Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Chapter 201 Hell Guardian

Chapter 202 Hell Guardian

Deep within the mine, the eerie laughter and incomprehensible utterances, like cold, venomous snakes, coiled around one's nerves, echoing repeatedly in the narrow tunnels and sending chills down one's spine.

Peter's expression was solemn. He decisively closed the book that recorded his past sins and contracts, and carefully tucked the yellowed parchment contract into the lining of his robe.

A soft metallic scraping sound rang out as he drew his sword from his waist, the blade reflecting a cold gleam in the flickering torchlight.

"Follow carefully."

Peter lowered his voice and spoke to Chris, then cautiously made his way towards the direction from which the sound came.

The tunnels were winding and damp, filled with an overwhelming, pungent stench of sulfur mixed with the acrid smell of rotting organic matter.

The ground beneath our feet was soft and sticky, requiring us to be extra careful with every step.

During the journey, Peter's hand would occasionally touch the exposed ore on the rock wall, a kind of sulfur crystal with extremely high purity, which appeared as a dull yellow in the firelight.

With such high purity sulfur, in an era where firearms were becoming the dominant force on the battlefield, the value of this mine was probably no less than that of a silver mine.

Peter walked and picked up stones, and soon hundreds of pounds of sulfurous ore entered the weight-bearing space.

Turning a particularly narrow corner, the sight ahead made the two of them hold their breath.

At the end of the somewhat open mine shaft, on a simple platform made of rotten planks and stones, a strange figure loomed in the dim light.

He held a torch in his hand, the leaping flames outlining his sharp and distorted shadow, which was cast onto the uneven rock face, like a chaotic dance of demons.

The man was almost naked from the waist down, his skin sickly pale and filthy from long periods without sunlight. His withered body was covered by a suit of armor that was already rotten, covered in rust and mold. The iconic, rusty, closed-back dog helmet on his head added to his inhuman horror.

He was muttering in a hoarse, sandpaper-like voice, in a language no one could understand, a voice that seemed to come from the abyss.

"Extinguish the torches."

Peter made a quick decision, lowering his voice to command, "We can't force our way in. See that abandoned scaffolding over there? Use its firelight to our advantage, and we'll sneak up from the side."

The two quickly extinguished their torches, plunging the surroundings into even deeper darkness, with only the torch in the strange man's hand on the platform providing limited light. Under the cover of shadow, they climbed the rickety mine scaffolding silently like ghosts, the wooden structure creaking softly beneath their feet.

Every step was fraught with danger, but they managed to get behind the strange man without him noticing.

Peter seized the opportunity and pounced out of the shadows like a cheetah, his strong arm precisely gripping the monster's neck from behind, a standard rear-naked choke instantly formed.

Caught off guard, the strange man dropped his torch with a clatter. It rolled a few times, but the flame stubbornly refused to go out.

Chris reacted quickly, seizing the opportunity to step forward and swiftly remove a rusty short sword and several other items from the strange man's waist.

Only after confirming that the other person was completely incapacitated did Peter slowly release his grip and relight the torch.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

The strange man collapsed to the ground, panting heavily like a fish out of water. It took him a while to recover, and he spoke in a hoarse, indistinct voice, stumbling over his words due to his lack of communication with others.

"Who are you? Are you new recruits sent from hell? Or are you demons trying to invade the human world?"

Peter stopped, maintaining his noble bearing despite the sordid surroundings: "I am Prince Brunswick, and this is my squire, Chris. And you are Lord Taras Muller?"

"Who am I? Taras? Muller? — I — I can't remember."

I am—I am the guardian of the pit of hell!

It's the last line of defense between hell and that fragile world above!

The voice of the freak, or rather Taras Muller, came through the heavy, rusty helmet, carrying a metallic, grating quality that was extremely unsettling.

"You've come—are you—to take my place? Can I finally—rest?"

"I'm afraid that's not the case."

Peter shook his head, scrutinizing the other person with a sharp gaze. "We are not your successors."

Upon hearing this, Muller's initial confusion was instantly replaced by anger. He struggled to stand up and shouted, "Could it be—could it be that you intend to breach the contract?!"

I have already exceeded the agreed-upon timeframe by several—several cold winters!

I stand here, enduring the darkness and whispers—do you intend to betray that sacred oath?!

"Breach of contract?"

Peter sneered and retorted, "Is this why you climbed out of the mine last night and killed those two innocent cows?"

It seems that you, Sir John Müller, were the first to break your oath.

"Ah! No! No! That's not it!"

As if his most vulnerable spot had been hit, Muller's anger vanished instantly, and he became timid like a child caught doing something wrong.

He waved his hands frantically, explaining anxiously, his voice even trembling with tears, "I didn't want to break my promise—I just—I was just too hungry—I don't understand—why Father Richard—he stopped providing me with food—I was so hungry—"

"I have some bad news for you."

Peter's voice lowered, tinged with genuine sorrow, "Father Richard—he has passed away in an accident."

"What?! How could this be?! He—he was such a good person—God's most loyal and merciful servant—"

Müller seemed to have been struck a heavy blow. He clutched his head, muttering sadly, his body trembling slightly.

"He must have—must have already returned to God's embrace—ascended to the bright heaven—but—"

But what should I do? What should I do?!

His voice was filled with helplessness and panic.

"I have another piece of good news for you."

Peter's expression turned serious and solemn, and he said loudly, "I, in the name of the Prince of Brunswick, hereby declare that your atonement is over! Sir Taras Muller, come with me out of this dark place."

"Really?!"

Muller's voice was filled with incredible surprise, but it was soon overwhelmed by immense fear and doubt.

"I—I have committed a terrible crime—so terrible—my soul—must already be defiled, destined to sink into eternal hell—to stand up against hell—to purify myself—that is the only thing I can do."

Can I truly—truly be forgiven? Have God—and the priest—forgave me?

"Yes, your perseverance has proven your repentance. Come with me."

Peter sighed deeply, a sigh filled with a multitude of emotions.

"It all needs to come to an end. This endless darkness of atonement should come to a close."