Chapter 179: Falls of Duress(3)

Luke's words caused Romeo's eyes to widen.

"Wait! No, please- AAAAHHH!!!"

Silviu didn't wait for Romeo to finish his sentence before whipping him, as Luke had ordered. Romeo's blood and cries were all over the place. Meanwhile, Luke just stared at Romeo blankly. He can't believe that the man in front of him has just been entrusted with top-secret information yet is a novice at keeping secrets.

After the whipping was finished, Romeo tried to catch his breath and began to cry. Luke frowned as he observed this.

"Stop crying already and tell me what you know."

Romeo immediately fell silent and tried to hold back his tears, fearing that if he cried, he would be lashed again. This is the first time in his life that he has felt such intense pain, and just one more lash of that whip on his skin will cause him to cry uncontrollably. Such a feeling is both embarrassing as a noble and terrifying as a lone prisoner who has no idea where he is.

"P-please... No more... Please...."

"Then properly answer my questions."

"Huff... Yes... Yes, I will... Huff."

Luke then smiled. Even though his grin appears to everyone else to be normal, Romeo sees it as the devil's smile.

"Good boy. Now answer the first question for me."

Romeo nodded in agreement.

"T-the drugs I use are made from withered souls..."

Luke's mouth slightly opens in surprise as he looks at Romeo in disbelief. Luke wasn't the only one who was taken aback; Liam and the Elves were as well. Inside the room, Luke's dark voice echoed, giving Romeo goosebumps.

"What is the Dark Eye up to?"

Romeo closes his eyes and violently shakes his head.

"I-I'm not sure! All I know is that the drugs can only be consumed by those who have been chosen! When you take the drug, it will give you pleasure while also saving you from the impending calamity!"

Luke's brow furrowed as he looked at Romeo's pale face.

"Impending Calamity?"

Romeo nodded while shaking.

"Y-yes... When they contacted me, they told me that I had been chosen to be saved from the Calamity. They claimed that God had chosen me to be saved and that in exchange, I would assist them financially and... gather ingredients to make more drugs..."

Luke remained silent. His face hardened and his expression became cold. So the Dark Eye has infected not only the Western Continent, but also the Eastern Continent, and their influence appears to be much greater here than in the West.

"Do you know... Who this 'God' is?"

Romeo then shook his head.

"I swear I don't know anything! And the person who reached out to me was wearing a robe with a hood over their face... B-but let me warn you! That g-guy is no joking matter! H-he slew my personal knight with a single blow! He is a maniac!"

Luke paused for a moment before asking another question.

"What is the Dark Eye's connection to Irene? Why are they instructing you to marry her?"

"T-they said the God is planning to unite and seize control of the Underworld from the Pierce family via me. God said that with both of our power and influence, we will be one of his unstoppable forces... And I will be safer than ever from the Calamity..."

"And if you don't agree, they'll reveal your secret to the public, ruining your reputation."

"Y-yes... They've got me on a tightrope..."

"Bullshit."

Romeo flinched at Luke's sudden words; Luke sounded mad which made him nervous.

"I'm sorry! Please don't kill me! I'm willing to do anything-!"

"Be quiet."

Romeo immediately shuts his mouth, and Luke sighed deeply as a result of his stress. He then rubbed his palms against his face and began to analyze the information he had gathered.

'So the Dark Eye has someone they call a God and that God says that there is an impending Calamity coming. He selects chosen ones to be saved and offers them drugs made from withered souls... And it appears that this God's current goal is taking over the control of the Underworld, which is why he forced Romeo to marry Irene...'

Luke scratched his head and frowned deeply in annoyance. There are a number of things that aren't quite right here.

'Aren't withered souls dangerous? So how did Romeo consume it without dying? Also, how are those drugs going to save them from a calamity? Is this a joke from the Dark Eye? Is it a ruse? No, it's too serious to be a joke... And it appears that they kidnap slaves and orphans here as well as on the Western Continent... Does this mean that there are also people in the West who have the drugs?'

Luke's mind was suddenly flooded with an idea. When he realized what was going on, his eyes widened.

The Dark Eye has already deeply infested the East... and they are now slowly infesting the West... And the Dark Eye's first forces are...

"Duke Britch..."

Romeo's face turns pale as he looks at Luke with shock.

"Y-you know Duke B-Britch?"

Luke's cold gaze then fell on Romeo, causing him to flinch. Romeo quickly realized he'd made a mistake.

"Do you know who he is, Romeo?"

Romeo has gone completely silent and is avoiding Luke's gaze. Luke just stared at him for a few moments before raising his hand to Silviu.

"50 lashings-"

"NO! NO, PLEASE! I'M GOING TO TELL YOU EVERYTHING! PLEASE!"

"Talk."

Romeo tries to fight off his urge to cry and then slowly opens his mouth to speak.

"I-I know him because I am the one who receives the withered souls he created in the West... H-he also appears to know a lot about the Dark Eye... If you want to know more about them, I believe it is best to approach him..."

Luke then cast a cold glance at Romeo.

"Do you think by saying that I will leave you alone?"

Romeo gulped and looked down. Sweat beads begin to form on his brow. When Romeo heard Luke speak again, he gulped.

"Do you still have any drugs in your mansion?"

Romeo looks down and shakes his head.

"I-I think the Dark Eye already took it once they found out I was being captured... They are very cautious, and even I can't find any flaws in their organization..."

Luke looks down for a second to think; he then raised his eyes and met Romeo's nervous eyes in front of him. Luke continued to stare at him for a few minutes longer, making Romeo nervous.

"Romeo, do you know where the Dark Eye is hiding?"

