The shackles are made of special steel, and each link of the chain is the thickness of a finger, and it is densely covered with magical symbols, some have the effect of forbidding demons, some enhance the strength and toughness of the shackles themselves, and some inflict weakness on the bound object. This kind of thing doesn't look like it's used to lock people anyway, but it is to lock elephants, or elephants that can do magic.

Asa now has three such shackles on his body. Overlapping his body, it looked like he was wearing a strange dress.

But this is not a dark underground prison, but the duke's study. Asa was not lying on his knees on the ground in a blur of blood and flesh, but sat on a chair unharmed. It's just that the expression looks very aggrieved. No matter who you are, you can't get up to this point.

Duke Mrak looked at Asa with a smile across his desk and said, "These three pairs of shackles were actually prepared for you by Grand Priest Cuthbert before, and I heard that they were specially made by the Academy of Magic a long time ago to bind a minotaur to sacrifice. Actually, I hadn't thought much of capturing you alive before, but you didn't disappoint me after all. Ha ha. ”

"Didn't disappoint you, are you afraid that I won't come?" said Asa as he sat down in his chair and looked coldly at the duke's smiling face.

"Nope. I'm sure you'll come. It was in my plan. Originally, I was going to kill you on the spot, but in the end I changed my mind and wanted to capture you alive as much as possible. You really didn't disappoint me, you weren't killed. ”

"What are you going to do with me alive? I thought you would cut off my hands and feet, cut off my tongue, and blind my eyes. Asa's eyes were half-open and half-closed, and he said coldly.

"Well said. Actually, logically speaking, I really should have dealt with you like this. Hehehehehe. The Duke laughed. He laughed happily and honestly and gently like hearing an unexpected playful joke, and his squinted eyes were full of laughter. Looking at the opponent in front of him who finally fell into his hands and no longer had any room for struggle and resistance, he sighed with emotion. "Maybe in a way, enemies are best friends. Not only does it bring you fighting spirit and the joy of victory, but also because you have a clear position and no scruples, you don't need to hide your intentions, and you can talk about your heart more confidently than your friends. Expressing everything straightforwardly, even if it is hostile, is a very pleasant thing. ”

"You look a little happy. Asa said coldly.

"Wrong. The duke waved his hand and made a negative gesture, still smiling so proudly. "Not a little happy. It is very pleased. I almost forget the last time I was so happy. Because I never seemed to have to work so hard and for so long against a person. And in the end, I won. He was very satisfied with the look on the young man's face that belonged to a loser now, and he looked at Asa with a little reluctance. "Alas, when you are dead, where do you tell me to find such an enemy, and then to find such a 'friend' who can speak happily. ”

A sound of footsteps approached. The Duke kept his mouth shut and frowned. He had already ordered all the other people in the house not to approach the study, and he was to interrogate the prisoners in secret. The conversation between him and Asa is not to be heard by anyone else.

The door to the study was pushed open, and Rodhart walked in and saluted the duke: "I'm sorry, Lord Duke. The head of Roland and an old priest were at the gate of the palace, and he said that he would take the wanted man to His Majesty the Emperor himself and the high priests for interrogation. ”

"Captain Roland, hmph, he didn't send people when he asked him, but now he asks me for people. The duke frowned and thought for a moment, waved his hand gently, and said, "Hold them back for the time being." He didn't say how to hold it off. He only knew that since he said so, Rodhart would naturally do it.

"Yes. Rodhart turned and went out. All the while, he didn't look at Asa.

"This is a very smart and capable young man. The key is that he is very knowledgeable about the current situation and always knows how to make the right choice in a situation. The Duke looked at Asa. "But a lot of times your choices don't seem right. ”

"Because I've never been smart. Asa replied lightly. "But even if I'm not smart, I know that this doesn't seem to be a good place for detainees and interrogators. You didn't just bring me here to confess your happiness to me. ”

"Huh. Right. The Duke smiled. "I'm so kind to you, and let you sit here unscathed, because I want to make a deal with you. ”

"Deal, are you going to let me go? Asa's eyes and tone did not fluctuate in the slightest, and he was still weak. "I'm not that smart, but I know it's impossible for you to let me go. ”

"That's right. The Duke nodded, still smiling kindly. "You know for yourself that since things have come to this point, you have to die. ”

"Then what are you going to do with someone who knows you're going to die? I'm dying, so what do you care?"

