My Love Debts Are Everywhere!-Chapter 696: The Crown Prince of the Dwarven Race - Part 1

"Young Master, is this really the way to the underground prison?"

Inside the dim and dusty room, Elina stared at a massive metal door embedded in the floor, five meters long and just as wide.

Two thick black chains lay on either side—meant to pull the door open.

Leon lowered his gaze, eyeing the metal door with an indifferent expression.

"Yes, this is the way to the prison," he said calmly.

Elina nodded slowly, then stepped closer to the door. She stared at it for a moment before attempting to open it—but failed.

"Hah... Hah..." She panted, wiping away sweat that wasn’t even there. "Young Master, this door won’t budge. What should we do?"

The corner of Leon’s lips twitched. He sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Who told you to pull it like that, Elina?" he asked, shaking his head with a helpless look. He pointed to the chains on either side of the door. "This door has a complicated mechanism. Those chains are meant to pull it open. Our job now is to find the lever that activates them."

"Eh? That’s all? Why didn’t you say that earlier?" Elina was stunned, scratching her head with an embarrassed expression.

Leon just rolled his eyes in silence. Activating the Eye of Chaos in his right eye, he began scanning the suffocating, dust-filled room around them.

Before long, he spotted a lever hidden behind a metal wardrobe crammed with spears and swords.

"Found it," he said with a faint smile.

Without hesitation, Leon walked over to the metal wardrobe and gave it a push with one hand.

Although the wardrobe was made of solid iron and clearly heavy, it was nothing to Leon—especially after his physical strength had improved significantly from training with the Dragon Ancestor.

Sure enough, with just one firm push, the wardrobe began to shift.

Behind it, Leon found the lever and pulled it upward.

*Srekkk... Klanggg!*

The two chains suddenly rattled to life, and the metal door began to rise. fгeewebnovёl.com

Within moments, the door was fully open, revealing a staircase that descended into the depths below.

The iron steps were blanketed in thick dust, and the air that rose from below was cold and heavy—so oppressive it could make anyone nearby feel uneasy.

*Gulp!*

Elina gulped, her face pale. Taking a cautious step back, she asked with a shaky voice, "Young Master, are you sure this leads to the underground prison? It feels more like a path to the underworld..."

Leon let out a soft laugh and moved closer to ruffle her hair affectionately.

"What are you talking about? How could this be the way to the underworld?" Leon shook his head with a smile. "This leads to the underground prison where the dwarven criminals are kept. Come on, let’s go."

Without waiting for Elina’s reply, Leon took her hand and led her down the stairs.

A cold gust greeted them immediately, carrying a foul stench—a sickening blend of blood and rotting flesh.

Elina quickly covered her nose to block out the smell.

Leon, however, simply frowned, making no attempt to shield himself.

To him, this was nothing compared to the stench of fallen human soldiers that once littered the battlefield during the war against the Demon army.

The staircase was long and spiraled, forcing them to step carefully as they descended.

To make things worse, there were no railings on either side—one wrong step, and they could easily fall.

Fortunately, the place wasn’t completely dark. A few torches lit from below provided just enough light to guide their way.

When they finally reached the bottom, both stopped in their tracks, stunned by the sight before them.

A vast chamber opened up before them, with rows of prison cells lining both sides and stretching far into the distance.

Leon didn’t know the exact number, but judging by the length of the rows and the many iron doors, there were likely around twenty jail cells.

A narrow path ran through the center of the chamber—used by wardens to check on the prisoners.

But it wasn’t the structure of the prison that caught their attention—it was the number of bones scattered within the cells.

From the shape and size of the bones, it was clear they belonged to dwarves—perhaps criminals who had committed grave offenses in the past.

They had died here... and were never seen again after being locked up in this underground prison.

"Young Master..." Elina bit her lower lip, her face pale with fear.

"Don’t worry," Leon replied gently, his voice calm and steady.

Elina gave a small nod and clung tightly to Leon’s right arm, as if afraid he might disappear.

They stepped forward cautiously, their eyes scanning both sides of the corridor.

The cells appeared empty, save for the remains of bones lying behind the rusted bars.

Not a single sign of life could be found. The air was thick and suffocating, worsened by the deadly mold spreading along the damp walls—dangerous enough to damage the lungs if inhaled for too long.

After walking for a while, they finally reached a dead end—except for a single turn to the right, where a narrow corridor led to a metal door at the far end, shrouded in darkness.

Elina swallowed hard, her body trembling. She wanted to turn back, to hide—but Leon held her firmly and gently pulled her toward the corridor.

"Young Master, how about... you go first?"

"Young Master! Hiks! I’m really scared!"

"Young Master! -°՞(ᗒ□ᗕ)՞°-."

Unfortunately, Leon pretended not to hear her, completely ignoring her desperate pleas.

Eventually, they stood directly in front of the metal door. It looked solid and seamless, with no visible gap—except for a narrow slit at the bottom, likely used to slide food through.

"You go back," Leon said firmly.

Elina didn’t dare protest. She took a few steps back, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds as if expecting something to jump out.

Leon took a deep breath, clenched his left hand into a fist... and drove it into the door with a single, powerful punch.

*Bang!*

A thunderous explosion echoed through the corridor as the metal door shattered, its pieces flying into the room beyond.

Elina covered her ears and stared at Leon, eyes wide in shock.

The impact was so loud, she was sure it could be heard all the way outside the palace—or at least, that’s what she thought.

As if reading her mind, Leon turned and said calmly, "Don’t worry. This underground prison is soundproof. No one outside can hear a thing."

Elina let out a sigh of relief and gave a slow nod.

They stepped into the room beyond the metal door—and were instantly met with a horrifying sight.

The room was wide, yet filled with instruments of torture: dangling chains, bloodstained whips, rusted swords, and a large iron bucket filled with water.

But the water was no longer clear. It had turned a dark, blackish-red—thick and murky, as if saturated with rotting blood.

Elina quickly covered her mouth and nose as a sharp, fishy stench flooded her senses, making her stomach churn.

Leon, unfazed, fixed his eyes on the far end of the room.

There, a dwarf hung in a standing position—his wrists shackled high above his head, his body limp and barely conscious.

A faint smile touched Leon’s lips as he murmured, "Finally found you, Crown Prince Morgrim Thuldregan."

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