Torture the hero, why has the Demon King's castle collapsed again?

Page 4

"Gods, I pray that Brother Mino will be safe and sound in the Demon King's Castle, and that he will not suffer any torment..."

The head maid sighed, slowly walked forward, and gently patted Kalia's shoulder. After a long while, her faint sobs faded into the night.

"Let's go back." Princess Kalia turned around and prepared to leave the courtyard.

"...Hehe...Mmm hehe..."

A series of silly laughs drifted towards the courtyard, intermittent and not very clear due to the distance.

"That's... Brother Ota's study?" Kalia turned her head, her eyes filled with confusion.

"What is my brother doing? I think I heard 'darling' and 'I love you'..." She blinked curiously.

Brother Ota, you shouldn't have a fiancée yet.

Then came several more strange "prpr" sounds.

The head maid's gaze turned somewhat strange, and she subconsciously pulled Princess Kalia away.

"Your Highness, please don't worry about him... Prince Ota is just a little ill... he's having an attack, yes! He's just having an attack!"

Kalia immediately lowered her eyelids with a hint of pity.

My poor brother, it must be because Mino was captured by the demons that his illness is so serious.

However, the most pitiful one is Mino's brother...

Kalia looked up, her face filled with worry and longing.

"Brother Mino must be in the Demon King's castle right now, suffering inhuman treatment..."

Chapter 5 The Holy Sword Artotai

"Ahhh! That feels so good!"

On the soft, fluffy bed, Mino plopped down with a satisfying groan.

Wrapped in a warm blanket, Mino realized for the first time that the material of a "luxury blanket" could actually be achieved through sleeping on it... Compared to the rough grasslands of the wilderness, the hard floors of the dungeon, and the sandy ground teeming with beetles, the fluffy feather-filled blanket in the cell was practically a divine artifact, comparable to Altotai's!

The refreshing feeling after the spa, combined with the softness of the blankets, made Mino drift off to sleep with sweet drowsiness.

Wait...did he forget something? Right, Artotai!

Mino sat up abruptly in bed and discovered that her holy sword, Altot, had been abandoned in a cold, unyielding corner of the stone slab.

Mino quickly went to a corner and began vigorously striking his holy sword.

"Wake up! Wake up, my Eternal Holy Light - Sky-Splitting Ultimate Annihilation World-Shattering Great Sword!!!"

A profound will accompanied the voice into his mind: "How many times have I said it... My Lord... My name, Holy Sword... Artotai."

The blade of the holy sword trembled slightly, and Altote's voice gradually became clearer: "This is... the Demon King's castle?! My lord, are we still alive?!"

“That’s right.” Mino immediately straightened his back, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then said with a radiant smile:

"In order to fight the demons to the death, they captured me and imprisoned me, intending to humiliate my soul and break my spine! Fortunately, I did not completely submit!!!"

I only yielded, just a little bit...that's all.

"Truly worthy of my lord!" The holy sword Artotai trembled with excitement, its voice filled with reverence and confidence:

"Those pathetic demons will never understand that the great ideals in our hearts... cannot be destroyed by anything, not even tempting delicacies or comfortable dwellings!"

Mino glanced at the "T" sign left on the bed, coughed a few times, and then asked:

"Enough of this, Artotai. You've awakened. Immediately sever the shackles binding the power within me. This is the best opportunity! We must break through the Demon King's castle and destroy the Demon King!!!"

"Oh! Watch this..." The Holy Sword exclaimed excitedly, and an unprecedented pure light suddenly condensed on its blade.

*Puff...* The sound was like a balloon deflating.

The next moment, the light vanished completely, and a shocked voice echoed in Altote's mind: "This... my power... I don't know where it went..."

"Nani?!"

Mino's mouth dropped open. Didn't the system reward revive the Holy Sword? How come it's still completely useless?!

"Oh no, my lord, I understand... Although I have awakened, they have planted a magic array in my body that absorbs magic power, just like you are now. I am now a useless prisoner with no strength to even kill a chicken."

