Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Mod7
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Chapter 9 - Turns
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When His Majesty hesitated, unable to bring himself to burn me,
One of the guards stepped forward, snatching the poker from his trembling hand.
“Step back…”
His Majesty protested, his grip tightening on the poker, his sudden defiance surprising everyone. No one understood his motives.
“Hmph…! Give it back!”
He struggled, but he was quickly overpowered, the glowing poker pulled from his grasp.
But then, as if finally making up his mind, His Majesty stepped in front of the guard, his arms spread wide.
“I said I would handle this! How dare you-!”
Slap-
But his brief defiance was short-lived.
The guards ignored his weak protests, obeying the nobles’ commands.
“Release him.”
A single slap, a sharp command, and His Majesty was silenced.
No one supported him now. Or rather, had anyone ever supported him?
Had his pathetic attempts at self-preservation simply prolonged his miserable existence?
“Hic… sob-…”
His Majesty clutched his cheek, tears streaming down his face. It must have been a painful blow for his aged skin.
He owed me nothing. He had tried his best, and now he could simply retreat, returning to his quiet, insignificant life.
But his eyes, still fixed on me, his hand still clutching his stinging cheek, told a different story.
“Y-you… impudent… wretch…”
Perhaps, at the end of his long, pathetic life,
He saw in me, a reflection of his own unfulfilled desires, a desperate yearning for something more.
“Take that! You… bitch! D-die! Die!”
His Majesty swung the poker wildly, his movements clumsy and weak, his attacks so telegraphed that even a blind person could have dodged them.
“Wh-what?! You… you dare to defy me?!”
He flailed his arms pathetically, his outburst quickly quelled by the guards.
“Let go! Let go of me!”
He kicked at their shins with his skinny legs.
Even the smallest creature could inflict pain. The guards, having endured his kicks for a few moments, finally frowned, their eyes seeking guidance from the nobles.
The nobles, their initial focus on me, their anger and their desire to usurp Homunculus’s power, now shifted towards His Majesty’s undignified display.
They wouldn't tolerate this pathetic tantrum for much longer.
“Just get rid of him. We can always find another male. We’ve used him enough.”
The order was given.
And His Majesty’s leg, with a sickening crunch,
Crack-
Snapped, bent at an unnatural angle.
“Aaaaaaaaagh! Agh! Agh!”
He screamed, his cries loud and piercing, rolling on the ground, his body wracked with pain.
Even he, so cowardly and pathetic, couldn't endure this. He sobbed and wailed, his cries echoing through the chamber, and the guards, unable to bear the sound, finally moved to silence him.
“Sob… sniff… aaaaaagh…”
Tears and snot streamed down his face, a pathetic sight. He had crossed a line, defied them, perhaps sealing his own fate.
He could have simply lived out his days in quiet desperation, having already witnessed the deaths of countless males, having learned to ignore their suffering, to survive.
“Y-you… wretches! You think you can get away with this?! Huh?!”
But His Majesty,
Even at what seemed like the end of his life, had given me another opportunity.
***
At first, His Majesty and I were both subjected to their cruelty, taking turns,
But then, their focus shifted towards him. They had two victims now, and I, unlike His Majesty, was still young, my body valuable.
His Majesty was old and weak, practically useless,
But my body, still capable of producing offspring, was a valuable asset.
So, I was subjected to a different kind of torture, designed to break my spirit, to force me into submission. The nobles, their hands roaming across my body, their eyes filled with lust, wanted to claim me, to make me their own.
“Haa… yes… a fine specimen…”
It wasn't pleasant. While many of them touched and tasted me, they only went so far, branding my collarbone with a red-hot poker, then moving on.
They wouldn't violate me here,
Not in front of the soldiers. They would wait until I was broken, my spirit crushed, then they would have their way with me.
Spit-
“…What…?”
I gathered my saliva and spat at one of them. I was slapped in retaliation, their saliva forced into my mouth, but I continued to resist, as long as my body could endure it.
“Keep that defiant look on your face. Yes… let’s see how long you can last…”
***
I didn't know how many hours had passed,
Or whether it was day or night.
When you were restrained and subjected to prolonged pain and stress, your mind shut down, entering a state of self-preservation.
“Move. It’s my turn now.”
But they were careful not to let me lose consciousness completely. After all, an unconscious victim couldn’t provide them with entertainment.
“We just started. If you want to play, go find another one. Or wait your turn.”
“Tsk… so impatient…”
The nobles had left, only the soldiers remaining. They had grown tired of tormenting me, my screams having subsided, my body no longer providing them with the desired reaction.
Repeatedly being burned with a red-hot poker had a silencing effect.
The nobles were likely preoccupied with the power struggle that would follow Homunculus’s death.
Having already had their fill of males, they weren't as desperate as the soldiers.
But the soldiers were different.
They were always the last to receive the spoils, so they had to take advantage of this opportunity.
“Mmmmph!”
“What? He still has some fight left in him.”
“Hold him still.”
I wanted to fight back, to overpower them,
But reality rarely aligned with our desires.
Exhausted and broken, I became their plaything.
“If you don’t stay still, we’ll bring back the poker. Do you want that?”
They gestured towards His Majesty, reminding me of the consequences of defiance.
Even with my blurred vision, I could see his suffering. The red-hot poker, the smell of burning flesh, his whimpers…
And the twitching of his wrinkled muscles, a grotesque and unsettling sight. He couldn’t even die, his torment prolonged, his agony unending.
“That’s more like it… hold him steady.”
“Hold him still!”
While my own situation wasn't pleasant,
It was nothing compared to what His Majesty was enduring.
They had descended into madness. Especially the women who had resented his arrogance, his defiance. They were relentless in their cruelty.
“One hour left.”
A few of them were still waiting for their turn with me. Homunculus’s loyal followers, her pets.
“Then we take over.”
They were simply being considerate of the other soldiers.
After all,
If they took me first, the others would only get leftovers.
The objects they held were disturbing. Strange, bell-shaped devices, designed to be inserted and then opened.
I prayed,
That I would lose consciousness before their turn.
***
“That’s Aaptukemen. Our little birdies tell us that Juho is there.”
The succubus shared this information with Amy, who simply nodded, then checked the human weapon attached to her shoulder.
It was a machine, driven by logic and probability,
And in this moment of uncertainty, of impending conflict, it prepared itself.
“What are you going to do?”
“I have no obligation to inform you.”
I didn't understand why the succubus was helping Amy find Juho. She was clearly working with the moon, but her motives were a mystery.
While I also wanted Juho to escape Aaptukemen’s clutches,
The succubus and the moon’s involvement were unpredictable variables.
“Aw, come on, tell-”
“I must locate Dr. Juho’s bio-signature. Be silent.”
Especially,
Now.
“…”
Near Amy,
Nefer, carrying Juho’s severed hand, was returning to Aaptukemen, searching for him.
In this volatile situation,
A small variable could have significant consequences.