Seven Devils and a Rose

Book 2: Seven Devils and a Rose - Chapter 98

Lying there on a luxurious mattress and duvet, I sighed, staring up at the plain ceiling of the prison cell invented to incarcerate high-level disaster beasts.

In the end, after that big drama with the four demon lords of Acaedien going berserk, I found myself here in a cell on floor level B9 under the military department. I had no idea that such an advanced prison existed in this kingdom. But then again, why should I be surprised? Technology here was top notch, after all, since Lord Noah was one of the best inventors—magic or otherwise—in the realm.

Apparently, after that scuffle in the woods, Lord Geoffrey had decided that it was best I reside here in this cell for the time being, since it'd be the safest place for me. This was because the high-level barrier that had been erected to imprison disaster beasts would not only suppress my pure qi, but hide it from those with dark qi, such as the seven lords themselves and other powerful beings such as the disaster monsters around the Aurora Realm. Of course, I didn't want any of them to go berserk again and had eagerly agreed. In the end, Aria, Leona, and Brenna decided to become my cellmates, since they didn't want me to get bored, and we ended up making this place as livable as we could.

It had been one week now, and most nights, we had a slumber party, which I introduced, and we had a blast.

The plan was that I stay in this underground cell until Lord Noah could invent a new spell—one that suppressed and hid my qi and at the same time, didn't eat away at my qi core and make me weak in order for the magic to work. Once he had formulated that, he'd cast it on an object for me to wear.

God, I wondered how long it usually took for Lord Noah to invent a new spell. Days? Then again, many days had passed already. How about weeks? Or could it be months? Or years?

Good Lord, I couldn't imagine staying in here for so long. It'd feel like I was really imprisoned.

I gave out a big sigh.

Sitting across from me was Brenna, who had a book in her hands. She flicked her gaze to me and asked, "What's that big sigh for, Alfie?"

I said, "I'm going to die of boredom if this continues for months."

Across the room, Leona chuckled. She said, "Read a book. It'll ease your boredom. Here." She threw one toward me.

Without even thinking, I used my pure qi to catch it in midair.

Sitting beside me, Aria clapped her hands as she chuckled. "Well done."

"Thanks," I said. "I've been practicing."

Since I had discovered, during the episode in the woods, that I had the ability to use my qi to control the movements of objects as if with my own hands, I had been practicing it. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't hard. It was as if the ability had always been with me, and when I had finally initiated it, it felt as natural as breathing itself.

Now I summoned the qi back, and just like that, the book dropped in my hands.

Curiously, I brought the book up and read the title on the cover. "Cursed Dragon?" I frowned. The title sounded familiar. Then again, most novel titles were always so similar to one another, weren't they?

I shifted my gaze to the author's name written in the Aurora Realm language. Instantly, I nearly choked on the air I had just breathed in.

"Touma Nakamura?" I uttered in disbelief. Dad's name?

Leona raised her head and said, "Oh, he's one of my favorite authors. It's the same book you asked to look at back at the camp, remember?"

The same one? But back then, I didn't know how to read the Aurora language. Now, however, I could, though still not fluently.