"...Were you just...using this as an excuse to insult me...?"

"No no."

Mino dejectedly tossed the holy sword back into the corner and lay back down on the bed.

At that moment, Kleidina, who had just finished a meeting of the Demon Alliance, glanced over and was slightly surprised.

"Oh? The Holy Sword Artotai has awakened. I never expected this..."

"Logically, the Holy Sword should have awakened in three more days... As expected of the Holy Sword of the Hero Mino."

Mino looked up at the sky.

So this reward can be obtained for free in three days...

That's enough, that's enough.

Mino could only console himself that at least he hadn't revealed any real information about Ota.

"If Ota were here, he'd have to thank me! I foiled the demons' plot and trap with just a few miniature puppets..."

"As expected of me."

With that thought in mind, Mino crawled into bed and fell asleep contentedly.

……

Inside the study, the dim light flickered.

Ota locked the door, walked to the corner, gently opened the glass cabinet door, and looked at the neatly arranged and exquisite clay figurines of beautiful girls, a smile spreading across his face.

He carefully picked up the brand-new clay figurine he had just acquired a few days ago. The exquisite figurine gleamed with a delicate luster under the soft light, as if one could see the texture of its skin.

Ota looked engrossed and quickly made a decision.

"She's the one for tonight..."

a long time.

After finishing his official duties, Prince Ota stepped out of his study.

Late at night……

A cold wind blew open the window, and an eyeball with bat wings fluttered in.

"My strategist... is this it? I can sense a faint magical power."

The monster's eyes kept moving, but its pupils lost their luster, as if they were connected to some void.

"Yeah, that's right."

Swell's voice came through, his tone filled with satisfaction: "The information brought by the scribe was indeed correct... I just don't know which puppet is the most important to Prince Ota."

"Well, just in case... let's destroy it all."

"As ordered."

A beam of intense red light shot from the monster's eyes, melting away the glass of the cabinet before falling upon rows of exquisitely crafted girl dolls...

"My strategist, my mission is complete."

……

the next day.

Prince Ota, refreshed and invigorated after a good night's sleep, opened the door to his study with a broad smile.

The smile vanished from his face in the blink of an eye.

A full three minutes passed.

"Aaaaaah!!! Who did this?! Waaaaaahh ...

A pig-like wail suddenly erupted from the study.

"What happened?! Your Highness!"

The next moment, with a bang, the door was violently kicked open by Otta.

Ota Kur's eyes were bloodshot, filled with anger and pain, and two lines of bloody tears streamed down his face in sorrow.

The people in the palace trembled and knelt in worship, their hearts filled with astonishment.

Your Highness... what has happened to you? Even when the devastating news of the Hero's capture arrived, the usually composed Prince Ota, a pillar of the kingdom, only showed a hint of sadness...

"Your Highness!" asked Grand Master Erwin of the Knights, "What are your orders? The Knights are your sharpest weapon!"

"Find it for me...find it for me..." Ota was about to speak when he felt everyone's gaze and his face gradually turned red.

He closed his mouth bitterly.

"No, it's nothing... You may all leave... I just lost my composure because of Mino."

The knights were filled with sympathy, never expecting that the friendship between Prince Ota and the Mino Warrior was even deeper than the rumors suggested.

Anyone who didn't know better would think that His Highness had lost a spouse overnight, or even several spouses.

"Leave me alone."

Otta slammed the door shut.

His composure crumbled, revealing gritted teeth: "Who?! What powerful and evil force could bypass the heavily guarded palace and directly destroy my treasures?!"

"This is murder! This is the work of demons! They must pay the price for this."

Otto unleashed a wave of impotent rage in his study.

Finally, an unresolved question arose in my mind.

Who... could know such an important secret of mine?

He didn't even tell his best friend, Mino...

*Thud!* Ota slammed his fist on the table, gritting his teeth.

"If I find out which bastard leaked this information, I'll throw him into a pile of demons and subject him to the most cruel torture!!!"