Cursed Thrones
Chapter 36 - The Darkness behind the Light

"Damn it! Fuck all this!"

Ronald is still angry and vents all his emotions on the objects around him. Including the innocent wooden barrel though.

He kicked it to shreds. Even the owner did not dare to rebuke him.

Recalling.... Ronald was still carrying a sword on his right waist.

"Damn it! What the fuck?! A group I've built for a long time.... Just destroyed like this?! Damn it!!!"

His anger became a bad sight around this Guild building. Everyone immediately shunned him, afraid that he would be affected by his anger.

But there is one person.

One person walked over to him. Gently, the pitch-black-haired man patted Ronald's shoulder.

"Pacify yourself" said the man in neat clothes, like a noble.

"Huh?! You want to, too...."

Before Ronald raised his fist, the man had kicked Ronald in the stomach with his knee. Made the young man spit out some of the ones he had just eaten just now.

"It's quiet?" ask the man again.

As Ronald looked at him, the blank stare behind the black pupils could be clearly felt.

The cold water pierced him so deeply that it made his whole body tremble.

As he fixed his glasses, the man spoke again.

"Say, what's going on?"

"I.... L'm.... My group left me."

Without the slightest change in expression on his face, the man again asked.

"Hmm, what a pity. Why?"

"We encountered a very powerful demon, and.... They all thought, no longer worth risking their lives as adventurers...."

"In other words, are you weak?"

The man's reply made Ronald emotional. But he could still hold back, with the pain in his stomach still lingering.

Even so, the man's words had a point.

If only Ronald and his group were stronger, maybe they could have stayed.

No. gabe....

Maybe they can fight. Behead the demon and obtain a great reward. Maybe even get a hero title or something.

But none of that could happen, because the group was weak.

Slowly, Ronald nodded his head.

Like the angel who came down from the sky this afternoon, the man made an offer. A very tempting offer, and very difficult to refuse.

"You want to come with me? I'll give you strength."

"Eh?"

Confusion began to be felt by Ronald.

What does it mean to give strength? Is power something that can be given away? And not gained by hard training?

"That's if you're interested. If not, I don't have a problem either." replied the man who immediately turned his body.

Intended to leave Ronald alone.

Amidst the pressure between time and helplessness, Ronald finally breaks down.

Not wanting to lose this opportunity, he accepted it.

"Wait on! I want!" he shouted while chasing after the mysterious man's footsteps.

The man then turned his face while looking at the figure of Ronald who was so desperate. But still without the slightest expression on his face, he retorted.

"Then follow me."

Step by step is continuously passed by Ronald. In the distance, the sun begins to set. Eliminating the light that had enveloped the city from the morning.

After a while, Ronald could finally see their goal. It is a small castle a little far from the town hall.

Although, calling it small is also less precise. With a fairly thick stone wall, the castle has 5 floors with two towering watchtowers.

Several guards stood beside the main door. Guard this place with a spear.

"Welcome back, sir." greet the guards while saluting.

The man did not answer at all and just continued his footsteps. His cold attitude made Ronald quite amazed.

To him, it was a cool figure he had always coveted. A quiet figure, but has a high status and is also strong.

'It's not wrong anymore! If I follow him, I can definitely gain strength!' he thought with a big smile.

However, each step he followed only made Ronald feel more strange.

In addition to the two guards in front, inside the castle was also filled with guards and also servants in their respective uniforms.

The problem is all of them....

Have empty eyes. And move like a puppet.

Occasionally, their right foot steps are not in sync with their left foot. Make him stumble before getting back up.

And even with that incident, the gazes of their eyes all still remained flat.

'What.... What's going on?!'

Without realizing it, now Ronald has been underground. Where hundreds of soldiers are seen training against wooden dolls that are given iron armor.

Everything looked normal from a distance, but after approaching....

The same could be found in all these soldiers who were practicing.

They swung swords, or thrust spears with blank eyes. It was as if there were no souls behind their bodies.

