Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: Hold It—Bottom Dealing?
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Crack—.
Oh, this is tasty.
“Rishi, wanna come here?”
“Huh?”
Rishikida, who had been standing obediently by his side, stepped closer, and Sion let out a soft “Ah,” his mouth falling slightly open.
The knight tilted her head, then parted her lips just a touch, and her master slipped a sweet-scented cookie between them.
“Mm?”
“Try it.
They say northern nobles live worse off than folks elsewhere, but they’re doing pretty damn well.”
The sight of the woman with the cookie in her mouth was incredibly tantalizing.
If he stared any longer, his ever-observant little one might perk up without a care, so Sion lifted his teacup and took a sip.
Rishikida stared blankly at her master for a moment, her face flushing red, before carefully nibbling at the cookie he’d given her.
Thwack—.
“Guh!”
Thwack thwack!—
“Urk!”
While Sion leisurely enjoyed his tea and snacks, Kim Yuhyun was over by the window, drawing the curtains closed and beating the hell out of one man inside—truly going to town on him.
No “tell the truth!” or “confess now and I’ll stop” nonsense.
Just silently, without a flicker of expression, Kim Yuhyun carried out his task.
It might look like plain old assault or battery to an onlooker, but to the victim, it was punches beyond comparison—truly the five fingers of death.
Kim Yuhyun knew exactly which spots, which pressure points and vital areas on a person to target with his fists to make the recipient want to bite their tongue and die, wondering if they might just cough up blood and keel over right then.
“...”
And his moderately worn-down conscience made for the perfect condition.
If he’d tasked someone else with this, they might’ve balked at beating an unarmed man half to death with zero evidence.
“...Or maybe not?
Lily would’ve loved it and tormented him worse, Rishikida would follow any order no questions asked, and Trisha... best not to go there.
As long as she doesn’t threaten to burn him alive, it’s fine.”
With that thought, Sion kept munching away at the cookies.
These snacks up here were surely prepared by that Viscount Gino fellow to show off his leisure while chatting with him.
And now Sion was using them as popcorn while enjoying the beatdown show.
“Gack!
Keurgh!”
“Hmm.”
Viscount Gino, struck again by the inquisitor’s blow, finally couldn’t endure the pain and doubled over.
Kim Yuhyun withdrew his fist and peeled off the black cloth covering the viscount’s face.
Once he removed the handkerchief gagging his mouth too, Viscount Gino looked straight at Sion, ready to shout, “What the hell is this?!”
“Shh.”
Wham—.
“Grk!”
This time, Kim Yuhyun’s fist slammed down on his back.
A jolt shot through him, and Viscount Gino felt his voice catch in his throat.
Thanks to that, his plan to feign nonchalance and rage at Sion Klauzen crumbled in an instant.
“Wondering what this is all about?”
Slurp—.
Sion tilted his teacup leisurely, gazing at Viscount Gino, whose eyes brimmed with terror at Kim Yuhyun.
This wasn’t just anyone—it was Kim Yuhyun, the protagonist himself, who’d dragged him into the chamber of truth.
He hadn’t shown the full treatment, just a teaser, barely a sketch, but even that was a cultural shock for Viscount Gino.
“So, got anything to say?”
“Wh-what are you...”
“Rishi.”
No need for anything else.
If it wasn’t the answer he wanted, he had neither the time nor the patience.
At Sion’s gesture, Rishikida pulled out another handkerchief.
Without giving Viscount Gino a chance to react, she stuffed it back in his mouth.
Then Kim Yuhyun smacked the back of the squirming viscount’s head, and as his face lolled from the impact, draped the black cloth over it again.
“Kim Yuhyun.”
At Sion’s call midway into dragging him back to the chamber, Kim Yuhyun turned.
“Looks like we should ramp it up a bit.”
“...Yeah, that’d be best.”
Viscount Gino wanted to scream at their conversation.
What the hell did “ramp it up” even mean?
Of course, moments later, as he was hauled toward the curtains, he’d learn exactly what Sion meant—body and soul.
“Gulk!
Keugh!”
Places that wouldn’t threaten life, spots that wouldn’t cause fatal injury.
But ones that doubled the agony—Kim Yuhyun hammered them effortlessly.
By now, most underlings would’ve cracked under the pain and spilled everything.
And since he couldn’t afford a death, Kim Yuhyun focused even more than usual, emphasizing precision over mercy.
“Um, Master.”
“Yeah?”
“Th-the cookie you gave me earlier was so sweet.
C-could I have just a sip of tea?”
“You wanna drink from my cup?
Just tell someone outside to bring another one... why go out of your way...”
“Just one sip!”
“Keugh!
Gulk!
Keurgh!”
Whether someone was being tortured or beaten to a pulp behind the curtains, half-dead or not, it had long since slipped from Rishikida’s mind.
Her focus was solely on the teacup Sion’s lips had touched.
Like a puppy racing over at the sound of a treat bag ripping open, eyes sparkling as it begged its owner—like that, Rishikida gazed at Sion.
Finding her eyes a bit too intense, Sion hesitantly offered his cup.
Sure, the cookies were sweet, so rinsing with tea made sense, but insisting on his cup felt suspicious.
“Hmm...”
Rishikida eyed Sion’s cup intently, soon spotting the spot with her sidelong glance.
Where his lips had been!
Like sniffing the tea’s aroma, she brought her nose close, inhaled deeply, then pressed her red lips right there and took a sip.
“...I thought only Lily was the eager one, but she’s heating up just as bad.”
Sion worried that dragging this out might turn Rishikida dark too.
