off now. It's been such a long time since I read the Tales of Bulging Muscles and I can't wait to start reading them again!" Ezreal cried out in excitement when he realized that they finally had some time that they could spend in silence.

"You're reading that again? Haven't you memorized everything about that manga, already?" Joseph asked with a frown and Ezreal retorted: "Of course I do know about every detail that happens within the Tales of Bulging Muscles. Master is really mocking me too much!"

Joseph was taken aback by Ezreal's response: 'He took that as offensive?' He thought before replying: "Well, you go and enjoy then. I have something to do too, so if it's not important. I hope that you will not disturb me."

Ezreal nodded with a smile and the two went on their ways. Javier who observed them from the distance couldn't help but think about why Ezreal called Joseph as master, but as soon as the two disappeared into their quarters. He shrugged and returned to his work.

He didn't plan on giving those two their work today due to the fact that they were new members of the Penitentiary and adjustment was necessary for efficiency. For now, he didn't mind seeing the two resting so early. But tomorrow, that would most certainly change.

The moment Joseph passed through the diaphanous barrier that served as the entrance to his workplace. A strange phenomenon occurred and Joseph found himself standing inside his room back at the outside world.

"What the fuck?!" Joseph couldn't help but loudly curse when he realized where he was. Right now, he was standing at the center of his room at the outside world in the City of Sibu.

He hurriedly turned around and found that he was looking right at his living room instead of the dark and unfeeling Underground Penitentiary.

"What in the hell?! How did I arrive here?" Joseph scratched his head in confusion as he observed his surroundings. He found that everything, including even the small post-it, notes that he had on the mirror above his desk, had an uncanny resemblance to the room that he had back at the outside world.

But...

"Main Menu!" Joseph swiped his fingers in front of him and a transparent window appeared right before his eyes.

He's clearly within the world of Victory. Yet, how did the scenery change into that of his room?

Joseph's confusion deepened, he moved and fiddled with the objects that he had in his room and found that they were extremely life-like. As if they were taken out of his room and placed inside the world of Victory.

"Hmmm, there's no system information." Joseph repeatedly tapped on a cup full of pencils and pens that he had on his desk, but no transparent window popped up.

Normally, within the world of Victory. If one tapped on objects that were recognized by the game. One could find information about that particular object.

But when Joseph tapped on the cup that he had on the desk. No system information appeared. Making everything seem even more life-like.

"Hahaha, you look quite confused. Are you okay?"

A booming voice suddenly appeared and Joseph ducked out of instinct. He cautiously raised his head to look at the ceiling and the voice talked once again.

"Don't be so scared. I am here to visit you."

The booming voice now looked quite familiar and Joseph couldn't help but ask.

"Is that you? Sir Warden?"

"So, you finally recognized me. Hahaha, this is the first time that someone had second thoughts about my identity inside the Underground Penitentiary."

The Jail Warden replied in a somewhat sarcastic manner which scared Joseph. Joseph knew that the Jail Warden most likely had the highest authority within the Underground Penitentiary. If he managed to offend such a figure, it would be impossible for Joseph to complete his quest.

"Look at you looking so scared, like I said. I am not here to do something against you. But how about you guess?"

The Jail Warden recognized the fear that appeared on Joseph's face and he teased.

"Someone like me cannot possibly ascertain the wishes of someone like you, sir Jail Warden. Please enlighten this junior." Joseph changed the tone of his voice and even bowed his head.

He did all of these for he was afraid that he offended the Jail Warden and he hoped that he would be forgiven by the latter from any trespasses that he did.

"Calm down, calm down. Don't be so hasty and jump to conclusions, alright? I really am here just to visit you and not do anything against you." The Jail Warden's voice mellowed out and Joseph dramatically calmed down when he heard the former's reassurance.

"Then, why did someone as prestigious as the Jail Warden come and visit a mere Jail Janitor like me?"

Joseph asked in a respectful manner and the Jail Warden replied.

"Well, I just want to know about how you are related to sir Fausto." The Jail Warden's contained a somewhat deep melancholy when he reached the end of his sentence.

Joseph thought for a moment before he replied: "I really did answer honestly to what you asked of me just recently sir Warden. I have nothing to hide and no have no reason to."

Joseph answered honestly.

He didn't understand why the Jail Warden was doubting him, but since he didn't have any reason to lie.

Why would he?

"Hmmm... In that case, it seems like sir Fausto's still as shameless as ever. Borrowing a knife without that person knowing about it. Just like what I thought, he still hasn't changed." The Jail Warden replied in a manner as if he was thinking about the past.

