Overwhelming Firepower

”So are you willing to talk now?”

That confident demeanor, without even considering the leader, who was a third mantle aura knight and a third circle mage, as a threat.

Lucen Thornehart, the Ruby-Eyed Monster, the Ever-Victorious. It would seem that those nicknames given to him by the people weren’t false praise.

The leader had used her second most powerful killing move, but it did nothing. Her strongest move was something that took a lot of time to prepare, and she was sure that she would not be able to use it on someone like Lucen.

In this situation, where it was obvious that the mission could not be accomplished, and defeat was imminent then there was only one choice for a broken talon.

The leader was about to use the poison hidden in her molar, but the second she thought so, Lucen had grabbed her neck and inserted his hand in her mouth, making her unable to bite.

”Yeah, it’s really easy to read you.”

’Poison hidden in her mouth, another nice cliche. Still, which one has the poison? Am I supposed to just pull out all her teeth? Well, I guess I’ll just look around and see if there’s something different.’

Lucen’s fingers dug into her cheeks, forcing her jaw open. His grip was firm—not cruel, but inescapable.

She gagged, eyes widening as she realized he knew exactly what she was trying to do. Her final escape. Her bitter mercy was ruthlessly denied.

It took Lucen a while, but he was able to find something in the leader’s mouth. It was a small ball-like object, since it was the only foreign object in her mouth, Lucen concluded that it was the poison. Lucen gently removed the object from the mouth and let go of the leader.

The leader who had been released did not look relieved and instead was filled with resentment. She wanted to at least end things on her own terms; she wanted to prove her loyalty would never be shaken, but this man, this monster, would not allow even that.

She glared at him with bloodshot eyes, chest heaving, as she gnashed her teeth in frustration.

”Are you satisfied?” she spat hoarsely, voice trembling. ”You’ve taken my blades, my spells, my resolve, and now even my chosen death. Is this what you wanted?”

”Heh, the way you talk makes me look like the bad guy. If I remember correctly, you’re an assassin, and I’m your target. You make it sound like I bullied you or something.”

She trembled, jaw tight, but said nothing. Lucen casually twirled the tiny poison bead between his fingers as if it were a toy, his grin calm, almost amused.

”Honestly,” he continued, shrugging, ”you barged into my home, tried to stab me multiple times, freeze me, and then tried to commit su*cide in front of me. If anything, I should be the one complaining.”

The way he spoke so nonchalantly, as if all she did today was nothing more than entertainment to him.

”Anyway, now that we have some good exercise, we can finally talk properly.”

”I won’t betray my lord,” she said, voice low, forced through clenched teeth. ”Even if I die here.”

”Yeah, yeah, I get that you’re loyal, but I’m sure that once you remember the truth, I think your tune would change.”

”What do you mean by truth?” Since she could not escape or even end herself, the leader decided to listen.

”How much do you know about Marquis Valeire? Do you think he’s an honorable and just man?”

The leader did not answer, but the way she was staring at Lucen gave away her thoughts, which were basically Of course, he is, what are you even talking about?

”I guess that would be a normal reaction. In a way, I guess that guy does have some qualities of a benevolent leader, and depending on the situation, a just man.” Lucen said while shrugging his shoulders.

He tossed the poison bead up once, caught it, and slipped it casually into his pocket.

”But that,” he continued, eyes narrowing with a faint smirk, ”is only the side of him that he wants people to see. His so-called righteousness is limited to what he himself thinks is righteous. His benevolence is only to those who bend a knee to him.”

The leader scowled. ”...”

”Think about it, he keeps on saying he does things for Norvaegard, but most of his actions were mostly beneficial to himself.”

”That is wrong!” The leader suddenly shouted. ”The lord who was kind to orphans, who gave shelter to those in need, is not someone like that...” There was then a sudden pause in the leader’s words as he continued. ”Even if he is, surely he would only enrich himself to better help the people.”

”Spoken like a true fanatic.”

The leader gnashed her teeth. She really wanted to punch Lucen in the face right now, but she knew that it wasn’t possible.

”Let me guess,” Lucen spoke, his face looking a bit more serious than before. ”You remember him saving you from a burning hell. Because he saved you and gave you a home to return to, you became indebted to him, and you were convinced of his kind heart. Do you even remember that day he supposedly saved you?”

Her jaw clenched, hard, her stomach twisted. Cold sweat slid down her spine. The leader couldn’t respond to Lucen’s words. Of course, Lucen, who was focused on her, saw her subtle reaction and sighed.

”You don’t actually remember much, do you? You keep telling yourself the memory had become foggy because you were a child at the time; it was a rather traumatic experience.”

Lucen sat on the floor and looked at the leader, who was breathing heavily, just by hearing his words.

”You remember bits of it, don’t you, that burning sensation, that suffocating feeling. Unfortunately, the important parts are now missing from your memories. In your mind, Marquis Valeire braved the dangers and, like a holy being, came down from the heavens to save you.”

The leader couldn’t understand how Lucen knew so much; everything he said was something only she should know. While confused, Lucen asked her a question.

”Do you remember the faces of your parents and your siblings?”

The second Lucen asked that question, blurry figures appeared in her mind. They were always laughing and smiling at her. It made her remember a warmth she had long forgotten.

”You can’t remember, can you? Do you remember the face of your mother as she protected you from the flames? Of your dying father and siblings as they tried their best to make a path for you to retreat?”

The more Lucen spoke, the more erratic the leader’s breathing became. Those blurry figures, those warm smiles, felt so real it hurt, and yet she couldn’t hold onto them. The more she reached, the more they slipped through her fingers like ashes.

”No matter how hard you try, you can’t recall much before being saved, can’t you? The memory of that day feels off to you, right? The memory you recall is one where you were alone in a burning house, and the Marquis came to save you.”

Every single word uttered by Lucen just made the leader’s head hurt even more.

”Don’t you find it strange? Why would you be alone in that burning memory? Why would the Marquis personally save you? Don’t say because he’s a good man bullsh*t. How can someone as high-ranking as the Marquis be near your place at the time you need him? Don’t you think that’s too much of a coincidence?”

The leader’s pupils shook. Her breathing, already unstable, hitched sharply as Lucen’s words hammered against memories she had spent years refusing to examine. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, nails digging into her palms.

Lucen leaned forward just a little, elbows on his knees, voice steady, not comforting, just matter-of-fact.

”Think about it,” he said softly. ”A Marquis, one of the highest nobles in Norvaegard, just happens to be walking by a random house in the middle of the night? At the exact moment it catches fire? Alone, without guards, without attendants?”

The leader’s head was starting to hurt even more; it was like someone was smashing a heavy hammer on her head.

”Even a countryside baron doesn’t walk around alone. But a Marquis does? Near your home? On that day? At that hour? It must be a miracle of the deities that guided him to that place, or something? You know that can’t be it, right?”

The leader, whose pupils were shaking, looked at Lucen, who was staring at her with pity in his eyes.

”The Rook family, a former knight family under Marquis Valeire. Their entire family was said to have died after a surprise attack by monsters. Their mansion was burned down to the ground, and there were no survivors, or so the story goes. Of course, the truth is completely different.”

The leader froze. The moment Lucen said Rook family, something inside her twisted violently. A sharp, stabbing pain ran through her skull, so sudden she nearly collapsed again.

”Since the person right in front of me is the sole survivor of that family, you, Cassandra Rook.”