Episode 97: Evidence (1)
Michael Ryanbloom swung his greatsword, cleaving the ogre’s head in two.
With that, all the ogres were defeated. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Michael took a moment to catch his breath.
Looking around, he saw that most of the orcs had been dealt with as well. The knights were chasing down the remaining stragglers.
“One, two, three… four! I got one more than you! So I win, right?”
Veronica Sanchez, standing beside him with a triumphant grin, declared her victory. Michael gave her a look of disbelief.
“You stole two of mine when they were practically dead. This win is as good as mine.”
“Doesn’t matter! I still took down more!”
“You’ve got to consider the process. You can’t just claim victory after snatching someone else’s prey.”
The two glared at each other, growling like rival predators.
“Fine. There’s no point arguing with you. I’m off to see Damian… I mean, Sir Damian. You can entertain yourself.”
Michael managed to extricate himself from the bickering Veronica and headed towards Damian Haxen.
Even amidst the battle with the ogres, he had kept an eye on Damian’s fight with the chimera.
‘He’s incredible, as always.’
Michael knew a bit about chimeras. They were the most grotesque abominations in this world. Demons that should never be underestimated. The mere mention of a chimera was enough to instill fear, given their notorious reputation.
Yet Damian Haxen had driven such a monster into a corner with ease.
Michael, always brimming with confidence, couldn’t imagine himself matching Damian’s prowess.
‘Especially that final move where he sliced the chimera to pieces.’
Aura was typically strongest when concentrated on a blade. Releasing it externally usually diminished its power. But Damian had unleashed his aura with such force that even from a distance, Michael felt a chill.
Michael couldn’t fathom how such a feat was possible.
‘Now that the hunt is over, I need to learn as much as I can from him.’
The lessons Michael had received from Damian Haxen had significantly elevated his skills. Without Damian’s guidance, he wouldn’t have reached the mid-class level so quickly.
‘If I learn from him again, I might find a way to reach the high-class…’
Michael’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden scream.
“Aaaah!”
Startled, Michael quickened his pace.
What he saw was a scene of horror.
A dark sorcerer lay on the ground, screaming in agony.
“P-please stop! Aaaah! Aaaah!”
The sorcerer’s eyes rolled back as their body convulsed violently.
Michael watched, bewildered. There were no visible signs of torture on the sorcerer’s body.
Why were they in such pain?
“This shouldn’t hurt so much. I still have more to show.”
Damian Haxen pressed a finger into the woman’s back. Her eyes widened in terror.
“J-just kill me! Please, kill me… Aaaah!”
Michael was horrified.
The moment Damian touched her, the sorcerer’s muscles writhed like snakes.
It was visible to the naked eye. With each spasm, her screams grew more piercing.
“Aaah! Aaaah!”
“This isn’t working. Maybe I should try this instead?”
When Damian pressed her shoulder, a sickening sound of twisting joints echoed.
The sorcerer could no longer scream properly.
‘Is this… muscle and bone manipulation?’
Michael had once seen the knights of a marquis use it on criminals. It was a method of torture that twisted muscles and joints by infusing them with magic.
Rumor had it that the empire’s top torturers had developed it to interrogate traitors and spies.
‘No, this is different from muscle and bone manipulation.’
That technique required constant contact with the victim’s body.
But Damian was inflicting pain with just a touch of his finger.
It seemed to be a far more advanced technique.
“Please! Stop! Just kill me!”
“If you want the pain to stop, just tell me. How did you communicate with your comrades in the capital?”
“J-just letters… I swear, just letters!”
“You still don’t get it, do you? Spouting such nonsense.”
“Aaaah!”
Damian pressed the sorcerer’s body again.
The sound of muscles tearing and bones cracking was unmistakable.
Michael shivered at the gruesome noise.
But the most terrifying thing here wasn’t the technique.
“Speak. Then I’ll end your suffering.”
It was Damian, smiling as he tortured the sorcerer.
His smile was filled with a chilling delight, as if he was reveling in the moment.
That was what truly frightened Michael Ryanbloom.
“D-Damian…”
Michael called out cautiously. Damian paused, his finger hovering over the sorcerer’s body.
“Are the orcs and ogres all dealt with?”
“Y-yes, it’s all over… but…”
Michael swallowed hard, glancing at the still-screaming sorcerer.
“Is it really necessary to continue? I think that’s enough.”
He was shocked at himself for speaking up for the sorcerer. The church would never approve.
