“Neeeigh!” White-winged horses flew across the sky, their magnificent wings outstretched.
A hooded figure sat on the driver’s seat, gripping the reins tightly.
The wagon moved across the sky as if it were wheeling down an invisible road.
The mysterious figure looked straight ahead as their destination appeared in the distance.
He could see a lonely dojo perched on top of Mt. Sword, sending a looming shadow over a vast and quaint city—Amaterasu.
The horses, pulling the wagon, flew over the tall walls and raced towards their final destination.
The cityfolk and players walked down the streets without seeing the flying prison transport.
To them, they were completely invisible!
“Neigh!” Letting out a loud neigh, the horses began descending and soon landed safely on the ground.
The wagon’s wheel thudded down on the ground and soon came to a stop.
Inside the wagon, Ambrose and Redheart felt that the wagon had come to a stop.
They then heard footsteps, and then the door opened, revealing the mysterious hooded figure.
The hooded figure rummaged through his pockets, pulled out a golden key, and unlocked the cages.
The golden cages dissipated and vanished into thin air.
“Put your hands forth.” The mysterious figure spoke with a very raspy tone, as if he were an old man.
Ambrose put his hands forward without fighting back, and then the mysterious figure locked his hands with shackles.
They were quite heavy and uncomfortable.
Redheart, on the other hand, leaped off the wagon and started running away towards the three-meter high metal gate, but then a metal spike impaled through her leg, causing her to trip and fall.
‘That is…’ Ambrose looked at the mysterious figure with a speechless expression.
He didn’t even see him throw that spike, but it was still a very accurate and powerful throw.
The mysterious figure dragged his legs behind him as he approached the screaming, red-haired woman.
He grabbed her hands and locked them behind her back with shackles.
Then he grabbed her by the arm and made her stand before shoving her towards Ambrose.
“Enter.” The mysterious figure pointed at an open metal door.
Ambrose looked at the building, which was a tall tower with chained windows and an eerie presence.
At the top of the tower, there was a flag that flapped against the window.
It had an image of skull with its bone hands locked with shackles.
‘This is Amaterasu’s prison?’ Ambrose thought and then felt a shove at his back.
The mysterious figure pushed both Redheart and him towards the tower.
They entered the tower, but instead of going up the stairs, they entered through another locked door and began descending deeper into the ground.
After ten minutes of walking down the spiral staircase, they reached the end, where another metal door was waiting for them.
The mysterious figure opened the door and pushed the two inside.
He then closed the door without entering himself, and his footsteps grew distant as he quickly left the tower.
Ambrose and Redheart looked around and saw a dimly lit place with hundreds of cages stuck inside rock walls. 𝐎𝐯𝐥xt.𝗇t
Those cages were made of black-colored, rusty iron bars and emitted a faint, eerie sound as a chilling breeze swept through the chamber.
Flickering lights on the ceiling barely provided enough light to see.
At the cages, many malnourished-looking people sat alone on their cages, their limbs chained by black shackles.
However, then there were players who paced about in their cages while dreaming about leaving this place.
“You two!” At the end of the long prison hallway, a man holding a black-colored spear shouted, holding open a wooden door that led to the judging chamber, where their punishment would be decided. “Hurry up so you can start serving your time!”
Redheart scoffed and bumped shoulders with Ambrose as she began walking down the long hallway.
However, many of the malnourished-looking prisoners hadn’t seen a woman for a long time.
At first, they thought they were hallucinating, but when they rubbed their eyes, they realized she was real.
They approached the cages with a mix of curiosity and caution, eager to get a closer look at the woman who had suddenly appeared in their bleak and desolate world.
“Ugh, disgusting stench.” Redheart looked at them with disdain while holding her nose in disgust.
Ambrose followed after the red-haired woman while looking around the surroundings with a thoughtful look.
“Oh, look who it is!”
“Huh?” Ambrose turned to the sound and saw a familiar-looking person standing in one of the cages.
