Chapter : 152. Transfer
Karan had casually said he had restrained Iris’s magic, but her situation was far more miserable than it seemed.
With shackles on her neck, wrists, and ankles, she was essentially suspended in midair.
Her feet barely touched the floor, but even bending her knees slightly caused the shackle around her neck to tighten, sending waves of pain coursing through her.
After enduring an entire day in that state, Iris looked completely ruined.
Her lips were parched, her hair disheveled, and wherever the shackles pressed against her, her struggling had left raw, scraped skin.
“Release me immediately!”
Clank.
“Ugh!”
When Iris lunged forward at the sight of Elise, her neck was suddenly throttled. Tears welled up in her eyes. She huffed and stepped back.
“If I get out, you won’t get away with this! Do you think you can live like this? You?”
Iris shouted, veins bulging in her neck. Elise stared at her expressionlessly.
“Elise, are you just going to keep listening to this nonsense?”
Elise stroked Karan’s hand.
“Karan, could you step aside for a moment?”
“It’s dangerous.”
“You’re nearby. It’ll just be a moment.”
Karan gave Elise a concerned look and slowly stepped back.
“Call me whenever you need.”
He tapped his chest lightly, reminding her that she didn’t even need to make a sound to summon him.
Seeing the gentle interaction between Elise and Karan, Iris sneered.
“So she said she couldn’t live without Chase, and she’s already fallen for that guy? Did you at least get some satisfaction? Did he treat you well at night?”
“Not just at night. He treats me well during the day too.”
But no matter how much Iris struggled, she couldn’t harm Elise even the slightest bit.
“I’ll kill you!”
Unable to contain her anger, Iris screamed. Elise smiled faintly.
“Who will die first, me or you?”
Elise stepped closer to the iron bars. The torch fixed to the wall blazed brightly, illuminating both of them clearly.
Seeing Iris’s bloodshot eyes and quivering lips was oddly satisfying.
“Accept it. There’s nothing more you can do. There’s no place for you here.”
Iris flinched. She had never heard these words before, yet they felt strangely familiar.
Elise smiled brightly.
“That was your original place.”
Elise nodded toward her.
Iris’s cheeks trembled. Anger surged through her, and flames flickered at her fingertips, but that was all.
She couldn’t use her magic.
Elise watched the trembling Iris calmly.
“A dungeon suits you well.”
“You… this… this is all your doing, isn’t it?”
“I’d be glad to confirm that if I could. But no, this isn’t my doing. You brought this upon yourself.”
“What did I do wrong! I was just trying to save this country—from Ragnaros!”
“Really?”
Elise tilted her head. When their eyes met, Iris flinched.
Elise’s cold gaze seemed to penetrate her very thoughts.
Iris avoided her eyes and ground her teeth.
It wasn’t fear that made her look away. She kept her eyes half-open because she was tired, strained…
Iris tried to rationalize it, but honestly, she was scared of Elise.
To be afraid of someone she had once looked down on made her feel pathetic and miserable.
How did it come to this?
I was beautiful and could use magic. Everyone looked up to me with envy…
Elise smiled.
“You just returned to the natural order. Don’t resent me. You got greedy, that’s all.”
“Why… why are you doing this to me?”
“Don’t you know?”
“I don’t. I really don’t!”
“Then spend your life thinking about it until you understand. But before you do, there’s something you need to tell me. Tell me what you know about Ragnaros.”
Iris clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes burned with stubborn resolve not to speak.
Elise reached into her cloak and pulled out a sheet of paper and a magical engraving pen.
“You almost made me upset by being so stubborn.”
She placed the paper on her palm and drew a simple magic circle.
Iris’s eyes widened.
“What are you doing?”
Without answering, Elise placed the completed magic circle on the floor.
Ants began to crawl out, first a few, then dozens, climbing onto Iris’s body.
“N-no, don’t! Take them away! I said don’t!”
The ants bit and burrowed into her skin. It was itchy, painful, and horrifying.
“I’ll come back when you remember.”
