“Dilaila.”
“… What is this now, a man in a mask?”
Dilaila responded to Shane’s call.
She struggled to glare back at him with her fierce wide eyes, which made Shane silently chuckle to himself.
In his past life, he had seen Dilaila with even more intense eyes; such looks were merely cute to him now.
He could somewhat understand, though.
Realizing that she was trapped in such a place, it made sense that she would summon the courage to threaten the other party, given her character. It was the best she could do.
“There’s no need to look at me like that. I’m not here to harm you.”
“What? You lock someone up in this place and say that? Are you joking?”
“It seems there’s some misunderstanding…”
Despite Dilaila growling like a cat with its fur on end, Shane remained calm.
“The ones who locked you up are not me but those above us.”
“Above… Are you talking about Count Salier?”
As the conversation turned to the perpetrator, Dilaila asked quietly.
Count Salier was the owner of this villa and the man who had greeted Dilaila with a smile up until today.
“That’s right. That monster is the one who imprisoned you here.”
“…”
Hearing this, a slight change came over Dilaila’s expression.
Monster.
The person before her now was calling the count who had imprisoned her here a monster.
Perhaps the statement that he hadn’t come to harm her was true, and she began to harbor some hope.
“Then, why has he imprisoned me here?”
“It’s simple. Your body holds great commercial value in the underground city of the coalition.”
“Underground city…”
Dilaila had heard of it before.
Somewhere in the coalition, there existed a vast underground city and within it, a notorious black market where nothing was unavailable.
Of course, as a place that sold the unavailable, the rumors alone painted it as nothing short of an abomination.
It had been the main trading hub for dark mages and the pioneers of past biological experiments.
Moreover, it was filled with unsettling rumors about gambling pits and other dark dealings.
“Salier is a big figure in his own right who plays a part in the underworld. He mainly trains and sells exotic slaves to collectors who favor such commodities.”
“……”
“He even brings in exotic creatures that suit his taste and personally whips them into shape. He turns them into perfect playthings for his son.”
“…Stop.”
“It might actually be better for those who were educated and taken away. As long as they suit the collectors’ tastes, they might at least preserve their lives, but who knows what will happen when they are exposed to the pure malice of a child…”
“Enough—!”
Dilaila’s scream mixed with a cry filled the basement.
Despair, rage, and a fear greater than the sum of those two emotions were evident in her eyes.
“Why are you even telling me this?!”
And for good reason. Dilaila could vividly feel the emotions of the victims in this basement.
A half-human girl of about the same age screamed as the whip was playfully swung at her by the Count’s son. The same young boy who had been a student of Dilaila until this very day.
Another had her eyes gouged out simply because she did not listen to being told to stop crying. In fact, this was merely done to cater to a guest’s preference.
One elf who was hurling curses like Dilaila had her tongue cut out.
This too was at the request of a guest who needed a slave who could not speak.
Torture was carried out in many different ways but the emotions left behind by the victims were the same.
Pain and despair.
The walls and floor steeped in their blood, tears, and sweat of agony constantly whispered their feelings to Dilaila.
As if begging her to acknowledge their memories too.
The more Dilaila despaired, the stronger their emotions became.
“Turning a blind eye or running away solves nothing.”
“…What?”
“If you want to live in this world in the future and want to be treated more like a human, you cannot turn away from the reality you are currently living in.”
“…”
“Remember these feelings well. It’s the only way you can protect yourself.”
“Why… Why do humans do this? Why are they so cruel?!”
Dilaila could no longer glare threateningly at Shane.
Instead, she just kept looking at Shane with a tear-stained face.
And what Shane said next was unexpected.
“They are afraid.”
“…What?”
“To humans, other races symbolize fear. The predatory instinct etched into every cell still remains.”
Before the Common Era.
The era before other races were sealed in dungeons by the great seal of the ancient god Akasha.
At that time, humans were at the bottom of the food chain among all races.
At that time, humans could not use magical power like they do now, nor could they manipulate the forest like elves or make excellent weapons like dwarves.
More so, their physical abilities were far inferior to those of the beastkin; they were not superior to any other race in anything.
Therefore, they were always prey and even after Akasha’s great seal, humans continued to deeply engrave the fear of predators within their bones.
“That’s why they can’t escape the pleasure they feel from seeing those they once feared suffer.”
Not all humans are like this, of course.
But the inherent disdain for other races that humanity harbors is an unavoidable reality.
How much effort would it take to change a perception ingrained in their instinct?
Or is it even possible at all?
Changing an instinct that has been embedded in a race.
Such a task is certainly not easy.
Shane spoke again.
“The Emperor was aware of the fear and loathing humans harbored toward other races. As the pinnacle of all humanity, he therefore did not admit to fearing other races himself. That’s why he abolished the enslavement of other races. The cruelty they harbor stems from their own fears.”
“…”
“However, the empire still neglects the underground city of the coalition. The complex web of connected interests there is not something that can be easily untangled.”
