Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.29 – King Kong and the Hybrid Collide (2)
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Bone-Flaying Torture.
A brutal interrogation technique meant to separate flesh from bone relentlessly dragged on for over thirty minutes.
Of course, the flesh and bone weren't actually separated, but anyone enduring equivalent agony would have felt those thirty minutes stretch into thirty years.
In truth, Roy Bant was utterly exhausted, no different from a half-dead corpse.
He looked like his thread of life could snap at any moment.
It was a pitiable sight, but there was no helping it.
"Tough bastard. His lips were sealed tight..."
"Wasn't it more like you forced him not to talk, Senior?"
"Ahem."
"......"
Yord shut his mouth at the stern warning laced with gravity.
Having witnessed firsthand the horrific spectacle of muscles and bones twisting grotesquely before snapping back into place, he dared not challenge the man in any way.
To some, it would leave a lifelong mental trauma—that level of savage violence.
No wonder torture specialists often ended up insane.
Yet he remained steadfast.
His actions bordered on madness, but he was colder than anyone else.
He looked like he'd just finished a routine chore. Watching this, Yord broke out in a cold sweat.
'This senior... he's really thorough.'
Yord didn't fully understand his senior knight yet, but he felt like he grasped the surface at least.
A man with no mercy for enemies, utterly ruthless toward those he deemed foes, sparing no means or methods.
Some might spout nonsense like, "Isn't that obvious?" But those in the know understood.
Knowing and doing were worlds apart.
'Even if we fight again someday, it'd be for learning's sake, not because he wants me as an enemy... this senior...'
In more ways than one.
Meanwhile, as Yord gained some insight into this Lee Han fellow, Jake—who'd experienced him for three full years—seemed nonchalant.
"Still, it's a relief. He knew way more than I expected."
No, not nonchalant—his expression was purely businesslike, without even a hint of pity for the man.
"...Unexpected. I thought you'd be furious about something like this."
Aren, paler than Yord—nay, looking like he'd vomited up his guts—flinched at this new side of Jake, whom he'd pegged as the sole sane one. He blurted out involuntarily.
How could a knight commit such cruel, barbaric acts as torture, even on a prisoner?
That's what he'd expected—principled, normal words from a normal person.
At Aren’s puzzled look, Jake replied.
"They're threats to Pendragon. I know it's against human decency and knightly honor. But a knight sworn to protect the kingdom and its people must swing the sword—even if called a demon by the enemy—for peace and order. I simply won't waste emotions on someone who'd become Pendragon's foe, Your Highness the Eighth Prince. So, I don't think he did wrong. There are those who do the dirty work that must be done, and because of them, the kingdom remains at peace."
"......"
"If our kind repulses you, I suggest returning to the capital now. I'll handle convincing him."
"......"
...Up until now.
Jake, who had always addressed him formally as "Knight Commander" or "Sir" even while butting heads, had used "Eighth Prince" for the first time. If Aren didn't grasp what that implied, he'd truly be an idiot.
Treating him not as a knight, but as 'royalty.'
It was a clear notice to live like a flower in a greenhouse.
Quit playing knight...
Hearing this.
Crunch!
If his pride wasn't wounded, he couldn't even call himself a man before being royal!
"Watch your words! I'm not the Eighth Prince—I'm the proud First Knight Commander of the White Silver Lion Knights. Know your place, Jake Farman!"
Aren bit his lip until it bled, raising his voice in fury, but Jake merely nodded calmly.
"...My apologies, Sir Aren."
"Damn it!"
Aren was visibly frustrated, unable to contain his anger.
But it wasn't aimed at Jake.
It was self-directed—for showing such a pathetic display and acting like a fool in this situation.
'I'm a knight of the White Silver Lion!'
Repeating this to himself, Aren glared half-lidded at Jake.
It had certainly sharpened his mind, but the provocation toward him wasn't amusing.
"...Now I get it. Why you're friends with that monster."
"An insult?"
"Think it's a compliment?!"
"Hm, definitely an insult."
"Argh!"
Aren realized Jake's polite speech now grated on him intensely.
......
"...Jake senior even pulls provocations like that. And it pisses me off big time."
Even he'd be wounded in pride hearing such words.
From a third-party view, Aren was dancing in Jake's palm. Yord was floored by this provocative side from his senior, whom he'd thought purely kind-hearted.
It reminded him of 'someone'—that taunting tone.
And that someone was...
"Tch, that guy's always been a pushover. After a few missions with me, seeing all the ugly sides of the world twisted his personality. Military life really warps people."
"......"
"Why stare like that?"
"N-No, nothing..."
"...Your eyes look awfully insolent."
"Really, no intent."
"Hmmm..."
"......"
Yord silently averted his gaze, clamping his mouth shut.
...How could he say it?
'Senior... no matter how I look, you're the real culprit, not the military.'
...Something like that.
Yord wisely knew loose lips sank ships and secured his safety with silence.
The moment he gained the essential passive for any adult in society.
- Th-They approached me one day...
The info Roy Bant spilled mentioned not one, but multiple people.
- I don't know when they started using the tunnels. But it's certain they've been there at least ten years.
