For a few seconds, Marcus hesitated to go down the stairs.
This was a future he wasn't aware of. Whatever was down there could be very dangerous and it might bring their end.
However, at the same time, he had to go there.
That screeching scream… that should be a Devilish Mutant. What if we come across those faceless humanoids?
Marcus recalled the monsters they fell and died to in the previous life.
Despite his new strength, he still didn't know if he stood a chance against those monsters.
Even though he estimated his strength to be around the range of a peak Radiant Knight's rank, or even a level above that, it was just an estimation.
But we still have to investigate.
After thinking for a bit, Marcus decided that they were going to see what was below the tavern.
"Let's go. Be alert, there are definitely dangerous things down there."
Brown walked forward, taking the lead, followed by Logail and Floki.
Three of the newly appointed knights followed behind them, before Marcus was positioned in the middle of the line.
The rest went in after Marcus did.
Their footsteps echoed down the stone stairway, and if it weren't for the screeching cries that overshadowed the sounds of their steps, all of them would have been worried that they'd been found.
The stairway was lit with torches. The stench of rot intensified the deeper they went.
After what felt like ten minutes, they finally reached the bottom.
It was a wide hall with corners that formed a maze-like pattern. The walls were riddled with deep claw-like scratches.
Dried patches of blood could be found within the crevices of some of these scratches.
Creepy, and deeply worrisome.
"Do we split up?" Knight Brown glanced at Marcus.
"No, we have to stick together. There might be monsters that we can't face being divided in this place."
Some of the knights exchanged looks upon hearing that.
"Then what path should we take?"
Marcus didn't say anything. How could he have an answer to this? He had never been here before.
His knights looked at him for directions, believing that the young lord would make the right decision.
After all, so far, he had been moving as though he was aware of what was hidden.
Marcus sighed before opening his Mind's Eyes again.
Once again, the world became a vast body of water.
Ripples spread out, this time, they were even fiercer than before.
So fierce that Marcus felt as if his mind was being rocked by waves.
Following these fierce ripples, Marcus led the way.
They walked deeper into this underground structure.
When and how did they build this hideout in Agard without the public knowing anything about it? How far does it stretch?
Marcus could only wonder. And each assumption he came up with disturbed him.
"Leave the ones that can't be controlled anymore. We'll use them to unleash stronger Intents and summon more Delirious Mutants!"
A voice came from a few corners away.
It made Marcus and his knights pause.
Are they trying to run? Have they noticed that they've been infiltrated?
"Let's rush ahead. Kill anyone wearing a mask. Ask questions later." Marcus ordered.
Now, they weren't worried about being silent. Their legs stomped against the ground, shooting forward.
Knight Caleb was the first to reach the corner, appearing like a ghost that made no sound. Right in front of him was a faceless, masked person, draped in a black robe and holding on to a bronze amulet.
Caleb unsheathed his Marc Steel sword and slashed at the person's neck. His sword was fast, swift, and so silent that the opponent still didn't notice the cut on their neck.
He moved onto the next person, who had just come out of a different corner, another cultist also holding a bronze amulet.
Behind this cultist were several dozen people, men, women, and children marching as though they were in a trance.
Their bodies were thin, and their eyes were sunken, and bloodshot red. Many of them were dressed in rags that barely covered some of their nakedness.
Caleb didn't waste time. He didn't let the cultist even notice his presence before attacking.
"Who are-" the masked man had just begun when his world turned upside down.
In his gaze, a fountain of blood rushed up, even staining his mask. He thought to clean the blood, only to realize that his hand was far from his head.
Thud!
The heads and bodies of the two masked cultists collapsed to the ground.
It was also at that point that Marcus and the rest arrived at the corner.
The first thing they saw was headless bodies dropping to the floor. Then Caleb sheathed his sword.
The newly appointed knights could only silently think in awe.
Caleb was too fast, and silent. He moved like a ghost and struck with no mercy. The young knight barely spoke much, and his presence could barely be felt most of the time.
He was well-suited to be an assassin.
It was a scary thing to think about for these new knights. Their thoughts couldn't help but run towards the rumor they heard about the young lord giving these knights special abilities.
If it were before, they would have doubted it. But now, aren't they the same?
As for Marcus, his eyes were on the people who were locked in a trance.
"Milord, they look like…"
"They should be the people who had gone missing over the years," Marcus said.
Though this was just a major speculation. Not yet proven, however, to him it felt a bit more like the truth. And it was an uncomfortable one.
It was well known that Agardians were scattered around the kingdom.
Many had left to search for better lives, but due to how they were received in other places, many of them were displaced.
Some claimed that they had passed away. Others said that they had returned to Agard, and a few even said that they had left Ulha completely.
Before, Marcus leaned towards the first and last claims due to the population of the territory.
But now, he had an inkling that many of those displaced people had returned to Agard over the years, only to be kidnapped and brought here.
But if that was the case…
How big is this underground structure, and how many people did they kidnap?
Chills ran down Marcus's spine the more he speculated.
"Sir, I think they were being controlled by these things," Caleb said, raising two bronze amulets to Marcus's face.
Without wasting time, he activated his [Inspect] skill.
[Amulet of Dreams (Replica): A weak, enchanted item that can be used to trap and subdue weak minds. It can also be used to induce mass hypnosis.
Weaknesses: Easy to break its spell with strong mental pressure. Or destroying the amulet to stop its effects.]
Exerting a bit of strength, Marcus crushed the bronze amulets.
Immediately, the people under its power fell to the ground. Some of them had passed out, and the others were dizzy.
By the time their eyes cleared, they saw Marcus and his men.
"Please, kill us already." One of the men said with a cracked voice.
Too weak to even speak properly.
One couldn't even tell how long they had been trapped in this underground space.
"We are not part of the cultists that captured you guys. I am the Lord Governor of Agard, and I'm here to rescue you." Marcus said, walking forward and bending before the man who said that.
"Lord Governor?" The man muttered before passing out.
Marcus checked his pulse, "He passed out from exhaustion."
He frowned.
This wasn't something he was expecting to encounter here. There were no plans made for captives.
He had originally rejected the idea of splitting up, but now, it seemed that they would have to do so.
"Sonu, Jonu." Marcus called out to this pair of almost identical twins.
"Yes, Milord." Two of the newly appointed knights stepped forward.
Black hair and chiseled chins.
One of them was visibly nervous while the other remained steadfast.
Two wouldn't be enough.
"Artemis, Rayleigh."
"Milord!"
"The four of you will have to take these people out of this place."
"Yes sir!"
"Prioritize safety over anything. If you come across more cultists and they're stronger than the four of you together, then run for it."
"Yes sir!"
Marcus finished with a nod and left with the remaining. From fifteen, their numbers had dropped to eleven.
Time moved slowly as the eleven went deeper into the underground structure.
They had come across three more groups of cultists, but no captives. So they killed without wasting time.
Also, the screeching screams had intensified so much, that it forced their hearts to stumble.
It didn't take long for them to find themselves in an open, round hall.
Spacious and wide, the ceilings were also high, erected by thick, stone pillars.
As soon as they appeared here, they were met with hundreds of cultists, holding bronze amulets and guiding thousands of people through a passage.
Not only that, but there were also more than a dozen Delirious Devilish Mutants in this hall.
Chained, and carrying a stake on their back with a sigil that looked like a face.
The Devilish Intent here was so potent that some of them almost choked on it.
It amplified the negative feelings within their hearts. Fear, anger, sadness.
Seeing all of this, Marcus felt his heart drop.