Chapter 52
The prison remained silent.
Cold iron bars.
Wet stone.
Dim torchlight flickering weakly along the corridor walls.
Somewhere far above—
water dripped slowly through ancient cracks.
Princess Flora sat against the wall quietly.
Awake.
But restless.
Her eyes remained fixed on the empty corner of the prison.
The old man was gone.
That was the first thing she noticed after waking.
Not the chains.
Not the guards.
Not even the lingering pain left behind by the sealing magic.
Him.
Gone.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
Princess (thinking): Where did they take him…?
Movement echoed beside her.
Guinevere slowly pushed herself upright with a quiet groan.
Yet even half-awake, her eyes immediately scanned the prison.
Alert.
Careful.
Guinevere: "…Princess."
Princess: "I'm alright."
Nearby—
Chris let out a painful breath while gripping his side.
Margaret leaned silently against the wall, still visibly weakened.
Marco opened his eyes last.
Confusion spread across his face almost immediately.
Marco: "…What happened?"
Chris slammed a hand against the bars.
Chris: "Those bastards used some kind of sealing magic…"
Guinevere's expression darkened instantly.
Guinevere: "I noticed."
Silence settled briefly between them.
Heavy.
Uneasy.
Then Guinevere looked toward Flora carefully.
Guinevere: "You know something."
Princess Flora lowered her gaze slightly.
Princess: "…You were right."
A pause.
Princess: "They used ancient sealing magic."
Marco frowned immediately.
Marco: "Damn it… John played us from the beginning."
Chris gritted his teeth.
Chris: "If I get my hands on him again, I swear—"
Princess Flora suddenly looked toward Guinevere.
Princess: "Did any of you see an old man here?"
Guinevere blinked slightly.
Guinevere: "An old man?"
Princess: "The prisoner beside me."
Chris frowned.
Chris: "There was another prisoner?"
Princess: "Yes."
Marco slowly shook his head.
Marco: "I didn't see anyone."
Princess Flora's expression tightened.
Princess: "He was here."
A pause.
Princess: "And he knew things."
That immediately caught Guinevere's attention.
Guinevere: "What kind of things?"
Princess Flora hesitated briefly.
Then—
Princess: "About this place."
Silence.
Princess: "About the gods."
Another pause.
Princess: "…And about them."
The prison suddenly felt colder.
Chris glanced toward the corridor.
Chris: "Then why remove him?"
Princess Flora slowly stood.
Princess: "Because they realized I was speaking with him."
She stepped toward the bars.
The nearby guards stood beneath the torchlight in complete silence.
Still.
Almost unnatural.
Princess: "You."
No response.
Princess: "Where is the old man who was imprisoned here?"
Nothing.
One of the guards finally moved—
but only to continue walking past the prison slowly.
Like he barely heard her at all.
Princess Flora watched him disappear into the darkness.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Princess (thinking): They removed him…
A pause.
Princess (thinking): No…
Her fingers tightened around the cold iron bars.
Princess (thinking): They hid him.
Behind her—
Guinevere slowly stood.
Still weak.
But observant.
Guinevere: "Princess."
Flora stayed silent.
Guinevere: "Who exactly was he?"
Princess Flora turned back toward them slowly.
Princess: "I don't know."
Chris frowned immediately.
Chris: "That's reassuring."
Princess: "But he knew too much."
A pause.
Princess: "And I need to find him."
Marco looked exhausted already.
Marco: "Find him?"
He weakly gestured around the prison.
Marco: "We can barely even stand."
That wasn't wrong.
Margaret still leaned heavily against the wall.
Chris was injured.
Marco looked pale.
And near the far side of the prison—
Captain Bochy remained completely unconscious.
Motionless.
Guinevere's expression darkened slightly while looking at him.
Guinevere: "…He still hasn't awakened."
Princess Flora lowered her gaze briefly.
Princess: "The sealing magic affected him the worst."
Chris looked around the prison again.
Chris: "Our weapons are gone too."
Marco let out a tired laugh.
Marco: "Yeah. That's great."
Guinevere slowly stepped toward the center of the cell.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Guinevere: "Escaping this place without weapons would already be difficult."
Her eyes shifted toward Bochy.
Guinevere: "Escaping while carrying unconscious people?"
Silence.
Nobody answered.
Because nobody had a solution.
Princess Flora slowly sat back against the wall again.
But her thoughts refused to settle.
Princess: "They're preparing something."
Everyone looked toward her again.
Princess: "Their goal is the same as ours."
Chris frowned.
Chris: "…Awakening the gods?"
Princess Flora nodded slowly.
Princess: "Yes."
A pause.
Princess: "But not for the same reason."
Guinevere's eyes narrowed slightly.
Princess: "The old man mentioned someone connected to justice."
Silence.
Princess: "A god tied to judgment."
Marco frowned.
Marco: "Then why would they need us?"
Princess Flora looked down quietly.
Princess: "That's what I'm trying to understand."
Another pause.
Princess: "But whatever is happening here…"
Her voice lowered slightly.
Princess: "…it's bigger than kingdoms."
The prison fell silent again.
Only distant footsteps echoed through the corridor now.
Then—
Flora slowly looked toward Guinevere.
Princess: "Can I ask you something?"
Guinevere: "What?"
Princess Flora studied her carefully for a moment.
Princess: "You're a Chosen Angel."
Guinevere stayed silent.
Princess: "I never asked before…"
A pause.
Princess: "…which god did you devote yourself to?"
The question lingered heavily between them.
Guinevere's eyes narrowed slightly.
Guinevere: "Why ask now?"
Princess Flora leaned back against the wall again.
Princess: "Because I think it matters."
Silence.
Then—
very quietly—
Guinevere answered.
Guinevere: "…The Goddess of Earth and life."
The torchlight flickered softly across Princess's green eyes
...CHAPTER 52ENDS...