Berserk: The Prophet

—The Principality of Grant, with its capital in Naurudkahuati.

—The underground chamber of the Grand Duke's residence.

Deep within the Grand Duke Grant's quarters lies a secret chamber, a narrow, long tunnel leading directly out of the city. This tunnel, originally intended for refuge, was widened in the middle and deeper sections and converted into a prison and a private armory.

The reason for building the prison here was to imprison prisoners who could not be discovered and had other secrets.

“...Damn woman! Damn slut!!” The middle-aged man’s curses echoed in the first cell. This man was none other than Grand Duke Grant, Hekun.

His appearance could almost be described as extremely ugly. Even though he wasn't poisoned to death, the residual toxins caused his face to ulcerate and develop tumors. His bloated body and barely 1.7 meters tall made him look like an obese dwarf compared to the other Grants.

The girl imprisoned in the jail was not some prisoner with ulterior motives, but an innocent commoner girl who knew nothing about anything.

Three days ago, with her hands bound, she was desperately begging for mercy. Now, the girl's tongue has been cut off, her teeth have been pulled out, and she is covered in wounds, only able to utter incoherent babbling and groans, seemingly having already lost her mind.

"Damn it, scream out loud!!" He Kun was not satisfied with the girl's performance today. He picked up the fire tongs leaning against the wall and beat the girl mercilessly until her flesh was bloody and her bones were exposed.

The Grand Duke vented his resentment toward his sister who had tried to poison him and his hatred toward the nobles on this girl.

It's all because of those guys that I'm disliked by the people!

Hekun was in a particularly bad mood today because—unlike him, the beloved Gurunberudo had won another battle.

The bloodline of a sea-hunting people, the descendants of the sea bear clan, was passed down to that person through a generational inheritance.

I should have some of my ancestors' blood flowing in my veins too, so why is it only that man who has it...?

But that wasn't all that upset him! Recently, rumors have been circulating in the Duchy of Grant about the Queen's affair; it's said that Folda wants to conceive Grunberdo's child!

"...Damn it! Damn it!!" He Kun slammed the girl down, rendering her lifeless. How pathetic, He Kun thought. He had originally planned to slowly slice off the girl's flesh with a blunt knife!

I didn't control my strength well, and she died so easily. How unromantic!

The perpetrator of the brutal serial murders that shocked the capital, Naurudkahuati, was none other than Grand Duke Hokhun.

After He Kun had vented his anger, he walked out of the secret room, where a shadowy creature was waiting.

The Grand Duke's secret group, the "Shadow Hands," lives in the shadows; they have only one purpose in life, which is to obey the orders of Grand Duke Grant.

They are a group of assassins trained in a secret prison. These people were either orphans who had been left on the streets or children of the poor who had been kidnapped.

Because they were true Grantians, and after officially enlisting they could eat their fill of meat in this barren land, they had absolute loyalty to the Grand Duke.

Therefore, even if the Grand Duke asked them to assist in committing such a horrific murder, they would still do their utmost.

They were the ones who kidnapped the girl, and they were also the ones who hung the woman's body in the city.

"Is there something you need, Madwood?" He Kun asked.

“We’ve captured Juda’s spy.” Madwood knelt on the ground, his expression unchanged.

He Kun's tastes remain the same as before. In fact, girls have been mysteriously disappearing for years, but in the last two years, He Kun has become increasingly blatant in his actions, even openly displaying tortured corpses in the city.

"What's there to report? Just torture them and kill them!" He Kun frowned.

Madwood: "The problem is that Juda's spy is a bit peculiar..."

He Kun: "How is it strange?"

Madwood: "He said he was not a spy, but a messenger, claiming to be General Abekasias's agent."

He Kun: "Oh? What do you think, Madwood?"

Madwood: "The other party is indeed a highly skilled spy. He gave up resistance and was captured by us in one fell swoop. He also carried several secret letters with General Abecassis's exclusive wax seal, which may very well be a real secret envoy."

He Kun pondered for a while and then remained silent. "Let's see what she's trying to say."

"Should this matter be reported to General Kirsten and Commander Gurunberudo?" Madwood asked.

“No, don’t let either of them know anything.” He Kun answered without hesitation.

"...Yes, sir."

.........

Hekun and Madwushu arrived at the prison in the city where the secret envoy was being held. The secret envoy Madwushu had mentioned was chained to the wall, a cold smile always on his lips; this man was none other than Hohenheim.

"You claim to be an agent of Abecassis?"

"I have long admired you, Grand Duke He Kun. It is my honor to meet you."

He Kun took out the secret letter that Ma Dewu Xiu had given him from his pocket, but the seal had already been removed, and the so-called letter inside the envelope was just a blank piece of paper.

"I checked it before I came, it's a blank sheet of paper!...Are you playing us?"

"Your Highness, please calm down. That secret letter was just to prove your identity, simply to avoid leaving any evidence."

“Leaving too much intelligence information in the letter will only cause trouble,” Hohenheim replied calmly.

"Hmph, it looks like you're trying to lie to me..." He Kun replied with dissatisfaction.

"Listen to me first, then you can make a decision, okay?"

"What are you trying to say? Captured spy."

"The Juda Empire is ready to launch a full-scale attack on Grant, with a force of 100,000 men," Hohenheim said with a cold smile, as if he were making a big deal out of it.

"All-out attack...?...What did you say!?" He Kun was clearly taken aback.

"You can have your shadow agents investigate whether all the ships in Chester Harbor have left. After all, transporting 10 troops at once is quite a troublesome matter!"

He Kun's heart sank as he stared at Hohenheim, trying to discern a flaw in his expression.

However, Hohenheim remained calm, as if he was determined to succeed, saying, "Let me show you how to survive!"

“...You bastard!!” Mad Wuxiu shouted angrily, but was stopped by He Kun.

"Tell me about it in detail."

.........

[Fire Dragon's Nest]

The day after the banquet, apart from the sounds of servants clearing away dishes in the morning, everyone who had attended the banquet was still snoring loudly. Even after sobering up at noon, everyone was still immersed in the joy of victory.

Meanwhile, the Dragon's Nest had already dispatched soldiers to dispose of the remaining corpses on the battlefield in batches.

A messenger hawk flew into General Kirsten's residence, and it seemed there was a lead in the serial murder case. This made him frown and prepare to ride to the capital.

Edward also planned to return to the capital, Naurudkahuatti, today to see his mother. After all, it was such good news, and as the current head of the Halvorsen family, he would also like to take care of some matters.

"Hanks, you'll be learning martial arts from Glenn Belludre and Heickel for the next few days," Kirsten instructed Green before preparing to depart.

Green nodded, watching General Kirsten and Edward see them off. "See you later!"

"See you later," Edward replied, and with his entourage caught up with General Kirsten.

......

Contrary to the impression that Grünberdo only wields a warhammer, Grünberdo's mastery of a sword is no less than his mastery of a warhammer; it's simply because the warhammer is more convenient and destructive on the battlefield.

"It needs to be more precise! The opening revealed by raising your arm is too big." The deep, serious, and old-fashioned voice of Gurenbelludo was instructing Green on the technique of two-handed swordsmanship.

The doll opposite Green was wearing the standard plate armor that had just been stripped from the Juda soldiers that morning.

In this world of constant conflict, the constant warfare between kingdoms has led to the continuous improvement and refinement of armor-making techniques, and it is not uncommon for soldiers to be fully equipped with light plate armor.