Chapter 59

The room was bathed in dim light emitted by a handful of torches affixed to the walls. Glenda cautiously inched closer to the solitary chair, her senses heightened, bracing herself for a potential assault. However, she was ill-prepared for the sudden disappearance of the floor beneath her.

In a desperate attempt to regain her balance midair, Glenda lunged forward, utilizing the weight of her hammer as propulsion. But her efforts were in vain. In an instant, an overwhelming, crushing force bore down upon her, causing her body to twist involuntarily. To her astonishment, intricate circles and arcane formulas adorned the ceiling above her. Another trap had been sprung.

This intricate trap consisted of two layers. The first involved a concealed trap door, conjured through an elaborate incantation, which effectively eradicated the floor beneath her. The second layer deployed a formidable spell, preventing any potential escape by intensifying the force of gravity on the intruder. Glenda's body grew burdensome, its weight magnified by the spell's effects, hurtling her into the depths of the trap.

Had it not been for her quick thinking to employ her hammer as a buffer, she would have suffered broken bones or, worse yet, perished. However, the recoil from the impact between her hammer and the floor left her disoriented and on the verge of losing consciousness. Her arms tingled with numbness, her legs trembling uncontrollably. The gravity-altering spell had yet to dissipate, leaving her body laden with a leaden heaviness.

Summoning her last ounce of strength, Glenda attempted to will her quivering legs into motion. With great effort, she managed to take a single step, only for her leg to give way, sending her sprawling backward onto the floor. Darkness encroached upon her, and she teetered on the brink of unconsciousness and finally, she lost all her strength and fainted in the darkness.

Shortly after she had fainted, a door swung open in the room, and two figures clad in dark robes entered. Without uttering a word to each other, they lifted Glenda from the floor and exited the room. Their movements suggested a familiarity with this act as if they had performed it countless times before.

When Glenda regained consciousness, she discovered herself blindfolded, with her arms and legs restrained by iron cuffs fastened to the wall. She could also sense a cuff encircling her neck.

Glenda attempted to muster her strength, attempting to regain control of her limbs, only to realize that her body had been rendered powerless. Both her physical strength and mana were sealed. Suddenly, she detected the sound of fabric rustling beside her—a sign of movement.

"You've awakened, I see..." A deep, sinister voice spoke to her, sending shivers down her spine. The person must have been beside her, silently watching, as she had not heard any doors opening or footsteps. Glenda tried to respond, but nothing came out of her mouth. It seemed as though her voice had been muted.

"You must be wondering what has happened…" the voice continued as if the person knew what was going through her mind.

"You must be naive to think that we are not prepared for thieves who come to steal again. You will be punished for your crime. Now, let's not waste time talking and begin your punishment." The voice ceased. Glenda could discern that it belonged to a man, but she couldn't determine his age solely from his voice. The sound of metallic clinking beside her indicated that the man was preparing his tools, instilling fear within her.

Suddenly, her blindfold was forcefully removed, causing her to blink rapidly as she adjusted to the blinding brightness of the room. Expecting to find herself confined to a grim prison cell, she was instead met with the surprising sight of a meticulously clean and well-lit space. However, her neck was firmly immobilized, preventing her from turning her head. With her limited field of vision, she could discern a table positioned directly in front of her, adorned with an assortment of chilling metal instruments. Among them lay an array of knives, varying in size, along with needles and other sinister tools of torture. Glenda's heart sank as she realized the nefarious purpose of these instruments.

Despite her attempts to scan her surroundings, she couldn't catch a glimpse of the enigmatic figure responsible for the voice that had addressed her. This terrifying ordeal eclipsed any previous encounters she had faced in her relentless quest to eliminate monsters and undertake perilous missions. Unbeknownst to her, she had unwittingly walked straight into an insidious trap. The voice then spoke behind her,

"I'm curious, why would a guild master come to the church dressed like a thief?" The man suddenly emerged from behind her, entering her field of view. He was a short, bald man with thick glasses, his grin tinged with a hint of madness. His white robe bore dark brown stains upon closer inspection, while his arms remained hidden behind his back as he stood before Glenda.

"I've heard from the Pope that they confiscated a statue from you many years ago. Don't tell me you're here to steal it... kekeke... what foolishness," the bald man chuckled, then walked over to the table and began gathering his tools.

"Nowadays, most thieves have given up on targeting the church... do you know why?" He paused for a moment, allowing his question to hang in the air. "It's because I personally dispatched every thief who dared infiltrate these grounds. Your information sources, as a guild master, are clearly lacking if you weren't aware of why there are no more thieves in Sanctavia... Now, let's get started," the bald man continued, speaking to himself without any concern for a response as he picked up a long needle.

While the bald man spoke with his back turned towards Glenda, she struggled to regain her strength, even though her body was bound and devoid of any sensation. She desperately attempted to channel her mana, feeling a faint wisp of it within her core. With great effort, she directed a thin strand of mana in a circular motion toward her right hand. Her objective was to break free from the restraints that held her captive, suspecting that her strength and mana had been suppressed by some kind of drug.

Approaching Glenda, the man held a needle in his hand. "I almost forgot to introduce myself. You may have heard of me. My name is Zephyrus," he said, his face drawing near to Glenda's, almost touching her. "I am the harbinger of chaos," he chuckled uncontrollably. Glenda's mana, which she had been circulating, almost slipped from her grasp. It couldn't be true, she thought. Didn't Astaroth vanquish the lich and that was confirmed by Marcus?

As if anticipating her thoughts, Zephyrus locked his gaze onto her eyes. "I know what you're thinking... the lich that adventurer Astaroth supposedly killed in the forest. Wasn't that Zephyrus?" He chuckled once more, saying, "So, what is this man talking about... hehe."

"This is a secret, but before that... let me just... yes, here." Zephyrus placed his right hand on Glenda's left arm and swiftly inserted the needle into her skin. The needle went in deep, causing a surge of pain to course through her body. Glenda's mouth opened, but no sound emerged, only tears streaming down her face. After inserting the first needle, Zephyrus turned and walked back to the table.

Returning with a handful of needles, Zephyrus proceeded to insert them into Glenda's other arm and both her legs. He then picked up a knife from the table and began to speak. "The lich was one of my experiments. I took an undead being and implanted it with false memories, so it believed it was me. Did you know that memories can be manufactured? The body originally belonged to a black magician who delved into forbidden magic. He, too, attempted to steal from the church but met his fate in this very room."

"In my experiments, I granted him powers that he had sought... he believed his body could meld black and white magic to create a new kind of spell, but that power shattered his sanity. I then constructed a new set of memories and identity for him and left him abandoned in the depths of the forest. He was useful for a moment, but the new memories took over and I guess he really thought he was me and started his own experiments on travelers… hehehehe"

"Upon witnessing Astaroth's killing of him, his memories flooded back into my mind. I find myself intrigued by the identity of this individual who managed to slay the lich," Zephyrus remarked, his gaze fixed on Glenda. As he spoke, he methodically wielded his knife on her, severing her fingers and placing them neatly on the table. Crimson streams of blood trickled from her hands and the puncture wounds where he had inserted needles. The guild master remained eerily silent; Zephyrus had effectively rendered her voiceless by obliterating her vocal cords. To ensure his safety, he had outfitted her with a restraining device, a collar that harbored a needle poised to pierce her throat where her voice box once resided. It served as both insurance against her regaining her voice and the ability to cast spells upon him.

Though Zephyrus yearned to revel in the pleas and screams of the guild master, he accepted these sacrifices as necessary measures for his own protection. The path of his past torturous experiences had taught him invaluable lessons.