C247

The darkness was absolute, with no one in sight. It felt like a void, with Altrouge alone in the midst of it. The silence was deafening, leaving her feeling hollow and empty.

She couldn't even be sure of the existence of time, with nothing to compare it to, and no way to prove her own existence.

Altrouge was filled with panic, as the only thing that could prove she existed was the king who visited her every few days, teasing and tormenting her.

As a dead apostle and true ancestor who had long since disregarded pain, she had no defense against the pleasure he inflicted on her. The lack of other sensory input made his teasing all the more unbearable, but he was the only evidence she had that she existed.

Though she hated it, she couldn't help but hope for his visits. She felt trapped in a corner of her own thoughts, constantly anticipating his arrival.

But the king soon shattered her sense of security by coming at random times. Altrouge realized she had been naive to think he would stick to a schedule, as he was an expert at playing with her psyche. Even when she tried to adapt, he always found a way to keep her off-balance and in a state of constant anxiety.

"Do you know what true fear is?" the bastard asked in a calm tone, even as Altrouge struggled to control her expression.

"True fear," he continued, "is when I tell you the time and let you adapt to it, only to break that adaptation. You'll never know when I'll come or how I'll treat you. You can only hope and fear that I'll come at a fixed time, and then I'll mercilessly destroy that hope. You'll live in a constant state of fear."

Altrouge's voice trembled as she asked, "What... what do you want?"

"I've been merciful enough to spare your lives. Tell me about Crimson Moon," the bastard said calmly, his voice devoid of emotion.

Altrouge cried out, "Please, no more torment! I'll tell you everything."

"Good." With a snap of his fingers, the black mud that had blinded her eyes began to recede and flow away from her head.

As her vision cleared, Altrouge looked tearfully at the man. Despite his calm demeanor, she felt timid and afraid of him.

In some ways, this man was even scarier than Crimson Moon, the one who had created her life. Crimson Moon's punishment was straightforward, direct death. But this man's punishment was on another level, several dimensions higher.

She couldn't help but feel a deep sense of fear and awe towards him, on an instinctual level.

Shirou brought out a bowl of blood and held it out to Altrouge. "As a Dead Apostle, you haven't had blood in almost three months, have you? You must be starving. I'm a merciful king. This is some blood that I've saved for three months. Come on, fill your stomach, and we'll talk slowly."

Altrouge licked her lips, feeling the hunger gnawing at her insides. As a hybrid of a Dead Apostle and a True Ancestor, she couldn't rid herself of her dependence on human blood. After being left for almost three months, she was weak and desperately needed to replenish her supply.

But the blood Shirou offered was from three months ago. Wasn't it too stale?

As a princess, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. If they were going to feed her, couldn't they at least use fresher blood?

However, now she was a prisoner, and it was better to swallow her pride, or else this bastard might impose some horrible punishment on her.

Shirou brought the bowl of blood in front of her, and Altrouge, with her limbs locked, took a sip.

The taste of human blood revived Altrouge's weakened body, and she felt a surge of energy. Her eyes lit up, and she reached for the bowl to drink more, but Shirou had already taken it away.

"Give it back to me!" Altrouge's eyes went wild, her face full of greed.

Weakened by her long starvation and tormented by Shirou's psychological games, she couldn't resist the urge to drink human blood, especially when it was in front of her but just out of reach.

Shirou sat in front of Altrouge, placing the bowl of blood beside her, and said, "Let's talk about Crimson Moon's affairs. You tell me a bit, and I'll reward you with a sip. Of course, if I think you're lying, we'll continue with the previous punishment."

She licked her sharp canine teeth and looked at Shirou with crimson eyes, her once-elegant demeanor now replaced with a feral hunger. "What do you want to know?"

"Crimson Moon's power and allies, and whether it's looking for a fairy named Vivian. And if so, why does it want to find her?"

She hesitated for a moment before answering, "Yes, he's looking for a fairy named Vivian, but I don't know why."

"Well, that's a good answer," he said, pleased. "Come on, I'll reward you with a sip."

He lifted the bowl and placed it in front of Altrouge, allowing her to drink a small amount of blood.

She wanted more, but he quickly took the bowl away before she could drink too much. Frustrated and desperate, she bit down on the edge of the bowl, causing it to crack and spill blood all over the ground.

Shirou gently wiped the blood from Altrouge's lips and admonished her, "Don't be too greedy, or you won't get anything at all."

She spat out the fragments of the broken bowl and gritted her teeth as she glared at Shirou.

"For the second question," he continued, undeterred, "did Crimson Moon have any allies while secretly ruling the Roman Empire?"

She nodded. "Yes, there was a human emperor who came from the east, Attila. Although I don't know why Crimson Moon would cooperate with humans, he did team up with Attila."

Shirou frowned, deep in thought. Was this Attila the Hun, or the Attila who should be on the moon? If it was the former, it was a false alarm, but if it was the latter, things could get very messy.

"Did Crimson Moon and Attila have any agreements?" he asked, his voice measured.

"Non-aggression," she replied, her tone flat.

He fed her again, and this time, she listened obediently and refrained from biting the bowl.

"So who are Crimson Moon's enemies?"

She hesitated before answering. "There are remnants of the Roman Empire, as well as the Roman Empire that migrated to Byzantium over a hundred years ago. Crimson Moon secretly sabotaged the Holy Church in the Roman Empire, causing many of its followers to flee to Byzantium."

Shirou continued to question Altrouge, and she answered each one as best she could. It was difficult to tell whether her answers were true or false, but judging by Altrouge's timid demeanor and the information Shirou already knew, he believed that most of her responses were accurate.

After she had drunk enough blood, Altrouge let out a sigh of relief and began to feel a bit more confident. "You claim to know everything, so why do you need to ask me?"

He let out a tired sigh. "My ability is to see through multiple dimensions... but nevermind, it's a complicated concept that you probably wouldn't understand."

She looked at him blankly, unable to comprehend what he was saying.

Shirou's smile was like that of a devil in the abyss as he asked Altrouge, "Do you want to be free?"

Altrouge hesitated, unsure if she could trust Shirou's words. "You... would you really let me go?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Shirou's smile widened. "Not only can I let you go, but I can also help you escape Crimson Moon's control and truly gain your freedom. You will no longer have to worry about when and where your body will be taken away by Crimson Moon. So, do you want to be free?"

His voice was soft and full of temptation, like a succubus luring humans to their doom. But in reality, he was the human, and Altrouge was the Dead Apostle, the true devil. And now, this human was tempting the devil with the most alluring temptation of all - freedom.

Altrouge couldn't resist the temptation of freedom that Shirou offered. Her eyes shimmered with hope as she considered the possibility of breaking free from Crimson Moon's control.

But as a creation of Crimson Moon, was she betraying him by wanting to be free?

"I... I..." Altrouge hesitated, unsure of what to say.

Shirou's gentle finger pressed against her lips, stopping her from speaking. He looked at her like a predator looking at its prey, and said softly, "Don't rush to answer. Take your time and think about it. You can give me your answer when I return."

With that, he stood up and left the cell, leaving her alone in the darkness.

She looked around at her confining cell and felt the weight of her decision. Her eyes were blank, yet somehow, they also shone with a strange light.

On the ground, there was only a broken bowl and a pool of blood stains...