Aren't they Highland Knights?

The shifty-eyed guard captain, after escorting them here, issued a cold threat before leaving, making Freya grind her teeth in anger. Brando, however, remained unhurried. He sat alone in the darkness, observing his confined space by the faint glow of distant torches. This was likely the second level of the dungeon beneath the barracks, containing thirty-two cells and guarded by four jailers, all light infantrymen from the White Mane Legion's 104th Swordsman Regiment.

He recalled playing games in the past, everyone had their moments of being a red-named PKer. This wasn't his first time visiting the Ridenburg dungeons, though previously they'd been held on the third level, where players were viewed as utterly lawless by NPCs. The thought made Brando chuckle.

He took out the Ebony Gargoyle Statue from his pocket and caressed it. The crack on its surface was now almost imperceptible. He then turned back and asked into the darkness, "Freya, Romane, how are you two doing?"

"Brando, how long will we be locked up?" came the slightly anxious voice of the merchant girl from across the way.

So you get scared sometimes too, Brando thought. The two girls were in another cell opposite his. Though it was dark, they were at least safe. Just as he was about to reply with some words of comfort, a muffled thud came from the darkness opposite him.

"I'm so angry! Those wretched bastards, how could all our hard work be for these people!" Freya slammed her fist against the wooden bars, her teeth itching with rage.

"Inside, what's all the commotion! You want a taste of the whip—?" a jailer's fierce voice immediately responded from outside.

Though Freya was so furious she wanted to rush out and beat those jackals one by one, she understood her current predicament. She took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"Brando, what do we do?" she asked softly.

Another voice immediately chimed in, "Is this the black prison? Auntie said some people are locked in the black prison their whole lives, never seeing the sun. Brando, will we be like that too?"

"Shut your crow's mouth, Romane," Freya retorted impatiently for Brando.

He smiled. "Do you still have any hope for those people?"

"I hope they all die!" Freya said through gritted teeth.

"But if they don't help, Ridenburg will be in danger," Brando replied softly, walking to his cell door.

Freya fell silent.

"At least I did my best," she answered. "My strength isn't infinite. This is all I could do for everyone in Bucci."

Brando felt a sense of relief, realizing the entire night's ordeal had been worthwhile. He had noticed that since the dream in the Golden Demon Tree, Freya had matured rapidly.

This was precisely why his "Valkyrie Cultivation Plan" could be implemented. He was determined to have Freya as his second-in-command. An S-class general in a game was a deal that couldn't possibly lose money.

"It's good that you think so," he replied.

"Brando, do you have a plan?"

"Mm, you two step back a bit." Since Brando dared to enter, he certainly had a way out. His confidence stemmed from knowing that the night ahead was what truly constituted 'too many complications in a long night,' and it was laughable that the nobles of Ridenburg remained oblivious.

Freya had offered these people their last chance, only to be imprisoned here on baseless charges.

What else could this be but self-destruction?

"Wait, Brando, what, what are you doing? Don't do anything reckless, this is a dungeon!" Although Freya had verbally wished for those nobles to die, she still considered herself a citizen of Eluin. Bursting out so openly would be tantamount to rebellion, wouldn't it?

"I know what I'm doing."

"You know what you're doing! Ah, Romane, quickly try to persuade him!" Freya couldn't help but lower her voice. On one hand, she hoped the guards outside would come and stop Brando's reckless actions, but on the other, she worried that any commotion inside would be discovered. She was caught in a deep dilemma and conflict.

"Brando, I want to go out too," the merchant girl replied.

"You shut up, I didn't tell you to persuade him like that!" Freya felt like crying. Did these two even understand the current situation? Escaping prison would result in hanging! The thought of her two closest companions becoming notorious fugitives made her feel flustered.

Brando took out the Soul Crystal containing the Ten-Foot Silence and tossed it to the young man. "Activate it."

While warriors couldn't use storage items for spells, a mage apprentice could. Sharr took the crystal bead and infused it with 1 point of mana. The surface of the Soul Crystal glowed faintly, and the surroundings instantly became silent.

It was as if an invisible, formless monster had suddenly appeared in the darkness, swallowing sound in one gulp. Freya on the other side was also startled. She found herself suddenly unable to make a sound. Of course, she didn't know this was Brando's doing, and her heart pounded wildly—after all, any ordinary person facing mysterious magic would likely react this way.

