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TN: I think this is the peak where Ardion's obsession is showing but we'll see. I do pity Laila a bit though but I am more excited how this will turn out~ leave a comment below everyone! Byeooo
“What do you mean by that?”
“You should go back now. Call for a healer and tell them to take these people away.”
“Understood,” the guard said in a trembling voice.
The prison warden clicked his tongue and looked down at him with a haughty gaze before turning away. The warden ascended the stairs, locking all the doors around him. The surroundings instantly became quiet. After confirming once more that the doors were locked, he turned his body around.
Meanwhile, Ardion walked down the hallway, recalling the blueprint Delzion had given him. As he walked, guided by his memory, he came across a sign that read ‘Interrogation Room’.
He immediately opened the door. But the room was empty, containing only a table and a chair. Just as he was about to close the door, a familiar voice called out.
“Your Highness, is that you?”
Ardion turned his head. “Who are you?”
“I am the head warden of this prison…”
Ardion grabbed the warden’s neck with one hand, causing the warden’s eyes to twist in agony.
“Where is Laila?”
“Ugh, th-this… Let go… Ugh…”
Ardion slammed the warden into the wall. “Tell me where she is.”
“The crown prince’s order… Laila… She’s in a cell on the opposite side of this hallway…”
Ardion immediately tossed the warden aside and hurried down the opposite corridor.
The warden, watching him from behind, started to laugh. He slowly rose and adjusted his clothes. Then he broke the glass wall with his heel. The sound of glass shattering echoed, and a gas mask fell to the floor.
The warden put it on, placed a small, round container on the floor, and then followed Ardion.
Ardion quickly scanned the surroundings. Strangely, the prison was nearly empty. He knew that Rowell had imprisoned many people here, but he had never imagined it would be this deserted.
What’s going on?
Furthermore, the prison doors were wide open. Brows furrowed, he walked forward. At some point, Ardion stopped. He slowly looked around at the empty cells. Then he quickly rotated his wrist. A red dot was still moving. He could hear the sound of someone walking slowly behind him.
“Your Highness, are you looking for Laila?”
Ardion turned around and saw the warden wearing a gas mask and holding a round container.
“What are you doing?” His voice was low and cold, his face was dark, and his gaze was sharp.
“It is the crown prince’s command. Laila has escaped from here, and Your Highness will no longer be able to leave.”
Ardion cast a low glance at his wrist. Laila was now far away. In fact, she was much farther than he had realized. He hadn't noticed it in his haste. Still, it was fortunate that she was far from this place. His heart, which had been racing earlier, began to calm down.
A mocking voice rang out. “You seem very at ease, even though I’ve told you that you can’t leave.”
Ardion raised his eyes and looked at the warden. He smiled faintly when he saw the warden’s gas mask. “Are you trying to kill me with poison gas?”
“…”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” Ardion tilted his head slightly, raising one corner of his mouth.
His gaze piercing and dark, he took a step closer to the warden. “Just because I can’t smell it, do you think I’m someone who would die from this kind of thing?”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“Now that I think about it, not only does Laila know that, but Rowell is aware too. That’s unexpected.” Ardion grinned as he looked at the warden.
He slowly walked toward him, his gaze thick and menacing. The warden took a hesitant step back, but before long, there was almost no distance between them.
“Can you just tell me? I’m not going to die from this smell.”
The warden blinked in surprise. “But this poison gas… In just two minutes, it can kill several people…”
The warden hurriedly checked his pocket watch. Indeed, more than two minutes had already passed. His face immediately stiffened.
“People often say I’m blessed by mana. Anything I can’t feel won’t pose a danger to me. For example, this smell.” Ardion smiled confidently.
The warden quickly turned and ran, but the water pooled on the floor caused him to slip and fall forward. “Ugh!”
He hurried to get up, but the mud beneath him ensnared his arms and legs like quicksand. Behind him, the sound of clean shoes echoed rhythmically.
