### Chapter 61: The Torturous Journey
Thud… thud…
Creak… creak…
All I could hear was the frantic sound of hooves from the war chariot mixed with the gentle crunch of wheels rolling over snow.
In the distance, I faintly detected Valar humming a tune that wasn’t quite in tune. Inside the cabin, Edward and the Golden Mask were engaging in some aimless chatter.
I lay quietly on my seat, patiently waiting for time to slowly crawl by.
How long has it been since we left the city? No clue.
At first, I could still hear the sound of those masked folks running around the war chariot. Now, silence had claimed the air. The once-soft seat was becoming as hard as a rock the longer the ride went on.
My mood was getting worse.
It wasn’t because Edward had said anything particularly rude—honestly, I was too tired to care what he had to say.
What really soured my mood was the whole “playing dead” charade.
I had thought it would be simple—just lying still. How hard could it be?
But over time, I realized I was being too naive.
Lying in one spot, completely immobile for hours… or perhaps longer. I had no idea when we would reach our destination, and asking them was out of the question. Furthermore, I had to keep my senses sharp; sleep was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
After all, I was in enemy hands—falling asleep was like handing over my life on a silver platter. Plus, I slept like a log, always rolling around.
I couldn’t move. Even the slightest twitch of a finger could alert Edward and the Golden Mask, and everything would go downhill from there.
They couldn’t beat me, so they would realize that Lafael was my only ticket to safety, and they certainly wouldn’t easily reveal his whereabouts. The resulting chaos would be an absolute mess.
I had never interrogated anyone before—I had no clue what to do. Should I break their arms and legs? Or freeze them in their tracks? But what if they just passed out?
If I went easy on them… Valar wasn’t the type to easily yield. And in the case of psychological warfare, the Golden Mask was probably far more skilled than I. As for Edward, he might actually faint out of fear.
There were just too many uncontrollable factors. I could very well end up twiddling my thumbs while the so-called City Guard starved Lafael to d*ath. And where would I be then?
So I had no choice but to pretend to lie still, letting them think everything was under control until the moment I laid eyes on Lafael.
But this whole “lying down” was turning into a massive headache. No, “headache” didn’t quite capture it; I was genuinely suffering.
When Valar put me down, he wasn’t exactly gentle, and the bumpy ride had me failing to maintain a flat position. My right side was slightly elevated, with my right arm pressed against the cabin, which caused my weight to rest entirely on the left side. At first, it wasn’t noticeable, but after a while, half of my body felt like it was undergoing a bl**d shortage.
My limbs were slowly stiffening, and the seat beneath me was digging painfully into my back.
As time marched on, I began to notice a slight itch in my calves, and my face felt a bit scratchy too.
My forearms itched… my hands itched… my belly itched… even my backside had an itch with no mercy. Every square inch of me was itching, with my hair even joining the party. I was on the verge of losing it.
I strained to keep my breathing steady, forcing my mind to focus on something pleasant.
Like the delightful bakery in Winter City, where the tantalizing aroma of Oosmelo cake wafted through the air, and Mrs. made Captain Gray—one delightful bite…
Uh-oh, I could feel drool creeping out; I needed to think of something else.
Like the birds roosting under Shanter Castle’s bridge, which I regularly spotted from my room’s window—they’d sweep across the sky in flocks, off to who-knows-where to scavenge for food…
One bird, two birds… so many birds! My room… the warm fireplace… that big, fluffy white bed… zzz… zzz…
！！！
…Did I just doze off?
No, I can’t sleep… can’t sleep…
I forced my eyes wide open. But as time went on, sleepiness began to creep in, and slowly, my thoughts became hazy. A few times, I genuinely felt like I had fallen asleep for a minute.
“Mr. Longman, what if she gets thirsty or hungry?”
…Truth be told, I was indeed a bit hungry and thirsty. But the stuff you guys provide? No, thank you!
