Chapter 133

"February 28, 1815, half past two in the afternoon."

Today is July 30, 1819.

"... It's been so long, so long... how could this be... clearly..." The gray-haired youth suddenly showed a sorrowful expression. "Sir, please have pity on me. I don't ask for forgiveness, I only ask for a public Judgment. I only ask to see the judge. They shouldn't refuse to interrogate a suspect. I am innocent."

He then added, "I know you have no authority to release me, but you can petition higher authorities on my behalf. You can put me on trial; that's all I ask for."

"..."

Moriarty was silent for only a moment, then the gray-haired youth said loudly:

"Please, I'm begging you, please give me a glimmer of hope."

In that instant, from the gray-haired youth's expression and words, Moriarty recalled Faria's earlier story about a young man who stole a loaf of bread for his sister's seven children but was imprisoned for five years. This unfair treatment led him to attempt four failed escapes and finally endure Number Eighteen years of hard labor before being released, all for a loaf of bread that cost him Number Eighteen years of his life.

Moriarty initially thought it was just a story, but when he recalled Faria's expression, he felt that he might have actually witnessed something like this, which was why he couldn't act recklessly...

"I'll go take a look."

"Oh, wonderful! I'm finally free! I'm finally saved! Mercédès, wait for me..."

Who ordered your arrest?

"It's Mr. Villefort, please make sure you can see him."

"Villefort... I remember he wasn't in Marseille anymore, he was in Toulouse."

"No wonder I haven't been released for so many years," the gray-haired youth murmured. "It turns out my only protector left. Villefort must be worried about me too, and he must be trying his best to save me."

"Does he have any personal grudges against you?"

Not at all, quite the opposite, he was very good to me.

"So, regarding your matter, can I rely on the records he left behind or the advice he gave me?"

"Villefort is absolutely trustworthy; you must believe him."

The gray-haired youth answered with such certainty.

"Is that so? Alright then." Moriarty nodded slightly. "Then let's wait patiently... By the way, what's your name?"

Edmond Dantès.

217:: Edmond Dantès - Sailors of Marseille (5k5)

Years later, after carrying out his fierce Revenge, the Sailors of Marseille would recall that distant night after six years at the Château d'If—

The Sailors would walk alone into the distance. In this gentle breeze, the Priest was no longer there, but in the Sailors's heart, the longing for him remained vivid. Even on the day the world disappeared, it would not be lost; it would probably continue to shine forever.

Until forever--

Just like the stars.

Edmond Dantès was only nineteen years old in 1815. He was an exceptionally talented Sailors and a strong candidate for Captain.

That year, an old Captain he had met during a Mediterranean Sea trade trip summoned Edmond before his death and asked him to deliver a letter to Baal Peninsula, where Napoleon was stationed to gather forces to overthrow the restored monarchy. The old Captain was a Republican.

When he asked Edmond to deliver a letter to Napoleon, Edmond did not hesitate at all, even though Edmond had no idea what kind of letter it was. He simply could not bear to refuse the request of a dying old man.

However, this matter was accidentally discovered by Danglars, who was also Sailors. When Captain Morrel decided to promote Edmond to first mate of the Pharaon, Danglars, filled with jealousy, seized the opportunity to conspire with Fernand, who had always Edmond Edmund's Fiancée, to carry out a conspiracy. The two wrote anonymous letters to falsely accuse Edmond of delivering messages for the former emperor Napoleon, and at Dantès' engagement party, they caused Edmund to be arrested and imprisoned by the Marseille prosecutor Villefort.

However, the shipowner Morrel valued Edmond highly. Apart from Edmond's Fiancée Mercédès, he was the only one who went to great lengths to plead for Edmond. At first, he approached the prosecutor Villefort and begged him repeatedly. Villefort then said he could release Edmond, but after interrogating Edmond, he changed his mind.

Because Villefort's father, a royalist, was a man of Napoleon and a key member of the Republican uprising, he participated in many activities that overthrew the Bourbon Dynasty and was nearly wanted by the authorities several times.

This time, Villefort's father participated in an important secret activity: the Republicans were preparing to secretly welcome Napoleon's landing in France to overthrow Louis XIV. Villefort's father wrote a letter for this matter and asked the Republican to help deliver it. This Republican was none other than the old Captain who was about to die. The old Captain then forwarded the letter to Edmond.

Upon learning of this situation, Villefort feared that his father's arrest would implicate him, as he had just gained the favor of Louis XIV. To protect his own position, he had no choice but to sacrifice the unfortunate Edmond. Villefort lied to Edmond, saying that he would definitely release him, while secretly ordering his men to imprison Edmond in the Château d'If.