“This can’t be happening! This is impossible…” The warden struggled desperately, but it was futile. His limbs were completely trapped. Finally, Ardion stood in front of him.
The warden quickly raised his head and hurriedly spoke. “Please spare me. I’ve done nothing wrong. Everything was ordered by the crown prince…”
“…”
“Don’t you know that?”
Ardion smiled as he removed the warden’s gas mask. A scream of despair rang out in the confined space. Ardion tossed the gas mask aside, stood up, and returned the way he had come. Even though the door was securely shut, he broke it with ease and stepped out. He saw some healers standing by, looking at him.
“Your Highness…”
Since they recognized him, they were likely from the palace.
“There’s poison gas on the second floor. The doors are shut, but be careful since it might leak.
“Oh, by the way, I heard the prisoners here escaped. Do you know anything about it?”
Ardion glanced at his wrist. Laila was still moving farther away from here.
“She probably left because she had to.”
“…”
The healers stood still, staring at Ardion, confusion on their faces.
Ardion quietly passed them and made his way to the exit. There, he was greeted by people who recognized him and greeted him. With a stern expression, he passed them and headed toward the carriage.
He said to the driver, who was standing tensely. “Take me to the sewage treatment plant.”
According to the blueprint, the only path through which Laila could escape was the sewer tunnel, and she was moving in that direction.
❋ ❋ ❋
I slowly blinked. The first thing I saw was a white ceiling.
Am I dead…?
But everything around me was far too vivid. Most importantly, I heard a voice calling my name.
“Laila?”
It was a voice I knew well. As I turned my head, a large body suddenly engulfed me.
“Are you okay? Is your chest feeling tight? Can you breathe properly?”
“Ardion.”
“It’s me, Laila.” Ardion hugged me even tighter.
I pushed against his shoulder and felt him freeze for a moment.
“Laila, didn’t you miss me?”
“It’s not that. You’re hugging me so tightly that I can’t breathe,” I managed to say.
Ardion finally let go. “Sorry. Are your hands alright?”
He hurriedly took my hands, which were trembling slightly.
“Where are we?”
“At the hospital.”
“What about the others? They haven’t been caught, have they?”
“They’re safer than you. You woke up much later than they did.”
My racing heart finally settled.
“What about Derol?” I looked around.
Ardion gently took my hand in his. “I sent him back to the mansion. I saw him crying after he saw you unconscious, so I told him to rest for a while.”
“Is he okay?”
Ardion nodded. Only then did I feel fully relieved.
Suddenly, a headache struck.
Noticing my frown, Ardion gazed at me with concern. “Laila, are you okay?”
“My head hurts a little, but I’m fine. I think I overused my mana. I used a lot of water magic in the sewer tunnel.”
Ardion looked at me with a serious expression.
I could only force a smile. “There’s no need to worry. My mana is definitely more stable now. My hands aren’t shaking, and my body feels fine. Plus, I can use some high-level magic.”
Although I spoke proudly, Ardion still wore a worried expression. “You said your head hurts.”
“It’s probably just because my mana is low.”
I tried to sit up, supporting myself on my arms, but Ardion gently pushed me back down.
“Laila, you’re in danger right now.”
“But I just woke up, and although my head hurts a bit, I’m fine otherwise.”
“No, Rowell has implanted a magical drug in your body.”
“What?” I was completely stunned. In disbelief, I asked once again, “Magical drug? In my body?”
Ardion nodded with a grim expression. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Among them was Ventu, who lowered her head as soon as she saw me. The others wore grim expressions.
“What the hell happened… No, I didn’t even know that Rowell had planted a magical drug in me.”
“I think it happened when you were unconscious. That’s why you can’t remember it.”
My head started hurting again, and I winced with a frown.
Ardion quickly got up. “Why are you still standing there? Find the location of the magical drug immediately.”
The healers came near me.
I raised my head. “What are you doing now?”
One of the old healers answered, “We’re going to find the location of the magical drug planted in your body, Princess. The crown prince must have used mana when he planted it, so finding traces of mana is the most urgent task.”