202: Chapter 111 “Framing and Setting Up 202: Chapter 111 “Framing and Setting Up In the damp, chilly dungeon, a heavy stench of blood lingered in the air, and intermittent screams of agony and pleas for mercy made Leon’s eyelids twitch.
He had seen all manner of gruesome corpses on his journey,
but this was truly his first time witnessing living victims being subjected to a variety of fanciful professional tortures.
Faced with such a stomach-churning scene, Leon was glad he hadn’t let Olivia come down with him.
“Sir, if you can’t bear to watch, please go back, I’ll keep an eye on things here,” Marcello patted the young man’s shoulder.
“Then I’ll go back to sleep,” Leon nodded.
After all, this guy wouldn’t reveal anything more; he just kept repeating the same words or begging for a quick death.
Having seen the thief’s fate, Leon felt his anger had almost entirely subsided.
Leaving the underground prison of the castle, Leon ascended the stairs, returned to the first floor, and saw Olivia waiting.
“Let’s go, this is none of our business.”
He led the girl out of the tower specifically used for detaining prisoners and headed back to the main castle.
The chilling night wind made Leon shiver.
“Be careful not to catch a cold, I’m in good health, you should wear this,” Olivia said, her right hand reaching out from the borrowed cloak to untie the drawstring.
Leon shook his head, refused, and firmly grabbed the girl’s hand: “It’s just a short walk, we can move faster.”
Holding her hand, they quickly passed several squads of summoned soldiers.
At that moment, inside the castle, all the fire torches at various checkpoints had been lit, and guards holding torches blocked passages, patrolling back and forth, checking for any suspicious individuals in the castle.
The Farolis Family’s knights were cleaning up the aftermath, Leon couldn’t be bothered to interfere; he had done enough for one night and now just wanted to rest well with Olivia, planning to leave as soon as day broke.
Those guys hadn’t come for them; being involved was purely accidental, and Leon had no desire to linger in this controversial place.
Back in the brightly lit main castle, the sedative in the incense burners in the front and back halls had been completely cleaned out, all doors and windows were wide open for ventilation, and the corridors were filled with elite soldiers transferred from the military camp.
The guards who had been killed tonight were those guarding the passage to the inner chambers; their bodies had already been gathered.
Given this turmoil, Baron’s Castle would likely no longer neglect the security of important areas out of consideration for noble privacy; relying on maids alone couldn’t ensure the Lord’s Wife’s safety, there was no longer any concern about avoiding suspicion.
Arriving at Olivia’s disheveled room, Leon helped the young lady pack her belongings, then picked up the bedding from the attendant’s room and carried it back to his own room on his shoulder.
The corridor of the tower was lined with several elite guards clad in Heavy Armor, at Leon’s request.
With no one standing guard outside the door, he didn’t feel secure sleeping in the Baron Castle.
Knight Balfe, naturally wouldn’t neglect the hero who had rescued the Baroness, and immediately summoned several trustworthy Family Knights with good Martial Arts skills to protect Leon’s room.
Although the principle of the sedative was unknown, it seemed to only effectively affect ordinary people with average physical condition.
After an inspection throughout the castle, though incense had been burned under the door of all occupied rooms, according to Marcello, any knight who was strong and practiced in Martial Arts woke up immediately when knocked on, the only difference being some slept more deeply than others, with no signs of unconsciousness.
This might also be why the night guards were killed; the thieves couldn’t risk guessing the physical condition of the guards on duty and when they might awaken, so they chose to kill them under the influence of the sedative.
Entering his room and shutting the door, Leon felt the unburnt ends of the incense sticks he had secretly collected in his pocket.
This sedative, although ineffective against Martial Artists like himself and Olivia, still worked remarkably well on ordinary people.
Neither Balfe nor Marcello or other knights had ever heard of such a mysterious sedative, unaware of its components or origins.
Leon wasn’t surprised that the mysterious thief who had infiltrated the castle had access to this substance; however, he wondered how Boris, a mere rural ruffian, managed to obtain it.
It seemed, he would have to ask the widely knowledgeable Kovis; he wasn’t sure if Kovis could identify it, if not, he’d inquire at the Mage Tower with Miss Lora next time.
Leon certainly didn’t want to encounter this substance again, used by an enemy on someone close to him; not everyone around him was a robust Martial Artist.
Pondering this, Leon didn’t stop walking until he reached the bed, casually placing the bedding he had carried from Olivia’s room onto his own.
“Leon?” A tense and questioning voice came from behind.
Olivia had already taken off the cloak and removed her Sword, but seeing her own bedding placed on the same bed, her cheeks instantly flushed as red as a ripe apple.
The girl’s pupils trembled slightly, her gaze wandering uncertainly between the bedding on the bed and the young man.
it was going to be like last time…” Olivia’s heart fluttered uncontrollably as her thoughts raced.
Raising an eyebrow, Leon reluctantly suggested, “So…
does that mean I should sleep on the floor?”