Chapter 60

3rd person Pov:

Currently, Carlos was making dinner for a boy in front of him. The boy was smiling sweetly and just kept watching him cook. "Are you all right Carlos? You don't look so well." Carlos was sweating and shaking while cooking.

A few moments ago, when the boy came into the kitchen and requested Carlos to cook something for him, Carlos did not think much of him. But while he was cooking, slowly everyone started to leave and after some time, everyone had left leaving Carlos and Michael alone.

Carlos felt something was wrong for a while but then the boy did nothing, so he brushed it off. However, that changed again when a group of people entered the room. It was a complete staff. A gardener, a maid, a butler, a healer, and a knight. Now Carlos was tensed. How could he not be? They were the people who had the same mission as him. But Carlos still kept his composure and kept cooking.

At that time Michael spoke, "Carlos, I forgot to mention, these are the new friends I made today. I thought I would share a meal with them, so I brought them here. You don't mind, do you?" Carlos looked at the boy who was still smiling but for the first time, he felt chills run down his spine from that smile. Carlos was having a hard time answering but still, he nodded, and while stuttering he said, "I … I wound never… Young master."

Hearing that the smiling boy nodded his head and turned to the people behind him and said, "See! I told you he wouldn't mind. You guys were just making a fuss that we should not disturb someone this late. You don't have to worry now. Carlos is a nice person." Saying that the boy turned to him and continued, "Aren't you Carlos?"

Carlos again felt fear that he had only felt once before. But he didn't know. The fear from before was nothing compared to the fear he was about to feel from the boy before him.

Soon the cooking was done, and a group of Knights came into the Kitchen. This startled Carlos even more. If before he doubted the situation, he was now sure that they were caught. And that revelation only made him shake more.

"Are you all right Carlos? You don't look so well." Michael said to him seeing him shaking while cooking so much. Carlos now knew that he was caught but still had a glimmer of hope and said, "I am feeling just a little tired Young master." Michael made an apologetic expression and said, "Oh… I didn't know. I am so sorry for making you work like this. You know what. Join me for dinner. That will be my apology to you. And I will reward you later too."

Carlos smiled forcefully at the boy's proposal and said, "I am not worthy of eating with a person of your status. I will just get some rest after th--" But Michael did not let him complete his sentence and said while changing his expression to a smiling one again, "I insist. It would make me very happy if you could join me for dinner."

All escape routes had been severed. Now all that could be done was face it. Carlos sneakily hid a knife in his sleeve when he bent to get something from one of the lower cabinets. The only way out was with a hostage. And who would make a better hostage than a Revstein?

Eventually, Carlos finished cooking and set up two portions of the dish. He placed one in front of Michael while sitting opposite him with the other one. "Ahhh …. Chicken. My favorite." Michael said and happily started eating. Carlos also nervously took a few bites. But suddenly Michael stopped and looked at him with a narrow gaze. That gaze made him even more nervous, and he held the knife tightly in his hand under the table. He was about to make a move when Michael said, "Carlos, this doesn't taste the same. Don't tell me you put something in my mother's dinner. Was it perhaps ...…. a secret ingredient?"

When Carlos heard the second part of the sentence, he was about to jump on Michael but when he heard the last part he suddenly laughed. But it was the laugh of someone who had been offered a new life. He somewhat felt relieved and said, "There are no secret ingredients young master. It's just I did not have the proper ingredients this time since I had no time to prepare them beforehand." Michael made an understanding face and said, "Is that so? That's unfortunate. I wanted to eat the same type of dish one last time."

Carlos suddenly tensed up at his reply. But before he could ask anything, suddenly the people or his partners started screaming. Their screams were agonizing, and it felt like they were experiencing the pain of their lives. Carlos did not know how much pain they were in, but it seemed like the pain was excruciating enough for them to even not be able to ask for mercy.

Carlos turned his attention to the boy who was still eating blissfully. Not only he, but the group of knights who were standing near the door was also not reacting. This sight made Carlos doubt whether he was imagining things or not. But Carlos knew that was not the case. He didn't waste any time and jumped at Michael while keeping his eyes on the knights. But he was puzzled to see that they were not moving at all.

However, he did not luxury of time to think about it. He turned his head to see that the boy was staring at him with a wide smile on his face. Once again, he felt that this was all just his imagination, but he pushed that thought to the back of his head and resolved to go through with this.

He was just a few inches away from him when he felt fear. The fear was not that much but that fear had caused him to falter in his tracks as his mind went blank for a bit. When he came to, however, his hand was grabbed by a smaller hand and he saw that the hand belonged to his target.