But this further deepened Joseph's confusion as he asked: "Just what does sir Warden mean about borrowing a knife without that person knowing about it?" Joseph understood that the "person" whom the Jail Warden was talking about was most likely him.

"I will explain everything to you, but before I do that. How about you explain yourself to me first? I mean, why would someone like you willingly become a member of the Underground Penitentiary?"

The Jail Warden's tone of speaking changed into that of suspicion and Joseph knitted his eyebrows as he thought.

'Why is he asking me about something like that? Aren't I recommended by the Village Chief Fausto? In that case, why would he doubt my motives for being a member of this place?' Joseph's mind quickly spun and he suddenly realized something as his eyes widened in shock.

"Ah!"

He audibly gasped when he realized what the Jail Warden meant.

"You really were too naive. To think that you wouldn't even realize such a great detail such as that." The Jail Warden said, and sweat formed on Joseph's forehead.

He now didn't have any idea on how he would answer the Jail Warden's question about his motives of being a member of the Underground Penitentiary.

"But don't worry about it. Like, I said. I will not do anything against you. I only came here to visit you and know more about who you really are. In fact, seeing that you're that naive. I think that it's just right for me as sir Fausto's junior to inform you about your mistakes and how you could avoid them."

The Jail Warden's tone of voice turned strict as he said: "First, your first mistake was approaching casual soldiers guarding the military barracks for directions. You clearly underestimated the influence of that bastard noble. Thankfully, the soldier that guided you here was an upright man and could be considered as a pacifist, or else..."

He purposely lengthened the end of his sentence and Joseph's eyes widened in shock: "But sir, James isn't the only one that knew about my presence!"

The Jail Warden replied: "Of course I know about that. Those soldiers were the opposite of James and since I fear that they will report to that bastard noble. I decided on sending assassins to them. After all, only those that are dead could truly be silent."

Joseph's expression changed: 'The Jail Warden sent assassins to James's comrades? What have I done? If I didn't approach and ask them for directions earlier then they would've kept their lives! Just what am I doing? Why am I so naive? I'm sorry, sir James...'

Joseph closed his eyes in visible pain. James sacrificed himself earlier for the sake of his younger comrades and volunteered on guiding Joseph into the dungeons of the Underground Penitentiary.

But now, his sacrifice was useless for the Jail Warden had them executed for fear of news about Fausto arriving in the ears of that particular noble.

"Now, do you realize? You caused unnecessary death because of your naivety. The deaths of those young men could've been avoided if you were just smart and approached an information broker first to ask about how to get into the Underground Penitentiary instead of asking casual soldiers such as them."

The Jail Warden seemed disappointed about Joseph.

But Joseph didn't reply to what he said. Instead, he raised his head and said: "Can sir tell me more about why sir is going too far just on keeping information away from that noble that sir is referring to as 'bastard'?"

Joseph still used a respectful tone when asking the Jail Warden, but the latter could clearly feel the anger within the former as the Jail Warden thought for a moment before replying.

"Before we get to that, I must ask you first. Just what are your motives for becoming a member of the Underground Penitentiary? Answer me honestly and I will grace you with a proper answer too. Don't even try to lie. I will know if you lie and it's useless to tell me that you came here for nothing..."

Joseph understood why the Jail Warden was suspicious. The Jail Warden knew that Fausto used him as a borrowed knife that the latter could use against that bastard noble. But wasn't being a knife useless if that knife didn't even know in the first place about who should it stab?

Joseph thought hard about why Fausto bothered on borrowing him as a knife when the two of them didn't have any relations with each other in the first place.

He couldn't understand what Fausto was thinking back then, but then something suddenly struck Joseph.

"I think that the reason why sir Fausto chose me as his borrowed knife is that noble would probably not link us together since our interactions were brief and we even argued with each other."

"You argued with sir Fausto?" The Jail Warden seemed like he couldn't believe what Joseph said.

Fausto was known as a cruel Great Inquisitor that would kill someone for minor trespasses against him.

But Joseph said that he argued against Fausto, survived and even became a borrowed knife?

That seemed inconceivable.

"Yes, we did argue. Back then, I was angry at him since he gave me a recommendation letter that I didn't think that I would actually use. But now, I am thankful that I had his recommendation letter. Because if not for it then I would find it more troublesome on completing my objectives."

Joseph said in a light-hearted manner and the Jail Warden asked.

"What do you mean by completing your objectives? Just as I thought, you really are not a simple man. That young man beside you back then was also not simple..."

"Sir Jail Warden probably became suspicious about me because I am a young man, right?" Joseph asked for clarification and the Jail Warden didn't deny what he said.

