"The Count?"
Seeing this familiar color scheme outfit and hearing this familiar laughter, Takumi subconsciously blurted out the title he was most familiar with.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Takumi understood.
He wasn't in hell; he had clearly run into the storyline of the [Prison Tower].
Just that in Takumi's impression, the storyline of the [Prison Tower] was indeed to solve Goetia's curse.
But shouldn't he be pulled into the [Prison Tower] only after passing the Fifth Singularity?
Recalling that Fergus (Little Brock) and Nightingale, who should appear in the Fifth Singularity, were in the [Prison Tower], Takumi couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Seeing that Takumi seemed not unfamiliar with him, the Count also raised his eyebrows.
"Do you know me? But it's also normal. For you, probably many Heroic Spirits are known. Knowing one more like me is nothing surprising."
"But I must remind you, knowing my name or knowing me is meaningless."
"Here, in this hell, your shallow knowledge is useless. Do not attempt to casually apply the trivial things you know. Here—is different from any place you know."
The Count said, the smile on his face becoming more and more weird.
The Count's voice was slightly low. Combined with the gloomy atmosphere in the empty cell, it seemed he was...
"Intimidating" Takumi?
But obviously, he was playing the lute to a cow. There was absolutely no fear on Takumi's face.
There was only pure stupidity.
Takumi was thinking:
'What is the Count saying? Don't understand...'
The expression on the Count's face, still maintaining a weird smile, froze instantly.
As the last savior of humanity, where is that shrewdness from your previous Singularities? Huh?
Looking at the bewildered Takumi, he slapped his face, as if losing all strength in his body.
"...So, human trapped here, tell me your choice."
"Next, what will you choose to do?"
The Count was the Count after all; he adjusted his mentality very quickly.
Like a tutorial elf, he asked Takumi step by step.
But the corners of his mouth curled into a mocking arc.
'What to do next?'
Climb the tower?
The increasingly confused Takumi had to say tentatively:
"Escape... from here?"
Saying this, Takumi carefully pointed outside the cell.
Clap clap clap!
"Very good! Then please."
The Count clapped his hands, took two steps to the door, casually opened the unlocked cell door, and gestured for Takumi to go first.
But for some reason, the mockery on his face became more obvious.
Startled by the Count's melodramatic reaction, Takumi was full of doubts but still got up from the bed.
Only then did Takumi discover that his body was actually much better.
Gone was the peak strength capable of splitting mountains and cracking rocks, but it had finally returned to the strength an ordinary person should have.
Although the missing arm didn't grow back.
"Just leave directly from here?"
Walking to the door, just one step away from leaving the cell, Takumi, made anxious by the Count's baffling actions, pointed outside again to confirm with the Count as if he didn't hear clearly.
"Do you think there's a second door here?"
"Also, ask yourself, don't ask me!"
The Count pushed Takumi somewhat impatiently.
The force from his back made Takumi stagger into the corridor.
After stabilizing himself, Takumi looked left and right.
To the left was a wall; to the right was a long corridor where the end couldn't be seen clearly.
"Go right?"
Takumi pointed to the corridor on the right, turning his head to confirm with the Count.
The smile on the Count's face cracked again. He wanted to speak but stopped, stopped but wanted to speak. Finally, with black lines all over his head, he spat out a few words:
"...Am I your mom?"
"Ah haha, I'm just a bit shy with strangers..."
Also realizing his abstract behavior, Takumi scratched his head awkwardly in the air, speaking softly.
"Looking for a stranger to confirm even for walking two steps, are you sure it's shyness?"
The Count asked back.
Takumi was embarrassed to answer, so he had to walk slowly into the darkness.
Strangely, as he advanced, the originally dark part in front slowly became bright, and the bright part behind returned to darkness.
"So many cells, but why are all the doors open?"
Looking at the seemingly endless rooms on both sides, Takumi couldn't help being puzzled.
"Yeah, why are all the doors open?"
The Count, walking behind Takumi like an old man on an outing, repeated Takumi's words with a relaxed face.
No, I'm asking you!
Don't answer a question with a question!
Takumi wanted to complain.
"Count, did you forget to say something?"
Suppressing the urge to complain, Takumi, having walked for a while, couldn't help asking.
"...Did I forget to say something?"
The Count recalled what he had said so far. He didn't forget to say anything, right?
He couldn't help looking at Takumi in confusion.
"Just that—main quest?"
Takumi didn't know how to describe it for a moment, so he had to use a term that could barely summarize it.
"Hah?"
The Count looked at Takumi like looking at a fool.
"Exactly, exactly exactly where is this place, and what are we going to do!"
Takumi was also anxious, brewing for a while before finally speaking out.
"...First, it's not what 'we' are going to do, but what you are going to do."
Feeling unable to keep up with Takumi's brain circuit, the Count felt mentally exhausted. After a brief silence, he continued to speak.
"Secondly, why do you think I would know such things?"
"Uh, isn't this the 'Prison Tower'?"
Facing the Count's question, Takumi was puzzled.
"Haha, hahahaha!"
The Count was stunned for a moment, then covered his face and laughed loudly.
"Fine! I know what you want to hear."
"In short, welcome to the Château d'If. This is the hell of despair and death. Any sinner falling into this world will sink into eternal torture!"
"So—Wait, and Hope!"
"What you need to do now is very simple: break through the Seven Judgment Halls! Accomplish all this, and you will receive salvation—"
"Satisfied now?"
The Count stopped laughing, finishing this long paragraph with a face full of smiles.
At the same time, looking meaningfully into Takumi's eyes.
Takumi dodged the Count's gaze. Although feeling strange about the Count's words, thinking that he was usually either a riddler or crazy, he felt relieved.
Moreover, he heard his catchphrase.
Without thinking much, Takumi nodded and continued walking deeper.
The Count looked at Takumi's back, sighed imperceptibly, and continued to follow behind Takumi.
Unknown how long they walked, the scenery ahead finally wasn't all cells anymore.
Which lifted the spirits of Takumi who was getting bored of walking.
At the same time.
An ear-piercing scream suddenly came from somewhere ahead.
"Help-"
The voice was somewhat familiar.