Chapter 343: Say What You Came to Say

Ruvian followed Ophelia deeper into the Leviathan, heading toward the section where the prisoners were being kept.

The change in atmosphere became obvious after only a short walk. The spacious halls they had come from slowly gave way to tighter passages, the mana lamps grew fewer, and heavy metal doors began appearing along both walls.

Ophelia had already told him that Loden was taken into custody after the officials found several things that made his involvement in the island incident far too suspicious to ignore.

From what she had explained, there was more than enough reason to suspect that he had somehow been cooperating with the demon.

Even if they still lacked solid proof, there was absolutely no chance they were going to allow him to wander around freely after everything that had happened on the island.

Honestly, Ruvian was relieved that Ophelia had already handled the matter before he even needed to bring it up.

It also matched the reply Calyra had sent through the [Farscribe], where she had simply informed him that the matter had already been dealt with.

At the very least, that meant he no longer had to worry about Loden suddenly vanishing before anyone had the chance to question him.

Still, there was one thing that kept bothering him as he followed Ophelia deeper into the ship.

The same question returned to his mind again.

’Why does that bastard want to talk to me?’

After a while, the passage ended at a heavy metal door embedded deep into the wall. A pair of officials stood nearby in dark uniforms, each carrying a weapon at the waist.

Faint magical runes glowed across the metal surface, while a mana lock had been installed beside the handle.

One of the guards noticed Ophelia first and immediately straightened his posture.

The other followed a moment later.

"Chancellor."

He lowered his head in greeting before asking, "Have you come to see the prisoner?"

"Yes." Ophelia stopped before the door. "Open it. Scholar Ruvian will be coming inside with me."

There was nothing in her tone that left room for objection.

The two officials exchanged a brief glance; their eyes shifted toward Ruvian for only a second before returning to her.

"Understood."

One of them stepped toward the mana lock and pressed his palm firmly against it.

A low hum passed through the corridor. The runes carved across the metal slowly awakened one by one; somewhere behind the wall, several heavy locking mechanisms released with deep, solid clicks.

Then the door began to move.

It pulled inward with a harsh metallic groan, revealing little more than darkness beyond.

Ruvian narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to make out whatever was waiting inside.

’Huh. They really weren’t taking any chances with him, were they? Even I’d rather sleep in the infirmary than stay down here.’

*****

Beyond the door, the room was almost completely dark. Only a handful of mana lamps burned along the walls, their feeble glow barely reaching the center.

The air felt different here. Stale, heavy, carrying the smell of old metal and dust mixed with something damp that Ruvian couldn’t quite identify. There was a chill to it as well — not enough to make him shiver, but noticeable the instant he crossed the doorway.

He continued deeper inside, letting his eyes slowly adjust to the gloom.

Then Ophelia’s voice slipped directly into his mind through [Telepathy].

—"Like we discussed before, I want you to take the lead when we speak with him, since he specifically asked to see you, there may be things he is willing to tell you that he would never tell me or the other officials."

Ruvian gave a small nod without turning toward her.

—"Understood."

A little farther in, they finally reached Loden’s cell, sealed behind thick iron bars etched with faint magical markings.

The interior was utterly bare, with only a narrow metal bed bolted against the wall and a small drain beside a crude waste bucket in the corner. There was nothing else inside, not even a table or chair.

Loden sat near the rear of the cell, his dark grey hair slightly disheveled while his narrow eyes remained almost completely shut, just as they usually were.

His hands were shackled tightly behind his back, while another set of heavy restraints bound both of his ankles together.

A thick black collar was fastened around his neck as well, its surface covered in small glowing runes that Ruvian assumed were meant to suppress his magic.

He was still wearing the same clothes from the island test, though his cloak was nowhere to be seen.

At the sound of their approaching footsteps, Loden slowly raised his head, and the corner of his mouth curled upward the moment his eyes settled on them.

"Well, well, look who finally decided to pay me a visit. I was beginning to think I’d rot away down here before either of you bothered to show your faces."

His gaze drifted from Ophelia toward Ruvian, and that thin, unsettling smile only widened.

"And my, my... you actually brought him too. How considerate of you, Chancellor. I was starting to worry my little request had been tossed aside~"

Ophelia’s expression remained unchanged as she stopped in front of the bars and replied, "Scholar Ruvian is here, just as you requested. So stop wasting our time and tell us why you wanted to see him."

Loden slowly shook his head, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth with a faint, almost reptilian sound.

"Tch. Tch. Tch~ Now, now, Chancellor, that simply won’t do. I asked to speak with Scholar Ruvian alone, and I’m terribly shy when there’s a third pair of ears listening, so would you be kind enough to leave us?"

Ruvian narrowed his eyes slightly, already finding the man’s playful way of speaking more irritating with every passing second.

’How the hell did Calyra survive fighting this bastard without strangling him just to make him shut up?’

Ophelia remained silent for several seconds, her violet eyes fixed on Loden as though deciding whether his ridiculous request was even worth entertaining.

Then, with a faint look of resignation, she let out a slow sigh.

"Very well, if that is what it takes to make you speak."

She then gave Ruvian a small nod before turning around and making her way back toward the entrance. Before she had gone very far, however, her voice slipped directly into Ruvian’s mind once more.

—"I’ll leave the rest to you, but don’t worry, I’ll still be keeping watch from a distance. If anything happens, I’ll return immediately."

—"That’s very... reassuring."

Ruvian showed no outward reaction, simply keeping her words in mind as the sound of Ophelia’s footsteps gradually faded into the darkness.

Soon, even those disappeared, leaving behind nothing but the faint hum of the mana lamps around them. Yet despite finally getting what he wanted, Loden still said nothing.

Several moments passed, and neither of them spoke as Loden remained seated with that same thin smile on his face, as though he were still waiting to make certain Ophelia was truly gone.

Realizing the bastard had no intention of speaking until then, Ruvian finally let out a quiet, tired sigh.

Pure Mana gathered beside him and swiftly took the shape of a simple chair, solid enough to support his weight.

Ruvian lowered himself onto it, crossed one leg over the other, then rested the side of his face against one hand propped on the armrest.

"So, what exactly did you want to talk to me about?"

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[Chapter 343: Say What You Came to Say]

Plot Points = 277,000