"It's rare for me to take a walk like this," Hector yawned deeply, strolling at ease.
At this moment, the sounds of his footsteps were the only thing Hector heard. Essentially, he was the sole presence in this long, shadowy corridor. Yet, there were many odd things: all of the mana lamps should have been bright at this hour, but for some reason, they barely glowed.
"I don't mind so much."
Everything he said made sense because now he could see the entire passage. Any trace of life, even the faintest mana signal—he could pick up instantly.
All of it, he had already noticed.
"Huh?"
"What the fuck is that?" Hector muttered, narrowing his eyes at a section of the corridor not far away from him.
Cold, mana-infused air was seeping from the cracks between the bricks of the deteriorated yet sturdy wall. More than that, the mist stretched upward, climbing nearly four meters. It was as if a hidden portal lay concealed behind layers of stone.
It was bizarre or something like this showing up here. If someone didn't have vision like his or a similarly sharp ability, Hector doubted they'd have detected it under such conditions.
"Ho ho ho… My lucky coin is amazing," Hector grinned, hurrying toward the strange wall.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
He pressed his ear against the surface and knocked with his fist, muttering, "I hope it's a big treasure..."
After a while, the door finally began to move under Hector's persistent effort. But before he could react, something seemed to push him from behind, causing him to stumble forward in a startling.
When he turned around, he saw the same dusty wall as the others. It was like a revolving door.
"I thought it was just a normal door."
To let out a deep breath, Hector slowly stood up, scanning his surroundings. "The mana here is so thick and cold..."
After a few seconds of hesitation, he decided to move forward, following the source of the mana.
…
Snap!
Snap!..
"Huh? The snap of a whip?" Hector wondered, his brows furrowing as he went deeper into the corridor. The sound grew clearer with every step.
Finally, he reached the source of the noise. He furtively stepped to the stone doorway's edge to reveal his half-head, glancing at the dimly lit room inside.
The room wasn't cluttered with too many things; most of its contents were torture devices. But to an outsider peering in, it would be hard to tell. Their eyes wouldn't see what he saw. All they would notice was a small area illuminated by a mana lamp in the center of the room.
There were a few people gathered there.
"Oh, fuck god... So this is my treasure?"
Hector's vertical pupils widened in shock and confusion when he gradually recognized the people inside, whom he knew all too well.
…
Snap!
Snap!
Snap!
Snap!
A young girl, her face twisted with madness, lashed a whip furiously at another girl, the youngest among them. The victim curled up on the freezing floor, trembling.
She barely let out a sound, only gritting her teeth in silent agony. It was unnatural for someone her age. Clearly, this wasn't the first time she had endured such torment.
The girl wielding the whip began to grow tired. She exhaled deeply, her movements slowing as she gradually halted her cruel assault.
At that moment, an awkward voice broke the silence.
"Uhm… Lady Tenny, I believe that Lady Violet can't endure anymore."
"Huh?" Tenny blinked in bewilderment, snapping out of her trance.
Only now did she fully register what she had just done. She let out a sigh of discomfort and muttered,
"You're right. I've lost control."
Hearing this, the others in the room exhaled in relief, casting sympathetic glances at Violet.
Yet their certain ease came apart with Tenny's next words.
"Give that bitch a healing capsule."
Her tone was cold, indifferent.
Violet, still trembling, flinched violently at those words.
Of course, Hector, who had been observing from a distance, furrowed his brows after witnessing that scene.
Looking at Violet's ragged and bloodied appearance, he felt terrible.
"S-She's just a kid...Moreover, why would Tenny do something so cruel? Is she really one of the main characters?"
"I see her as more of a villain."
Hector sighed.
"This isn't my problem… and I'd be a fool to get involved with the affairs of a major clan."
Then, ever so slightly, he moved his foot in a direction, leaving this place.
"Aahh!" Groans of pain echoed through the air.
It seemed Violet was nearing her breaking point.
She had reached her limit.
After all, she was just a twelve-year-old girl.
"Good! I like this sound!"
…
"You know? I really, really hate you!"
With those acrid words, Tenny continued lashing Violet without pause.
Violet's body was a canvas of bleeding whip marks, torn skin stretching the bloody patches wider.
The tattered clothes clinging to her frail frame were soaked in crimson, barely concealing the outline of a girl destined to grow into beauty.
"I-I'm… sorry." Violet forced out the words, clinging to consciousness despite the burning torment consuming her.
"I-I'm…"
Another strike. Tenny's face was cold, unreadable. She didn't even let her finish the sentence.
"You're insane?" she shouted.
"Again! You're apologizing for that filthy dog? You're literally a lunatic bitch!"
Handing the whip to a nearby subordinate, Tenny stepped forward and stared down at Violet with contempt. Then, without warning, she drove her foot into Violet's abdomen.
"Eurgh!" Violet vomited a mixture of blood and half-digested food, curling into a ball as she clutched her stomach in pain.
She began to sob—not like a warrior, but as she truly was: a child.
Seeing that, Tenny's expression shifted. She spoke with a cruel, satisfied tone.
"Huh? So you do know how to cry?"
Circling around the collapsed girl, she seemed lost in thought.
"Anyway, this will be the last time we meet, so I'll tell you the truth."
A brief silence lingered.
"I've wanted you dead since the day you were born."
"And why?" She rolled her eyes, then answered her own question.
"Because you're stronger than me… You've got potential I'll never have. You have all the love from the clan that I was denied. And worst of all… why? Why were you chosen by the legendary coin?.WHY?!" she screamed, delivering another vicious kick.
But this time, there was no scream. No groan.
Violet just stared at her—eyes trembling, filled with tears.
That expression startled Tenny.
"When our mother died...Do you know how that felt? I felt relieved. She should rot in hell... No, they all should disappear. But instead, I had to wear the mask of a sister—using you and the clan for my gain."
Tenny drew a long, shaky breath and exhaled.
"But now... I've made my decision."
She closed her eyes, trying to calm the storm in her chest.
"I'll leave this weak clan. I want to live true to myself... No, maybe I should have done that from the start."
Then, she turned to Violet again.
"Do you know why I told you all of this? Because it's all your fault… You should never have been born."
"You will die—but not now. I want you to suffer, to endure horrors so unbearable that you'll end it yourself."
With a frozen, deranged stare, Tenny turned back to her subordinates and gave the final command:
"Gouge out the bitch's eyes and bring them to me!"