Seraphine rode out with a band of knights at the crack of dawn. They headed towards the wasteland, a forsaken stretch of land that belonged to the Marquis Ornstein.
No one lived there for a long time, for the land was tainted by mana pollution and crawling with monstrous beasts. It was a forsaken realm, an eerie expanse where nature itself recoiled in fear.
This was where Damian, the marquis's son and the main villain of the story, would discover a hidden dungeon two years later. It would be his salvation and his downfall. In the original story, he was a desperate young master, struggling to save his family from ruin. He had no money, no influence, no talent for mana manipulation.
In the dungeon, he found abundant treasures and relics that restored his family's honor and wealth. But he also found a dark temptation, a demonic relic that provided him power beyond his wildest dreams. He devoured it greedily, hoping to enhance his abilities. He did become stronger, but at a terrible cost. He lost his sanity, becoming a cruel and bloodthirsty tyrant.
Seraphine rode behind the leader of the knights, Henry Montfort, on his horse. She was not skilled at riding and a carriage would have been too slow and cumbersome for this expedition.
Sir Henry seemed to be friendly and courteous to Seraphine, following Damian's orders to protect her. But that was only a facade. He did not truly respect her or treat her as an equal. He only obeyed Damian out of fear and loyalty.
And some of the other knights were even worse. They looked down on Seraphine with contempt and disdain, wondering why they had to risk their lives for a mere slave. They were proud knights who thought she was unworthy of their protection.
The knights rode in silence, their armored presence cutting through the dusty air. Seraphine, however, couldn't help but notice the subtle glances and whispered conversations exchanged amongst the knights. Some of them whispered insults and gossips behind her back. They made sure she could hear them, but she ignored them. She focused on finding the exact spot where the dungeon entrance was in the novel.
"Why did the young master even let her start this expedition?" one of the knights muttered.
"Well, she must have done something to please him, right? There's only one thing a slave girl like her can do," another knight replied, snickering.
"Those bastards..." Seraphine thought, biting her lip. She knew it would only make things worse if she talked back to them.
"They have nothing but vulgar words in their mouths," Alice said, sounding disgusted. She was also unhappy with the rude knights.
"To be honest, the young master's order was quite sudden and unexpected, so I apologize for any rudeness from my men," Henry said, trying to sound apologetic. But his tone was insincere and he did nothing to stop the knights from continuing their mockery.
"Thank you for your heartfelt apology," Seraphine said with a dry smile, knowing he was lying.
Seraphine tried to keep her composure and look for the location of the dungeon. According to her memory, Damian had accidentally opened the entrance by pressing a hidden button on a huge boulder. She tried to spot that boulder, which was described as big and surrounded by dead trees.
Soon, she saw a huge boulder on her left side. She thought she had to make it look like an accident and not arouse any suspicion.
"Sir Henry, can we take a break at that boulder? It looks like there's some shade behind the rock and suit for a resting area," Seraphine said, tugging on Henry's shirt and pointing at the boulder.
"But we won't have enough time if we rest now," Henry said.
"Please, Sir Henry. I'm so tired from riding the horse for so long," Seraphine pleaded, making a pitiful face. Henry looked annoyed, but he agreed to her request anyway.
"Guys, we're taking a short break near that boulder," Henry shouted to the other knights.
The group of knights stopped their horses near a massive boulder that stood out in the barren landscape. The sun was blazing in the sky, making the air hot and dry like a desert. Some of the knights sought refuge in the boulder's shadow, while others dismounted and stretched their legs. They exchanged jokes and stories, enjoying a brief break from their journey.
But one of them noticed that Seraphine was not among them. He saw her circling around the boulder, scanning its surface with her keen eyes. She was looking for the hidden button that would open the entrance to the dungeon of demonic relic.
"She's just a slave, but she's kind of cute, don't you think?" he said to his companion, pointing at her.
"I agree. She has a pretty face and a slender figure. That's why the young master spoils her so much and lets her have some fun outside," his companion said, smirking at her.