“What about the Count? Count Salier!”
After hearing Shane’s entire story, Dilaila bowed her head and then lifted it again.
In those eyes, which were still filled with tears, traces of bitter resentment were suddenly visible.
She resented Salier for locking her up and subjecting her to horrific torture, but more than that, the memories of the earth whispering to her right now about all those horrible things were further fueling her resentment.
“If you think about it normally, you might be able to inflict some damage on him. But in reality, it won’t cause him significant harm.”
“So, you’re saying… there’s no hope for me…”
Dilaila bowed her head again in despair.
Even if she were to run away, Count Salier would not let her continue with her as a living witness.
And to rely on the academy that is protecting her?
It might be somewhat effective, but Count Salier with his past imposed power and the high-ranking officials associated with him would not just stand by.
In the end, it means there is no hope for her.
“Definitely. The odds of winning are almost zero. In the first place, the monster in question is actually meeting someone far beyond your expectations.”
“What?”
“That’s why I’m here. A tangle that can’t be untangled is useless.”
“What does that mean…”
“Just burn it.”
Before Dilaila could fully understand Shane’s words, the door to the basement slid open.
“A rat has sneaked in.”
The person who entered the basement was Count Salier’s loyal knight, Warnard.
***
“I really don’t know what to say.”
Count Salier appeared relaxed at first glance, but inside, he was burning up with anxiety.
Just a moment ago.
His long-time friend and trusted knight, Warnard, had stopped by and then left.
Warnard usually wouldn’t come in when his master was entertaining such important guests, but due to some circumstances this time, it couldn’t be helped.
The appearance of an intruder.
Salier had long dominated one part of the underworld, but the deeds he had carried out were of the utmost secrecy and were not to be openly known.
And so he had always been careful not to leave any evidence, preparing for every possible scenario, and several years had passed in this way.
Yet today an intruder appeared in this villa for the first time.
And someone skilled enough to breach the villa’s strict security.
“Haha, no. Rather, it’s fortunate that things have been quiet up until now.”
Meanwhile, opposite to Salier sat a middle-aged man. The latter was smiling reassuringly as if to tell Salier not to worry.
He was one of the guests whom Salier had been eagerly awaiting today.
“The knight who just left is a fourth-rank expert, almost a master. He’s skilled and experienced so he should resolve it quickly.”
“Thank you for understanding…”
Although the man passed it off with a nonchalant smile, the more he did, the more Salier felt a burning anxiety inside.
Why is such a mistake like this happening now of all times?
He was a man with a nice smile, but you really shouldn’t see him as a nice person.
In terms of cruelty, he was someone even Salier couldn’t compare with.
After all, it was this middle-aged man who had allowed Count Salier to set foot in the underworld. To establish a base there and to grow to this extent.
This moment was more tense for Salier than the war with the dark wizards decades ago.
Of course, the man was frightening, but more importantly, even a man like him had someone backing him.
This was something that could be naturally inferred when thinking about his identity.
And it made sense since he was none other than the White Lion’s Mane.
Armens J. Daira of the Knights of Judgment.
Warnard’s gaze upon the intruder, Shane, was anything but kind.
The look in his eyes was a natural one to send to an intruder, but because the timing was too bad, Warnard’s inner turmoil was as dark as his master Salier’s.
Of all days, it had to be today…
Who was the person currently upstairs facing his master?
Wasn’t he one of the famous members of the Knights of Judgements?
The sharpest sword of the imperial family. The executioners who cut out out humanity for the stability of the empire.
Since he was such an imperial sword, it meant that what Count Salier was currently doing was very closely related to that high imperial court.
A misstep here could mean falling out of favor with them…
And where that emotionless blade would turn next was anyone’s guess.
So he needed to deal with the enemy before him swiftly and dismiss this incident as a trivial matter.
“I’ll make you beg to tell me who’s behind you.”
No room for talk.
The aura emanating from Warnard was unmistakably formidable.
An expert that was nearing the pinnacle of the fourth class. His magical power sharply pierced Shane’s skin.
This one is stronger than the Twin Headed Ogre I faced back then.
That Twin Head Ogre Shane had encountered in the small village when returning from a break at the academy.
Although it was a corpse animated by the rotten wood spirit, Warnard had superior skills to the twin-headed ogre by a narrow margin.
Back then, Shane’s family’s knights had bought him time to prepare his magic, but now nothing could shield him.
Moreover, the cramped confines of the basement made it a place where a knight would naturally have an edge over a mage.
So far, it’s as I expected.
Of course, it wasn’t that Shane didn’t come prepared.
After all, it had been Shane who had deliberately left traces to lure Warnard to this place.
When Warnard furrowed his brow in response to Shane’s unexpectedly calm demeanor,
Shane spoke in a calm voice.
“Show me how useful you can be.”
These words were not directed at Warnard in front of him nor at Dilaila tied up behind him.
These words were spoken to a being who had been consuming all the pain and despair that had been soaked in this basement.
[Yes, master.]
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