Romeo gulped. He realized he is done now.

'....Shit'

Romeo was hesitating to answer at first but flinched when he heard Luke speaking to him.

"A hundred lashes."

Romeo's eyes widened and look at Luke with desperation.

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you! I am not sure where it exactly is but I know where we do our transaction of withered souls!"

"You have a transaction spot?"

"Y-yes! And they told me that their base is close by! "

"Where?"

"Near the Nebula! We always meet there to conduct our business!"

Luke frowned in confusion

"Nebula? Where is that?"

Silviu paused for a beat before speaking.

"It is located in the very center of the Eastern continent... One of the world's ten dangers... The swirling Eye of Nebula."

Luke's attention is then drawn to Silviu, who began to interrupt them.

"The Swirling Eye of Nebula? Isn't that place dangerous?"

Silviu nodded, a solemn expression on his face.

"Very dangerous. That place is encircled by a thick wall of poisonous fogs. Many people tried to cross it, but they never returned. Until now, no one still knows what lies in the center of the swirling fog."

"How did you guys know that there is something in the middle?"

"It's just a guess, but the way the fog moves reminds them of a never-ending cyclone, so they concluded something might be in the center. Some claim that there are numerous riches and treasures hidden in the center. If you can make it through the fog and to the center, your entire family and future generations will be set for life."

Luke then slowly turned his head towards Romeo who is looking at Silviu's whip with shaking eyes. Romeo's attention then immediately turned towards Luke when he heard him talking to him.

"So you guys handle the transactions over there?"

Romeo then nodded.

"Yes, yes! I have already told you all the things I know! Please let me go!"

"Are you sure that is all of it? It is not good to lie in front of me you know? Romeo."

Romeo gulped as he met Luke's icy and frightening gaze.

"I swear to you, I swear on my life! I've already informed you of everything I know!"

"Really? You're not going to tell me anything about the bishop? Hmm?"

"I-I don't know anything about him! All I know is that he became ill unexpectedly, and the Dark Eye took advantage of the situation to attend the wedding in his guise! I swear that's all I know!"

Luke gave Romeo a doubtful look, but he quickly stopped when he heard Liam speaking in his ear.

"I don't think he is lying anymore, brother."

Luke simply sighed and rose from his chair. Luke has no use for Romeo now that he has gotten everything he wants to know from him, so he finally turned his back on him and headed for the door. Romeo sighed in relief when he saw him walking towards the door, but flinched and turned pale when he heard Luke's words while walking towards the door.

"Give him 200 lashes and make sure he doesn't die; I still need to pass him on to Irene later."

Silviu and the Elves nodded at his words while Romeo started to scream in terror. Luke simply sighed and shut the door behind him, cutting off Romeo's scream. Luke then irritably cleaned his ears. Romeo's voice sure is something else.

"Are you all right, brother?"

Luke then turned to face Liam, who was standing behind him. He then noticed Liam's slightly concerned expression.

"Yes Liam, I am fine."

"Do you feel tired? Do you want to take a short break before heading home?"

Luke was about to nod to Liam when he heard footsteps approaching from behind him. When Luke turned around, he noticed a high-ranking Elf approaching him.

"Young Master, the king would like to seek your audience."

Liam frowned and was about to speak to the elf but Luke stopped him with his hand. Liam then looked worriedly at Luke.

"But brother you are-"

"Don't worry, Liam. I'm fine. Anyways, please lead the way."

The elf nodded at Luke's words and began guiding him as instructed. Meanwhile, Liam just glared at the elf leading Luke with a frown. He seems to be deeply upset with the elf.

Luke and Liam are now walking their way towards the castle, where the Elf King and the others were. While walking they both look around and took in the elf's kingdom's beauty. Everything seems so alive around them, unlike the dungeon they had just been in.

Once they arrived at the front they then entered a large fancy gate. The gate is decorated with animal and plant cravings, all of which look very expensive. Luke just looked at this with an impressed expression before following the elf inside. Inside, they were greeted by an empty elevated throne, beneath which Gramps and the others stood.

Erdene noticed Luke and Liam approaching and watched them get closer as they were led by the guards. Luke then approached Erdene and spoke to him.

"Where is the Elf King?"

"We just talked to him minutes ago and he just excused himself."

Luke frowned and looked at the person who was directing him to the palace.

"Didn't I hear the King ask for my audience?"

The Elf stared blankly at Luke for a few seconds before opening his mouth to speak.

"Yes, young master. He did. However, he would prefer to speak with you in private. Please follow me. Make sure you are only coming alone."

Luke looked at the others for a second before nodding. Before going with the elf he patted Nash and Snow's heads first and looked at Lina and Jay who were also looking at him.

"Go outside and play with the kids and show them around."

Lina proudly nodded and smiled.

"Leave them to me!"

Luke nodded and then turned to follow the elf further inside the palace. They then entered the palace and proceeded to walk through the palace's long corridors. Luke then looks around and his mouth was slightly agape from awe as he looks at the fancy yet humble decorations in the walls and ceilings. After taking his time appreciating the castle's beauty, Luke then began to focus on his journey. It was a long walk, but Luke didn't say anything and simply followed them. They soon arrived in front of a fancy white door at the end of the hallway. The Elf then took a step forward and knocked softly on the door.

"I have brought him, Your Majesty."

Soon after, a voice from behind the closed doors responded.

"Let him in."

The Elf nodded before taking a step back. The guards who were guarding the door then slowly opened the doors for Luke, allowing him to see what is inside. When Luke saw what was inside, his eyes widened.

'A... Pool?'