He was a tall man with blond hair and sky-blue eyes.
“Jaeger!”
“You bastard, haha!” Jaeger grinned hideously and slammed his hands into the black metal bars. “See you during lunch!”
‘So, the Death Blade couldn’t return to Tonshen because they were thrown into prison, heh.’ Ambrose was very pleased about it. ‘I wonder how long. Well, they killed an entire village, so it shouldn’t be a short sentence!’
After Redheart and Ambrose stepped inside the judging chamber, they were led to their seats by the guards.
Then, the judge of the sentencing appeared in a flowing robe. He sat down on the elevated platform and looked directly at Redheart and Ambrose.
He was wearing an outrageous white wig with golden-rimmed glasses on his nose bridge.
“Redheart and Ambrose, correct?” The judge nudged his glasses and read aloud the names found on the paper.
The paper included their names, their interfaces, and their previous contributions to the safety of the public.
“Yes, your honor.” Ambrose replied respectfully.
“Just tell me how much time I have to stay in this disgusting place!” Redheart screamed. “Fucking piece of shitty code!”
“Silence!” The judge slammed his small hammer down. “Order will be maintained in this court.”
“Tsk.” Redheart clicked her tongue. ‘Fakers, none of you even exist, and yet you dare to command a higher lifeform such as I.’
“First, let’s start with you, Redheart.” The judge fixed the position of his glasses and looked with squinted eyes at the red-haired woman. “You are a member of Zahhak, correct?”
“Yeah.” Redheart replied to get done with this quicker.
“I have received some concerning reports about them.” The judge said. “Both in Yatagarasu and now in the surrounding towns, they seem to be disrupting the peace wherever they go.
“And now, you are responsible for summoning three Hell Beasts. Your actions have not only endangered innocent lives but also jeopardized the very fabric of our society.
“Also, seeing your lack of remorse, it is clear that you have no regard for the consequences of your actions.
“Therefore, your punishment is ten days of Special Prison Sentence.”
Redheart scoffed at first, as ten days didn’t sound that bad.
It would make her fall behind others, but she believed in her ability to catch up quickly.
Therefore, she didn’t mind it.
However, a notification appeared in front of her.
[You have been sentenced to 10 days of Special Prison Sentence!]
[Special Prison Sentence: Unlike in Ordinary Prison Sentence, you have to be online for your time to count!]
‘What?! I have to be online for a total of 10 days to get out?! That might take over a month to complete!’ Redheart’s face paled as she realized that it was not a small sentence, after all.
It was much harsher than Ordinary Prison Sentence.
Ambrose gulped and looked at the judge, hoping it was not as severe.
“Then, Ambrose.” The judge looked at the black-haired young man and read aloud his contributions. “You successfully cleared one of the Disaster Crow nests, ensuring the safety of the Amaterasu.
“Then, during the crow outbreak, you protected the citizens of the city from severe harm and destruction.
“However, you have then done some questionable things, such as thievery and several planned assassinations.
“Your actions in Lowceiling posed a danger to the whole town and endangered the lives of many.
“Therefore…” The judge nudged his glasses and said his verdict. “5 days of Ordinary Prison Sentence, and a fine of 5,000 silvers.”
“Huh, that is such bullshit!” Redheart screamed. “That is almost nothing!”
“Silence!” The judge shouted and slammed his hammer down. He waved towards the guards. “Take the prisoners to their cages.”
Ambrose heaved a sigh of relief and thanked the judge.
He then followed after the guard while Redheart cursed the entire way.
She even tried to bite his ear, but the guard quickly pulled her away from him.
They got thrown into their cages, where they would remain till the end of their sentence.
Ambrose sighed and laid down on the cold, hard ground, thinking about how he ended up in this situation.
‘Five days is not bad since I don’t have to be online like Redheart.’ He opened his interface and gazed at the logout button. ‘At least, I can spend the following days with my new family.’
After thinking that, he pressed the logout button and disappeared from the cage.