And so, it all came to an end. For Edmond Dantès, his life had been smooth sailing until one night, when he was imprisoned and his life turned to ashes.

Later, when Napoleon returned to France, Morrel went to Villefort to plead for Villefort, saying that Edmond had delivered the letter on Napoleon's behalf, and now that Napoleon was on the throne, Dantès's status had completely changed, from a prisoner to a meritorious person. However, Villefort deceived Morrel with sweet words, and after the end of the Hundred Days, Morrel, who had gone to great lengths for Edmond, never came again; he had done everything he could.

The young man who trusted others met such a disheartening end, making one wonder if his sincerity was tinged with naiveté, and his integrity with Ignorance...

However, this was not his fault, but the fault of the times. Edmond was not the only prisoner among countless criminals who were imprisoned for such reasons. Millions of honest and kind people were falsely accused and imprisoned because of the darkness of society and the rise of villains, and were forever forgotten and cruelly deprived of their precious lives.

Indeed, countless people like them died in the Château d'If, their hearts filled with grief and indignation, forever forgotten and forgotten. No one will ever speak of or remember them again...

If no other opportunities or variables were present, Edmond Dantès would have inevitably died of old age in the isolated prison of the Château d'If' If, a predictable outcome.

In 1819, when Moriarty was once again serving as a prison inspector and prepared to see Faria, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, he also took the opportunity to see Edmond. However, on his return, he kept his promise to Edmond and did indeed look through his files and see the records:

Edmond Dantès, a Napoleon loyalist, was responsible for assisting the traitor's return from Elba Island. He should be closely guarded and treated with extreme caution. -- Gérard de Villefort

The handwriting on this record differs from the others, proving that it was added after Edmond was imprisoned, specifically by Prosecutor Villefort, whom Edmond trusted to get him out.

Moriarty naturally saw through the situation, but couldn't interfere too much, given his England status. He could only offer a brief comment—

"It's baseless."

But this inspection rekindled hope in Edmond's heart.

Since his unfortunate imprisonment, he had forgotten how to keep track of time, but Moriarty gave him a new one, which he neither forgot nor dared to forget.

He used a piece of plaster that had fallen from the roof to write on the wall: 'July 30, 1819'.

From that time on, he made a mark every day so as not to forget the day again. Days passed, weeks passed, and then months passed, and Edmond remained in anticipation.

He initially expected to be released within two weeks, but two weeks passed and he realized that the inspectors might not take any action until they returned to Paris, and he wouldn't be able to return there until the inspection was over, so he changed his mind and placed the release on a three-month period.

But three months passed, and then another six months. In all that time, nothing positive changed.

So the man began to fantasize, believing it was just a dream, a figment of his imagination.

Edmond experienced all the kinds of suffering those prisoners endured in the Dungeon.

After all, it was a prison where no one could escape alive— the Château d'If.

It exists in the world, yet is called the Tower of If, 'Hell'.

Death row is used to imprison those who have committed unforgivable Original Sin.

It is said that all the suffering in this world is gathered here.

People say that voices of Wrath, lamentation, and sorrow are constantly heard.

It is said that once imprisoned, there is no way to escape.

Edmond was initially confident because he was hopeful and knew he was innocent, but then he began to doubt whether he was truly innocent.

Later, Edmond pleaded with the jailer to give him a single cell, to allow him to go for walks, and to give him some books and crafts.

Naturally, nothing was satisfied, but he still made the same request.

Edmond also tried talking to himself, but he was startled by his own voice.

Before he went to prison, he would naturally feel disgust whenever he thought of such a group of prisoners gathered together, including thieves, vagrants, and murderers.

Now, however, he wished he could be with them, so that he could see other faces besides the jailer who wouldn't speak to him. He envied the laborers in their prison clothes, chained and marked with insignia.

Because prisoners who were forced into hard labor could breathe fresh air and see each other.

But gradually, darkness filled Edmond's heart.

Almost four years have passed since he went to prison, and he's forgotten to keep track of the time anymore, because since then he's felt like the world has abandoned him.

After all, he was a very simple person and hadn't received much education.

Therefore, in that lonely Dungeon, he couldn't fantasize about the past or gain any insight; he simply couldn't do that.

As time passed, the unbearable emptiness drove Edmond to a rage, and he slammed his body against the prison wall, shouting curses at God.

And so Edmond transferred his Wrath to everything around him; he vented his anger on himself, on the most insignificant things that provoked him... Soon, he contemplated suicide.

Once this thought takes hold, the man becomes calmer and more gentle.

