Nerijus shuddered the moment that small knife pressed against his face. He didn't want to remember what it had just done to him, but the mere touch of its edge brought the memories flooding back in jagged flashes.
That horribly dull blade had, bit by agonizing bit, sliced away his eyelids, his nose, his lips, and his ears.
If it had been only pain, he could have endured it—after all, the Mohgwyn Dynasty revered wounds, blood, and suffering. But those severed pieces of him had been casually dropped onto the ground, slowly forming a strange, twisted "face," its features jumbled out of order.
Nerijus had felt each piece of himself being taken away, and he had watched that grotesque "face" take shape. And when it was complete, his mind finally shattered.
"I'll tell you everything—everything…"
In that instant, Nerijus fully betrayed the oath he had sworn upon joining the Dynasty. He wanted nothing more than to spill every secret he knew, if it meant this torment would end.
"I first landed on the beaches of Limgrave with my maiden," he began. "We ran into plenty of enemies along the way—especially Godrick's Tarnished-hunting squads. Barely escaped with our lives."
"After all the fighting, I'd saved up quite a few runes. She used them to strengthen me several times. But later, the runes needed for a single level-up grew higher and higher. I went a long time without gaining strength, while our enemies just kept multiplying. She couldn't help me anymore."
"That's when a man in a white mask appeared before me."
"He told me—kill the maiden, break away from the guidance of the Two Fingers, and pledge myself to the Mohgwyn Dynasty. In return, I'd gain power beyond compare."
Nerijus paused, a bitter laugh escaping his lips.
"Hah… of course I agreed. Sure, I was grateful for all the help she'd given me—but I hated her. I envied her!"
"Why couldn't I see the guidance of Grace? Why did she get to lead the way?"
"She must have looked down on me—mocked me behind that smile! At the Roundtable Hold, she always spoke with Tarnished who didn't have a maiden at their side. She was just waiting to find someone stronger, to toss me aside the moment she could. Her mission was all that mattered—me? I was nothing. I knew it. I knew it!"
His voice cracked into a manic roar.
Lucian's brows knit tightly. This was a madman—twisted beyond reason. No wonder the White Mask had found an opening to recruit him.
"Heheheh… I killed her. She looked so shocked at the end—never imagined I'd seen through her plan."
"After that, the masked lord came to me again. He said, in recognition of my resolve, if I killed a few more Tarnished, I could be made a Sanguine Noble."
"Well, I'd already gone that far—what was there to hesitate over?"
"I lured out the ones she used to 'get close' to—hah, and just as I thought, they had indeed been involved with her. Mention her name and they came running."
"I brought them, one by one, to her corpse… and gutted them slowly."
"And strangely… in that slaughter, I felt a pleasure like nothing I'd ever known."
Nerijus' voice softened, savoring the memory of that first intoxicating taste of blood.
Lucian's frown deepened, veins rising on his forehead.
Yura dragged the dull knife across Nerijus' face, cutting a shallow wound, snapping him out of his reverie.
Yura had heard stories like this from countless Bloody Fingers before. It no longer stirred emotion—only deepened his hatred for them.
If this had been an ordinary Bloody Finger, he would have expected nothing useful from the interrogation and simply executed him. But a Sanguine Noble was different—rarely captured, formidable in strength, and capable of taking a Hunter's life in a direct fight.
This one was Lucian's kill. Yura hadn't planned to interfere beyond witnessing his end. But since Lucian had questions, he might as well get his own answers too.
He swore to drag every scrap of information out of Nerijus.
"Keep talking," Yura said coldly. "What did you gain? And why were you made a Bloody Finger?"
Nerijus trembled at the feel of that dull blade once more. "I—I got these two daggers from him. And the Sanguine Noble's garb. Also… some of the Dynasty's incantations. As long as you have enough faith in the Dynasty, you can use them."
"As for becoming a Noble—I've seen some ordinary Bloody Fingers and Pureblood Knights. Without exception, they were all Tarnished without a maiden."
Understanding dawned on Yura. No wonder the Nobles were so few and so deadly. It wasn't just the Dynasty's gifts—them being former Tarnished strengthened by their maidens made them even more formidable.
Among Hunters, those accompanied by maidens were rare enough. Add the Dynasty's weapons and spells, and no normal Hunter could hope to win.
"Lastly," Yura said, "the whereabouts of the other Bloody Fingers. And news of the 'Violet Bloody Finger.'"
Nerijus forced himself to think. At this point, he was as good as dead—dragging others down with him cost him nothing.
"There are three Bloody Fingers hiding on the Weeping Peninsula. It's full of tidal flats—lots of Tarnished have landed there before. But the bridge connecting it to Limgrave is near impossible to take, so they can't leave. They hide and hunt within the Peninsula.
Godrick thinks there aren't many Tarnished there, so he hasn't sent capture squads. But in truth, Tarnished are thickest there.
The Bloody Fingers are combing the place for them.
Here in Limgrave, it's just me. Godrick's squads keep grabbing Tarnished for grafting, so there aren't many around."
"In Liurnia, I hear there's a group of assassins from the Mountaintops of the Giants. In Caelid, maybe one or two."
"As for the 'Violet Bloody Finger.'… I heard she's headed for the Altus Plateau."
When Nerijus finally spat out every last bit of information, Yura looked at Lucian. "Nothing more you want to ask? Should we finish it?"
Lucian didn't answer. He simply walked forward——and crushed Nerijus' skull beneath his boot.
Lucian was merciful, in his own way. He couldn't stand to let this man keep breathing.
"Whew…"
He exhaled long and slow. This one had been a complete lunatic—but then, that was exactly the kind of place the Mohgwyn Dynasty was.