### Chapter 48: Words as Voices of the Heart
In the dimly lit cellar, flickering flames danced about.
Duke Skarlij looked as dark as a thundercloud.
He gazed at the man chained to the wall, who could barely reach the ground on his tippy toes, and remained silent for a while.
The man was covered in bl**d, and large clumps of hair had turned a deep brown. At that moment, his head hung low, frozen in place.
With a subtle gesture from the duke, a hunter approached and dumped a bucket of water over the man. The cold shock made him shiver, and he slowly lifted his head.
The faint light obscured the true nature of his expression.
“…Duke, what… can I do for you… hee hee hee…”
The corners of his gangrenous mouth twisted in a creepy laughter.
A flicker of anger flashed in the duke’s eyes as he slapped the man across the face.
Smack!
The force was so strong that the man’s feet left the ground, his body lost balance, and he leaned sideways, rattling the chains. However, with his hands bound, he couldn’t fall to the ground, dangling awkwardly against the wall.
He struggled vigorously, trembling legs taking a while to regain their footing.
Just as he lifted his head again—
Smack!
Another slap hit the same spot.
The man collapsed once more, taking even longer to find his balance.
His feet twisted like awkward dancers.
The duke yanked his hair, lifted his right hand high, and slapped the man’s face again.
Smack!
“Find this funny?”
Cough cough… pfft! The man spat out two teeth, glaring at the duke with bloodshot eyes.
“Skarlij! I’ll—”
Bam!
A direct punch crushed the man’s nose, bl**d mixing with tears streamed down his face.
“…Heh heh… Skarlij, I… I really regret—”
The duke remained expressionless, waiting for his next words.
“I… I regret not killing that little brat that night, and… hee hee hee… then… ha ha— cough cough!”
“Three years ago, did your disappearance of my daughter have anything to do with you?”
Upon hearing the duke’s question, the man split into a crazed grin.
“…Want to know? Let me tell you a secret… hee hee hee. That little brat… died three years ago… I saw it with my own eyes… fell off a cliff… hee hee hee, it was a nasty fall—”
The duke furrowed his brow.
He remembered his daughter mentioning something about a cliff the day after she returned.
“Which cliff?”
“Hey, you want to confirm some bones? No chance… that place… was swallowed clean by the Abyss of Gluttony two years ago, not a speck left—”
“Are you sure she’s dead? Did you see the body?”
“…From that height, she’s probably become meat paste, hee hee, hee hee…”
“But my daughter is still alive.”
“You mean… the one in the castle, that… no way, she’s your daughter… she’s dead… that’s a demon wearing Peilo’s skin… she can’t possibly be human… ha ha ha! Your daughter is dead, ha ha—”
Clang—
The duke raised his metallic left arm, a dark blade flicking out from his fingertip.
He held the blade up to the man’s eyes and gave it a gentle shake.
“Valar. From now on, you answer whatever I ask, understood?”
“Like hell you’ll get anything from me… go on, k*ll me if you dare…”
The duke stared at Valar expressionlessly for a moment before slowly poking the blade toward his right eye.
“When did you join that assassin organization?”
“…What? You don’t even know when your own subordinates betray you… You won’t reflect on yourself?”
The duke let go of his hair and swiftly punched him in the stomach.
“Ugh—”
Valar’s legs gave way, and he began to gag. Having gone two days without food, all that came up was stomach acid.
“Stand straight.”
The duke coldly watched him, waiting until he regained his posture before continuing his questioning.
“Now, answer my questions properly.”
“Cough cough, ha… way too early, I can’t remember… probably from the moment you made me guard this dump…”
“…You don’t want to?”
“Want? Since when did you… ask about my opinion… Heh, I know your most trusted ones… are always Bella and Hoover, what do I mean to you…”
The duke’s brow furrowed tighter.
This question was clearly meaningless, and he didn’t want to dwell on it further.
“Why did you want to assassinate my daughter? You… or rather, your real master, what is he afraid of? Is it that she’ll reveal something from three years ago?”
“…You know I won’t say.”
The duke brusquely pressed Valar’s head against the wall behind him, roughly pulling open his right eyelid.
The blade’s tip hovered right in front of the eyeball.
“Answer. The question.”
Valar’s Adam’s apple bobbed lightly.
“…You should ask Lafael about this; he’s the one who… made me do this… ha ha ha—!!!”
Scarlet bl**d sprayed out, splashing across the duke’s face.
Without hesitation, the blade stabbed into the eyeball, Valar letting out a beastly howl.
“Ahhhh—!!”
He twisted his limbs desperately, but his head was firmly held down, immobile.
“Don’t test my patience; you have one eye left.”
bl**d dripped down his cheek to the floor as the duke gently withdrew the blade.
“Skarlij!! If you’re tough, k*ll me! k*ll me now!!!”
The duke fell silent for a moment.
“…Valar, you’ve been with me for so many years; I’ve never mistreated you. Whether you, Bella, or Hoover, I’ve always treated you three as my trusted confidants, no favoritism at all. Yet, you still harbor discontent. Fine, that’s okay; ambition isn’t a bad thing for a man; if you have grievances, bring it to me.”
As he said this, a glint of frost flickered in the duke’s eyes. He grasped Valar’s collar, dragging him close.
“Valar, come at me. If you really have the guts, lift your kn*fe and cut off my head; let’s see if I blink! You’re a man; if you have the skill, resolve things like a man! Why harm my daughter?!”
“Pepé is still young, knows nothing, just a kind and innocent child; what has she done wrong! You b*stard, why hurt her!!!”
Seeing the duke furious to the point of losing his cool, Valar laughed like a madman.
“…Ha ha ha! It’s a shame she died… such a pretty face, enchanting little eyes… tsk tsk…”
The duke lost it.
Three years of pent-up emotions turned into a fist of stone, landing blow after blow on Valar’s face.
“Why! Why hurt her! d*mn it, why harm her!”
Valar’s breath was faint, his face deformed.
Even so, he pushed through to finish his sentence.
“Ugh… I just… should have… enjoyed… knocking her up… pfft, then tossed her… we… have so many, ha ha ha… we have… lots of people…”
“You dog-b*stard!”
Bam! Bam—
Suddenly, a slender arm tightly gripped his fist.
The duke, panting heavily, turned to see a woman clad in leather armor. Her striking features revealed no emotions.
“Let go.”
The woman shook her head.
“I’ll say it again, let go.”
The woman softly parted her lips with a slightly androgynous voice.
“…He can’t d*e yet.”
“……”
This statement felt like a tranquilizer. The duke’s tightened fist gradually relaxed as he looked at the woman’s face.
Valar slumped down, caught again by the chains.
He had lost consciousness.
“Whew—”
The duke breathed slowly, wiped the bl**d from his face, and said to the woman, “Let’s go.”
The woman nodded and then cautioned the surrounding hunters, “Keep an eye on him.”
“Yes.”
She hurried to catch up with the duke.
Exiting the cellar and looking at the towering chimneys of the central workshop, the duke’s expression gradually calmed.
“Duke, are you alright?”
The woman swept her silver strands back, her gaze at the duke tinged with concern.
“I’m fine… Bella, you haven’t seen Pepé since she returned, have you?”
“Hmm… I haven’t.”
“She remembers nothing now. We need to find an opportunity for you to meet her again.”
“…Do you believe Valar’s words?”
“Hmm?”
“Pepé is already… gone.”
“What? She seems just fine; do you think I’m so senile I would confuse my own daughter?”
The woman named Bella offered a subtle smile at this.
“…Go wash your face, then let’s head back.”