He tried his best to make his bed, ate very little, slept for very short periods, and found that he could live like this, because he felt that he could happily let go of survival, like throwing away a tattered piece of clothing.

Imprisoned in the Château d'If Dungeon, he had two ways to die: one was to hang himself from the window bars with his handkerchief, and the other was to starve himself to death, but the former disgusted him.

Edmond, as Sailors, always despised pirates, and since pirates were usually hanged on their ships after being captured, he was unwilling to accept such an dishonorable death.

He decided to use the second method, and so it was implemented that very day.

I want to die.

The man muttered to himself and chose his method of death, vowing to die so that he might change his mind.

"When breakfast and dinner arrive," he thought, "I'll just pour it out the window and pretend I've already eaten it."

So Edmond did as he was told, emptying the twice-daily meals the jailer brought him through the barred window. At first he was pleased, then he hesitated, and finally he regretted it.

When he first came in, he felt nauseous at the sight of the food, but now, due to unbearable hunger, he found it very delicious.

On several occasions, he would hold the plate for hours, staring at the meager amount of rotten meat, stinky fish, and moldy black bread.

The instinct for survival struggled within him, constantly shaking his resolve. At that time, his Dungeon no longer seemed as gloomy as before, and he was no longer as desperate.

For the first ten years, I was very happy. In the second decade, I gained so much more, and things just kept getting better and better without me even realizing it.

Thinking of this, he brought the food to his lips; but Edmond remembered his decision and felt afraid that breaking his promise would damage his character.

In my third decade, I've sunk to the lowest point in my life. I've lost everything; everyone has abandoned me. Is there anyone who can save me?

Hahaha, nobody, nobody will come to save me! Nobody...

So he persisted relentlessly until finally, he didn't even have the strength to pour his dinner out the window.

The next morning, the man lost his sight and hearing, leading the jailer to believe he was seriously ill, but in reality, Edmond only wanted to die sooner.

That day passed just like that, Edmond felt mentally disoriented because he actually saw moldy black bread and water appear out of thin air from the doorway.

Although he had indeed seen a tiny, ethereal figure walking around at times over the years, he simply regarded it as his own hallucination or illusion.

Perhaps he really had gone mad, Edmond couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Around nine o'clock in the evening, Edmond suddenly heard a hollow sound coming from the wall next to where he was sleeping.

The cell was inhabited by many annoying little animals that often made noises, which the mentally broken man had long since become accustomed to.

But now, whether it was because the fasting had heightened his senses, or because the sound was indeed louder than usual, or perhaps because everything had taken on a new meaning in his final moments.

Anyway Edmond looked up and listened for a while. It was a constant sound, like a giant claw, or a powerful tooth, or some kind of iron gnawing at stone.

Although the young man was very weak, the thought that every prisoner would never forget immediately flashed through his mind—

Free!

He felt that perhaps God had finally taken pity on his misfortune and sent this voice to warn him to immediately pull back from the brink and not commit suicide.

Or perhaps among those he loved dearly and could never forget, there was one who was also thinking of him and trying to shorten the distance between them.

Is it Mercédès...? Sometimes, Edmond thought so too.

What if I've only ever been having nightmares?

What if everything I've experienced was just a nightmare I haven't woken up from yet?

All those years of hardship were an illusion... The real Mercédès was always by his side.

One day, this dream will end, and Edmond will wake up... with his beloved Mercédès...

How wonderful that would be!

Of course, it's also possible that these are just illusions floating before the gates of death.

Despite his thoughts, Edmond listened to the sounds for three hours, then he heard the sound of something falling, and then everything returned to calm.

A few hours later, the sound came again, and it was closer and clearer than before.

Edmond was immediately interested in the work, but suddenly the jailer entered.

Just a week ago, Edmond had resolved to die, and four days ago, he began to put his plan into action. Edmond hadn't spoken to the jailer since then, but now, to cover up the sound, Edmond deliberately started rambling on about how bad the food was, how cold the Dungeon was, and complaining about this and that, raising his voice intentionally to annoy the jailer.

However, it was actually the jailer who managed to get Edmond some broth and white bread that day, which allowed him to come back in.

Fortunately, the jailer just thought Edmond was acting strangely again, so he didn't pay much attention. After placing the food on the crooked table, he said, "Enjoy your food," and then left.

Relieved, Edmond resumed listening.

"... There's no need to doubt it," he thought, "There must be a prisoner trying to gain his freedom."

But suddenly, in Edmond's mind, which was accustomed to accepting misfortune and found it difficult to accept joy and hope, this light of hope was once again obscured by a dark cloud.