Episode 2 The Black Count's Fortress - Part 4

"Since I have been living my life in such a remote stronghold, I was terribly surprised when I first heard the wolfsbane and the order to capture the twins of Paro, who had escaped to this area, on a fast horse from Fort Talos. For it was only four days ago that a wolfsbane had announced that our Grand Duke had lost Paro, and to travel from the Crystal City in the middle of the Middle Plains to the vicinity of the fort of Staphorus in little more than two days was a feat of ancient black magic. The reason is that it's a feat that no ordinary person can accomplish.

 Moreover, the wolfsbane has informed me that although the Grand Duke lost the Crystal Palace, he did not gain any of Paro's treasure, which people have long claimed to be there. No, no, this is not the Grand Duke's smoke, but my private informant's.

 Paro is an ancient land that has reigned over the Middle Plains for several times as long as Cheironia, and ten times as long as Gora. Naturally, there is a wealth of old wisdom there. Even if it was taken by surprise and overrun by Mongol's army, Paro would not be so fragile that it could be turned into rubble overnight.

 Paro's twins, I am sending you back to Torus, the capital of Mongol, as ordered, but since it is my good fortune to have captured you alive, I do not think it will go unpunished if I get my hands on Paro's secret. ..."

"Palo doesn't have any secrets!

 Linda shouted in disbelief.

"No, there is."

"No!"

"Then how in the world did you guys manage to move your location from the Crystal City to this forest of ludes in just one day? Did you even fly?"

"You just said it yourself. Black magic can do that."

"Then let's get you to reveal that black magic."

"I don't want to.

 Linda stuck out her bottom lip in a gesture that was very uncharacteristic of a noble princess.

"Kill us quickly, and send the salted heads to Torus in a wooden box."

"Good nerve, girl."

 The Black Count gave an example laugh.

"But you don't know anything yet, you don't even know that there are some things in this world that are truly unbearable. You don't even know that some people, if they want something, will go to any length to get it."

"You mean torture."

 Linda calmly - or at least feigned it - pointed out.

"Do whatever you want, fire or water. In any case, we'd rather die with the last remnants of the royal house of Paro-- the pride of Paro. I'd rather bite my tongue than live in disgrace. The wisdom and the glory of Paro will die with me and Remus, so our deaths will not be in vain."

"You're a born queen, little girl."

 The Black Count gave him a compliment. Linda shook out her long platinum blonde hair and tucked her pretty chin.

"I am the Queen of Paro until the moment of my death on the torture table, the pure heir to the sacred bloodline, the beloved daughter of the proud King Aldross III, and Linda the Oracle. You should be ashamed of yourself, standing before me in the open. And Remus, the rightful crown prince of Paro, the heir to the throne, the only ruler of Paro since your father fell to the spears of Mongol."

 Linda said sternly, shoving her flustered twin brother awkwardly in front of her.

"And--and of course."

 Remus said, trying to look dignified, but his jaw, which had much softer lines than his sister's, was wobbling somewhat weakly.

"The two pearls of Paros are more like one of them than the other, wrapped in a soft shell."

 The Black Count smiled and said.

"Paro's secret will be easier to obtain than I thought by prying open the softer shell. But... I'm a very twisted person, perhaps because my brain has been affected by karma. I'd rather take a pearl from a tough oyster than a soft one. I told you that you knew nothing, that you knew nothing of what was truly unbearable in this world..."

 The Count moved slowly, with an awkward gesture as if he had a knee joint disorder, and began to descend the stone platform.

"What would it be like, for example, to have this armoured, bandaged, pus-filled body underneath - this body, turned into a mass of lifeless carrion by karma - snuggled up against you on the floor, alone with you, embraced, mouth to mouth? What if I were to be held by my mouth? What if they grabbed your hands, pulled you in, and smeared their horrible pus all over your smooth skin?"

 Linda let out a scream and backed away. She put a small fist to her mouth to stop the scream, but she couldn't stop it.

"Surely fire, scorching iron and leather whips cannot subdue a soul like yours, little Queen of the Middle Plains. But the more virtuous and fierce your heart is, the more you will have to endure living, rotting flesh, sores and oozing foul pus? If you were tied to my bed, would you still be able to shout out all the best secrets of Paro?"

 The Black Count gently reached out his hand toward Linda and tried to approach her. Linda forgot herself in fear and grabbed her long hair, closing her eyes tightly,

"Don't, don't, don't! "

 I kept screaming.

 The Count looked at Linda's face, which was whiter than paper, for a moment and then gave a faint laugh. It was full of malice.

"I've seen it."

 He said.

"There are things in this world that are unbearable at any cost. So don't speak too proudly as a child.

 you'll have to tell me Paro's secret. I won't send a signal to the capital that I've captured Paro's children until I know what they are. I want to be the first to find out Paro's secret and, if possible, the whereabouts of his treasure.

