The blade's tip pierced through Hubert's iron armor and his chest where the mana core was located.
A wild, excruciatingly hurtful scream came out of Hubert's mouth when his mana core was destroyed. It was so loud that it reverberated all over the underground up to the ground floor. Several people having a bout heard of the cries but paid no mind to it.
"Stay put now, Hubert. Don't make it hard for me."
Hubert recklessly tried pulling out the sword, even if it did hurt his hands. He did not care. What's more painful and unbearable was the amount of compelling injury he was feeling.
"Haa... I said to fucking stay still!"
Kicking Hubert on his temple was necessary to make things easier for Invictus. He was squirming and struggling a lot, so it had to be done.
"There you go!"
Invictus used his forearm to wipe his head off the sweat. Once again, Hubert lost his consciousness and luckily did not die from having his mana core forcefully broken.
"Alright, down to the pit you go!"
Hubert became Invictus' replacement inside the Oubliette after he destroyed the man's mana core and cut off his tongue. He then sealed the entrance with large debris from the ceiling after the castle started collapsing.
"You'll live your remaining days in total darkness, no food, no water. I wonder how long you'll last before you go insane. Though, I'm afraid I won't be able to see you go crazy."
Invictus tended to the wounded and dying Aeriel. He bit his lower lip and accidentally tasted Hubert's blood which splashed on him when he was smashing his face on the wall.
"Even your blood tasted disgusting. Anyway, Aeriel's wound needs immediate treatment, or she'll die."
The damage Invictus received from Hubert's attack hasn't completely healed yet. And he was slowly recovering from it. Therefore, he has little strength to muster to bring Aeriel to the surface.
"We're in luck because I actually know a secret passage leading to outside of the castle."
The path they will be taking is known only to the king himself and some of his trustees.
Invictus just happened to accidentally come across the secret passage when he was first invited to the castle. He got lost and discovered the path that is a few meters away from where they currently were.
"Alright."
He carried Aeriel, one hand was on the back of her legs, and the other was supporting her head.
"You're surprisingly light," he muttered, beginning to walk towards the place where their escape path is.
Because of the bombardment going on in the castle, it was now starting to collapse, large debris falling from above.
Invictus made haste, concerned about Aeriel's well-being. Right now, it is time he is fighting against it. Every second is important.
"You may not hear me right now, but I will be forever grateful for what you did. I'm not gonna let you die here because you deserve every right to be
happy."
Within a minute or so, they reached the secret passageway. It was created solely for the king if an invasion occurs, so he can escape.
"Accidentally pressing a brick on this wall was one of the best things that happened to me."
When he pressed the same brick he accidentally pushed, the wall covering the path creaked open slowly.
"Until we meet again, Estaroth."
"She should be fine for now," said the doctor who just finished treating Aeriel's wound. "Had you arrived here a minute late, she would have died."
Luckily, Invictus found a doctor. However, there is no way he will be able to pay for the treatment.
"As you can see right now, I don't have anything with me."
"Then you can pay me anytime."
"What's your name?" Invictus asked, grateful to the doctor for being understanding.
"Thorp. My name is Thorp."
For now, the two of them shook hands. Thorp noticed that Invictus was barefooted, and his grimaced expression displayed, horrified at how bad the condition of Invictus' lower half was.
"Oh my— how are you still standing and moving with that condition? Your
feet are in terrible shape!"
Sharp pains and numbness were the two feelings he will get from moving his legs. Whilst he was carrying Aeriel, Invictus had to endure the immeasurable aching and weirdness all the way to the doctor's house.
"You don't need to worry about this, Thorp." He said reassuringly, laughing it off as though it was some trivial matter. "Sleep is all I need right now. My whole body's aching for some soft cushion."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Don't say I didn't warn you about it. If you want to sleep, I have another room."
Doctor Thorp showed Invictus his vacant room and left the man to take a bath first before going into a deep slumber.
Fortunately, the doctor likes to help other people. He found fortune in being a doctor. His job produced a two-story house, owning the land where it was built. Thorp invested his wealth in helping poor families, buying a small land, and hiring jobless Estarians to work as field hands.
His land was producing pieces of cotton, root crops, vegetables, and fruits, and Thorp recently bought 100 square feet of land.
The land will turn into a large pond and breed native fishes that can be found in Estaria.
Although everything seemed to be perfect in Thorp's life, the doctor has a sad past in which he wants to go back just to see his wife again.
His wife's death was the sole reason why Thorp put his all out and pursued being a doctor. A professional in medicine and herbs.
"Is Thorp really just a kind soul?"
Invictus thought to himself as he comfortably dipped himself in the warm water prepared by the doctor's daughter.
"My body almost forgot how soothing a warm bath can be! I can't wait to lie down in bed."
Thorp's daughter is 12 years old and is also pursuing the same field her
father took. She has created a cure for a disease that spread around a village.