Don’t Be Holy! - Chapter 200

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Knock, knock.

In the deep darkness, along with a stench that assaulted the nostrils, dirty water was dripping somewhere.

This place was the underground prison of the Central Temple where malicious criminals were gathered. As befitting a holy building, there were no rats scurrying about, but it was a place plagued by insects due to the constant torture, blood, and flesh left unattended.

“No, it’s not my fault. It’s not. Damn it, damn it…….”

And in the midst of it, in a small solitary cell, was Magnus Shinote, who once strode freely through the Divine Empire as the firstborn of the Shinote family, living in splendor.

He had been imprisoned for several days. Unlike where Rubel Shinote had stayed, this place was a ‘real’ prison, with the toilet and sleeping area sharing the same cramped space.

When Magnus first arrived here, he wasn’t in his right mind due to his injuries, and later his arrogant pride took a severe blow.

He had shouted loudly, asking if they knew who he was, and had threatened that his father wouldn’t let this go if he found out Magnus was being neglected like this, thereby exhausting most of his precious strength.

In this place where meals consisted of nothing more than a piece of hardened bread tossed to him, it was only natural that Magnus was gradually becoming weaker. Of course, his status as the firstborn of the Shinote family was taken into consideration, and no torture was carried out on him, but that was the extent of his privilege.

Magnus was left to waste away here with his increasingly rotting body.

But his commotion wasn’t because of that.

“Please, please, oh. Holy Light. Guide me with your grace like the dawn of light, and free me from the bonds of darkness. Let the shadows of darkness retreat, and let your brilliant light illumine my path.”

Prayer continued to flow from the darkness. It wasn’t a voice of repentance, but rather a desperation closer to cowardice, trying to hold onto anything out of fear.

Magnus muttered frantically like that and looked down at his arm.

There, lumps of flesh were moving beneath the skin surface as if about to burst out, bulging here and there.

Even someone as dim as Magnus could easily recognize that this was the influence of the sorcery he had received from the witches. Because this arm that was in such a terrible state was the very arm that had first received the sorcery, and moreover, if he lost focus even a little, the surrounding darkness would creep in like leeches and keep entering Magnus’s mouth.

He tried covering his mouth and reciting prayers, but it was of no use.

Occasionally, the golden band with the sorcery inscribed on it would shine from Magnus’s arm, gradually taking over his body.

Magnus scratched that arm until it bled, and even tried biting it with his teeth to extract the darkness beneath the skin. But all of it was useless.

“Please, is no one there? I’m begging you like this. Rubel, bring my brother to me. Tell him I’ll give him everything. If he says I must be punished, I’ll take it. If he wants my arm cut off, I’ll do it. Please, please…… Save me!”

But Magnus’s words disappeared into the silence of the empty prison. This was because Rubel had removed everyone who was guarding Magnus.

Magnus frantically clawed at the bars until his fingernails fell off and hurled his entire body against the bars until his shoulder blade broke, but it was all for naught.

“H-hah, hah.”

The darkness around the weakly collapsed Magnus realized his body was weakening and began to envelop him, starting from his arm.

Thus, from arm to shoulder, to torso, down to the legs, up over the lips—Magnus, completely consumed by darkness, vanished as if he had teleported.

Shortly after, making heavy footsteps, a guard began patrolling the underground prison with a light. He had clearly heard a commotion and was checking on it.

He shone the lamp he was holding to where Magnus was.

Magnus, who had disappeared into the darkness, was breathing evenly as if he had fallen asleep normally, as if nothing had happened. The guard, reassured, removed the light and turned away.

Left alone, Magnus opened his eyes as if he had been waiting, and his eyes glowed red, having lost their original light.