Chapter 31: The Path of Redemption

The man with sparse eyebrows sneered as he looked at Ron and the others. Suddenly, he stood up, revealing his gaunt frame beneath a black robe. His voice was raspy, carrying a hint of seduction as he spoke:

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Snake, and I have come specifically to offer you all redemption."

"We have all been imprisoned here due to vague and unjust accusations. Are you truly going to accept your fate so meekly?"

Vague? Unjust?

Ron twitched his mouth, realizing this man was even better at talking nonsense than he was. In this prison, aside from him—the only decent person—there were two blasphemers and one cultist. If anyone was truly wronged, it was him!

The golden-haired youth pursed his lips, just about to retort, when Snake held up a hand in a "shush" gesture.

"I know, you all seem to lack a proper understanding of your situation."

"But I will tell you clearly: once you have entered this place, even the most powerful followers of the 'Matriarch' cannot escape."

"You can only wait quietly for death!"

*Followers of the Matriarch...*

Hearing this term, Ron’s heart went cold. Memories of the professional knowledge he had crammed at the Stardust Society over the last two days flashed through his mind. He looked at Snake with a mixture of shock, curiosity, and vigilance.

The full name of the "Matriarch" is the "Compassionate Matriarch," also known as the "Mother of Agony." She is a twisted, evil deity—both benevolent and cruel—whose origins are lost to history. She pities those who suffer, yet delights in spilling agony upon the world.

In Ron’s words, she is the type who... drags innocent women into the gutter while urging fallen women to repent; a deity with a severely distorted psychology and some serious mental issues.

Anyone she sets her sights on inevitably falls into evil through agonizing torment, becoming a pawn for the goddess to inflict more pain. In the end, upon realizing their own sins amidst the slaughter, they are consumed by deep remorse and the torture of their own remaining goodness, becoming nourishment for the "Compassionate Matriarch."

It is a truly harrowing form of torture.

A chill ran through Ron. As an embodiment of justice, he was undoubtedly the kind of dish this evil deity loved most.

"How do you know there’s no way out?" he couldn't help but ask.

Generally speaking, cultists are not rare in dungeons. After all, outside of their secret bases, these are the only places that truly fit their status. What puzzled Ron, however, was that even after being thrown into a dungeon, Snake was still thinking about proselytizing.

He couldn't help but sigh internally: truly, the strong do not complain about their environment. This guy is a real piece of work!

Facing the youth's skeptical gaze, Snake remained unbothered and continued in his raspy voice:

"Because I have already tried."

"And I am certain that none of you can possibly escape, either."

As he spoke, he moved beside Fellow Prisoner A and Fellow Prisoner B, revealing a snakelike grin as he intimidated them:

"Being locked up with me, I fear the Church has already sentenced you for the crime of blasphemy."

"Do you really think you can get out?"

Fellow Prisoner A and Fellow Prisoner B turned pale, their bodies trembling like chaff.

Immediately after, Snake turned his dark eyes toward Ron, as if he had him figured out:

"And the fact that you can be locked up with us suggests your crimes are not small either."

"For a villain as wicked as you, do you really think you can escape?"

*Don't lump me in with you lot!*

Ron shouted in his mind, but his expression turned slightly embarrassed.

"That might not be entirely true..." the youth whispered.

*Not entirely true?*

Mr. Cultist paused, looking at the seemingly naive Ron, and sneered:

"Oh? Then what way do you have to escape?"

"Knock out the guards? Steal the keys to the cell?"

"Or rely on brute force to smash your way out?"

"This is a high-security prison of the Knights' Order, only a few kilometers from the New Capital Fortress."

"Forgive my frankness, but based on you alone, you are capable of nothing!"

Snake’s speech was rapid, hammering at Ron’s heart repeatedly, trying to ensure he held no unrealistic fantasies. It seemed he wanted to prove that only by believing in him, believing in the Compassionate Matriarch, and believing in the dark and terrifying deity could one find true salvation.

"Uh..."

Looking at the confident Mr. Cultist, Ron scratched his head and said somewhat awkwardly:

"I have someone on the outside, someone quite powerful. Once she realizes I’ve gone missing, she’ll definitely fish me out."

*What an evil method!*

Snake’s words came to an abrupt halt. He was struck with astonishment, never expecting that Ron, who looked so honest and simple, could have such a dark and fallen heart. Even he, having served as a cultist for many years, had never stooped to using connections to go through the back door.

*This is a promising seedling that could be recruited into the order...*

Faintly, Snake felt a surge of excitement. However, he kept his emotions in check and questioned him rapidly:

"Even if you know a big shot, so what? Aside from knowing someone important, what else do you have?"

"The people in this cell are to be secretly executed in one day. Do you think there’s enough time?"

His voice remained raspy, but this time, it sent a shiver down the youth’s spine.

*To be executed in one day!?*

This piece of bad news left Ron stunned, his blue eyes widening in disbelief.

*I thought I was just here for interrogation and detention?*

His mind went blank, and goosebumps broke out all over his body. He finally realized he had been played by that thick-browed knight!

There was no grand conspiracy, no power struggle between factions, and no arrogant villain mocking him. It was simply a matter of being intercepted on the way to work and, under a convenient pretext, being sent to die without anyone knowing why.

*Does it have to be this realistic?*

What chilled Ron even more was that he had been a good person doing good deeds for so many years, never offending anyone. Yet in the end, just for having a slight connection to a witch, he was to be secretly executed.

At this moment, he deeply understood why the Oran Kingdom had an endless supply of rebels and cultists to catch.

Take the current situation: if Ron weren't someone who upheld justice and possessed a bit of professional ethics, he would likely have already knelt beneath the skirts of the "Compassionate Matriarch" in the face of Snake’s seduction.

He shook his golden head, pushing the chaotic thoughts aside for the moment. One cannot fully trust a cultist’s words, nor can one ignore them entirely, but there was one thing he had to do now.

That was to utilize his traditional skills and escape immediately; he could not just sit and wait for death. After all, the rules of the Stardust Society did not govern the Knights' Order, and the reverse was true as well.

"Do you have any good ideas?" the youth asked expressionlessly.

Seeing that Ron seemed to feel a profound sense of disappointment in the world, Snake wore a cunning, snakelike smile:

"Of course. I said I was here to offer you salvation."

As he spoke, he rummaged through a dark corner of the cell and pulled out a thick copy of the *Holy Scripture of Radiance*.

Snake’s expression was solemn as he held the Church’s bestseller out toward Ron and said in a deep voice:

"The path to salvation lies within."