Chapter 4: Prison and a crazy b*tch

─Two days later

In a room filled with the marks of brutal physical and psychological abuse, which was more like a zoo of insanity than a prison.

Where the grayish-black walls that connected each corner formed a perfectly square chamber.

There I was, with my hands and feet chained to the brick walls, staring at the faded paint on the walls that bear the weight of countless painful memories, each scratch telling the story of mad men who, on the verge of death, began scratching at the walls.

The more I looked at them, the more driven I was to just run away from this place.

But no matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn't think of anything that could free me from these IRON chains that bound me.

Looking up from the corner of my cell, a small, bright stone about the size of a gumball embedded in the ceiling near the corridor came into my view.

With many moths fluttering around this only source of hope and light in the darkness of this hell called prison, the overall atmosphere became eerie and unsettling, slowly crawling up my skin once more.

Screams of pain pierced my ears with each passing minute.

Screeching from the side walls, the sound of rioting, and the nauseating odor of the bathroom within the cell made me want to add my own blood specks to this cold stone floor.

I was unable to even take a proper breath, let alone sleep, which at this point was like a luxury to me.

My injuries stung worse because my body still carried memories of the suffering it had been through.

The guards here could open any cell and beat any prisoner they wanted.

Some of the guards, however, found it appealing to beat and lash out at me, most likely because a "hero" like me was the equivalent of a prime cut of steak to these men, who otherwise subsisted on old brown bread.

The other prisoners yelled, laughed, and praised me as their savior while proclaiming that I was their real "hero."

They made fun of my misfortune and made my screaming a source of their entertainment.

This made me more and more insane.

What little oxygen managed to find its way into the cell and failed to escape was engulfed by the revolting smells.

And so it began again.

The walls began to close, coming closer and closer to me as time passed.

The bells rang, the guard walked past the cell, and the smell of despair began to fill the room again.

Was I hallucinating, or was it the lack of sleep? I really didn't know.

I was just so exhausted.

* * * * *

Clank!

When the rusted metal door with its bars opened, I knew it was once again time for my meal.

Or at least, I believed that until I heard the voice—or, rather, the voice—that I didn't want to hear the most.

"You can leave now."

Despite the fact that it wasn't directed at me, my body was able to sense the coldness in that tone, which contained an inherent sense of arrogance.

A voice that I had only ever remembered as pleasant and sweet was now like the razor-sharp edge of a blade.

The sharp change made the back of my throat dry and the muscles in my neck stiff, but I still lifted my head and turned to face the source of the voice.

There she was, wearing black pants, a white long-sleeve shirt with pink flowers and ruffles, and a turtleneck with a light blue peak.

The combination of her emerald green eyes, which shone like gems in this darkness, and her straight black hair, which reached her legs and gave her an elegant appearance, made her look even more stunning than ever.

As I saw her standing there, instructing the guard knights to leave, my blood boiled, and a sickening sensation rose to my throat.

Clank!

After the knight left, shutting the metal door, Theresa turned to stare at me, and I did the same without averting my eyes.

Full of bruising from the constant beating over these last two days, my body was in excruciating pain, and my eyes were bloodshot due to the lack of sleep.

Yet somehow my heart was strangely cold, like a block of ice.

Something was wrong with me. But I couldn't tell what it was.

However, as if she didn't notice my condition at all, Theresa came closer to me, and with a tender look on her face, she started caressing my face.

Despite the fact that my cheeks were already hot from the rapid blood flow, her cool touch caused my body to tremble immediately.

Her mere presence here made my head dizzy and my thoughts erratic.

"You have suffered."

She mumbled something, but I couldn't hear her because of the confusion in my head.

There was so much going on in my head.

I wanted to shout, I wanted to cry, and I wanted to know why she didn't help me.

Why did she betray me?

Why did she choose to remain silent when the knights were dragging me to prison?

Over the course of the last two days, I had asked myself these questions many times, and each time, I had only succeeded in convincing myself that she would eventually come to my rescue, that she had some sort of plan, or that she didn't think it was appropriate to support me at that time.

That was why, with my sanity hanging on this last thread of hope remaining in my heart, I asked.

"Why are you here now?"

My voice was rough and shaky, which made my frailty obvious to her.

Was it some kind of magic or drug they gave me in my food? I had no idea.

Despite the fact that only two days had passed since that day, it felt like two years to me, and I was getting closer to insanity by the minute.

"Obviously, to see you… One Last Time."

"One... last… time?"

But these words from her broke the last thread that kept me from going insane.

"Why? Why are you doing this to me? What happened to the time you spent with me? What about our feelings? Was it all a lie, a deception?"

I roared in anger as tears formed and started falling from my eyes.

As adrenaline flowed through my body and the pain became numb, my sanity began fading by the second.

I tried to swing my hands and legs with full force, trying to break free from these chains and compel her to answer me.

Her next comments, though, brought my craziness to a halt.

"It wasn't a hoax. I loved you, and I still do, and I will always love you the same way. I can't love anyone else other than you."

