During these days of being imprisoned in this dark prison, Tia actually did not receive such a cruel and terrible punishment...or to be more accurate, maybe it should be "not yet".
But no matter what, except for the pitiful lack of food and water these past few days, at least Tia felt that her life was probably pretty easy.
Of course, there was a reason why a prison life that was almost deprived of everything could lead her to such a conclusion. And the reason is actually very simple - that is contrast.
When in all directions in the darkness, painful and inexplicable screams and cries, chaotic mad shouts, and whispers like ghostly whispers would be heard every moment, Tia would be worried about the unknown, but at any time While I was extremely worried about the terrifying future that might befall me, a small trace of happiness emerged in my heart.
No matter what, at least a future like that hasn't fallen on her yet, right
In fact, Tia is already thinking about it - when the old man in the study asks his men to take her there next time, no matter what the old man asks for, she should agree to it happily! After all, she never had anything she had to stick to, right
Even last time, she just chose to stay silent and wait and see because she didn't know whether it was right to agree to the other party.
However, the very rough wizard who was responsible for leading her to the study last time never came to her cell door again, let alone opened the cell door and took her away.
This feeling of being forgotten is actually quite torturous. Fortunately, for Tia, darkness and loneliness are not too difficult to cope with - after all, even if the time is never fixed and the amount is pitifully small, at least the rice bowl and water cup in the cell will always come out every once in a while. There are supplements.
As long as there is evidence to prove that she has not been forgotten, or even just a slight possibility, it is enough for Tia to live silently in a corner of this dungeon.
She didn't make a sound - although she had heard other people in the dungeon insisting on calling for help many times, she herself probably never thought that anyone would come to save her.
"It seems... getting colder."
Tia in the corner slightly raised her shoulders and moved her neck, hoping that the slight friction would bring a little warmth to herself.
Yes, it was a little cold in the dark cell, but the room temperature didn't actually change at all. It was just the lack of food that made her unable to keep up with her consumption, even if she huddled there motionless for almost the whole day. So not only did she feel the coldness, but she also became less and less energetic. Fatigue had already spread to every corner of her body along with the cold.
"ah-"
I heard another frantic scream suddenly coming from a cell not far away. The childish voice that was almost like my own had already become hoarse and unpleasant. But Tia was only slightly shocked at first, and then she no longer cared. She only thought about when the next prison meal would come.
However, just when Tia was burying her head between her knees, ignoring the strange screams and thinking about herself, a series of familiar footsteps suddenly came from the distance, which made the sound harsh and disturbing. The chaotic screams suddenly died down. After the screams suddenly disappeared, the footsteps immediately became clearer.
The pace is dragging, like taking a walk after dinner, with a very distinctive character...
"...Is that that person?"
If anything, Tia was actually afraid of that guy, but when she thought that he might bring her to the old man, she inevitably had a little more conflicting expectation.
So the next moment, Tia raised her head slightly and looked in the direction of the prison door where she still couldn't see anything.
The footsteps didn't stop and were indeed coming this way. Closer, closer... As time passed little by little, she even saw the light of the familiar luminous spell after a moment.
Then, finally, the tall figure with a slight stoop on the back appeared step by step in Tia's extremely limited field of vision just like it did many days ago.
Tia involuntarily raised her head higher, her eyes behind her messy bangs staring at the other person for an instant.
Then, the other party actually stopped and turned to look towards her. But what the other party said next moment made Tia feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, and the pupils that had just lit up slightly behind her hair suddenly dimmed again.
"Oh, do you want to see the master? Do you want to agree to the master's request?" He still said in his hoarse voice, with a kind of sarcasm and contempt, "Unfortunately, the master is very busy, and there is no time now. Sora sees you—keep waiting! Maybe the master will be free tomorrow, or maybe... Look, there are still many people here waiting for the master to summon him! There are more outside. Maybe in a few days, the master will be completely free Have you forgotten? Then you can only die dirty and pitifully in this boundless darkness and coldness... Hum, poor Miss Prince, after all, you know - your existence, There is not much value in the first place, never has been! Huh hahahaha... "
After that figure finished speaking, he simply turned around and continued walking along the corridor to the other side, leaving only his unbearable mocking smile for Tia in the cell.
However, just at the moment when Tia, who had buried her head on her knees again, was about to give up all fantasies and no longer consider any sounds from the outside world, there was an inconspicuous thump and muffled sound, which ended the series of unfinished events. The ridicule was completely cut off.
Immediately afterwards, another voice that sounded particularly pleasant came faintly into her ears from outside.
"Are you, 'Tia Prince'?"
A few seconds after hearing this question, Tia, who had not yet reacted, was in a daze. It was not until the voice sounded again and the sentence was repeated exactly that she suddenly raised her head again.
"...Yes, I am Tia Prince...who are you?"
"I'm a friend of Brooks Stewart, and he wants to save you, so I'm here to help him."
Before she finished speaking, Tia saw a short figure suddenly fall from the darkness above the corridor. Then she put her hands on the thick and hard iron fence of the cell door, grabbed two iron pipes and suddenly Pulled to both sides.
"Crunch—"
Accompanied by a heartbreaking sound of metal friction, the iron fence door only had a faint glow and did not move at all.