[WARNING: THE FOLLOWING STORY CONTAINS GRAPHIC AND BRUTAL SCENES. IF YOU FIND THIS DISTURBING, PLEASE SKIP!]
The three beastfolk from the Snow Bear clan exhaled a long breath. They felt very relieved because their severely injured comrade had apparently been successfully saved and was now on his way back to the city to seek help. The heavy burden that had previously crushed their chests slowly began to lift.
"Thank you very much for having helped us and also our comrade." said one of the beastfolk sincerely, bowing his head deeply toward Calian and Wolvin.
Calian just nodded slowly accepting that gratitude. However, his task here was not over yet. The purple-haired youth's gaze shifted toward the four slave hunter humans who were still lying unconscious on the ground due to Wolvin's crushing blows.
The youth walked approaching one of them who appeared to be the group leader. Calian crouched down, grabbed the man's shirt, and pulled it until his head was raised.
Slap!
Calian slapped the human's face very hard. The sound of the slap echoed loudly, strong enough to make the man instantly jolt awake from his unconsciousness with panting breaths and eyes widening in confusion.
"Are you awake?" asked Calian in a very cold tone, looking straight into the man's pair of eyes. "How does it feel to be incapacitated unconsciously by the race you have looked down upon all this time?"
The man blinked a few times, trying to gather back his scattered consciousness. As soon as he realized his situation, that he and his group had been defeated, and now he was being interrogated by a youth he did not know, immense anger and ego instantly took over him.
"You bastard!" cursed the man full of anger.
He tried to attack Calian. However, before his hands could move, Wolvin had already reacted. The Night Wolf youth immediately held down both of the man's arms, pinning them firmly to the ground until his bones creaked softly.
"Answer my question!" said Calian firmly, not intimidated in the least. His expression remained as cold as ice. "Is it true that this group of yours intended to kidnap and sell these beastfolk to the slave market?"
"That is none of your business at all, brat!" snapped the man roughly, spitting on the ground near Calian's shoes.
Getting such a rough and uncooperative answer, Calian's gaze sharpened even more. The air around him seemed to also turn cold. The youth stood up slowly.
"You three!" said Calian without looking back, giving instructions to the Snow Bears. "Hold down those three humans who are still unconscious! Do not let them wake up and try to escape."
"This one who has regained consciousness, let the two of us handle him personally." added Wolvin affirming his husband's order.
The three Snow Bear beastfolk nodded in understanding without asking many questions and immediately carried out what was ordered. They stood surrounding the remaining captives who were still unconscious.
As for Wolvin, he immediately followed his husband's footsteps while dragging the man roughly, letting the tips of his shoes drag across the uneven ground.
"Let me go, damn it!" rebelled the man with all his might, but Wolvin's grip was too strong to be released. "Where are you taking me?!"
Ignoring the captive's shouts and curses, Calian and Wolvin continued walking away from the open area, until they arrived at a secluded place blocked by thick bushes.
Calian stopped walking, then turned toward his spouse. He held out his hand. "Wolvin, lend me your dagger for a moment."
Wolvin nodded and immediately handed over his beloved black dagger. After receiving the weapon, Calian glared at the kidnapper. His cold gaze was now filled with burning anger.
The youth gripped the man's right hand, forcing him to lie supine on the ground, then pressed his victim's palm firmly against the hard ground surface.
Without any warning and without the slightest bit of mercy, Calian raised the dagger and plunged it through the back of the man's right hand, nailing his hand to the ground.
Fresh blood instantly spurted out of that deep stab wound.
"Aaaaahhhh..... It huuurttssss...!!!!!"
A shrill scream caused by immense pain was heard breaking the silence. That screaming sound was even heard very clearly up to the ears of the three Snow Bear beastfolk who were far from there. However, the three of them only looked at each other in silence and remained on guard holding the other three humans, having no intention to interfere.
Behind the bushes isolating them, Calian crouched down. He stared intently at the criminal who was now groaning in pain, enduring the pain on the back of his hand pierced by the dagger.