"No, I know you care. Even if you don't even want your life, you still care about someone. My daughter. Hehe. Didn't you venture here for her? I'll trade her life with you. The Duke's smile seemed to be full of compassion. "As long as you promise, I won't kill her. You can rest assured that she's unharmed, even better than you. ”

Asa didn't answer, but his eyes fluctuated. After a long time, he said in a somewhat strange voice: "You use your daughter's life to force me to agree to your terms with a dying man? ”

"It doesn't matter what other people say. The point is, I know you're going to say yes. The Duke said lightly.

"What do you want me to do?" Asa sighed.

The Duke's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, word by word: "I want you to admit that it was Cedros and the Necromantic Guild who colluded and instructed you to assassinate Bishop Ronis. As long as you admit this on both the emperor and the church, I swear that I will not hurt Xiaoyi and ensure that she lives well as before. ”

"Swear?" Asa smirked. "I think this kind of thing is just a piece of, do you care?"

The Duke sighed. There seemed to be a bit of a father's air on his face again. "Xiao Yi is my daughter after all, and she is so capable. Do you think I'm going to want to kill her, but she knows that I killed Bishop Ronis, and that she's with you, and she's a disciple of Cedros. I'm afraid she'll unite with Cedros to clear your name, so I'm going to kill her. And if you can identify Sedlos as actually the murderer behind the scenes, and then you die again, I won't have this scruples, and of course I won't embarrass her again. This time you're riding a two-legged wyvern, which is the biggest evidence of the collusion between Cedros and the Necromantic Guild. I've guessed that Cedros would say you stole it yourself, but even that was enough. Naturally, I have my way of adding fuel to the fire. As if thinking of the good things to come, the Duke smiled again. He seemed so happy and happy today.

Asa sighed: "It turns out that you are so happy not only because you have caught me, but also because you can use me to deal with Cedros directly. ”

"Yes. The Duke nodded. "Hehe, I can already think of the Church and the Empire joining forces against Ofu. I'll lead the troops myself. Thank you very much for the bipedal wyvern you brought with me today, reminding me of the usefulness of this kind of thing on the battlefield. Before I go to attack, I must persuade the military ministers and His Majesty the Emperor to go and buy more griffons first. Hehe. ”

Asa still said lightly: "Since you know that I have been to Oufu and have been in contact with Cedros, aren't you afraid that we have already agreed on a way to deal with you?"

"How?" the Duke smiled. "Whatever you want. You've been convicted of murdering the Bishop, and Cedros won't dare to send orc troops to help you blatantly. He also had to leave a way out for himself. Maybe if you don't come back and stay with Oufu and Cedros, I'll be afraid of what the hell you're doing. But I know you're going to come back. Hehe, aren't you already in my hands now?"

Asa sighed and nodded, "You've thought about it very carefully. I did ask Cedros to help me, but he wouldn't. He has the same scruples as you might expect. And I'm ...... A must come back indeed. You're really good at looking at people. ”

"Looking at people is the most basic and important point in setting schemes and traps. The Duke smiled happily and said to Asa like a celebrity chef explaining his best dish to his diners, making sure that the other person had tasted it before fully recalling every bit of charm and meaning in his masterpiece. "As long as you see what kind of person is and how you will react to what kind of situation, you can calculate each step and then design the big picture. Even if you let the other person know your intentions, you can only walk in step by step according to your wishes. ”

"Just like me. You know I'm going to come back, don't you?" said Asa softly, with his head bowed, as if dejected.

"Yes. Hehehehehe. The Duke smiled merrily.

"Look at how happy you are now. Asa suddenly whispered. "But I haven't promised to frame Cedros for you yet. ”

"But I'm sure you'll say yes. "The duke's face seemed to have a few words written on it, 'The whole world is in my hands'. "It's like I'm sure you'll be back. ”

Asa was still weak, and seemed to be still in the same state of despair. The voice that shook his head in reply was also low: "No." I won't say yes. ”

The Duke was stunned. "What?" he was surprised, thinking he had misheard.

"No, I won't say yes. Asa's voice was a little louder. "Because I don't even have to say yes. With that, he suddenly got up from his chair. The shackles on his body slid to the ground with a series of thuds.

The duke's expression froze. He was sure that these shackles were absolutely well locked, and they could definitely lock up a minotaur who was dozens of times stronger than a human.