The reason I hadn’t been poisoned this time might be because I was… a monster from the Abyss, not an average human, so the anesthesia didn’t affect me much. But I sure couldn’t guarantee that all toxins wouldn’t have an effect on me.
“Your Highness, just hold on a bit longer—no one’s dying from hunger over here, right?”
“…Fine… can we at least give her some water?”
“…I don’t have a water pouch on me.”
“Me neither.”
“Well, let’s just wait till we get there and grab some water from the City Guard.”
“I guess that’s the best we can do… now that you mention it, I kind of want some water too.”
Please don’t mention water around me!!
Because I really need to pee…
Just a little bit… it’s fine, just a little, no big deal.
But that little bit turned into more than just a little.
I stared wide-eyed at the cabin ceiling, feeling my bladder swelling, my heart plummeting into despair.
How long has it been already?
Three hours? Four hours? Or is it five?
How much longer till we arrive…
Thud——
Maybe we just hit a stone, because the entire cabin suddenly jolted.
I…
My entire body shivered, and I frantically contracted, feeling the water inside slowly retreat like a timid hermit crab, giving me a sliver of comfort.
But before I could let out a sigh of relief, the wheels hit a bump, and the cabin jolted again.
Thud——
In that up-and-down jolt, a strong vibration shot through me, and my lower stomach tingled intensely, making the water that had just retreated surge back up.
！！！
I gasped, tightening my body and focusing all my strength between my legs.
I held it!
My face grew progressively warm, and sweat beads formed on my forehead.
I can do this, no problem, I got this.
After all, I was a mighty Pope Knight; there was no way I’d be defeated by a little pee.
“Mr. Longman, does getting hit with anesthesia make you feel uncomfortable?”
“Not at all.”
“But look at her face—it seems something isn’t right…”
The Golden Mask stared at me for a moment and said, “Your Highness, if I were her, I’d be doing everything I could to fight back too.”
“Good point…” Edward chuckled, “Pepé, stop struggling; you’re not going anywhere, save your energy. Or why not just take a nap?”
I’ll nap on your sibling!
Ugh… wait.
I might actually be his sibling.
Once again, I bet my dignity on it and successfully prevented the impending flood, though I didn’t feel victorious at all because I knew more suffering awaited me.
The war chariot sped ahead.
It was as if it was deliberately taunting me, making the ride bumpier and bumpier. I had no surplus energy to think about anything else; all I could do was focus on the internal battle with my bladder.
My lower belly had swelling pains now, and the impacts against my dam were increasing. The scariest part was that I couldn’t even squeeze my legs together.
Time dragged on… slower and slower… each minute and second felt like an eternity of hellish torture.
I had no clue how much longer I had to hold it. Several times, I thought about giving in and just toppling over those three and finding a place to relieve myself.
But maybe… just maybe we’d arrive soon?
After holding it for so long, if I gave up now, what would have been the point of all this suffering?
I’d feel like a fool.
So I gritted my teeth and decided I’d hold on a bit longer.
To distract myself, I imagined two Carloses—one black, one white—fighting in my head, and thought that if the black one won, I’d unleash a frosty world and freeze everything around me, then dash off to—
Wait a minute.
Could I just freeze that area…
As I got lost in my thoughts, Valar suddenly whistled outside, his sharp tone slicing through the air and sending beads of cold sweat down my back.
Immediately after, an unprecedented jolt from below hit me.
I… I recoiled!
A shudder ran through my body, and by the time I realized what had happened, there was a bit of warmth spreading in my underwear.
My face instantly turned dark.
What the heck, why are you whistling? That’s like slapping me in the face after all I’ve endured!
But thankfully, it was just a tiny bit. However… Valar, you’re in for some serious trouble.
And yet he continued to whistle, that sound emanating pure joy.
Just when I thought I had reached my breaking point and could no longer hide it, the whistling finally stopped.
Then I heard Valar say what would be the sweetest words ever spoken: “Hey, hey, we’ve arrived.”
