In these days of being imprisoned in this dark prison, TIA has not been subjected to any cruel and terrible punishment... Or, if you want to be more accurate, maybe "not yet".
But anyway, apart from the pitiful lack of food and water these days, at least TIA thought it might be a good day.
Of course, there is a reason why she can still come to this conclusion after depriving her of almost everything in prison. And the reason is actually very simple - that is, comparison.
When it was dark in all directions, every moment there would be a cold and inexplicable scream and cry, chaotic crazy words and whispers like ghosts, TIA would feel a little happy when she was more worried about the unknown, but terrible future that could come at any time.
Anyway, at least a future like that hasn't fallen on her yet, has it?
In fact, TIA has been thinking about it - when the old man in the study asks his men to take him there next time, whether the old man wants anything, she should agree or agree happily! After all, she never had to stick to anything, did she?
Even last time, she only chose to remain silent and wait-and-see because she didn't know whether it was right to promise the other party.
However, the last wizard who was responsible for taking her to the study was very rude, but he never came to her cell door again, let alone opened the cell door and took her away.
Such a feeling that seems to have been forgotten is actually quite torture. Fortunately, for TIA, darkness and loneliness are not too difficult to deal with - after all, even if the time is never fixed and the amount is very small, at least the rice basin and water cup in the cell will always be supplemented at regular intervals.
As long as there is evidence that she should not have been forgotten, or even a little possibility, it is enough for TIA to live silently in a corner of the dungeon.
She didn't make a sound - although she had heard the others in the dungeon calling for help many times, she probably didn't think about anyone to save herself at all.
"It seems... It's getting colder and colder."
TIA in the corner shrugged her shoulders and moved her neck, hoping that a little friction could bring a little warmth to herself.
Yes, it's really cold in the dark prison, but the room temperature hasn't actually changed. It's just that the lack of food makes her unable to keep up with consumption even if she shrinks there almost all day. So she didn't just feel cold, the whole person was getting weaker and weaker, and her fatigue had already spread to every corner of her body with the cold.
"Ah --"
I heard that a cell not far away suddenly sounded another crazy scream, and my young voice had already become hoarse and ugly. But TIA was only slightly shocked at first, and then she no longer cared about it. She only thought about when the next prison meal would come.
However, just as TIA buried her head between her knees and ignored the strange scream, a series of familiar footsteps suddenly came from a distance, which suddenly put an end to the harsh and disturbing scream. After the scream suddenly disappeared, the footsteps immediately became clearer.
The slow pace is like a walk after dinner, with distinctive characteristics
"... is that the man?"
If she had to say, TIA was actually afraid of that guy, but when she thought that the other party might take herself to the old man, she inevitably had a little more hope with a sense of contradiction.
So the next moment, TIA raised her head a little and looked towards the prison door, which still couldn't see anything.
The footsteps didn't stop. They were still coming this way. Closer, closer... As time passed, a moment later, she even saw the light of the familiar luminous spell.
Then, finally, the figure with slight rickets on its back but quite tall appeared in TIA's extremely limited vision step by step as many days ago.
TIA involuntarily raised her head higher, and her eyes after the messy bangs stared at each other for a moment.
Then, the other party really stopped and turned to look at her. But the words the other party said at the next moment made TIA fall into the ice, and the pupils that had just lit up a little color behind her hair suddenly darkened again.
"Oh, do you want to see your master? Do you want to agree to your master's request?" he still said in his hoarse voice, with a kind of sarcasm and contempt, "It's a pity that the master is very busy. There is no room to see you now - keep waiting! Maybe the master will be free tomorrow, or... You see, there are many people waiting for the master to call! There are more outside. Maybe the master will completely forget you in a few days? Then you can only die dirty and pitifully in the boundless darkness and cold Well... Hum, poor Miss prince, after all, you know - your existence is not worth much, never! Hum, ha ha... "
When the figure said that, he simply turned around and continued to walk along the aisle to the other side, leaving only his hard to hear mocking smile to TIA in the cell.
However, at the moment when TIA, who had buried her head to her knees again, was ready to give up all her fantasies and no longer bring any external voice into her thinking, an insignificant heavy blow sound completely cut off the string of unfinished ridicule.
Then another voice that sounded particularly pleasant came into her ears from the outside.
"You are 'TIA Prince'?"
A few seconds after hearing this question, TIA, who had not yet responded, was a little stunned. She didn't look up again until the voice sounded again and repeated the sentence as it was.
"... yes, I'm TIA Prince... Who are you?"
"I'm a friend of Brooks Stewart. He wants to save you, so I'll help him."
Before the words were finished, TIA saw a small figure, even some short figure, suddenly falling from the darkness above the corridor. Then she put her hands on the strong and hard iron fence of the prison door, grabbed two iron pipes and pulled them on both sides.
"Creak -"
Accompanied by a toothy metal friction sound, the iron fence door was only a faint light, and the lines did not move.