Chapter Thirty Three
"Don't hit Lily!"
The little guy, Zien, screamed as he threw his tiny body over Lily's as a human shield.
Time seemed to stutter. The only sounds were the whistling wind and the heavy breathing of the orphanage director, Shitty.
THWACK!
"You stupid brats! Do you have to cause me trouble everywhere you go!?" Shitty roared, his face purple with exertion as he raised his foot again. "Why don't all of you die!?"
"You—" Kaelen snarled, dropping the ladle in the pot to intervene.
But I was faster.
Before Kaelen could take any more steps, I had already crossed the distance. My vision bled into a searing, jagged red.
I didn't use a sword. I didn't need one.
I lunged forward, grabbing the orphanage director by his greasy collar and slamming him into the frozen earth with a force that shattered the ice beneath him.
CRACK.
"How. Dare. You," I hissed. My voice wasn't human anymore. It sounded more of a voice that belonged to a bloodthirsty demon.
Bam!
I rained blows down on his face. I didn't feel the cold. I didn't feel the skin on my knuckles splitting against his teeth. I only felt the sickening pulse of his blood splashing onto my sleeves.
How dare he! How dare he hurt my money bank while standing straight on my land! Who gave him the courage!?
[Ping!]
[Host! Stop! You're going to kill him!]
Then, let me.
[Ping!]
[Host, We're begging you! Stop! Think of your image for which you called the villagers! Stop!]
Shut up!
My fist connected yet again with the man's jaw in a spray of red.
I'll kill him. I'll kill him. I'll kill him.
"Master! Stop!" Kaelen shouted, grabbing my shoulder and trying to wrench me back. But with my mana circuit, my brute strength was not something he could surpass now with his measly training and rings. Especially when it was fueled by the murderous aura of my soul, which has lived twice his lifespan.
THWACK!
I threw Kaelen off of me with a violent shrug, my eyes never leaving the director's mangled face.
"How dare he hurt Lily! I'll kill him!"
I grabbed the director's hair, forcing his head back to expose his throat. The man couldn't even scream anymore.
"Gurllghh..."
"You think you can lay a hand on my daughter!?" My voice trembled with rage while my eyes stared at him with a fire that was burning with the sole purpose of revenge. "In my fief? Under my sky?"
I raised my fist for the final blow to crush his windpipe and end his pathetic existence.
Suddenly, a hand like a iron vice gripped my wrist mid-air.
Who dares...
I spun my head around, ready to tear the arm off whoever dared to touch me.
[Ping!]
[Host can't hurt citizens!]
Standing behind was a tall man, his face a map of old battle scars, and his eyes held the steady, dead calm of someone who had seen thousands die.
"Let go," I hissed. "I don't wish to hurt the innocent."
"Please stop, Your Grace," the man sighed. "Look at Lily. Look at the kids. They're scared. Please come back to your senses."
I paused, my fist still clenched and hovering inches from the director's shattered jaw. The red haze flickered.
"Daddy..."
A small, trembling voice broke through the roar in my ears. I turned my head slightly. Lily was huddled on the ground, Zien still draped over her, but her eyes weren't filled with the pride she had shown earlier. They were wide, shimmering with tears, and fixed on my blood-stained hands with a look of pure terror.
I was the hero she had bragged about, and I was currently acting like the monster everyone warned her about.
"Lily... I..."
No... Don't look at me like that, money bank... I...
The rage drained out of me so fast it left me lightheaded. I felt the cold air hit my lungs again. The mana circuit in my chest calmed, though my heart was still drumming against my ribs. I pulled my arm back, and the scarred man slowly released his grip, though he remained close enough to strike if I turned on him.
I sighed, irritated as I stood up, my knees feeling a bit like water, my eyes staring at my hands, the knuckles split and dripping with a dark red.
"Ugh. Kaelen." I called as I watched Kaelen scramble back up on his feet.
"Yes, Your Grace." He stepped forward immediately. He looked shaken. His eyes darted between me and the scarred man who had stopped me, acknowledging him with a slight bow before turning his panicked gaze in my direction.
Who is this guy? Ugh... I'll deal with it later.
"Throw this bastard in the same cell as Vische," I commanded, my voice regaining its cold edge, though it was still a bit rough from the pain of the terror in Lily's eyes for me. "He should have someone as trash as him to keep him company. Ensure he stays alive for now. I want him to experience the hospitality of my dungeons."
"Understood!" Kaelen barked. He grabbed the unconscious director by the leg and began dragging him away across the snow like a sack of garbage.
I turned my back on the scene, ignoring the hundreds of wide-eyed residents who were whispering frantically.
"Oh god! Since when was he this strong?"
"Did he say Baron Vische is in dungeons?"
"Isn't Baron Vische his friend?"
"What is going on?"
Hah...
I looked at the man who was still frozen in his place, his body tense as if he was bracing himself for a strike or a death sentence for daring to touch me.
"Lady Selia."
"Yes, Your Grace," Mrs. Hans replied, her voice small and trembling as she stepped forward.
"Give this man two bowls of porridge," I said, patting his shoulder with my clean hand. The physical contact made him flinch, but I kept my grip firm for a second. "Thank you."
"Ah... It's nothing, Your Grace," he muttered, his eyes widening in genuine shock. A collective gasp seemed to ripple through the crowd.
"Lady Elena."
"Your Grace?" Elena stepped up, her eyes lingered on my bloodied knuckles before they met my eyes.
Why is she worried?
[Ping!]
[How is Host so dense?]
Not now, please.
"Feed all the kids and let them rest in a room in the castle. There's no need to send them back to the orphanage. As for all the residents, I invite you to rest in the greenhouse after consuming the porridge."
I paused, looking at the sea of bewildered faces that were staring at each other in complete silence.
"I'll take my leave," I added, my voice tight, holding back my sigh. "I don't wish to ruin all of your appetites with my monstrous presence."
I turned on my heel, my boots crunching loudly against the snow as I walked toward the castle back entrance, not looking back once.
"What is happening?"