Chapter 688

Chapter 688

“Y-You...!” Quandt exclaimed, his voice trembling after recognizing the man who had just poured soup on his tray. He could hardly believe it. The man whom he had longed to see was standing right in front of him with a headscarf and a sanitary mask over his mouth.

“S-Siegfr—!”

“Shh!”

Siegfried hurriedly held a finger to his lips, gesturing to him to be quiet.

“I know you’re happy to see me, but could you not be so obvious? There are many eyes watching us,” Siegfried said, subtly gesturing with his chin at the other inmates.

The inmates were already looking over due to the commotion that Quandt had caused by dropping his tray.

“Get another tray and finish your meal quietly. After you’re done, meet me at the dishwashing station.”

“O-Okay.”

Quandt hurriedly grabbed a new tray and filled it with food before sitting down at the table. He started eating as soon as he sat down, but his mind was racing so much that he was unable to tell whether the food was going into his mouth or his nose.

He made quick work of his meal and made his way to the dishwashing station, where Siegfried was waiting for him.

Clang! Clang!

Siegfried was busy scrubbing trays left behind by the inmates, but he pulled his rubber gloves off and smiled brightly when Quandt approached him.

“How’s prison food? Is it to your liking?”

“This isn’t the time for jokes, Siegfried! Do you realize where you are?!”

“Shh! Lower your voice. Do you want everyone to know I’m here?”

“M-My bad...”

“At least you’re looking good. That’s a huge relief.”

Siegfried was genuinely surprised that Quandt and the other inmates on this floor looked far better than he anticipated. The conditions of the prison on this floor were shockingly good, and the meals were far superior in terms of both quantity and quality.

“I got lucky. It turns out I’m useful enough that they’ve put me to work instead of torturing me. They’re actually treating me pretty well as a skilled laborer.”

“Glad to hear that.”

“But...” Quandt muttered. Then, he bit his lips as tears started welling up from his eyes and said, “Y-You came all this way...? Just to rescue me?”

“Of course.”

“S-Siegfweed...!”

“Not a day have I forgotten what you did for me and the Proatine Kingdom.”

Those words were from Siegfried's heart. If it weren't for Quandt, Siegfried wouldn't be able to use the Rod of God as a weapon. In addition, Quandt supported Siegfried in many ways, such as recognizing his potential, arming him with artifacts, and generously sharing his advanced technological skills with the Proatine Kingdom.

How could Siegfried possibly turn his back on someone like him?

“I have to come if you’re in trouble.”

“Siegfweed...!”

Tears—and snot, flowed down Quandt’s cheeks after being deeply moved by Siegfried’s loyalty.

“Hey, don’t cry now.”

“B-But... How could I not? I’ve lost everything... I’m nothing more than a pathetic old dwarf...”

“Quandt...”

“All the elder blacksmiths were forced into retirement, and the senior blacksmiths following me are either dead or dragged into slavery. The entire management was arrested and put under house arrest. And the kingdom... the kingdom has abandoned us when Avant promised to pay higher taxes.”

Quandt’s story was indeed tragic. He was once the head of the Bavarian Workshop, which was one of the top three workshops on the continent, but he had to watch all of it collapse right in front of his eyes.

“I thought I was done for. Stuck here for the rest of my miserable life. But you... you came for me...!”

“I know what they say about me, but I’m still loyal, you know?” Siegfried said with a chuckle. Then, he added with a shrug, “Besides, I like working with you. I think we make a pretty good team.”

Tears started streaming down Quandt’s cheeks once again as he exclaimed, “S-Siegfweed...!”

“But for now, hang in there just a bit longer. I came today just to check in and see how you’re doing. I’ll come back soon, and I’ll get you out of here. Just keep your head down for a couple of days,” Siegfried advised.

“I will,” Quandt replied with a nod, wiping his tears. Then, he said with a chuckle, “What a few days to an old dwarf like me? I’ll wait however you want me to. Haha!”

“But... What’s going on here? Why are things so out of place...?” Siegfried asked, his tone shifting into a more serious one.

“Ah!” Quandt gasped as if he remembered something important. Then, he said, “Saving me isn’t what’s important right now!”

“What?”

"They have a lot of restrictions in this world, such as how high-ranking demons will have to rely on demonic artifacts to wield their full power,” Quandt explained with a grim look.

“Yeah, I’ve heard about that,” Siegfried said with a nod, recalling the information he heard regarding the demonic artifacts.

