Zeig, wearing the red armor, led the way down the staircase into the basement.
Inside.
…Pitch black.
Several times he thought of turning back the way he came, only to meet Bronya's speechless gaze.
"…"
"…"
He could only continue downward.
As he slowly descended, Bronya urged from behind:
"Executor, can you walk a little faster?"
Zeig turned back and scolded:
"It's so dark down here—no lights at all. I'm scared!!"
Ever since Zeig had pulled out the binoculars, Bronya had recognized him.
Although she was puzzled why he hadn't returned to the space station with Dan Heng and March 7th, she decided to deal with the matter at hand first.
"…" Bronya looked at Zeig ahead in his red armor and couldn't help pursing her thin lips.
If Zeig really wanted to kill the Count, even if every Silvermane Guard here was equipped with the finest gear and formed the most targeted formations…
…it would still be futile.
But why hadn't he made a move yet?
According to intelligence from earlier scouts, Zeig should have infiltrated the rebel organization. To gain their trust, he had publicly beaten Gepard senseless on the street.
Gepard still couldn't get out of bed even now.
Seeing Zeig still dawdling along, Bronya held her forehead in exasperation:
"If it's too dark, just turn on a light. You brought binoculars—surely you have a flashlight too."
"No way—turning on a flashlight would ruin the atmosphere."
"…"
"I'll pick a dim one."
Click—
With the press of the flashlight button, a faint beam illuminated the steps below.
Zeig and Bronya's pace immediately quickened.
Scattered remains littered the staircase—in the darkness, stepping on them could easily cause a slip and a tumble all the way down.
That was why Zeig had been moving so slowly.
"Hey—these remains aren't from Fragmentum creatures. They're human," Zeig commented casually.
"Why are there human bones here?" Bronya stared at the remains underfoot, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.
She had originally thought this basement held some tax-evading black accounts or precious collections that, once exposed, could send the Count straight to prison.
But human bones…
"Maybe he eats people? Some folks get tired of delicacies and start craving bizarre stuff!"
"This… is that real?"
"Fake."
"…"
Zeig laughed, then suddenly stopped on the steps.
He silently removed the red helmet, revealing his gray short hair, and turned off the flashlight.
This action caused Bronya behind him to stop as well. She asked in confusion:
"What's wrong?"
Zeig gazed into the darkness below and said calmly:
"Hey, this is tricky. As long as you and your mother are around, these nobles will always just be nobles—they'll never become emperors."
"They can't mobilize the Silvermane Guards. Bribing a few is already a miracle from the heavens. But ordinary people are different—just a little money, and they'll work like oxen and horses."
Bronya listened quietly. Then she saw Zeig casually toss the red helmet into the depths of the darkness below.
"Clang—!!"
It seemed to land on open ground, producing a muffled thud.
Immediately after.
Under Bronya's shocked eyes, a chain reaction erupted below—successive eerie human voices rang out.
"Roar—!!"
Chilling howls rose and fell from all directions.
The helmet acted like a stone thrown into a lake, sending ripples across the entire space!
"Scrape—scrape—!!"
Countless chains dragged across the ground, producing sharp scraping sounds.
Just from the noise, one could tell there were an immense number of chains—as if imprisoning an entire army.
"Bam—!!"
A bewitching red longsword fell from above, stabbing fiercely into the center of the entire underground space!
In an instant, the whole scene was illuminated.
Under the crimson glow, countless grotesque monsters were bound by chains. Their eyes glowed green as they writhed, constantly emitting eerie sounds from their mouths.
Bronya's pupils dilated at the sight.
The monsters resembled humans yet didn't—their bodies covered in crystals like those of Fragmentum creatures. Their faces were twisted, moving like walking corpses.
"These were once poor people. The old man up there spent a little money to lure them here and conduct experiments capable of overthrowing you and your mother," Zeig said calmly.
He had discovered this place long ago when infiltrating the castle.
The rebels had assigned him the task of killing this fat old man's son.
But Zeig had circled the castle completely and still couldn't find where the son was.
When he probed the other servants indirectly, they all clammed up.
He originally thought he had the wrong house, but in the old man's truly hidden office, he found photos of him with his son—and even more secrets.
"That old man's son wandered in here by mistake and has now become one of these monsters. The old man keeps him alive. I'll go kill the mission target first—the rest is up to you." Zeig locked onto the largest monster below and charged down with his Abyss Flower spear in hand.
The monster's face was indeed human, but its limbs and body had fully mutated. Facing the diving Zeig, it let out a hoarse voice.
"Father… I… hungry."
"Want… to eat."
…
Five seconds later.
With a heavy collapse, black patterns began spreading from the monster's heart across its body.
Finally it disintegrated, its body shattering into chunks of black crystal.
Before its head fully cracked apart, Zeig swiftly pulled out his phone and snapped a quick photo of the monster's face.
"Phew—good thing I got the shot. Saves those guys from saying I half-assed it."
He ignored the other chained monsters and walked straight back up the stairs. To Bronya—whose pupils were still trembling as she stared at the creatures—he said softly:
"Your Excellency, don't tell anyone I was here. I'm outta here."
…
Bronya remained dazed, staring at those disgusting monsters that were neither human nor proper Fragmentum creatures.
Hearing Zeig's words, she only gave a light nod.
She let Zeig walk past her and head up.
After Judgment of Shamash was retrieved, the entire underground chamber fell back into pitch darkness.
…
Soon, voices from the Silvermane Guards came from above.
"Ah—it's that gray-haired bastard! Stop him!!"
"Wait—the Captain is still down there—hurry and check if she's hurt!"
"Master, Master! Damn it—that gray-haired bastard actually kicked you! Wait… Master, don't fall—ah? Help—Master's spitting blood!"