Deepwood Motte, the dungeons.
Joel was curled up in a corner of his cell, trembling all over. His body was covered in bruises, and he had passed out.
Garon stood outside the cell, quietly observing his condition. Captain of the guards Roger stood behind him, one hand on his sword hilt.
A moment later, Garon turned to the guard and asked, "How did he end up like this?"
The guard replied awkwardly, "My lord, you ordered us to starve him for a few days."
"Later, Lord Robett was afraid he'd starve to death, so he told us to give him one meal a day."
"Then one time, the bastard tried to ambush us, so we beat him up."
Garon noticed the guard's expression and knew there had to be more to the story.
But now was not the time to hold anyone accountable.
"Go fetch a brazier and warm him up."
Garon gave the order, and the guard hurried out of the dungeon to prepare it.
Soon, after the brazier was brought in, Joel's condition improved, and he quickly came to.
The moment he woke, he clenched his fists and sprang to his feet, looking extremely wary.
But when Joel saw Garon, despair washed over him.
"Giant Bear Slayer..."
Joel murmured the name under his breath, then slowly leaned against the wall and slumped to the ground, as if he had given up resisting.
Garon waved a hand, signaling for the guards to leave.
"Looks like you recognize me." Garon gave him a once-over, then got straight to the point. "Then you should know why I'm here."
"Joel, if you don't want to suffer more, tell me what happened!"
Joel gave a bitter smile and replied weakly, "My lord, what do you want to know?"
"Everything!"
At that, Joel's eyes