Ronald's heart was screaming out loud that he had to get out of here. But his mind was still trying to assume all of this was normal.

After all, he wanted power.

"Excuse me.... This.... The right path?" ask Ronald who is doubtful. But his footsteps still followed the man.

No answer he got.

The man still continued walking to the end of this great hall underground.

Recalling the force of the man's kick, Ronald was very confident that this figure could give him strength.

But why is the situation in this place so strange? That's what's on his mind.

Eventually, the man opened a door that showed a spiral staircase behind it. They both got further and further underground.

The light only came from the torch on every twenty steps of the stairs. Makes this ladder so dark .

Humid Eve can also be felt by Ronald at this time. Inside his head, hundreds of questions were still unanswered.

But he has to come. He desperately needed that power.

And finally....

They arrived at the base.

Their footholds were hard rocks that had been cracked, with a lot of dirt and rubbish strewn everywhere.

In a very long corridor, there are dozens, maybe hundreds of rooms with iron doors like a prison.

"Aarrrghh! Help u! Forgive me!!!"

From a distance, a scream of a woman could be heard. A scream filled with pain became Ronald's biggest warning of all this strangeness.

He began to step back. Afraid to follow the man's footsteps.

But just a few steps....

'Smuck!'

He stepped on something wet and slightly lumpy. And as he turned to look at it, the dark red liquid flowed from one of the rooms next to him.

'Blood?!'

In the distance, the mysterious man finally turned his body. He looked at Ronald and asked again.

"Why? Don't you want power?" he said with an empty look.

Both of his hands were seen taking off his noble clothes, revealing a black t-shirt behind it.

Ronald could only be silent.

'Can I run?! Can I escape from him?!'

That question was the restraint for Ronald's feet who had wanted to leave this cursed place.

Moments later, two female servants in neat black and white uniforms came from the end of the hall. Carrying a robe and also taking the man's noble clothes before.

The man immediately put on the black robe. As for the glasses, he took off and gave them to one of the maids.

After everything was done, he focused on looking back at Ronald who retreated little by little.

But....

'BRAHA!!!'

The door that connected between this corridor and the spiral staircase just now, was suddenly tightly shut.

Ronald ran as fast as he could, trying to open the wooden door. But no matter how hard he tried, the door could not move at all.

While the mysterious man walked slowly closer. His attitude seemed so relaxed, as if this was not his first time.

"You won't be able to open that door" said the mysterious man.

The palm of his right hand was seen emitting a bluish glow, with a thin stream of light pointing at the wooden door.

"Don't say...."

"Karf, simple magic to lock the door." he replied, which is now only a few steps away from Ronald.

With a trembling body, Ronald asked the mysterious man.

"Who are you really?! You-you're demons?! Why is it in a human city?! W-what's going to happen to me?!"

Still with his expressionless face, the man replied while shaking his head.

"No, you're wrong. I am not a demon. I am a human. And what will happen to you.... I don't know, we'll see."

Fear filled Ronald's entire body. Now, there is no hope for him.

If He had never accepted his offer, he might have survived. But now....

"Mr Aldebaran. Preparations for the ritual have been completed" said a woman behind him. She had long black hair that was beautifully unraveled, in a clean white dress.

That woman, was the only human figure who did not have blank eyes like the others.

He was the only human who was truly alive.

But....

'Aldebaran? A ritual? What the....'

Before Ronald could finish his thinking, a powerful punch struck his neck.

Made him faint for a moment.

His vision began to blur and gradually became completely dark.

After that, the mysterious man who seemed to be named Aldebaran began to pick him up. Take Ronald into one of the rooms in this corridor.

On his back, there is a reddish three-horned emblem. It was clearly on his black robe.

And with the same cold attitude as before....

"Thank you, Naila. Maybe with this angry soul, we can get something new."

Since then, Ronald's figure has never been seen again in the city of Mapleford. Some of his former colleagues thought that Ronald had moved to another city.

Or maybe....

Has found a new group that still dares to fight, in the midst of the cruelty of this world.