 But as you can see I'm a sick man. I spend most of my days in a tower rebuilt for me alone. Otherwise the soldiers at the fort would be annoyed and so would I. Light, sound and air are all bad for my sickness. That's why I come down to the castle only a few moments a day.

 We've reached our limit today. Captain Third."

"is."

"Take these three men to the tower and lock them up - not in the black tower for me, but in a room in the white tower for the prisoners, and feed and water them, and watch over them to make sure they never escape. The responsibility lies entirely with you. And the man with the Leopard, that man intrigues me greatly."

"As you wish, sir."

"Who is he, where does he come from, and why does he look the way he does - but if his muscles are as well trained as they seem, and if he has as much wisdom as a beast in his head, then within the borders of Mongol This man is worth as much as his weight in gold. Because, according to the military policy of His Highness, Grand Duke Vlad, there are often great contests in Mongol, and the winners of these contests, the great fighters, are the object of terrible gambling.

 No, this man must not be killed, maimed, or starved to death. A half-breed, half-human fighter... that's what he'll be known for. But that's only if he can fight without looking ashamed of his appearance. ..."

 The Black Count suddenly staggered and braced himself on the table. The knights were in an uproar, but none of them dared to approach the accursed man to help him. The Black Count paused for a moment to catch his breath, then coughed and spoke.

"I must return to the tower quickly. Take the three of them and prepare for later. Don't let them escape and don't kill them. I'll check on the Leopard man in the cellar at night to see how he fared. All right."

"Ha!"

 The captain put his hand on his chest. As soon as he saw this, the Black Count suddenly staggered and fell down on his chair, and pressed a button hidden somewhere.

 Suddenly, the stone wall was turned around with the chairs, and then there was only a wall without any chairs. The chair must have been left there as a precaution, for fear of the disease.

 On reflection, Linda realized that she could not find a single squire, servant, or attendant to follow her lord around. It was no wonder that Staphorus's fortress gave the impression of being uninhabited, for the men of the castle, fearing the Black Death, must be holed up in their own quarters, keeping their contact with the lord to the bare minimum.

 That's what I was thinking,

"One thing I didn't tell you."

 Suddenly a peculiarly grave voice rang out as if from the depths of the earth, and she sank back and looked around.

 But the knights were not surprised. Then Linda realized that it was a carefully hidden conduit, buried between the stones.

"The princess of Paro is very tired. I suggest you leave the princess alone in the small room in the tower."

"What the--!"

 Linda tried to argue that she should not be separated from her brother, but the conduit went silent and the knights went about their work of leading the three of them in silence.

"Linda, we're being ripped apart!

 Remus shouted and leaned forward to appeal to the captain. But Guin suddenly said in a barking voice.

"It's no use, don't do it. I'll take care of it later. They don't want anything to do with us now anyway. We'll just have to put up with them tearing us apart and save our strength."

"Because we've never been separated since we were born!"

"You have to be patient."

 Guin said curtly, and with a nudge from behind he went back around the stone corridor and up the stone steps to the white tower. Linda and Remus followed anxiously.

 It was also a stone-built tower with a chill in the air. Once out in the open, they re-entered the building and ascended the spiral staircase, two by two, until the captain loudly ordered them to unlock the chamber where Guin and Remus were confined.

 A very short, crippled, hooded prison guard appeared and opened the front of the two stone doors. Guin stooped and went into the stone chamber himself, and Remus turned to Linda and stretched out his hand as if to appeal to her, but she pushed him away and went into the chamber, and behind her the heavy door was slammed shut.

 The captain ordered his men to take turns keeping watch and then told the jailer to lock Linda in the back room.

"I just can't do it, you know?"

 was the reply of the prison guard.

"It was only yesterday that the Count himself locked the young devil in that room and told him to wait until he decided on the date and time of his execution."

"Is someone in there?"

 The captain was puzzled and asked about the other prisons. The jailer bared his dirty teeth and laughed.

"If it's just my daughter, she'll be fine in the little room at the top of the tower."

"The small room at the top of the tower--"

 The captain hesitated, but then nodded as if he had made up his mind and motioned for Linda to go up the stairs.

 The captain's hesitation, and the jailer's unpleasant smile, gave Linda a strange feeling of uneasiness. But Linda had no wish to show weakness to them. She held her head up straight and climbed the increasingly narrow and steep stone steps before she was knocked down.

 The door of the small room was opened. It was very dark and musty inside. Linda bit her lip tightly and went inside. The door was closed and the sound of a key in the lock echoed behind her.

"She's a stout girl."

 She heard voices outside. Linda squeezed her eyes shut, trying to adjust to the darkness.

"But if you spend the night here, you will weep and beg for mercy."

 The sound of mocking voices and laughter, of footsteps descending the stairs, faded away. Linda clutched her chest with both hands and slowly opened her eyes.

 And then I gasped noisily. I could feel the blood rapidly receding from my body.

 Something was huddled in the darkness, looking up at her. Its two eyes burned like snakes just above the floor, glowing with a dark, fierce, green phosphorescence.