"You've always been so relieved. It seems that they believe in the shackles of these cattle bundles. Indeed, I admit that I am not a cow, and I am absolutely earning. Asa raised his hand, a wooden thorn in his finger. "But I happen to know a little bit about traps and stuff, and you just so happened to let me sit in a chair instead of lying on the ground. It just so happens that the shackles against cattle are not very difficult to open. ”

The Duke was only surprised for a moment, and did not panic. He didn't even stand up, but his face and voice sank: "Although there is no one around the study, there are all guards outside the mansion. I advise you not to think that you can turn things around with these few lucky fortunes. I also advise you not to waste the opportunity I gave you. ”

But Asa didn't seem to show any appreciation for these opportunities, and his originally decadent and vague eyes had gradually become clear, bright, and sharp. The same as his voice. "I never felt like you were an enemy. We're going to take a fundamentally different path, so even though you've tried to deal with me three times, I don't think you're hateful and don't want to deal with you. Because I also stood in your way out of your own accord. But then I learned I was wrong. You're going to kill even Bishop Ronis, and Sandru....even Xiaoyi won't let go...."Asa's voice and expression finally distorted a little with excitement. "Even if I can save Xiaoyi once, as long as you are still there, whether it is her or others, there will be no peace. Asa whispered a few words in a voice already warped by anger: "So I'm going to kill you." His eyes were bloodshot, and the canine teeth on his lips as he spoke erupted with the smell of a beast.

"I was so surprised and disappointed. Actually gave up the opportunity I gave you. The Duke's expression froze completely. He slowly stood up, grasped the sword at his waist, and suddenly shouted, "Come on, people." The prisoner broke free from his shackles and was about to escape. The duke's face was obviously full of murder and calm, but this shout could pretend to be panicked.

After the roar, the Duke said to Asa in a deep voice, "I repeat, you have disappointed me too much. I just knew you weren't smart, and I didn't expect it to get to this point. Hmph, do you think this is one of those vulgar tales that are popular in the taverns, and that a few luck alone can make a big turnaround?"

Footsteps could be heard in the hallway immediately, but not in the kind of cacophony that the Guards should have. It's just one person's footsteps. The pace came quickly and loudly, and in the blink of an eye, it was almost outside the door of the study. Although it was very hurried, it should still be a little panicked, but every step was very precise and followed a strange rhythm. This is the voice that a person who has integrated martial arts into every part of his body can make.

Asa turned sharply and kicked the door of the study. With a loud bang, the two doors cracked and flew down the hallway, crashing into a figure that was rushing towards it.

The figure paused, and then a burst of white lines loomed in the air, and the two menacing broken doors immediately scattered and shattered into small pieces of wood without a sound.

Pieces of wood were scattered, and those who came immediately collected their swords. Gray hair, a bookish face with eyes as sharp as a sword. He was the head of Roland, who had just been dragged by Rodhart at the door of the Duke's Palace. He was the first to rush up after hearing the duke's shouts.

"Captain Roland, this wanted criminal wants to kill me. The Duke drew his sword. He'd decided not to keep this kid alive anymore.

But Asa actually turned to face the duke, completely ignoring the first swordsman of the empire behind him. And Captain Roland seemed to have only smashed those two doors and then suddenly there was no sound, and it seemed to disappear suddenly.

The Duke tilted his head in surprise and saw behind Asa. In the corridor outside the study, Captain Roland was indeed there. But he kept his head down, as if he was about to move forward, and his hand was pressed on the hilt of the sword. But he remained in this position, as if he had become a stone statue.

The Duke suddenly sensed a strange aura. It's not a smell that actually exists, it's just a pure feeling, a feeling that comes naturally when you gaze at a giant beast. Although there were no beasts in sight, the Duke could know very well that the origin of this feeling was at the corner of a corridor not far behind Captain Roland.

No one could see what was there, no one could hear any noise, but everyone, not even a human being, even one other animal, could know what was strange and dangerous there.

The feeling of weirdness and danger is even stronger. The Duke had the feeling that he was standing in front of the sea when a tsunami was about to hit him.

Captain Roland's body slowly bent down. His head was buried even lower, his eyes seemed to be closed, and his hand holding the sword tighter. If there is a typhoon brewing behind him, then he and his sword are a mountain, a volcano that stands still, but can erupt at any moment.

There was a strange cracking sound, and behind Captain Roland, a shelf in the hallway shattered along with a porcelain vase placed on it. It was as if it had been squeezed by a pair of invisible hands and shattered in the middle, and the fragments were not scattered in the slightest, and all piled up together in the middle.

