Fallen Apostle Chapter Forty-One: To Be Embroiled (1)

BANG!

The door hinges to the brothel flew open. With the light of dusk sinking over the horizon and the darkness of night ready to sink its grip onto the town of Violet Waters, the brothel was just about to enter its peak hours. In fact, a group of men had already laid claim to the first floor, their expressions warping due to the sudden commotion.

One would have thought that Leonidas would have rested a moment or at least healed his injuries first before he came here, but that wasn't the choice he made. Without wasting any time, the moment he finished his conversation with Deacon Bruthers, he walked a straight line to this very establishment.

The appearance of Leonidas led to the shrieks of many of the working girls. With the night just beginning, the first floor wasn't much more than a bar with service women right now. Groups of men gathered at tables and tipped for a few women to entertain them. For many, this was as far as they would go. But, for the more determined, there were the upper floors and the basement floor.

The temperature of the brothel was easily two or three degrees higher than the outdoors, and the humidity was off the charts. The musty smell of old wood and a tinge of an obscene scent lingered beneath the nose, the dense hot air making it feel as though it was latching onto your skin.

In such an environment, a Leonidas with a gash down his chest and dried blood caked to his torso wasn't as out of place as one might expect. But, that wouldn't stop the security from reacting.

The brothel of Violet Waters was a place that mixed testosterone, beer and sex, not having security would be nothing short of irresponsible. However, Leonidas wasn't in the mood to deal with these matters.

"Bring me the House Lady. Now. Tell her that Missionary Leonidas wants her here immediately. For every minute she delays, that'll be an additional lash. If she doesn't want to lose a layer of her thick skin, I would advise that she move her rotund body as quickly as she can."

The security on the first floor alone totaled at least a half dozen, finding their place in separate locations of the room to observe the situation and keep the peace. They had been ready to converge onto Leonidas' position, but upon hearing the word 'Missionary', it was like a vat of ice water had been poured down their backs. The mad scramble that ensued would have been comical in any other light.

Anabel, who had just caught up with Leonidas, gasped for breath.

She wasn't normally so weak and prided herself on her personal fitness, at least for a human that hadn't received Yves' Blessings. But, she had just spent the entire day on the road and Leonidas had had her skin a Blessed Beast that weighed hundreds of kilograms. To be forced to come here without even the slightest rest was taking a toll on her.

This time, though, Anabel didn't have any thoughts of annoyance, confusion or disbelief. She looked toward Leonidas' side profile and somehow felt that if he chose to do things this way, he had a reason.

Not long later, House Lady Beccerth rumbled her way up from the basement floor.

Leonidas wasn't surprised to see her come from there. The basement floor could be considered to be the true VIP lounging area. Most of Beccerth's energy was unsurprisingly spent there.

While Leonidas wasn't surprised, Beccerth couldn't be said to have the same pleasure. It could be said that Leonidas' face was a constant lurking nightmare to the House Lady. While many commoners would be in the dark about certain things, the brothel was a hub where powerful men gathered. Powerful men, plus women, plus alcohol, was a combination that made the brothel maybe the best place to gather information in the whole of Violet Waters. With this advantage, Beccerth had learned of the change in Leonidas' fortunes many months ago. And now it seemed the devil had finally come knocking at her door.

The current Beccerth lacked the same haughty air she had when she last met Leonidas. She was a woman of short stature to begin with, though this was easy to forget due to how wide she was. Even if Leonidas was a man of average height, he would have towered over her barely five-foot-tall self, let alone the fact Leonidas was just a hair over six foot nine inches.

"F-Fox…"

Beccerth wanted to swallow, but her mouth felt decidedly dry at the moment, a striking contrast from the beads of sweat falling down her brow. It was a good thing her heavy makeup was of high quality, or else her clown mask would have started to leak.

"Who?" Leonidas' low voice rumbled.

Beccerth froze. She had never cared for Leonidas' name change and had even gone out of her way to ignore it when she learned the reason behind it. She was so nervous that her habit got the best of her and slipped out, only making her stammer harder.

Ultimately, though, Beccerth had been able to maintain her position for such a long time because she understood people, had a great depth of social skills and had many connections. Plus, her guard was always nearby and they were in public. Leonidas couldn't do anything excessive to her.

Beccerth took a deep breath, steadying herself.

"My apologies, Your Lordship Leonidas, I have forgotten my manners. What have you come to our establishment for today? Would you like a VIP Room? We have recently gotten a new batch of virgins that has yet to be bet on, you can choose any one of them at your leisure."

