28 – A Small Step

"Has she also done something like this before?" I covered that long blonde-haired female captive body with my robe.

She wiped her tears with trembling hands. "Before this, it was my older sister who was tricked by her."

"She's lying, sir!" The mage snapped.

"I want to investigate my sister's whereabouts." The female captive replied. "So, I pretended to be deceived by her. Something stupid, indeed. I admit it."

Before the mage could yell again, I covered her mouth with my hand.

"You have only one task now," I hissed in her ear. "Burn this place down, and shoot anyone who tries to escape. Got it?"

"Y-yes." She nodded with tears in her eyes as well.

"I want you to wait, lady." I smiled again at the female captive. "To be a witness to what will happen next. However, even if you don't want to, that's fine."

She gulped. "I will stay."

The mage sighed, then shot fireballs to various sides of the room. In no time, people were running around screaming, and the mage was also shooting at them.

The female captive could only watch in silence.

The fire spread at a rapid pace, filling the room with an orange color. The mage moved her neck with a stiff motion to look at me. "I-I've done everything you asked, sir. May I go?"

I whispered to her, "Looks like you have a pretty decent role in this place. I wonder how many people would be happy if you weren't there anymore."

She winced in horror and tried to run away, but I grabbed her by the hair.

"I'm sorry! I won't do that again!" She wept with tears in her eyes. "I'll do whatever you want!"

"Tell me, lady," I spoke to the female captive again. "Will you forgive her?"

The female captive glared at the mage, who was shaking her head with more and more tears.

"This bitch told me that they sold my sister to some lunatic." The female captive mumbled, looking at the crackling fire. "After my sister's body was used by those people, she was thrown into the beast enclosure for spectacle."

"At that time, I was just joking!!!" The mage was getting hysterical, trying to get her hair out of my grip. "She's still alive! I can show her location!"

"You showed my sister's preserved left hand!!!" The female captive slapped the mage as hard as she could. "I know it really is my sister's hand!!! I recognized her birthmark!!"

Before the mage could argue again, I covered her mouth a second time.

"And I know you collect your victim's body parts for collection." The female captive continued while wiping her tears.

"May I?" I asked her.

The woman took a deep breath, paused for a moment, then nodded.

The mage was moving like crazy to free herself, and I threw her into the fire. Her screams of pain filled the room in an instant.

The female captive's body wobbled, and I caught her. She was pale and looked devoid of energy.

"It's all done, lady." I giving her a faint smile. "This city will be safer than ever."

She looked deep into my eyes, then touched my wings. "May I know who you are, good sir?"

"I'm Vorn."

***

I escorted the female captive to safety, then approached my subordinates, standing by the pile of bloodied corpses.

Szur approached me with so much enthusiasm. "I 've convinced those you released to spread your name, my lord."

"Good." I continued walking to Xenora, who seemed lost in thought again. "Holy shit…. What did they do to you, Xenora?"

Xenora's body and face were full of cuts and bruises, and some of her teeth were missing.

"It's okay, my lord," Phisovia assures me. "As she said earlier, she wants to feel more pain. And don't worry. Her wounds won't leave any scars at all. Her loose teeth will also grow back."

I held Xenora's chin, observing her left eye, which was almost closed due to a large bruise. "Looks like I was wrong to bring you to the battlefield like this."

She widened her eyes, then shook her head hard.

Just as I was about to speak again, a loud boom echoed from the direction of the drug factory. It seemed like the fire had already come out of that place.

"We'll talk about that later, my lord." Phisovia put her finger to my mouth, preventing me from persuading Xenora further. "We'd better celebrate this victory first."

"Aah, this is so much fun, my lord." Ritor came to me with Garthur. There's not a single scratch on their bodies. "Although they can't fight much, this destruction is very satisfying for me."

I looked at Xenora again. She looked at me with teary eyes and an expression like a puppy. It seems she wants me to keep bringing her to the battlefield in the future.

But...

Damn it, even though I just got over a thousand darkness points, I focused on Xenora instead. As Phisovia said, I should be celebrating this. I can move on to the next phase of my plan.

"Ughhh..."

My eyes fell on a man crawling from a pile of corpses. His bot legs had been severed, making a trail of blood on the road.

"It turns out that there is still one that survives." Garthur was about to come over to that person, but I signaled the minotaur to stay.

The guy crawled faster after seeing me coming toward him. I caught his head, then twisted it, making a terrible crack sound. I've always wanted to do that too, like actors in action films.

He's not crawling anymore. His gaze was also empty, without any sign of life.

[Level up]

[You can choose a new skill]

Finally, after so long, I can choose that important skill.

Phisovia moved the ends of her hair into the trail of my victim's blood.

"Perhaps it would be better if you wrote your name here, my lord." The red-haired succubus made a suggestion. "It is a message to the city's residents. They must know that you're the one who destroyed this place. A place that makes them suffer. That way, they will surely worship you."

"Excellent idea, Phisovia." I clapped. "Ah, I've also thought of a symbol."

Phisovia's mouth let out a small laugh. "Good, sooner or later, the people of this city will replace their symbols with yours! Now, use my hair as your brush!"