She talked with a pleasant tone as she continued to caress my face, lick my tears, and wipe the blood from my lips with her fingertips.

"Liar, liar, at least be honest. There's no need to hide right now. I've already been sent here by you. What new tricks are you employing now?"

I screamed and pulled ferociously, causing my skin to come off where the chains were holding me.

"How can you possibly love me? Why do you treat me in this way if you love me? "

My sanity started fading once again, and eventually I had to bite my tongue to keep my consciousness from being overwhelmed by my anger.

"Don't be afraid, dear. Everything will be OK. You will be allowed to leave very soon and then sent to one of the world's most dangerous demon dungeons to die."

"..."

"Oops... I forgot. You didn't know anything about this world as you were locked here and didn't get any explanation. So, let me quickly give an explanation to you, though I doubt you will need it."

She still had that smile on her face, and watching it only made me sick.

How could she talk about sending me to die without even a shred of remorse on her face?

Unfortunately, my thoughts and emotions had no effect on her as she began telling me about Demon Dungeons, its geography, neighboring nations, and so on.

Although I didn't want to hear her nonsense, some words still fell on my ears, giving me a general idea of this world, which was more like a fantasy modern earth with different names and people.

"Unfortunately, I have to send you there, and it hurts my heart too. But there is no other choice. Everyone has decided that it would be better to kill you than to let you stay alive and suffer. But we can't kill you here because you're still the hero summoned by the goddess. So you have to get out of here first."

"..."

"Still not speaking? You hate me that much? "

Sigh!

She sighed, and suddenly a solemn atmosphere was created in the room. Till now, she was speaking in her playful voice, but now her expressions were serious.

Her lips were not curled up, and even her voice suddenly lost that frivolity.

It was absurd that she suddenly became serious.

Did my life really held such little value to her that she was speaking about my death with such a carefree attitude?

"I love you and will always do so. I am incapable of loving anyone else, even if you die. I have already given my most precious thing to you. You're the only man who has ever touched me, and you will also be the only one who ever will. Even if you die, I cannot love anyone else. "

She shook her head. Her face was serious. And her words were true this time.

Why was I still believing her even though she had already betrayed me once?

I didn't know.

But my heart was saying that even though she did what she did, this was all true, and I couldn't discern any lies in her words.

My eyes got wet.

I couldn't understand this cruel play of fate.

What was my mistake? I didn't know.

But I wasn't a fool.

It didn't take me long to accept the fact that she had already betrayed me.

Now, I just wanted to know why?

If you love me, then why did you betray me?

"Then why?"

As if oblivious to my intention, she tilted her head and asked,

"Why what?"

"Why did you betray me?"

"Oh, well, if you had gotten a good status, even an average status, then I would have tried my best to stay by your side and fight alongside you, but now you will only be a hindrance on my path."

"…"

"Even though I would cry every night if you passed away, I would still be able to work hard throughout the day to get stronger and overcome everything. However, even those would be wasted if you survived, as they would be spent worrying and taking care of you."

Spit!

"Bullshit!"

I spat on her face. I was tired of listening to her nonsense.

Half of what she said had already gone over my head, and the other half just made my desire to kill her and everyone else surge.

However, she didn't even flinch from the saliva on her face.

Even her expressions didn't change.

She just wiped her face with her fingers and licked them clean one by one.

"Don't worry! This is fine. I love every part of you, and since you're my only love, I will definitely find a way to revive you later. I will ask the goddess to bring you back to life after I defeat the demon king."

My mind was getting dizzy, and every word of hers was just making me more and more nauseous.

"You're a crazy b*tch! I will definitely kill you and everyone else, mark my words."

"HeHe Yes! I'm crazy in love with you. But I also have my own goals to achieve. I'm willing to live as a widow for decades and mourn every night in your memory, but I can't let my ambitions and plans for my life pass in vain. I sincerely hope you will forgive me. Please give your life for me, MY LOVE."

She did not wait for my response. Instead, she wrapped her left arm around my neck and pulled me forward before kissing me on the lips.

But my lips and teeth were tightly shut, not allowing her to do what she wanted.

However, that only backfired on me, as she soon pinched me on the waist.

"Ahh!"

And I screamed in pain.

As soon as my lips parted, she bit them firmly and began sucking on them.

After doing whatever she wanted with me for a few minutes—kissing me on the lips, sucking my tongue, and biting me a few more times—she finally stepped back.

A few seconds later, she licked her lips, tasted my blood, and started crying as tears came out of her eyes.

'Why are you crying, you bitch? I swear, if I didn't die today, I would kill you.'

The urge to shout out my thoughts arose, but the pain in my body, the exhaustion from beatings, and my trembling lips soon suppressed my urge.

After Theresa wiped her tears and got herself back into her cold, apathetic appearance, she shouted,

"Guards!"

Two guards in full plate armor came running inside the cell.

"Take him away. I think you must have already received the orders from Pope Jordan."

"Yes, Hero Theresa."

Respectfully bending their heads, they came towards me and started dragging me away, and as soon as I felt someone hit me on the back of my head, my consciousness faded and my mind drifted away in darkness.