Chapter 131

Unbearable pain.

In the midst of it, the Duke Ocleang was facing death.

“What on earth is this? You could have caused a terrible disaster!”

“Umm…”

“S-sorry…”

“!?”

A voice that only reached his ears due to his blurred vision.

At that moment, the Duke began to question this incomprehensible situation.

—Pop!

“!?”

A sudden warm sensation enveloped him.

And as the pain throughout his body vanished as if it had been washed away, the Duke realized that what had just occurred was a Healing Magic directed at him.

What came next into view was a nun glaring at him with an angry expression, accompanied by two female warriors who seemed to be her escorts.

Seeing this high-ranking figure accompanied by guards, the Duke began to feel a sense of relief and joy.

‘…Hah… Hahaha… Of course… There’s no way I, Duke Ocleang, would die so insignificantly.’

The fact that someone had cast Healing Magic to save him indicated that someone had finally arrived who would treat him properly.

Since someone who understood the value of his noble self had finally appeared, the Duke thought that these two would surely be punished.

Moreover, as one who should never be subjected to such filthy treatment, he could now enjoy a much more comfortable situation.

If he played his cards right, he might even have fun by exploiting the weakness of Ambasha, who had dared to cut his wrist.

In that brief moment, when he was filled with pleasant dreams…

“Be reasonable. What if you really killed him? It’s free to beat him, but don’t go too far, okay?”

“Uh… I’ll b-be careful.”

“Don’t worry. If anything happens, I’ll intervene.”

“…Hey, Elkana… That incident just now almost happened because of you, right?”

“…Oh… Really?”

“…?”

The conversation was oddly different from what he had anticipated.

They seemed angry, but it was far from being a serious reprimand, making him start to think that things were going strangely.

And then…

“I understand your anger well. However, since your opponent holds crucial information, please maintain some degree of self-control. No matter what, I can’t bring someone back from the dead.”

“I got it… From now on…”

—Thwack!

“?! Gaaaaaaah!!!!”

With the dagger still in hand, Elkana stabbed the Duke’s thigh.

The vivid, raw pain following the sudden loss of his previous suffering caused another scream to escape Ocleang’s lips.

“I’ll make sure you don’t die.”

“!?”

With that statement, Elkana slowly began to twist the dagger she had impaled.

Her expression was filled with rich joy and clear exhilaration…

And there stood the nun, merely gazing coldly without any sign of intervention despite watching this scene unfold.

Witnessing a situation that was flowing so utterly differently from his expectations…

The Duke finally began to grasp the reality he was in.

‘N-no way… Could it be that they…?’

It seemed clear that their position couldn’t merely allow him to die.

However, this was only limited to ‘death’…

It meant that inflicting pain up until the brink of death…

In other words, there were no constraints on torture.

Thus, the Duke finally realized how terrible his current reality was.

“Gaaaah!!! St-stop…!! I can’t take it anymore!!! Ughhh!!!!!!”

But it was already too late.

Before his eyes, two people were mercilessly torturing him.

There was nothing he could do to stop them.

Not his status as a noble,

Not any justification,

Could halt the endless slashing and the relentless beatings from their pure hate.

Moreover, every time his consciousness began to fade, the Healing Magic blessed by Divine Power would arrive.

What he initially thought was a light of salvation turned out to be nothing more than a chain of demons preventing him from crossing over to the other side.

He could neither die nor resist.

At this point, all he could do was scream amidst the approaching pain.

Just…


That was all he could do.

*

Leaving behind his resting subordinates, Napoleona made her way toward the pirates.

To implement the plan she had devised, she needed the cooperation of the Pirate King.

Napoleona sought to meet him to discuss the finer points.

Indeed, this was purely a professional engagement.

There was absolutely no other meaning behind it.

While thinking that, Napoleona found herself unconsciously reddening her cheeks.

The rhythmic beating of her heart that had been palpable since earlier continued to resonate softly, as she approached the two pirates sitting down.

Ambasha…

And then, the woman named Franklin.

“Excuse me.”

“…What is it?”

Franklin’s response was tinged with slight annoyance.

Seeing her demeanor, Napoleona smiled and said,

“I came to see the Pirate King, but I can’t seem to find him. Do you know where he went?”

“…Yes, of course, I do.”

“Could you tell me where he is?”

Franklin stirred the fire in front of her haphazardly, replying with a lackadaisical tone.

Napoleona asked the question without much thought.

But then…

“I don’t want to.”

“…What?”

Her voice was frigid.

Then, Franklin slowly stood up, revealing her menacing expression as she said, “Didn’t you hear? I said I don’t want to.”

*

I was well aware of the effectiveness of torture.

While those who espoused human rights and laws would never accept it, there was a reason why torture had not vanished from humanity’s prolonged history.

Of course, brutal torture for false confessions was merely a filthy political maneuver, but in terms of extracting information, nothing was more effective than inflicting direct pain.

It was akin to tenderizing meat by pounding it before cooking.

And now…

I had firmly completed that ‘pounding process’ through Magellan and Elkana, who bore a personal grudge against him…

I stepped into the cave where Duke Ocleang was located.

‘…Seems like they’ve enjoyed themselves quite a bit.’

From the entrance, the thick stench of blood was palpable.

Recognizing what it implied, I ventured deeper inside.

There, I found… exactly what I had anticipated.

“Welcome, Captain.”

“Yeah, good work.”

I was greeted first by Auriel, followed by the twins bowing their heads behind her.

After lightly accepting their greetings, my gaze settled on the two people gasping for breath.

Towards Magellan and Elkana.

Unlike the relatively clean Auriel and her group, these two were covered in blood.

Yet, their faces betrayed an undeniable joy, indicating that they had sufficiently alleviated their long-held grudge.

“Captain, you’ve arrived.”

“You’ve worked hard. Now, please exit for a moment.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Bowing their heads in accordance with our prior discussion, they stepped outside.

Finally…

I was about to encounter the moment I had long awaited.

“Uu… Uugh…”

A fat man was making pig-like noises on the brink of death.

Duke Ocleang.

While his wounds had been completely healed thanks to Auriel’s Healing Magic, the effects of torture had rendered him curled up and trembling.

And…

Towards him, I spoke in a quiet voice.

“From now on, answer my questions accurately. If you answer well, I’ll stop the torture.”

“! Is… is that true!”

Duke Ocleang exhibited a slight sign of surprise in response to my words.

Seeing him seemingly resigned, I noted that Ambasha and Magellan had done an excellent job.

Moreover, it was a bonus to realize once more that some scoundrels needed to be beaten to regain their senses.

“I promise, if you give me the answers I want.”

“I-I’ll speak! I-I’ll tell you anything! Whether it’s secrets of the Kingdom of Frantz or the Holy Empire, I’ll tell you everything! Just please spare my life!”

His words dripped with desperate urgency.

“Alright. Then let’s start with your answer.”

“Gulp…”

With a deep smile on my face, I asked him.

First, I aimed to discern whether he was aware of his situation…

A question I deemed most fitting at this juncture…

A very fundamental query that anyone playing the game in the original world would be able to answer.

And then…

“Do you know who Dae Sang-hyuk is?”

“…? Wh-what… is that?”

“…?”

As I observed his face filled with confusion, I felt a tinge of embarrassment.

‘…No way… He doesn’t know this?’