Looked like it was time to pet his puppy-like knight.
Splash!
“Grk!”
Viscount Gino emerged from the chamber of truth in a wretched state.
To avoid obvious signs, Kim Yuhyun had steered clear of face spots that might bleed.
No bruises showing either, so arms and legs untouched.
Instead, using mana, he’d neatly worked over the viscount’s meridians, pressure points, and organs.
“Gack, keurgh!”
With the handkerchief removed, Viscount Gino hacked up a storm of pained coughs.
His eyes welled with tears, snot streamed from his nose, and drool stains were fully visible—how much it hurt.
“Hmm.”
Sion crunched the last of the cookies, staring impassively at Viscount Gino.
A silent question: Don’t you have something to say?
Even after that thrashing from Kim Yuhyun of all people, Viscount Gino caught on and hurriedly spoke.
“Y-Young Lord Sion Klauzen.
If those northern barbarians said anything weird, it’s absolutely not true.
Everything—everything’s a plot to divide the kingdom, split public opinion, and slander us northern nobles...”
“Rishi.”
You’re something else, Sion thought, inwardly applauding as he sipped his tea and called the puppy-like woman.
Rishikida hurriedly set down the cup and pulled out another handkerchief from within.
Anticipating what came next, Viscount Gino thrashed, but Kim Yuhyun pinned him with a terrifying glare promising death.
“Curious?
How many handkerchiefs my guard’s got.”
“Guh, keurgh!”
“Rishi.
How many left?”
“Three more, Master!”
“That’s right.”
Three, plus the one he’d just had in his mouth.
Meaning at least four more rounds of this hell—Viscount Gino’s face went sheet-white.
Of course, Sion had no intention of dirtying Rishikida’s handkerchiefs further.
“Kim Yuhyun.
Feel free to get serious now.
Whatever method you mentioned to make them talk.
I don’t know the details, but he’s held out this long, so I can’t hold you back anymore.”
Kim Yuhyun’s eyes gleamed at that.
Sion knew exactly what came next, even if he’d phrased it mildly.
He’d been pushed to the brink of madness in the martial world, time and again.
Folks around couldn’t take those methods and offed themselves.
So Kim Yuhyun used them on his enemies without hesitation.
And now, Viscount Gino was about to become that “enemy.”
“Viscount Gino.
This one’s purely humane.”
“Guh, keurgh!”
“If—just if—you’ve got something to tell me now, close your eyes tight and stay still.
No more nastiness.
But if you keep stubborn...”
“Mmph!
Mmmph!”
Looked like the moderate beating had convinced him he could endure this level.
Sion sighed and flicked his hand lightly.
Kim Yuhyun, face icy cold, began dragging the chair-bound viscount back into the chamber.
‘Bone-and-flesh severance.’
A hellish technique—or martial art—that literally tore bone from flesh in agony.
A regular guest in the novel’s martial world arcs; once named, it never ended well—top of the bad-omen list.
‘If a mere apprentice knight-level guy takes that.’
It’d be worse than a pig’s death squeal.
Even tough guys eventually screamed, spilling every secret under that pain.
Viscount Gino thought he’d held up well so far, but to Kim Yuhyun, he hadn’t even entered the true “chamber of truth” yet.
As Kim Yuhyun vanished with him beyond, he decided to tidy the surroundings before properly separating bone from flesh.
Standing, he cracked the door—revealing the viscount’s butler and a few maids waiting outside.
“Young Lord Sion Klauzen.
Need anything?”
“Oh, our chat with the viscount’s dragging on.
No need to wait here—head back and stand by, come again in about twenty minutes.”
The handsome young man’s smile made trust bloom where none existed.
The maids blushed and nodded faintly; the butler, catching the reassurance, said, “Then I’ll handle some business and return. We’ve plenty of snacks—enjoy your talk,” and withdrew.
From Viscount Gino’s view, lamentable—he’d kept even manor staff in the dark to minimize leaks.
Had they known, they might’ve sensed trouble and acted; clueless, they just figured the talk ran long.
‘Kim Yuhyun’s probably silenced him from screaming anyway, but better safe than sorry with people.’
Preparations set, Sion shut the door.
To Kim Yuhyun, the signal to start intel extraction.
To Viscount Gino, the moment his first bone-flesh severance began.
“Keeeeuuugh...”
Even suppressed from screaming, a deflating, dying gasp leaked from the chamber.
“Ah, noise pollution, fuck.”
Scratching his ear, Sion decided to drown it out.
“Rishi.
Come here?”
“Yes?”
As Rishikida sidled closer, Sion grabbed her waist and pulled her onto his lap.
A senior knight could’ve tensed up and resisted or brushed off his hand, but Rishikida did no such foolish thing.
She just blushed and nestled into her master’s arms like a meek puppy.
“You look extra pretty today.”
“Eek?
M-Master.
Wh-why say that so suddenly...”
After seeing that nauseating rebound bastard’s mug, you look like a fairy, that’s why!
Sion muttered inwardly, wrapping his arms gently around her waist.
“Kuuu... keugh...”
Dying gasps trickled from the chamber, but no one here cared.
Sion breathed in Rishikida’s sweet scent, nuzzling her hair with nose and lips, while she blushed furiously, barely suppressing a blissful smile at her master’s touch.
“Ku, keuugh...”
And this novel’s protagonist, Kim Yuhyun, was slowly dismantling a man.
―――――――Author's Note―――――――
Wonder if a scene matching Rishi's illustration will pop up soon...!
Yas?
Recommendations!