Encounter with the Demon (2)
A massive wooden club came crashing down on Eunhyeon's head, snapping it back violently.
Blood splattered across the floor, streaming from his scalp, yet Eunhyeon stood his ground, steadfastly enduring the Cracir Guard Knight's assaults without retaliation.
"What the hell is this guy?!"
In the cramped single cell barely large enough for one person to lie down, the knights struggled to drag out a single man.
"Get out of the way!"
Frustrated, one knight tossed aside his club and clenched his fist, slamming it into Eunhyeon's abdomen with all his might.
Eunhyeon's body lurched backward from the direct hit, but that was all. Despite the blow, no scream or groan escaped him. It was unbelievable—the sheer resilience pouring from his emaciated frame as he refused to fall. The knights could only stare in dismay.
With his arms bound behind his back, he offered no real resistance, simply taking the barrage to shield Erin behind him from the knights' approach.
"This is driving me insane. For real…."
He looked just like a mother bird protecting her chick.
Eunhyeon's body was gaunt to the point where his bones were visible beneath taut skin, yet some inexplicable strength kept him upright like an unyielding wall amid the knights' one-sided beating. It grated on their nerves.
First, their pride stung at failing to subdue a dying old man of a prisoner. Second, impatience gnawed from their superiors' nagging to interrogate the suspect quickly and wrap up the case.
"Hey, open your mouth and talk to us. We need to know your goal if we're gonna help you."
Sensing this standoff could drag on forever, another knight stepped forward to persuade him.
"That girl behind you is the prime suspect in the string of noble assaults in Fernin. Looks like she got you too. So why the hell are you protecting her?"
It had all started when two Aiter male students arrived at the palace's Cracir Guard Knights headquarters, supporting a nobleman.
The Cracir Guard Knights were originally formed to protect the royal family, selecting only the kingdom's strongest through rigorous screening and tests.
Though Artia held investigative authority, the young students—thinking in simple terms—had sought help from the most powerful group, bypassing adult complexities like chains of command.
They testified to witnessing a female classmate from their school reduce Ashton Armitas, the vice duke's heir, to a near-mummified state in the abandoned warehouse.
Having brought Ashton himself, drained of mana and vitality, their credibility soared.
When a knight realized Ashton's symptoms matched the previous noble victims, he reported it up the chain in shock.
"This is our chance."
Cracir's higher-ups mobilized knights to arrest the suspected female student in the noble assault chain, aiming to resolve the case ahead of the investigating Artia.
They'd been eager to humble the famously rising Artia when this variable appeared.
With the suspect nearly confirmed, all that remained was interrogation—until this man intervened.
He'd demanded arrest alongside her and sharing the tiny cell. Now, he was obstructing them.
Underestimating the frail-looking man as harmless had been their gravest mistake.
The knight berated himself; from the ruins, when Eunhyeon approached carrying the girl in his withered arms, something had felt off. He should have been wary.
"Let's do this nicely. We need to interrogate her. We don't want to use more violence."
For the first time, Eunhyeon's expression shifted at those words.
One corner of his mouth curled in clear mockery toward the knights.
The knight who'd beaten him twitched his brow at the smirk.
"You laughing?"
He strode up, seized Eunhyeon's collar, and yanked his face close.
"We amuse you? The royal guard knights of the kingdom? Huh?!"
"Ges, stop."
Ignoring his comrade's restraint, Ges held firm, already irritated and now furious at the sneer.
"Fine, yeah? My fists are tolerable, huh? Let's see how much you can take."
From that moment, Ges abandoned dragging out the suspect girl and pummeled Eunhyeon's face.
With each punch, his head snapped aside, face swelling red. Yet Eunhyeon voiced no pain, gazing calmly at his assailant.
That stoic demeanor only fueled Ges's rage.
"Who the hell are you to take my hits with that smug look?!"
It was as if his whole body screamed, 'Your attacks mean nothing to me.'
'Something's off.'
Delrn, watching from behind, pondered the nagging doubt.
No fear or terror in Eunhyeon's eyes amid the beating. No anger or humiliation either.
This wasn't normal human endurance from his weakened form. Doubts crept in.
Why endure such one-sided violence?
If he wanted negotiation or demands, he'd have spoken.
Yet he stayed silent, solely blocking access to Erin.
'But why protect her?'
Only Eunhyeon and the unconscious Erin—presumed perpetrator—were found at the site.
Circumstantially, Eunhyeon was the likeliest to have subdued her.
But if so, why now block her interrogation while imprisoned together?
Too many inconsistencies; Delrn decided to report upward.
"Ges. Let's head back."
"Huh?"
Ges scowled.
"I haven't finished with this bastard yet."
"I don't know his connection to the girl, but we can't kill him. We need to interrogate and make him spill everything."
"He's not talking—just standing there like a mute bastard. What info?!"
"Big trouble!"
Another knight burst into the cell, rushing to Ges and Delrn.
"What now?"
"Another one!"
"What?"
"Another victim!"
"What?"
"What?!"
Shocked by the late arrival's urgent news, Ges released Eunhyeon's collar, shoving him aside before exiting to hear details.
Soon, Delrn and Ges stared wide-eyed at the knight, then each other, finally turning toward Eunhyeon and Erin.
"Another victim has appeared!"
At those words, Eunhyeon's sealed lips finally parted.
"Finally, the news I've been waiting for."
"Ha?"
Ges gaped at the first voice from the man who'd uttered no screams or groans.
"What? The mute can talk?"
"Is that the priority right now?!"
"Eyewitnesses reported the scene, and this victim-looking guy was there too. The fainted girl's almost certainly guilty. But another victim means… multiple perpetrators?"
It wasn't impossible.
"Hey, knights."
Eunhyeon, who'd quietly listened to the Cracir members, spoke up.
"At this rate, you won't catch the culprit, and noble casualties will keep mounting. Why butt in when you should've left it to Artia? Now if you fail, Cracir gets dragged through the mud too."
"This fucking punk!"
Ges spat curses, heated by the sneering grin.
"…What do you want to say?"
Delrn frowned at him.
"Get me your superior."
"Ha!"
"Impossible. Say it to me."
"Info on the demon prowling Fernin's streets right now."
"What?"
"Demon?"
"Its location, goals, and how to counter it."
"…."
"Tempting, right?"
"Ha! Delrn! Don't buy this bastard's bullshit!"
Delrn pondered.
Eunhyeon, who'd endured Ges's violence in silence, now proposed a deal—at this precise moment.
"Why not offer it from the start?"
"Huh? How could I trust you? You mobilized on those two kids' report alone, already deeming my girl the culprit."
"That's…."
The report, victim's state, circumstances—all pointed clearly.
"Couldn't link Ashton to other victims, uncover why those nobles were targeted, or find a single clue. You rushed on eyewitness word alone to ruin an innocent life