When asked why he thought so.
- ...They used the tunnels like their own home, knowing the layout inside out. Even secrets the managing soldiers didn't know.
A prison that was hellish and execution-like to some was their backyard.
Meaning they'd fully mapped the ant-nest-like, ever-shifting maze of tunnels, thanks to the worms.
They'd been there a long time, clearly.
But ten years was hard to believe—
- There are buildings and farms. Livable facilities inside the tunnels.
...Unbelievable, yet they'd built their own settlements scattered throughout.
Facilities impossible without at least ten years of residency.
Another unbelievable tidbit.
Soldiers rarely entered and were lax, but how could they miss settlements being built?
As 'he' twitched his hand again amid doubts.
- Eek! Pl-Please believe me! It's true! I'm just saying what I saw!!
Roy Bant wailed desperately.
Like he'd do anything to avoid that pain again.
Thrashing wildly.
- I don't know who they are! But they were organized! They recruited the strong ones in the tunnels! Mostly those with grudges, or hating Pendragon—no, nobles and royals! They had unknown antidotes, restored Fighting Techniques! I saw them teach it to clueless peasants!!
He spilled more, desperately, and shocking details emerged.
- I-I'm the same. I was a lowly soldier from Britannia. Got thrown in here for civilian pillaging, just waiting to die! B-But they taught me Fighting Technique and combat. The potion you took from my pouch is the same. Side effects, but boosts Battle Aura! R-Really! Believe me!
...Utterly unbelievable info.
Two years, he'd said.
His time imprisoned.
A soldier who didn't even know Fighting Technique—a grown man—learned it and reached that level in two years.
Not just any level.
Stronger than half-baked White Silver Lions, even stronger than their leader, the First Knight Commander.
Yet only two years...
Considering it took at least ten years to forge a proper knight, it was astounding.
- M-My job was recruiting those resentful of nobles. Y-You guys too. I knew recruiting you meant promotion, more potions, so... Kughhh!
Mid-spill, Roy writhed in agony again.
'He' had applied another vicious technique while listening.
Roy looked wronged.
- Wh-Why!?
Why now, after spilling everything?
To that retort.
- You're lying blatantly. Pillaging wasn't all, was it?
- !?
- Knew it. You reeked of lies.
- Kuhhhh!!
Roy Bant.
He wasn't just a pillager—a heinous criminal guilty of even child murder.
Confirming this, Lee Han shot a cold glare.
- I’m good at spotting trash.
And continued the torture matter-of-factly.
Not for more info—just to torment.
......
Thus, having heard most of it, the knights wore grim expressions.
"This potion—it's that, right?"
"Yeah, looks like it."
"Hmm..."
They spotted poisoning symptoms on the passed-out Roy in the corner.
And given the unnatural growth...
"Made from monster flesh. 100% sure."
Monster flesh.
Poison to humans—deadly on ingestion.
Animals mutate into monsters—that's common knowledge.
...But get this?
Strictly speaking.
"Humans are animals too, and this proves it."
Some humans survive monster flesh.
Those survivors often gain immense strength, regeneration, superior learning—
A true blessing.
However.
"Most survivors get mania. Quick to anger, to kill. Humanity erodes over time."
Blessing and curse are neighbors, it seems.
In that sense, monster flesh was surely a horrific curse and nightmare.
"Heard stories. 'Demon Plague'—turns you into a ..."
"...Royal records say the last Demon was found thirty years ago. Overpowered a hundred soldiers in a month; took ten knights to slay."
The fate of monster-flesh survivors is always the same.
Monsters instinctively kill humans.
And humans turned monsters—Demons—do the same, and furthermore—
"They even resort to 'cannibalism.'"
"Ugh!"
Cases of not recognizing spouse or kids, devouring them.
The knights, who'd heard such tales in cadet days, eyed the potion with horror.
Lee Han rolled the potion in his palm, gaze sunken.
"...Since he hasn't fully lost his humanity, this potion minimizes those effects. But there's a limit."
Lee Han was certain.
The unpleasant stench from the potion.
A tiny amount of flesh, survivable for humans.
"Must've experimented like mad. How many did they kill?"
Clearly crafted after maxing out human immunity data.
No—not a potion or poison.
A ticking time bomb!
Issues would arise eventually during use.
To develop such bombs, at minimum...
"They used tens of thousands as guinea pigs. Ha! Mad bastards—!"
Jake's confident assertion.
He'd caught illicit mages with Lee Han before, witnessing such experiments often.
Not an expert, but close enough.
All the more horrifying.
How could humans do this?!
Madness, obsession, bottomless malice oozed from it.
"Doesn't matter if they're Blood Cross or whatever now. We gotta wipe them out immediately. Or the future gets uglier."
"Agreed."
A group with such malice.
And they had potions turning people into half-Demons.
Even teaching them advanced Fighting Techniques.
How many such people?
A thousand—no, a hundred—would be plenty threatening.
Enemies threatening the kingdom.
This simple fact mattered. The knights watched Lee Han's mouth.
And he met their expectations.
"Let's go. Wipe 'em all out."
─A refreshingly cathartic response was all he uttered.