Seraphine heard their mocking words, but she did not let them bother her. She continued looking for anything suspicious on the surface of the bolder, and finally, With Alice's help, she spotted a strange mark on the boulder.
"That's the hidden button. We have to make it look like we pressed it by accident," Alice said in Seraphine's mind.
Seraphine nodded and turned her back to the boulder. She pretended to be tired and sat down, leaning her back against the boulder. As soon as she did, she heard a loud click and felt the ground shake beneath her. The boulder moved aside, revealing a stone staircase leading down into the darkness. There was no sign of light or life, only a cold and eerie silence.
"What's that?" one of the knights exclaimed.
"It looks like an entrance to something," another knight said.
"Could it be...a dungeon?" Henry said, his eyes widening.
Seraphine acted surprised and curious, but inside she was smiling. She had found what she was looking for.
As soon as they opened the entrance, a gush of crimson mist erupted from the hole. It was the source of the pollution that had ravaged the wasteland, and it was deadly to anyone who had mana capacity in their body. The knights recoiled and retreated, gasping and wheezing. But Seraphine was unaffected by the mist, for she had no mana in her body to begin with.
The mist came from the demonic relic that lay deep within the dungeon. According to the story, the only way to stop the pollution was to remove the relic from its place. But only those who had no mana could enter the dungeon safely. That meant Seraphine was the only one who could do it, while the knights were helpless.
Seraphine felt nothing as the mist caressed her skin. She smiled faintly, knowing that it could not harm her. But the knights were horrified and yelled at her to stay back.
"Hey, Seraphine, come over here now!" Henry yelled, waving his hand at her. He did not really care about Seraphine safety, but he feared what Damian would do to him if anything happened to her.
He remembered the scene from yesterday, when Damian had given him the order at the knight's quarters.
Yesterday, Henry had been in his room, polishing his sword and armor, when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it and saw Damian standing there. He was surprised to see him, since Damian rarely visited the knight's quarters.
"Henry, can I have a word with you?" Damian had asked, his voice cold and calm.
"Of course, young master. Please come in," Henry had said, stepping aside and letting him in. He wondered what Damian wanted from him.
Damian had walked into the room and Henry helped close the door behind him. He then looked at Henry with his piercing red eyes.
"Henry, my slave Seraphine will go on an expedition to the wasteland tomorrow. I order you to gather some knights and protect her along the way," Damian had said, without any preamble.
Henry had blinked, not sure if he had heard him right. A mission to protect a slave? Why would Damian care about a slave? And why would he send her to the wasteland, of all places?
"A mission to protect a slave, young master?" Henry had asked, hoping for some clarification.
Damian had frowned and narrowed his eyes. He did not like to be questioned.
"Are you questioning my order?" Damian had asked, looking at Henry with a serious and authoritative gaze that made Henry nervous.
"No, sir. I will protect her with my life," Henry had quickly knelt and bowed to Damian, who stood menacingly in front of him.
He did not dare to say anything else. He knew that Damian was not someone to be trifled with. Damian was also a cruel and ruthless person, who did not care about anyone but himself. He had no mercy or compassion for anyone who crossed him or disobeyed him.
Henry did not want to anger Damian or disappoint him. He wanted to stay alive and keep his position as a knight. That was why he agreed to protect Seraphine, even though he did not understand why Damian cared about her. He thought she was just a new slave that Damian had taken a fancy to.
"Good. And one more thing," Damian had leaned over Henry and whispered in his ear with a malicious tone.
"If anything bad happens to her, I will make sure you never see sunlight again. Do you understand?"
Henry had felt a cold sweat run down his back and nodded frantically. He had understood very well what Damian meant. He knew how cruel and ruthless Damian could be. He did not want to incur his wrath.
That was why he was so anxious about Seraphine's safety now. He did not want to risk his life for a slave, but he also did not want to lose his life because of a slave.