Elise didn’t ask twice. If it were now, Iris would tell her everything about Ragnaros.
But Iris couldn’t even touch Elise. She kept her mouth shut, afraid the ants would crawl in if she spoke.
She didn’t see Elise leave either, keeping her eyes closed to avoid the “ants” from invading her eyes.
Tears streamed down, but no one came to wipe them away.
Elise smirked at Iris’s screams.
She hadn’t actually summoned ants. They were just illusions.
But Iris believed they were real.
So she suffered—mentally and physically.
Elise knew very well how the mind could destroy the body.
“Karan, shall we go up?”
Turning the corner, Karan appeared. Iris’s desperate screams didn’t faze him; he didn’t ask Elise anything.
Instead, he held her small hand firmly and guided her toward the sunlight.
Opening the door, bright light enveloped Elise. The difference between underground and aboveground was stark.
Elise breathed in the fresh air and warmth of the sunlight.
It felt like finishing a huge task.
An indescribable feeling surged tight in her ribs.
It had taken so long to climb from the dungeon to here.
She hadn’t shown it, but her legs had trembled while going down.
But on the way up, she realized she no longer feared the dungeon. She didn’t mind the moldy smell.
All the dreadful memories and miserable moments of the dungeon had been taken away by Iris.
She finally shook off the nightmares of the underground prison.
Her body felt lighter, and her mind refreshed.
The reason for this was all because of…
“Thank you, Karan.”
Elise hugged Karan tightly, who was half a step ahead of her.
“It’s nothing.”
Remembering Elise from the dungeon, Karan felt her warmth and quietly looked up at the sky.
‘It’s a relief that it wasn’t you trapped in the dungeon in this life,’ he thought.
Two full days had passed since David’s surgery.
Leber had stayed by David’s side constantly, nursing him carefully.
“The prognosis isn’t bad.”
Leber said, pressing her shoulders gently.
“You’ve worked hard, Leber. You should rest.”
“Once you regain your composure…”
Elise didn’t insist further. Even if she were in Leber’s place, she wouldn’t be able to rest.
“I’ll step out for now.”
Leber had come to report on David’s condition.
“If you need anything, just say so.”
“Yes,” Leber replied weakly and left. Hartwin entered.
“We’ve received news from Bedroka.”
Karan sat up from the sofa.
“They’re going under the Crown Prince’s temporary regency. Chase is acting as the Crown Prince.”
“Acting Crown Prince?”
It was unprecedented.
“Yes, Elise. If something happens to David during the regency, Chase would naturally become the Crown Prince.”
“Elange accepted Chase without suspicion?”
Elise couldn’t understand his actions.
He truly cared about David. How could he appoint Chase acting Crown Prince without checking the details?
“Stability of the nation takes precedence over denial, Elise. Hartwin, this isn’t the end of the report, right? We expected this much.”
“Yes, there’s more. Chase strongly protested to the Ivory Tower. He demanded that Amber, who attempted to assassinate David, face appropriate punishment. The Tower immediately stripped Amber of her Sage status and banned her from using magic.”
For a mage, this was equivalent to a death sentence. Amber would likely live under constant surveillance, alone, until she died.
“Bedroka caught the Tower off guard.”
“Yes, the Tower wanted to resolve it financially, but he refused. First, David’s condition must be assessed. However, Chase…”
Hartwin trailed off, his face darkening. Karan raised an eyebrow.
“Chase is trying to pin David’s issue on us?”
Karan had seen through Chase’s actions. Hartwin nodded heavily.
It would likely escalate into a diplomatic dispute, even as they still needed to unite against Ragnaros.
“I expected as much.”
Despite the gravity, Elise’s voice sounded unusually calm.
“No need to worry, Your Highness. Chase’s arrogance will be short-lived.”
“While David is awake, there’s no issue. But if he doesn’t wake, we cannot avoid responsibility.”
“He will wake. Even if he doesn’t, Bedroka cannot blame us.”
“What can we do, Elise?”
Karan and Hartwin looked at her simultaneously.
