Chapter 473

Chapter 96 The Woman in the Cage

“…”

Isaac was slightly taken aback.

Immediately afterward, he seemed to have understood something, and a fierce look flashed across his face.

“How many of the troops outside the castle have come in? Have the nuns and medical personnel from the Order of Faith arrived?”

“Some are still outside the city, Lord Isaac.”

“Tell them to come quickly!”

“Yes.”

Several knights spurred their mounts toward the castle gates at full speed. I roughly guessed what was happening, but I found it hard to believe. Instinctively, I turned my head and looked at those kneeling people—their bodies curled up in the heavy rain like lowly ants, pitiful and insignificant. If any knight wanted to kill them, these people would probably not dare to rise up in resistance, like cattle and sheep awaiting slaughter.

The nobleman was once again escorted by two knights and knelt before Safiros. His handsome face was pale, and he muttered as if reciting prayers or begging for forgiveness from the knights.

Someone went over and told the captain about the discovery here.

The captain immediately kicked the nobleman to the ground with one foot.

“What’s going on with the basement! Tell me! What happened—”

“I don’t know… I don’t know…”

“You don’t know—!”

Safiros kicked the nobleman in the abdomen again, causing him to vomit uncontrollably. Tears, snot, saliva mixed with rainwater, trailing down onto the filthy ground.

“What happened to those women…”

I asked the remaining knights softly, my voice trembling involuntarily.

“Sir Silviga…” The knights seemed reluctant to speak, unsure how to tell me, “It’s better for you to see it yourself, but I don’t recommend it—”

“Take me there.” I stared at the leading knight, unblinking.

“Uh…”

The knights exchanged glances.

Then Isaac spoke, “Take her to see. Don’t treat the Pope’s knights like children. Even though she is very young, she is still a powerful and just knight. She needs to understand the ugliness of humanity.”

“Yes.”

The leading knight agreed and ordered two others to take me back into the inner fortress, through the hall to the back door of the castle. Outside the door was a dark and damp corridor, with dim flickering light from the torches on the walls.

We walked along the long corridor, passing through the flickering light, arriving at the back of the castle where a basement had been opened. The stairs leading down into the basement seemed endless, and there were two knights guarding the entrance, who straightened up and saluted when they saw me.

“How is it?” the leading knight asked.

“There are some seriously injured people inside. We didn’t dare to act rashly… Have the nuns arrived yet?”

“They’re on their way.”

After a brief exchange, the leading knight pointed downward and said, “I’ll take Miss Silviga down to take a look first.”

The knight holding the torch nodded and stepped aside to let us in.

I followed the leading knight, stepping down the stairs. A pungent smell wafted from the depths of the basement, growing stronger as we descended.

I sniffed lightly, my brow furrowing deeply.

It smelled terrible.

There was the stench of blood.

And…

The strong odor after such acts.

These smells mingled together, making the air extremely pungent and unpleasant, sinking my mood to its lowest point.

Damn it…

“Watch your step,” the knight ahead warned. I snapped out of my thoughts and suddenly noticed that the steps beneath my feet were somewhat sticky. Looking down, I saw blood in the dim light, and then I saw a dead man leaning against the wall of the passage nearby. He was emaciated, with white hair, wearing blue and white armor that was slightly deformed.

“When we discovered the basement, there were four guards here. They wore the armor of the Silent Castle but had become believers of the Door of Truth. Upon seeing us, instead of fighting, they turned and ran towards the dungeon, attempting to silence us… Fortunately, we reacted quickly, and they did not succeed.”

“Mm-hm.”

I responded softly.

The smell near my nose grew more intense.

After walking a bit further, I saw the exit of the passage at the end of the stairs—a supposed archway now shattered into numerous gaps. Under the faint light, I could see bloodstains and bits of flesh stuck to the walls and gaps, along with scattered debris and a leg sticking out from between the stones.

“That person was covering the rear. The explosion you heard earlier was him trying to collapse the entrance to stop us, but he failed… That’s where the castle’s prison is.” The knight turned and said to me.

Stepping over the debris and entering the passage, a small stone room contained several knights holding torches, moving hurriedly. Someone held a blood-soaked wet rag in hand, heading towards an end room. Seeing us enter, they didn’t stop but nodded slightly as a greeting.

Two corpses lay next to a wooden table swaying with candlelight, similarly dressed in blue and white iron armor, their bodies shriveled and terrifying.

“These four must have received a death order. Perhaps due to fear or other reasons, they did not act immediately…”

The basement’s stone room was very dark.