"I will ask you one more time!" said Calian in a low and threatening tone. "Who is the person that ordered you to kidnap the beastfolk in this forest?!"
"Aargh... I already told you... none of your business, bastard!" groaned the man in between his ragged breaths, still trying to maintain his ego.
"Very well..." replied Calian coldly, not surprised at all by that refusal. "Let's see, how long you can last when I start skinning you alive here."
Sreeet!
Calian forcefully pulled the dagger from the man's hand, tearing the flesh around the wound and making the man scream again enduring unbearable pain. Blood flowed heavily once more.
However, before the man bled out, Calian instantly activated his blessing, rewinding time on the man's hand, restoring it to be whole and smooth as before the wound occurred.
The man panted heavily, staring at his completely healed hand with a look full of horror. However, his relief only lasted for one second.
As soon as the hand was healed, Calian gripped it again and began to slowly slice the skin of the man's hand with the very sharp tip of the dagger, separating the skin from the flesh with slow and agonizing movements.
"Aaaahhhh.....!!!!!"
A screaming sound far louder than before was heard breaking the forest's silence again. Ignoring that heart-wrenching scream, Calian continued his slicing mercilessly. Blood dirtied the ground once more.
I will make sure you feel the suffering and despair of all the beastfolk you have kidnapped, tortured, and sold like merchandise! said Calian furiously in his heart, his anger unstoppable. Because of the actions and greed of your kind, Wolvin and other innocent beastfolk always have to feel anxious and afraid!
Calian continuously carried out that horrific torture after torture. He stabbed, sliced, let his victim feel the peak of pain, healed him again with time magic, then repeated the torture process from the beginning again endlessly.
The man continuously screamed in pain, his voice slowly becoming hoarse every time the black dagger pierced his skin.
Wolvin, who stood watching from up close, felt very shocked to see the side of his husband that was so cruel, ruthless, and merciless. The Night Wolf youth could only stand agape in silence. He truly never expected that his husband, who always acted gentle and full of love toward him, could do such a horrifying thing to his enemy.
"Tell me now!" demanded Calian. "Who is the person that ordered your group to carry out this mass kidnapping?!"
The man still tried to hold out in silence, and Calian again did what he had to do. The pattern of torture and healing continued. The sound of suffering screams seemed to never stop echoing in that forest.
And finally, after a full hour of experiencing physical and mental torture that felt like thousands of years, the man's mentality completely broke. He sobbed uncontrollably and surrendered.
"Stop... please stop... I will talk!" wailed the man with ragged breaths and a violently trembling body. "The one who ordered and hired us is... Marquis Khail Burtois!"
Hearing that name mentioned, Calian stopped the movement of his dagger. He had finally gotten direct confirmation about who the mastermind of the slave trade operation in this region was. His target was now clear.
"Then, where do you and your group usually send those unfortunate beastfolk after being captured?" asked Calian again, demanding further information.
"T-To be honest, I do not know for sure where they are taken afterwards!" answered the man quickly with panting breaths, fear dominating his eyes. "Our task is only to carry out the order to kidnap them alive in this forest, and after that we get paid! The Marquis' side handles the rest and takes them away who knows where!"
Calian stared intently into the man's eyes, looking for lies. However, he only found pure fear. This man was merely a small pawn who knew nothing about the big picture of the Marquis' plan.
Calian nodded slowly. "Very well. Because you have been honest, I will spare your life."
Hearing that sentence, the man immediately let out a long breath. An expression full of relief was etched on his face wet with tears and sweat because he thought he would be let live.
However, in that very instant, that relieved expression instantly vanished when he saw the murderous look in Calian's eyes.
"Yes, I will spare your suffering today with a death!" said Calian in a very cold tone, glaring sharply at the man who was now tense again in front of him. "A prison sentence of a few years is too light and inappropriate to be given to vile and despicable criminals like you!"
"W-Wait! You promised! I beg you, spare my life!" shouted the man in panic, begging for mercy upon seeing Calian raising his dagger high again. "I promise I will—"
Zrash!