Captain Roland didn't move, and neither did the man around the corner who exuded an incomparable momentum. There was no sound, and it was as if even the air had condensed into a solid. But as soon as something brewing in that eerie silence erupted, the entire Duke's Palace would probably shatter like a vase under a heavy blow.

The duke was already sweating on his head. He couldn't even breathe.

"There are unexpected things that you encounter by luck, and there are also things that are not luck. Asa's voice suddenly rang out at this strange and solemn moment. "Actually, the shackles on my body should be waiting for him to untie me. But it seems that he knows that I have a way, and he has not done it, so I have to do it myself. ”

The duke's hand holding the sword and the green tendons on his forehead were dancing, and his voice was dry like never before: "Do you really have a plan?"

"When you see the Wyvern, you'll know I've been to Orfu. So even if I fail to save people, you should be reluctant to let me die, according to your style, you will definitely use me in the end, at least interrogate me. And when you talk about these things, you will never let anyone else be around, you must be alone. These are plans, plans for you. Asa clenched his fists, the sound of the joints popping in the strange silence. "You're right, knowing what kind of person the other person is and how they will react in what situation is really the most important part of the trap. ”

The corners of the duke's eyes jumped. "You're gambling. I was surprised that Cedros would have made such a dangerous plan. ”

"You're right. Cedros won't gamble with me, but others will. One helped me plan, and the other promised to help me out. Of course, they also asked me to agree to their terms. But no matter what the conditions, it's better than yours. Asa said, slowly bending down like Captain Roland. The body emits a light white light.

"It's a pity you lost your bet. The duke's raiser slowly moved straight ahead, pointing at Assa. His wrist didn't move, his body didn't move, but the tip of the sword trembled on its own, like a serpent's letter. "You two, I really don't have anything to say. But now it's just you. And there were thousands of soldiers outside. ”

"It's not yet known who will lose. Asa replied coldly, the light in his eyes sharper than the duke's sword. The white light of his whole body had gathered into his fist.

The Duke's sword shook even more, like a snake that would fly out of its hands at any moment.

Suddenly, a man sighed and said, "If you don't know who loses now, it must be because his head is full of poop." ”

Suddenly, silently, a hole caved in the wall of the study, and an old priest appeared in the room behind the wall with Rodhart. Rodhart struggled to walk in, his eyes fixed on the hallway. The momentum storm that permeated there became more and more intense, and the old priest also glanced at the corridor, then shook his head and sighed: "Young people nowadays are good at everything, they just like to get in the way. He was supposed to be the priest who Rodhart said was waiting at the door with Head Roland. The two men obviously couldn't come through the hallway, and actually went around and broke through the walls of the other rooms. And everyone here is completely unaware of this tense atmosphere.

The Duke smiled. Although he wondered why there was no noise from the guards, it was enough for these two people to come. He remembered the old priest. When I was at the execution ground, I was always around the high platform. Moreover, when he treated the soldiers who were poisoned by the black rain, the effect of treatment and detoxification was better than anyone's, and his magic attainments were definitely not low. And now, with the addition of Rodhart, it can be said that it is a sure victory. He sighed, "You guys came just in time. Help me kill him together. ”

As soon as the duke's words fell, the aura storm in the corridor suddenly increased dozens of times. The fragments of the vase continued to shatter and shatter with a sound like fried beans. Even the lime on the walls is falling off in a slump.

Captain Roland still didn't move, and the sword in his hand was not unsheathed, but a strange humming sound had spread from his scabbard to every corner of the Duke's Palace. Rodhart's eyes didn't leave the corridor for a moment, and before the Duke even glanced at it, a cold sweat began to break out on his forehead.

The old priest, who had broken through the wall, ignored the duke, but shouted feebly into the corridor: "Are you young people in good spirits? ”

As soon as these words came out, the trembling of the thin sword in the duke's hand immediately stopped, and the snake, which was so agile that it was about to be devoured by people, seemed to suddenly become a clothes-drying pole. The duke's slender eyes were actually wider than usual, and he looked straight at the old priest. He couldn't figure out why this pastor would say such a thing, he was so surprised.

Asa's expression was no more relaxed than that of the duke, his mouth was wide open, and he could almost put it into his fist, and the fighting spirit disappeared in an instant. His accident was even greater than the duke's.