Sharr nodded to his lord.

Brando turned around and, taking advantage of the opportunity, punched the thick wooden bars of the dungeon. After the battle at the Golden Demon Tree, Brando's resources were more abundant than ever. His total experience of 965 points was enough to upgrade his mercenary soldiers to level 8 and then raise the militia to level 6. After his total level increased to 15, his Strength had reached 5.4 Energy Levels. And after activating Power Burst, it exceeded 10 Energy Levels—

His punch landed on the wooden bars. The sturdy pillar should have snapped in half with a crack and then flown out, hitting Freya's bars with a loud crash. But within the range of the silence spell, only the wood could be seen silently cracking, splinters flying. The two pieces of wood flew towards the other side, bounced off silently, and then fell, bouncing twice more.

Brando walked through the gap, which was more than a person wide, followed by Sharr. He grabbed the iron chain on the opposite bars and casually pulled it, tearing it apart like a frayed rope, causing it to deform and break into pieces. He then opened the door, and the duration of the silence spell had just expired.

"What, want to stay a bit longer?" Brando stood at the cell door, looking at the two girls with astonished expressions, and asked with a grin.

"You, you, you just came out like this?" Freya could hardly believe what she had just seen. This was too lawless! Looking at Brando's skilled movements, it seemed like this wasn't the first time he'd done something like this!

Brando smiled. Those noble lords actually treated him like an unknown militia member; it was a joke. He had escaped prison at least eighty or ninety times in the game. Not to mention a small place like Ridenburg, he even had successful escapes from the Ironthorn Fortress in the port city of Ambersell.

Players always disregarded NPC rules. Back in the day, there were even powerful individuals who escaped from the capital prison in Gryz, which caused quite a stir on the forums.

He figured if he stayed here until tomorrow morning, he'd be letting down his past identity as a player.

"Who is he?" Freya finally noticed that there was another person beside Brando.

"Esteemed lady, I am the Lord's retainer," Sharr said, bowing his head to the two girls.

"Retainer?"

"Lord?" Romane and Freya almost couldn't control their voices. What was going on? Was the dungeon some kind of mysterious space? Why did Brando become a lord and gain a follower just by staying there for a while?

Freya couldn't help but slap her face to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She couldn't help but wonder, if the young man who lived alone in the old house and hadn't been seen for months was the lord, then wasn't she a Valkyrie?

Besides, "How, how did you get here?" she couldn't help but ask.

"As you can see, I am a mage," Sharr replied leisurely. This earned Brando's high praise; this guy's ability to spout nonsense was almost on par with his own.

"A mage apprentice," Freya gasped.

"You, you, you are a Highland Knight! Brando, so you're a Darnelian!" She looked at Brando with an incredulous gaze. In this world, only one type of mage appeared as a knight's retainer. The Highland Knights of Karasu Province had allied with wizards for three hundred years, forming the strongest military force in Eluin – the White Knights. The Highland Knights and their close-friend mage retainers were already one of the most well-known legends in Eluin.

At this moment, Freya had already concluded that Brando was a young noble from a Highland Knight family. No wonder, no wonder he was so powerful, no wonder he could remain so calm in everything; it turned out he was a knight. She suddenly lowered her head, thinking that this detestable fellow, being a noble, why did he approach her and Romane? They were just two ordinary commoners – of course, he must have bad intentions!

She immediately attributed some of the bad habits of nobles she'd heard from Aunt Syl to Brando, and then quietly shrank back.

Brando clearly hadn't expected their future Valkyrie to have such a powerful imagination. He thought she was just too shocked to accept the fact. In truth, he couldn't help it either. Since they thought it was easier to accept this way, it saved him the trouble of explaining.

He couldn't help but shake his head and exchange a look with Sharr.

Reality was truly this helpless.

"Alright, young ladies. It's about time, come out quickly," Brando said, watching Romane stare at him with sparkling eyes full of curiosity from the darkness. He couldn't help but shake his head, "You're not seriously planning to stay in here until dawn, are you?"

"Brando, are you really a knight?" Romane suddenly asked.

"No, I am Brando," he replied.

"Then I'm coming out."

"Please—"