“They could also consume a truly powerful soul, devouring it whole and using the hollow vessel as their own,” Quandt added, his voice dripping with despair. “Once the Gate of Hell opens... those restrictions will vanish. They will enter this world with their full strength, completely unshackled.”

“...!”

“And the armies of the demon world will...”

“Oh no...” Siegfried muttered upon getting struck by an epiphany with the force of an avalanche. The legions of the demon world would come pouring into the continent with their powers unshackled.

No more contracts, no more limitations, and no more vessels...

However, the worst part was not just the demons. Siegfried knew that the demons were just nothing more than foot soldiers, as behind them were the true rulers of the demon world.

The demon lords themselves. Each of them was powerful enough to fight toe-to-toe against a fully grown dragon, and they were nothing short of a walking calamity.

Even scarier was the fact that the demon lords were not going to stop until they had either conquered or destroyed the entire continent.

“T-That is insane!” Siegfried gasped, fully grasping the horror of what was about to happen.

“That’s why we have to stop it. Yes, rescuing me is important, as I would love to get out of here. But stopping that gate from opening should be our main priority.”

Siegfried’s heart thumped wildly as his mind raced. The first thing that he thought of was of his daughter, Verdandi. He wanted to protect the future for her sake; he wouldn't allow her to grow up in a world that had become a battlefield torn by legions of demon invaders.

“I’ll stop them,” Siegfried declared, clenching his fists.

“King Siegfried...! Y-You might just save the world if you manage to pull this off!” Quandt exclaimed with an odd sense of respect and awe in his eyes.

“Might? I’ve already saved the world a few times. It’s just that it wasn’t made public,” Siegfried replied with a smirk.

“I trust you’ll find a way. But be careful. You can’t use mana down here, remember?” Quandt said with a chuckle, shaking his head.

“I’ll manage somehow,” Siegfried replied with a shrug. He looked quite relaxed while shrugging, but his mind was already racing, trying to find a way to stop the looming disaster from unfolding.

“How much time do we have?” Siegfried asked.

“Not long,” Quandt replied, looking grave once more. Then, he said, “The gate is almost ready. At this rate, it will be complete within a week’s time.”

“Got it. Stay safe, and keep your head down for now. I’ll be back soon,” Siegfried replied with a nod.

Then, he headed back toward the supply carts while forming a plan in his mind.

Time was running out.

***

Siegfried advanced to the finals of the Warden Martial Competition after defeating his opponent in the semi-finals. Then, later that night, he shared with Ninetail the shocking truth he discovered about the secrets lurking beneath the Fortress of Hell.

“I-Is that really true?” Ninetail asked, with a voice mixed with shock and disbelief.

Siegfried nodded in response, his expression looking grim as he said, “Yeah, this is all part of Demon Lord of Deception, Dantalion’s sinister plan. From the start, this was never about mutual benefit between humans and demons. That treaty? It was just a smokescreen, a clever ploy to open the Gate of Hell.”

“So... he planned to betray us, humans, from the beginning?” Ninetail asked, her eyes flaring with anger.

“Yes, those demons played us dirty,” Siegfried muttered. Then, he furrowed his brow in disgust and growled, “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s backstabbers.”

“Backstabbers?” Ninetail asked, raising her brow out of sheer irony.

“Yeah, if you’re doing business, then you gotta stick to the damn code, right? Honor among thieves or whatever. But going behind someone’s back? Sticking a knife into their back when you’ve already made a deal with them? That’s the lowest of the low,” Siegfried said with utter contempt and disdain in his voice.

“That... does not sound like something Your Majesty should be saying though?” Ninetail said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Siegfried asked, blinking a few times, looking clearly confused.

“I am just saying that Your Majesty had quite an interesting choice of words considering your track record,” Ninetail teased with a sly smirk.

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Siegfried replied brazenly, looking as if he genuinely couldn't remember the countless times he had done the exact same lowest of the low thing to do on others.

Siegfried waved his hand and said, “Stop saying weird things. Anyway, this is bigger than anything I can handle on my own.”

“What do you mean?”

“If the Gate of Hell opens, we’re looking at a full-scale war—a world war, Ninetail.”

“You're right,” Ninetail replied, her expression turning serious.

Siegfried looked her in the eyes and said, “I need you to get out of here. Take this information to the right people.”

“Who should I talk to?” Ninetail asked.

Siegfried took a deep breath before thinking carefully about how to respond. Then, he leaned closer to her and whispered, laying out his plan as meticulously as possible in his explanation, knowing that the fate of the world hung in the balance.