At the end of the stone room were several wooden doors, some open and some closed. Muffled moans and sobs came from within. Two knights led me to one of the tightly shut doors, took down a torch from the wall, and with a creak, opened the door.

The door creaked open.

It was pitch dark inside, and a pungent stench filled the air.

“Lord Silviga, here’s your torch.”

The knight handed over his torch, and I reached out to take it.

As the light illuminated the scene before me, I could faintly make out rows of iron bars and countless emaciated figures within them in the stone chamber.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The torchlight revealed the dark stone chamber.

The stone chamber was quiet, only faint rustling sounds could be heard, even the previous sobs had ceased. I held the torch high and walked slowly, my footsteps echoing clearly in the chamber. Looking around, I saw square cages that looked like they were for dogs on both sides.

Looking around, all I could see were cages.

Countless cages, each seemingly holding one or two people.

Women with nothing on.

They huddled in the corners of the cages, their bodies white yet filthy, illuminated by the crimson light. The women didn’t speak or shout loudly when I entered; they just desperately shrank into the corners, burying their heads as if I were some kind of man-eating beast.

“Don’t… Don’t be afraid…”

My voice was hoarse.

Clearing my throat, I said, “I am, a Knight of the Papacy. I’ve come to save you…”

I tried to approach one of the cages, but before I took a few steps, the woman inside began tearing at her matted hair frantically. She muttered nervously, “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me… spare me… spare me… I don’t want… don’t want…”

“I won’t hurt you…”

“I don’t want… stay away… stay… ah ah ah ah—”

She screamed loudly, slamming her head against the bars, the clanging sound striking my heart each time.

“Ah ah ah ah—”

Many of the women started screaming. I retreated in panic, bumping into another cage behind me. Heart pounding, I turned back.

In the torchlight, I saw the girl in the cage.

She sat slumped against the iron bars, her hands chained to the bars, her legs half-bent, her underdeveloped body clearly visible.

The girl was about the same age as Elise.

Her head was lowered, as if she were asleep.

But the blood seeping from below had already stained the stone floor red.

My vision blurred, feeling dizzy.

“Don’t kill me! Stay away… please… please… I beg you…”

“Ah ah ah ah ah—!”

In the stone chamber, agonizing screams continued. From the dark corners came constant clanging sounds, many women struggling madly. Where the torchlight shone, some women knelt or leaned against the bars, their eyes wide open but unresponsive to the outside world—they still breathed, but seemed lifeless.

Listening to their howls, staring at the scene before me, my mind went blank, my breathing heavy.

Damn…

Damn!!!

“Leave, Lord Silviga.”

The knight patted my shoulder from behind, “We are just knights, not suited for this kind of comfort work. It’s better to wait for the nuns to arrive.”

The man’s words reached my ears, somewhat muffled.

I couldn’t even remember how I got out of the stone chamber. My grief and anger almost consumed me.

“Beasts…”

The girl was only eleven or twelve!

Back in the indoor area at the underground entrance, I kicked a corpse lying sideways by the table in a fit of rage, pulled a chair, and sat down, gritting my teeth and clenching my fists.

The leading knight sat next to me, pointing to the farthest wooden door with his hand, “Inside there are countless skeletons, those stripped of flesh by blades… and rotten organs. We dare not open that door again; the smell is unbearable. You can imagine what happened here before we arrived… Lord Silviga, they can no longer be called human.”

Creak—

A wooden door opened, several knights escorted a woman wrapped in a cloak, her hair disheveled, and a girl about the same age as me, stumbling out of the cell.

They were beautiful.

Even with their disheveled hair covering most of their pale faces, their trembling bodies, the beauty of the woman and the girl was unmistakable—like precious flowers, even in the wind and rain, they would not lose their beauty.

They were nobles…

The knights led the woman and the girl toward this side. I and the leading knight stood up instinctively to give them a seat, but the girl suddenly staggered, falling to the ground with a thud. Her cloak slipped off, revealing her naked body.

The knights turned their heads away.

The woman hurriedly squatted down, wrapping the girl’s cloak around her again, lifting her from the ground. The girl stood unsteadily, her hollow eyes devoid of any light.

“Mama, I’m in so much pain.”

The girl murmured, reaching down, undeterred by the presence of many people. Her beautiful face, like a doll’s, showed no signs of life, like a soulless puppet.

“I know, Mama knows…”

The woman hugged the girl tightly, tears silently sliding down her cheeks.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid… we’re safe now…”