The heavy iron doors of the dungeon groaned open, their rusted hinges eg through the dimly lit corridor. A damp, musty st filled the air, a mixture of mold, sweat, and despair. Flickering torches cast long shadows along the stone walls as Ravenna strode inside, her heels clig sharply against the cold floor.
Waiting for her in the dimly lit interrogation chamber was Captain or, seated on a simple wooden chair, his wrists and ankles shackled with thick iron s. His once-pristine armor was stripped away, leaving him in a worn tunic, stained with dirt and dried blood. Though bound, he still held himself with a sembnce of posure, though his eyes betrayed the exhaustion and ay gnawing at him.
Ravenna took her seat across from him, her posture rexed but her pierg gaze as sharp as a predator eyeing its prey. She smirked, her voice dripping with amusement.
“Well, well… Look at this fool who dared to challenge me,” she mused, tilting her head slightly.
or lifted his head, his expression unreadable. “I greet Yhness,” he said, his voice steady despite his situation.
Ravenna scoffed, crossing her legs. “Oh, trying to maintain ynity now? e on, Ser or. You disguised yourself as a pirate to attack my dukedom. Whatever honor you had as a knight is long gone.” Her tone was ced with mockery, her words cutting deeper than any sword.
or swallowed hard but managed a curt nod. “I… I ot deny it, Yhness,” he admitted. “I am ashamed of my as, but I had no choice. I was following orders.”
Raven out a short, dry ugh. “Ah, the age-old excuse. ‘I was just following orders.’ How ve.” She leaned forward, her expression darkening. “Let’s get to the heart of the matter, shall we? Both your eastern aern beach squads were utterly annihited. Only a quarter of your forces remain, locked up in these dungeons.”
or’s jaw tightened as he absorbed the weight of her words. His fiwitched slightly, the only sign of his iurmoil. After a long pause, he gave a heavy nod. “Dame Lana ah’s squads… they’re gohen?” His voice was low, almost as if speaking the words aloud made it real.
Ravenna didn’t soften. “Yes. And now, I want the names of the knights and meraries among your remaining men who hold les or are reted to noble families.” Her eyes bore into his. “I trust, as a knight, you will honor the rules of war?”
or took a slow breath before nodding. “Once you allow me to meet with my men, I will at for those of noble birth, their retives, and any officers of strategic importance.”
Ravenna leaned back, satisfied. It was a standard wartime practice—ransom iations for captured nobles and high-ranking officers. Their worth would now be determined not by their skill in battle, but by how much their masters were willing to pay for their release.
“Good,” she said, rising from her seat. “We leave for the mainnd in a few days. Whether or not your masters want you back… well, that remains to be seen.” She turned on her heel, her cloak billowing slightly as she strode towards the exit.
or remained silent, staring at the stone floor as she disappeared through the door.
Ba her study, Ravenna sank into her chair, rubbiemples as she reviewed the war report. Scrolls and parts were stacked high on her desk, detailing the battle’s aftermath.
Her eyes skimmed over the figures: Twelve soldiers dead in the western cliffs. Several militia members were ihe worst blow had been the surprise attack from Keith’s merary squad, which had caught Dame Aisha’s forces off guard. Those twelve men had died holding the line, ensuring that the city remaianding.
Ravenna exhaled slowly. “A unal funeral service must be arranged,” she murmured, pig up a quill. She quickly penned a letter to the Herptian Church, requesting them to duct the ceremony in honor of the fallen.
Once she finished, she set the letter aside and turned her attention to the shimmeriation System window that hovered before her.
[ Reputation System v0.1 ]
User: Ravenna Sorius / Joy Cha KimReputation Level: 61 (4032 / 9400 EXP)Curreation Points: 22,821Titles: Raven of the Sun Pace, Unruly Princess
{ View Reputation Log } { Speation Points }
Ravenna tapped her finger against the desk, how the numbers tio rise steadily.
“I gained quite a lot of points… and they’re still increasing,” she muttered, narrowing her eyes.
Pushing aside her curiosity about the system for now, she pulled a fresh sheet of part toward her and began drafting Marie’s speech for when she addressed the rescued sves. The words had to be chosen carefully—measured, precise.
The golden light of the setting sun seeped through the high arched windows, casting long shadows across the study. The air smelled faintly of part, wax, and the lingering embers of the firepce. Just as she fihe first draft, a firm knock echoed against the heavy oak doors.
“e in,” she called, her voice calm but anding.
The door opened, and Alice stepped inside, her movements swift and precise as always. She carried a letter in one hand and a ly bou iher.
“The Mert Association has firmed their response,” Alinounced, pg the letter on Ravenna’s desk. “They will be sending two ships in two days. However, they have included an invoice demanding three mana stones as payment.”
Ravenna arched an eyebrow but said nothing.
Alice tinued, holding out another dot. “This is the detailed report from Captain arding the ‘pirate’ operation.”
Ravenna accepted the papers, flipping through them with sharp eyes. “Pce the invoice here,” she said, motioning toward the er of her desk. Aliplied with a swift nod before exiting the room, leaving Ravenna aloh the numbers as.
She exhaled deeply, tapping her quill against her as she analyzed or’s at of the battle.
"I’ll also have to demand reparations for the costs I will incurre to break the servitude spells pced on the rescued sves,” she murmured to herself.
Svery was a grave offense uhe Imperial Laws of Ana—one of the founding principles of the empire’s legal code. Unlike many neighb nations where sve trade flourished, Ana had outwed it entirely. The reason was simple:
The Hero Luminous, one of the greatest legends in history, had once been a sve himself. He had risen from s to fight alongside the Twelve Gods, ultimately aiding in the defeat of the Absolute Being. His ins shaped the empire’s stano soul would be bought or sold within Ana’s borders.
However, while trading sves within the empire was strictly forbidden, the ownership of sves brought from outside was a murkier issue. Many of the empire’s vassal states and neighb kingdoms thrived on svery, and enf immediate liberation whehey crossed into Ana’s borders olitically and eically impossible. Thus, the w stood firm against trade but turned a blio possession.
Ravenna smirked, leaning ba her chair. “I have quite the leverage to extort the Ronin Family, don’t I?” she murmured, a dark chuckle esg her lips. The upiing with them would be… eaining, to say the least.
Read 12+ Advance Chapters by being a Patron: 56. Arrival In Ronin Mansion