"Well, yes. Those that dared on becoming a Jail Janitor were often old men or those sentenced to death but managed to escape it due to bribing the executioner. People like them cannot possibly create new chapters of their life on the surface and so, they chose to lurk within the dark."

"In that case, it's really unthinkable that a young man like me would volunteer himself to do such a work that's even worse than cleaning sewers. Am I right, sir Warden?"

"Yes, that's right! That's the reason why I am not convinced that you came here without any other objectives in mind. I mean you didn't even know that you were Fausto's borrowed knife..."

Joseph nodded his head, and after a pause. The Jail Warden continued on talking: "In that case, how about you tell me more about why you are really here in the first place? if the answer doesn't concern sir Fausto or that bastard noble then it would be okay for me not to hear it."

The Jail Warden felt somewhat lukewarm to Joseph right now, and Joseph couldn't help but ask: "Could it be that sir Jail Warden is someone that is cold outside, but warm inside?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Hahaha, nothing..." Joseph lightly chuckled. He took a deep breath before saying.

"But anyway, my objectives in the Underground Penitentiary doesn't concern sir Fausto nor that bastard noble that sir Jail Warden is talking about. My objectives are entirely different and possibly not even connected with those two."

"Possibly not connected?" The Jail Warden saw the hidden meanings within Joseph's words.

"Uh... what I mean is that I don't really know about the history of my objective and because of that, I cannot say for sure that my objective is connected with sir Fausto and that noble or not," Joseph answered honestly.

Since the Jail Warden said that he'd knew if he lied, why would he bother lying?

"But what you are saying doesn't reassure me. What if you found out that your objective has a connection to that bastard noble? Wouldn't you become one of my enemies then? In that case, how about I should just clean you up right now inside this independent realm?"

"Afterward, I could just pretend that you had a heart attack. Same goes for that friend of yours too."

The Jail Warden's voice suddenly turned cold and Joseph subconsciously took a step backward.

[ An overwhelming presence is forcing you to submit. ]

[ Under the effects of your title, "Mythical Authority". No one can make you submit. ]

[ You have resisted. ]

The appearance of several system notifications awakened Joseph from his trance. He thought for quite a while before he managed to reply.

"How... how about this, sir Warden? Since you are saying that I am sir Fausto's borrowed knife. How about I do the job that sir Fausto wants me to do? In exchange, I hope that sir Warden wouldn't interrupt me in whatever that I do for as long as it doesn't cross sir Warden's boundaries and it's within my objectives."

"Oh? You are offering me a concession? But what makes you qualified to do that? Just because you are sir Fausto's borrowed knife?" The Jail Warden asked in a doubtful manner, but Joseph replied with determination.

"Yes, just because I am sir Fausto's borrowed knife. I think that I can do my job properly and rise in ranks quickly so that I could help sir Fausto do what he wants me to do as his borrowed knife."

"Hoooh? You're going to do what sir Fausto wants you to do? What a joke. You didn't even know until now that you were sir Fausto's borrowed knife. Just how can you say for sure that you know what he wants you to do?" The Jail Warden's doubt further increased, but Joseph remained confident.

"I know and understand about what sir Fausto wants me to do. I am certain about it and willing to do it for as long as sir Warden accepts the concession that I offered." Joseph bowed his head and the Jail Warden fell silent.

The latter clearly didn't expect that Joseph would reply in such a confident manner and what he saw shocked him.

'It seems like he now has an idea about who is sir Fausto's enemy.' The Jail Warden thought to himself before saying...

"Since you are that confident, it seems like you have some cards up your sleeves. But how will you convince me that you can do the job that sir Fausto wants you to do?" The Jail Warden asked in a challenging manner and Joseph replied with a sly smile.

"How about you give me a job to do sir? Rising up the ranks quickly requires me to do jobs that others cannot. Is there some kind of a job that is quite difficult for us Jail Janitors?"

"If I could do something like that then it wouldn't be a problem nor suspicious for others if I were to be promoted by sir Warden."

What Joseph said made sense and it made the Jail Warden fall into deep contemplation. But after a few minutes, he finally managed to reply: "When it comes to jobs that are difficult for Jail Janitors. It would be having those cursed bastards confess..."

"If you managed to make those cursed prisoners confess, then I can promote you as an inquisitor."

Joseph's eyes widened in excitement: "That's it, sir Warden!"

The Jail Warden looked deeply at Joseph from the skies before replying.

"In that case, we now have a concession. Good luck then, and don't disappoint me."

He then disappeared from the independent realm. Leaving a Joseph who had cold sweat dripping down his back.