The castle was even more crowded than when Victor first forced his way into the throne room.
The spear he had placed at the back entrance to the castle to delay the arrival of reinforcements didn't hold out for more than a few minutes.
Even so, Victor tried to sneak into the throne room, but with so many guards, a confrontation became inevitable and, before Victor could realize it, he was cornered in one of the inner corridors of the fourth floor.
The guards, armed with swords and spears, began to approach in sync and with caution.
Victor's mind worked quickly, looking for a way out of this situation, but he could think of nothing. It was a different situation from when he was in the courtyard, he had no way of fighting so many guards in such a tight space. So, with his back pressed against a cold stone wall, Victor raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and he chose his words carefully at that moment.
"I surrender!" declared Victor loudly.
"Of course you surrender! You're surrounded!" One of the men shouted, pointing his spear at the invader.
"But before you do anything, listen to me. I have something important to say."
The guards exchanged cautious glances with each other, assessing the situation and the posture of the intruder in front of them. They knew that whoever killed the intruder would probably be very well rewarded, but one of the soldiers surrounding Victor, the one furthest from the center of the siege, decided to listen and no one dared contradict him because he was a sub-lieutenant.
"All right! What do you have to say for yourself, intruder?" asked the leader of the guards, his authoritative tone echoing down the corridor.
Victor took a deep breath, remaining calm despite the situation. "I am Victor Shieldman," he began. "And if you kill me now, you will have to face the wrath of my daughter."
"What? And who the hell cares about your daughter? Who would she be?"
"She's Wanda Stillwind, the Rank-S you arrested earlier," Victor clarified, and the guard who had just retorted had to swallow his own words. "She's already pretty angry about being arrested as an innocent and she won't forgive those who harm her father."
Victor's words echoed in the corridor, creating a moment of tense silence between him and the guards. The soldiers seemed hesitant, taken aback by the mention of Wanda's name.
"What do you mean?" asked the leader of the guards, without flinching like the others. "You're an invader and we're the protectors of this castle. We can't let you escape just because you're the father of someone important."
"I don't want to be released, I just want to be taken for a personal audience with Duke Olyno. I believe I have urgent matters to discuss with him."
The guards exchanged glances again, silently debating how to deal with this situation.
Finally, after a few moments of tense silence, the leader of the guards nodded and slammed the base of his spear into the ground. "Very well, intruder. Out of respect for your daughter's title, you will be escorted to the duke's presence. I bet he'll be happier with that than with a head being handed over to him. However, be aware that Olyno is not usually very forgiving and the death he will give you will be crueler than any of us are capable of," the man announced and ordered the soldiers to surround Victor to escort him, which the other guards did.
"Don't worry, I'll know what to say when I see the duke." Victor said, letting his wrists be handcuffed.
So Victor was escorted to the throne room, and the number of soldiers escorting him gradually became greater as they walked, because the other guards no longer had to look for him.
When the main guard responsible for the escort entered the hall alone, Olyno was sitting on his throne with a bored expression and didn't even notice.
It was Ardann, the Head of the Personal Guard, who greeted him.
"Hey, what are you doing here? You're supposed to look for the intruder," whispered Ardann to the guard, trying not to disturb Olyno.
"Sir, we've already found him."
"Did you find him? And did you manage to shoot him down?"
"Actually, he gave himself up, sir."
Ardann's brow furrowed, wondering at the situation. "He gave himself up? What are you talking about?"
"I don't know, I don't really understand why he did it either. I heard from the other guards that he escaped from prison, and he claims to be the father of the Rank-S hunter who was arrested earlier. He wants an audience with the duke."
Even Ardann was a little lost and didn't know how to proceed. The information about an individual's escape from the dungeon was not what had come to his attention yet. So he scratched the back of his head, hesitantly, and Olyno seemed to notice.
"What is it, Ardann? What's going on?" asked the young duke.
Ardann turned around and explained what was going on together with the sub-lieutenant next to him.
Gradually, a smile of interest appeared on Olyno's face. After all, it was surprising that a prisoner had come so far after escaping, and Olyno was curious to find out what kind of person Victor was. So, despite Councillor Steegar's warning that this was dangerous, Olyno allowed Victor to enter the throne room.
With Olyno's permission, Victor was led into the room, but this time with his hands literally tied and without a sword.
"Sire, this is Victor Shieldman, the trespasser who gave himself up. He believes he has urgent business with you and has requested a personal audience," explained Ardann.
Olyno arched an eyebrow, surprised by Victor's posture and appearance. He looked directly at the intruder, assessing him with curiosity. "Are you Victor Shieldman? A little older than I thought. Anyway, what brings you here, apart from causing a ruckus in my castle by trying to escape? Did you intend to try to capture me in order to negotiate your daughter's freedom?"
Victor kept his composure, bowing his head slightly in respect. "It's a pleasure to finally meet Duke Olyno in person, although the circumstances are not ideal. And the answer to your question is: no, I don't intend to capture or kill you, I don't even think about laying a finger on you."
"Ah, what a waste... So, what do you want, Victor?" asked Olyno, calling him directly by his first name as he usually did with everyone, because calling him by his surname denoted respect and Olyno didn't respect anyone.
Victor took a deep breath before answering, choosing his words carefully. "I come seeking justice, Duke Olyno. Earlier, my daughter was arrested for a crime she didn't commit."
Steegar seemed impassive and showed no signs of concern, even in the presence of an intruder, but he decided to intrude.
"Duke Olyno was told that Wanda Stillwind didn't commit any crime directly, but you and your thieving friend committed a murder and she was arrested as an accomplice because even though she didn't have a hand in it, she was there." Steegar argued.
Just hearing Steegar's voice now was enough to disgust Victor. "It wasn't like that."
"How not? The reports indicate that the corpse of Miriam, an employee here at the castle, was found inside that abandoned industrial shed. You want to argue against evidence?" said Steegar, taking two steps forward. "Your Grace, I'm sorry, but it's absurd that this man is still standing here to talk and argue after all the chaos he's caused."
"Ardann, make him kneel." Olyno ordered.
Ardann was approaching Victor, but the hunter knelt down on his own. "Let me ask you just one question, Duke Olyno." He asked, being more polite this time than in his previous life.
"Your..." Steegar was going to interfere again.
Olyno looked at the old advisor out of the corner of his eye. "Let him speak, please, Steegar."
Victor thanked him with a nod. "Duke, have you ever seen the face of your advisor's employee who was killed by me tonight? Or even heard the name Miriam?"
"The castle has many employees, and I don't make a point of memorizing their faces, let alone their names. But what are you getting at?"
"What if I told you that Miriam never worked in this castle and that she was actually an assassin hired by one of your most 'loyal' employees to kill my daughter?" Victor said, staring unblinkingly into the duke's eyes and then at Steegar.