“Enough… you say…”
Fortunately, Damian Haxen didn’t take issue with Michael’s words. He simply asked a question.
“Are you feeling sorry for them?”
“It’s not that…”
It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel any pity.
Damian’s use of the muscle and bone manipulation was horrifying.
“You’re wasting your emotions. Let me enlighten you. These dark sorcerers are despicable creatures.”
Damian pressed a finger to the bald woman’s neck. Her muscles calmed.
With the pain gone, her screams ceased. She lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
“What price did you pay to use dark magic on the orcs?”
“That… well…”
The bald woman panted, still disoriented from the recent torture.
“Taking so long to answer… you still haven’t learned.”
“S-sacrifices… I offered sacrifices! I threw people to the orcs… and as they were devoured, I cast dark magic to enslave them!”
“How many people did you kill?”
“T-three hundred! Three hundred! I roamed the slash-and-burn villages, gathering sacrifices!”
Michael felt as if he’d been struck on the back of the head.
Three hundred slash-and-burn villagers fed to orcs? Enslaving them with magic as they were eaten?
“Next, you. What did you do to create your poisons?”
Damian turned to a haggard-looking woman. She hesitated.
“I can’t hear you.”
“I-I didn’t kill many! I only kidnapped people to test new poisons!”
“You kidnapped people and tested poisons on them?”
“Y-yes! But I didn’t waste test subjects! If they were about to die, I kept them alive to use again! I swear!”
Michael Ryanbloom’s face hardened.
So she kept people alive to repeatedly test poisons on them?
Those used as test subjects must have suffered immensely.
“Michael, do you understand now? Dark sorcerers are all like this. They deserve no sympathy.”
Michael slowly nodded at Damian’s words.
“Then leave. I still have much to extract from them.”
As soon as Damian finished speaking, Michael stepped back.
He understood how vile the dark sorcerers were. But he was worried.
He couldn’t forget the smile on Damian’s face as he tortured them.
Michael watched Damian with a troubled expression.
“Sir Damian, what… what are you saying?”
Back at Walnut Castle, Damian revealed the truth to Oliver Apple.
“Your uncle conspired with the dark sorcerers… planning to sabotage the hunt and put you in a difficult position?”
“That’s not all. Every incident His Highness resolved was orchestrated by these dark sorcerers.”
Oliver Apple staggered at the sudden revelation.
“Why… why would he do such a thing? Why…”
“You know the answer, Your Highness.”
At Damian’s words, Oliver Apple’s expression hardened.
“It’s for the throne…”
Oliver sighed deeply, still struggling to accept the truth.
“Sir Damian, what should I do?”
“There is only one thing for you to do, Your Highness. Expose the truth and depose your uncle.”
Oliver Apple’s eyes trembled at those words.
Oliver Apple held his uncle in high regard. He admired his uncle’s confidence and exceptional abilities.
The thought of having to deal with a family member he respected so much was enough to make him hesitate.
“Your Highness, you must focus. This is not the time for indecision.”
Damian urged Oliver Apple, his tone firm.
“Alexander Apple, despite being royalty, has allied himself with dark sorcerers. Not only that, but he deliberately sowed chaos in the kingdom to expand his power. And he even tried to harm you.”
Damian’s words rang true. Alexander Apple had crossed the line long ago.
Showing sympathy to such a person was not just foolish—it was madness.
“Sir Damian is right. Alexander Apple is nothing more than a traitor who has thrown the kingdom into turmoil.”
Oliver Apple glanced at the dark sorcerers. They were barely coherent after prolonged interrogation.
“I’ll take them and expose the whole truth.”
Damian smiled with satisfaction at Oliver’s resolute response.
“Thank you for making such a wise decision. However, we can’t corner Alexander Apple just yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“He might deny his ties to the dark sorcerers and claim we’ve framed him.”
Oliver Apple could only nod in agreement with Damian’s reasoning.
“To truly cut off his escape, we need more concrete evidence or witnesses.”
“What do you suggest we do?”
“I happen to have a plan.”
Damian pulled something from his pocket. It was an old, yellowed parchment.
“This is a magical tool the dark sorcerers used to communicate. After interrogating them, we discovered how to use it.”
Damian whispered something into Oliver Apple’s ear.
After hearing the plan, Oliver Apple burst into laughter.
“That sounds entertaining. Let’s proceed with your idea, Sir Damian.”