The spiked whip struck the victim's back hard.
The clothes on his back were in tatters, and it could be seen from the damage that there was already blood and flesh inside.
The cotton wool of the clothes had been mixed with the turned-up flesh, and it was impossible to distinguish them from each other, because the blood gushing out had dyed the entire back a terrible red.
Despite this, the person who carried out the punishment still did not stop, as if the man kneeling on the ground had some deep grudge against him.
"Waste! Waste! Is this how you repay Kent Family for supporting you?"
Maltz Kent's son, Jia Ais Kent, was beating an officer severely with a whip at this time. He was yelling curses while beating, venting his anger.
The kneeling officer just groaned in pain when he couldn't bear it anymore, but he didn't say a word of begging for mercy, because he knew that would only lead to more terrible consequences.
"You can't even look at anyone. How do you get your eyes? How do you get your brain?"
Jia Ais kept yelling, and his strength in swinging the whip did not weaken at all.
"Okay, if you continue to fight, he will really die."
A deep voice came from behind. Jia Ais stopped and turned around, only to find that Earl Kent was standing behind him.
His father was becoming more and more elusive. His experience in the military made Jia Ais very sensitive to situations where people suddenly appeared from behind him. He asked himself if he was alert enough, but he didn't notice any noise just now. When did his father come and how did he stand behind him?
"Father, I am teaching this loser a lesson. Huh, when I was leading the army in the south, this loser was already..."
"Enough!"
Earl Kent stretched out his hand to interrupt his son's words. He turned his gaze to the dying officer. As soon as Jia Ais stopped, he lay on the ground unable to hold on any longer.
"Let me ask you, are you really unaware of Henry Ferdinand's escape?"
The officer took a few breaths and forced himself to straighten his upper body, while his legs were still kneeling on the ground.
"Sir...Kent-sama, I really don't know."
He replied angrily.
"Before going to bed, I went to inspect the dungeon. There was nothing abnormal. Viscount Henry had already laid down to sleep. As a result... As a result, no one was there the next day. The person on duty also said..."
"Okay."
Earl Kent waved his hand. The other party had already said these words in previous interrogations, and he didn't want to hear them a second time.
Henry`Ferdinand ran away without anyone noticing. No one on duty that day noticed anything unusual.
The lock of Henry's cell has been changed by the cell leader, and he takes the only key with him. There were no signs of damage to the lock. It seemed that the only possibility was that the prison boss let Henry go without permission.
But the cell leader in front of me who was beaten to a bloody pulp was the person he installed. I knew this person's experience clearly, and the chance of having anything to do with Henry was very slim.
Earl Kent suddenly had a terrible thought: Henry Ferdinand didn't escape with the help of some mysterious power, right? Or Henry is a mage himself? Since coming into contact with Barnett and learning about magic and the existence of Secret Art Society, Maltz Kent will think of mysterious power when encountering anything that is difficult to explain.
Earl Kent turned around and asked, "Andy, little friend, can you decide whether this person is telling the truth or a lie?"
Only then did Jia Ais notice that his father was followed by the little boy named Andy. Like Barnett before him, he also came from the mysterious organization. Now he has been told many things by his father.
Little Mage, who was standing behind Malz, was trembling slightly. He was frightened by Jia Ais's execution method just now.
Hearing what the count asked him, Andy hurriedly raised his face and said nervously, "I'm not very familiar with lie detection, but... but I don't think he told lies."
"I know..."
Earl Kent turned to his son, "Jia Ais, just watch and deal with these people."
A sharp look flashed in the earl's son's eyes, "Yes, father."
"These people?"
Andy looked around with some confusion, but what he saw made him feel sick to his stomach.
In a cell next door, a bunch of people were lying on the ground. However, they had long since changed into human shapes. Some of them were covered in blood and flesh like the officers who had just been tortured. Some had their limbs twisted into weird shapes, and some had simply no limbs.
These are the jailers guarding the dungeon. Although they have been tortured, there is no moaning sound. Maybe they have no strength at all, maybe they are numb mentally and in pain. Only the slight rise and fall of their chests can tell that their bodies are not dead yet.
"Ugh!"
Little Mage couldn't bear it anymore and spit it out.
Seeing his reaction, Earl Kent frowned. Really, Secret Art Society——or Master Barnett, why did you send such a good baby to assist him.
After these days of getting along, he has already understood the character of Little Mage. Apart from being proficient in mysterious magic, he is completely an ordinary child in other aspects. At first, he thought that the other party was deliberately acting like a child in order to disguise his identity. How could a person who became a mage be so childish? Only later did he realize that his judgment was wrong.
Earl Kent vaguely feels that he has been underestimated. Does Secret Art Society not value him at all, nor Northwest Bay? Send such a child as a nanny? The only good thing is that Andy is quite well-behaved and listens to his words. If a naughty and willful child really comes along, he really doesn't know what to do. After all, the other person is a mage and a member of Secret Art Society.
"Andy, little friend, your mental endurance is too poor. We are people who want to do big things. It is not okay to be frightened by such a scene."
He patted Little Mage on the shoulder.
"But... why are we treating them like this? Isn't it just that a prisoner escaped? And they didn't neglect their duties. The prisoner escaped in a way that we don't know."
Andy looked at Earl Kent with a look of fear in his eyes. The person in front of him was so scary. How could a normal person do such a cruel thing? Is it right or wrong to help him by myself?
"No!" The kindness that the count had just pretended suddenly disappeared, and Andy was startled.
Just listen to the count saying viciously, "I only care about the results! They are responsible for guarding the dungeon, so they must ensure that the prisoners will not escape. But now that the prisoners have escaped, any explanation or reason is pale, and they must be punished. The current state proves that they are useless in their positions, and useless people will only continue to waste food."
After the count finished speaking, he walked outside.
"Humph!" Along with Jia Ais's chuckle, a gust of cold wind blew, making Little Mage shiver.