Release That Succubus



The fact that Marico was innocent didn't negate the fact that he had indeed murdered several people even if they weren't exactly innocent. That kind of guilt could be amplified by solitude and break a man's will, no matter how strong.

Zach grew worried about Luke because he knew that the prince had a strong sense of justice. Such people were the most adversely affected by moral dilemmas. 

For example, choosing between an old man and a kid wasn't too difficult for a villain with no value for human life. He could instantly make the decision to kill one of them to save the other, or he could kill both of them because it didn't matter to him either way. 

But a righteous man who believed in justice would study the situation from every perspective and would end up lost in his struggle to do right by both the old man and the kid. He would try to find a righteous reason for his action in a situation where there was none. 

Left with no way to absolve himself of the guilt, it was highly likely that the righteous man would find it impossible to forgive himself.

Zach's final hypothesis regarding Luke's refusal to be released was that he was probably suffering from idealistic bullshit and remorse for his actions which were further amplified by the loneliness of the solitary cell he had been put in.

The reality of the hypothesis could only be confirmed once Zach met Luke in person. Therefore, he arranged for a visit with the help of the Colonel using Andy as his proxy to finalize matters related to the visit.

The military prison wasn't like the dungeons being maintained by the police. They didn't have the dreary atmosphere that Zach had assumed he would find. The military prison was more sophisticated as all the necessary living arrangements had been made for the prisoners.

It seemed that the military took care of its soldiers just like in his past world. The soldiers deserved that even if they had committed the most horrific of crimes for the past services they rendered in the defense of the general populace.

The well-lit corridors allowed him to forget the stereotypes. He found that this prison wasn't bad at all if one didn't have the courage to live by oneself.

The soldiers leading the path stood at both ends of the corridor some distance away from the cell that belonged to Luke so as to give Zach some privacy with the prisoner. They weren't afraid that Zach would do something to help the prisoner escape as Zach was an honorable Viscount and it was surely beneath his station to pull off such an act.

As such, they patiently waited while Zach stared through the iron bars barring Luke from running free in the prison.

The prison cell holding Luke was quite spacious and had a bed that appeared to be quite soft and plump. From the empty crockery on the small table by the bed, it could be inferred that he wasn't being maltreated in any manner.

Still, although the prison had the basic necessities covered, it was far from enough. Freedom was something any prisoner would begin to covet after a certain time.

Zach couldn't help blurting out the question that had been plaguing him directly as soon as he came across Luke who was looking back at him through the iron bars.

"Did you refuse to be released?"

There was curiosity and helplessness in his voice that probably met Luke's understanding, for the latter didn't find it offensive. After all, Zach hadn't even bothered to exchange pleasantries before getting straight to the point.

Zach couldn't have known how much Luke appreciated his straightforward manner.

"Yes, I did."

Luke sounded even more blunt in his response. It was almost as if the answer was glaringly obvious.

"Why? Why would you blow up such a chance?"

Zach wanted to tell him that he had put in a lot of effort to get him out and that he was being ungrateful through his actions. But he pushed down those thoughts because to begin with Luke had never asked for his help. He hadn't even shown his eagerness to escape his prison. 

Therefore, Zach only wanted to hear his answer so he could try to find some reason in them which he could use to influence the Windsor family as well.

"I did commit a crime and it is only right that I suffer for it. I deserve the punishment and being a prince shouldn't enable me to escape the outcome that I chose through my actions."

Luke's reply was simple and consolidated. It included everything he felt about his confinement and the things he did. It also revealed a tinge of regret at the inevitability of his actions. But there was no regret. It almost seemed like he was saying that he would do it all over again given the choice.

Zach felt intrigued at his words. Although a part of his hypothesis had turned out to be true, it wasn't to the extent he thought. 

Luke was remorseful, but not to a very large extent. He just felt that his identity should not hinder justice from prevailing. He was a righteous one indeed.

"Every one of us knows that you didn't mean any harm to those cops. Those bastards deserved to be killed for shirking their responsibility to uphold justice. You were only doing your duty as a righteous citizen to save the innocents from being harmed. You shouldn't have to suffer for that."

Zach laid out his arguments reasonably. He had long since prepared the string of words that could convince an individual such as Luke.

Judging from the hesitation on Luke's previously poker face, it was obvious that his words had hit the bull's eye.

Zach struck while the iron was hot.

"It wasn't easy trying to secure a path out for you. Don't waste our efforts like this. You are being too hard on yourself."

Luke underwent a plethora of emotions, but he still refused with a shake of his head.

"I owe the Windsor family a lot. By doing what I did, I was able to pay off a tiny bit of their goodwill. As for the punishment, I deserve it since it is in accordance with the law. But as far as getting bail through illegal means is concerned, I am sorry, but I don't think that I want to follow such a path. I am aware of how far corruption has invaded into our system. The officials are corrupt enough to assume that they have become the rulers of the public they were supposed to serve. So, don't insult my intelligence by telling me that the military court offered to accept my bail because you somehow managed to prove my innocence."

Obviously, Zach had no answer to that. He had taken advantage of the corrupt judicial system that had also spread to the military to get Luke out.

Taking his silence as the answer, Luke continued his reasoning, "I did what I did because I wanted to be of help to the Windsor family and I was mostly aware of the punishment. I won't, in good conscience, let you pay the price on my behalf knowing that the price would probably be high as a mountain. You might even be forced to do something that doesn't agree with your ideals."

Zach couldn't help but admire the man who refused to be rescued due to his ideals. The action itself seemed dumb to him but the intent behind it revealed how dissatisfied Luke was with the government. Instead of enjoying his freedom, Luke wanted to stay and suffer if he had to rely on the government and their nasty means of extortion to get that freedom.

This gave Zach a lot of confidence. Luke was far from being guilt ridden or mentally deranged.

In fact, Zach wasn't much different from Luke himself. He was just as dissatisfied with the rot that had festered the core of the empire. From the royals down to the lowest tier that held the slightest bit of authority was far beyond redemption in his eyes.

But Luke's presence gave him the confidence that there was still some good left; that there was still hope for this empire yet. The fact that Luke belonged to the royal family only bolstered his intentions.

Zach wanted to build Luke up as the new ruler of the country. He believed that only Luke was capable of bringing law and order to this country being ruled by beasts in human skin who cared nothing for the people and just used them as tools for their own benefits.

With an enigmatic smile, Zach held onto the iron bars of the prison cell as if trying to tear them apart with his bare hands.

"I just thought of something fun."

…

Governor Lillard hadn't been in his position for very long. It had taken him a life full of ass licking and a large number of favors to actually reach his current stature. Even though he was still not very authoritative in front of the governors of more prosperous regions, his accomplishment couldn't be considered to be bad at all. Better men than him had fallen in pursuit of power and authority and yet he had managed to survive, all because he did what he could and called in favors when he couldn't.

Through countless toils and effort, he finally managed to earn himself the recognition of royalty which helped him rise to his current position.

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