As a woman, Anabel frowned with disgust when she heard these things. She had always known that there was another side to Violet Waters she had been lucky to avoid as a young noblewoman, but she had never seen it with her own eyes. How could you just sell off innocent little girls like that?

Beccerth had already noticed Anabel when she took stock of the situation, but it was only appropriate that she focus on Leonidas. However, she never expected Leonidas' response.

"A virgin? I want you. Bring me to your best room."

The House Lady froze, the only thing moving being her chubby cheeks.

"Your Lordship… This… I…"

"What?" Leonidas asked, his gaze piercing her own.

"I… I… I am not among…"

The calm that the House Lady had managed to regather scattered. She had no idea how to respond to this situation.

"You are trying to say that you are not a whore? I don't think that's correct. Every woman here is on the menu, it's just a matter if I can pay for it, right?"

Leonidas' fiendish aura only grew. The saw blade that rested on his shoulder fell to the ground with a shift of his wrist, tearing through the floorboards and almost falling all the way through.

"This is an Apostle's weapon. I'm sure it's enough to buy the worth of your life a thousand times over. You can't mean to say that I can't pay, right?"

Beccerth felt that she had been forced into a corner, but Leonidas didn't allow her to find a way out. He took a step forward, the foul stench Beccerth was giving off making him feel as though the fine hairs of his nose were being burnt one follicle at a time. However, he didn't seem to care in the slightest, stepping by her and walking up the stairs to the second floor.

The House Lady bit down on her teeth hard. If it was just a matter of getting fucked, she would still be able to swallow this matter. But, when she remembered how Leonidas' mom died, she couldn't help but feel a cold shiver run down her spine.

'He can't kill me, too many people have seen him. He would have to pay a price… He would have to pay a price…'

Beccerth felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. She didn't know how she managed to climb those stairs and enter that room, but it seemed like under the disgust-filled gaze of Anabel, she had no other choice.

Facing Leonidas once again, she felt like he had suddenly become a towering mountain she couldn't see to the peak of.

Leonidas threw a glance over at Anabel and shook his head.

"Why close the door? Leave it open, Anabel. I'm sure the whores of this house are eager to hear their House Lady squeal. It's not like they have any innocence left to protect." When his gaze turned back toward Beccerth, it was decidedly colder. "Are you going to continue wasting my time? Strip."

The commotion had brought a lot of attention, but with jobs to do, the hallways of the second floor were empty of anything but Anabel. Even knowing this, though, the psychological pressure and humiliation Beccerth felt having the door open was more than she expected.

"Now."

The baritone of Leonidas' voice almost made the House Lady lose control of her bowels. The hidden undertone of War Cry he had laced with his words was a lot even for a Paladin or Apostle to handle, let alone a normal woman like this.

Thanks to the Knowledge Well of the Fallen Apostles, Leonidas had learned a lot about his Bloodline Talents and how they could be used. This was precisely why he had been able to maintain his rationality in Berserk and also how he had gained such fine control over War Cry. Beccerth didn't even realize it, but the reason all her ability to handle pressure and social situations had vanished was because of this.

The fear in Beccerth's heart was so strong that she no longer dared to waste any thoughts on escape or weaseling out of this situation. To make matters worse, her guards didn't have a reason to step in because the door was wide open.

Leonidas knew that Beccerth had secrets her backers didn't want her to divulge. Had Leonidas tried to do this in secrecy and taken a lighter approach, he might have been stonewalled. But the façade of a heartbroken son looking for revenge was all too perfect.

Leonidas got no pleasure out of watching Beccerth strip. In fact, with the sensitivity of his nose, it only made his revulsion deepen and his stomach turn.

There was no surprise that Beccerth was morbidly obese, her fat roles had their own fat rolls, her skin lost any sort of elasticity it should have had, and even what should have been some of the most attractive features of a woman had been warped and distorted. Yet, this was just the tip of the iceberg.

Grotesque discolorations covered her from head to toe, alternating between the layers of skin that could breathe air and the layers that very much couldn't. Even with a slight shift to her body, dried and caked dead cells fell like the rain while the forest between her armpits and legs had weird splotches of white that may very well have been an infection of some sort.

The sanitation of Violet Waters wasn't the best, but this wasn't a problem the rich like Beccerth should have faced. Seeing such a scene, Leonidas' cold expression couldn't help but give way to a sneer.

"Get on your knees."

"Y-yes…"

Beccerth could only lower herself with the support of the bed. But, even then, she ended up faltering and landing on her knees, a sharp yelp of pain leaving her mouth.