Before he could act, the boy said, "Even though your level is high enough for stun to not work on you, it's a different story if your mind is in a chaotic state." Carlos could not understand what the boy meant but he didn't have time to as his body went numb. And he fell on the table with his whole body frozen. He could not feel his limbs and the only thing active was his mind. He could see and hear what was going on.

As soon as he hit the table, the knights standing by the door came closer to him and held him in place as soon the effect of the stun would end. Michael stood from his seat and walked over to him and said, "Have you ever felt pain, Carlos? No need to answer. From your reaction when you were watching your companions, it's clear that you have not felt real pain in your whole life. But don't worry." Michael came closer to him and opened his shirt's buttons and exposed his chest. Michael placed his hands on his chest and said in a soft voice like a devil whispering, "Don't worry at all. I as a benevolent person will help you feel it thoroughly."

[Would you like to inscribe Subservience rune on target Carlos Alonso]

[Cost 100 mp]

[Time needed: 5 minutes]

[Would you like to inscribe Poison rune on target Carlos Alonso]

[Cost 100 mp]

[Time needed: 5 minutes]

"Yes," Michael spoke in a chilling voice for the first time since he had entered the Kitchen. Hearing the chilly cold voice made Carlos feel fear for the unknown that was about to happen to him.

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Pain. They had all felt pain before. While some of them were common soldiers in disguise, two of them were trained spies. The maid and the butler. They all had one simple mission, Surveil Carla. They had been doing it without any problems for two years. But suddenly six months ago they received a different order. "Poison Carla von Revstein."

The poison to use was not lethal. It only blocked mana use and made the person weak but if administered regularly, the victim would become addicted to it. They questioned the order, the common soldiers but the spies did not. They had to do what they were told to do. But the soldiers did not obey and refused a direct command.

So, their superiors had no choice but to use force as they could not afford to put in new people for this task. The already present soldiers had won the trust of the family and staff. They had to be the ones to do it if the task was to be done as soon as possible. So, their families were targeted, and they were made to work like that.

Carlos was also one of them. His family had been held hostage and he was forced to poison Carla every day. He considered informing the Revstein family and ensuring his family's safety in return for the information regarding everything but after some mulling, he decided to not do so. It was not of any concern to him if Carla was addicted to some drug-type poison. He did what all of them did. He ensured his survival. The mission was to continue for four more weeks and then they would all pull out.

No one, not one of them considered getting caught. But what they never imagined was to be captured by a boy. But what stupefied them, even more, was that they were caught and tortured like this. They were feeling pain. They were screaming. But the worse part was that their senses weren't numbed due to pain. They could hear. They could see. They could feel. And that made it more painful.

They were conscious throughout the whole procedure. The pain did not come simultaneously. He would torture them with methods unknown for ten minutes that they felt were like months and then let them rest for ten minutes. Those ten minutes were not bliss for them. No, that was the time after which they had to feel that pain again. They did not want that. The boy had put an hourglass of ten minutes and let them see it. It was like he wanted them to count the time when they would have to feel it again. Feel the pain.

They could not even beg as when they were being tortured, there was too much pain for them to have the luxury of begging even though they wanted to every second of it. And when it would end, they were too focused on the glass, counting the moments left to that pain again. During pain, it was physical torture. After the pain, it was mental and psychological. The pain was the only thing they felt the entire time though. There was no hope. Or they had lost it during the second or third session. They didn't know. They didn't remember.

After what felt like an eternity, the boy spoke. "Well did you enjoy the two hours that we spent together so happily as new friends?" What was weirder was that their senses were not dull. The pain, they remembered it, but they felt they can move their limbs without any problems. They looked at the boy who was sitting on a chair and felt that they had seen the devil.

Two hours. What they had felt like was eternity was two hours in reality. Michael did not wait for their answer and continued, "Your families were held captive, and you were forced to do this. I understand. Don't worry."

Hope. It returned. They were about to pin all the blame on the people who forced them to do this, but the boy spoke again, "My maid had secured all of your families and you will be happy to know that they have arrived in the Revstein state just a few minutes ago. They are innocent so I have no intention of harming them. In fact, they will be given a new life. A happy life."

And that hope turned the boy who they thought was a devil, into an angel. Again, they were about to put the blame on someone else and thank him for his benevolence and praise him, but the boy spoke again, "But that doesn't change the fact that my mother suffered because of you." And with that sentence, they all froze.

"My mother said that mercy makes us human so I will obey her as a filial child and show mercy to those who truly were innocents in this matter and deserving of it." The image of the angel was turning dark with each passing moment. "But I will also exercise justice to those who have sinned while being fully aware." The angel had completely turned into the devil. "I have judged your appropriate punishment to be a slow and painful death." The devil smiled. And then they felt their insides burning. Like somewhat was melting them.