Chapter 28 - Intrusion

"This isn't working, I can't deny it anymore...damn it, I suppose I'll have to hire a specialist, after all," Growled Duralles, slamming his fist against the wall in frustration.

Another torture session had passed, and as usual, I'd made an effort to mask any signs of pain as best I could. Which wasn't easy...the bastard used a skin-peeling tool to slice off my nipples and various other spots of my skin, then had me healed and repeated the dose.

But I powered through it, using all my strength and will to keep from screaming out loud in pain and succumbing to the despair. My skin was crawling, the sensation of his peeling tool fresh in my mind, but I didn't let any of it show, maintaining my poker face to the best of my ability through the sheer agony of it all. And it looks like my efforts have finally paid off, he's visibly rattled.

"What, you're giving up already?" I smirked tauntingly.

"Hah, laugh while you still can. Do you think you're the only Commoner who has ever had the mental fortitude to resist being broken like this? Because you're not! But there are some who specialize in this, breaking down stubborn trash like you. Let's see how long you last in the hands of such a specialist," He responded with a cold glare, before storming out of the room and slamming the door shut.

Not gonna lie, that has me concerned...these people have done a lot to me, they've hit me, kicked me, broken my bones, peeled parts of my skin, torn off my fingernails and toenails, ripped out my teeth, to name some of the most memorable methods they've used.

I've managed to bear through those, but just barely...like today, there have been a lot of times where I've dangerously close to succumbing, only managing to keep myself together through sheer force of will.

But if I'm up against someone who genuinely specializes in torture, and understands how to psychologically and physically tear down a person...I'm not sure if I can get through such a challenge.

Every time I endure a torture session, I'm healed almost immediately afterwards...that's been a really crucial factor, feeling all the pain fade away is an immense relief.

If a specialist catches onto that and exploits it, I might end up healing myself amidst the sheer agony of it, which'll reveal that I possess both Attributes.

"Just great...maybe I should've pretended like their methods were working on me, they probably wouldn't have considered this if I did that," I sighed to myself wistfully.

No, that might have been risky too...in pretending like I was succumbing to their torture, even acting like I was mentally broken down, might have made me less resilient bit by bit. The act could've become reality before I even realized it.

Well, whatever, I'll worry about what happens next when it happens. The good news is that I probably won't be getting tortured too much more today and tomorrow.

Because tomorrow, Prysm is gonna go get appraised, and from what she's told me, the entire family will be tagging along for the occasion. Apparently, someone born into a Noble family isn't officially recognized as a Noble themselves until they've gone through a successful appraisal.

And of course, by successful, I mean that they're appraised to solely possess the Dark Attribute. From what I've read, it's been determined that when two people of the same Attribute have a child, there's a 99.99 percent chance that the kid will develop the same Attribute.

Which, of course, means that there's a 0.01 percent chance that they won't end up with the same Attribute. And of that 0.01 percent, four out of five develop the opposite Attribute, while the remaining one out of five develops both Attributes, and are branded as Heretics.

So, yeah, the chances of two people of the same Attribute conceiving a child that doesn't have that single, same Attribute is pretty miniscule. But it's definitely possible.

Well, not that how Prysm's appraisal goes is any concern of mine. At the end of the day, she's just some random kid who happens to not be a terrible person like the rest of her family.

I suppose I can't deny that I don't really feel any animosity towards her, but setting that aside, I honestly couldn't care less about what happens to her. Oh, and speak of the devil...

"Hey! Are you okay, there's a lot of blood on the ground. Ow...it's getting harder to crawl through this tunnel," She frowned, as she struggled to get her lower half out.

"Yeah, I've noticed you've gotten fatter lately. Especially your butt," I remarked dryly...truthfully, she still looks exactly the same to me, but considering that it's almost well over two years now since I was brought here, it stands to reason that she's grown.

"H-huh? Really!?" She exclaimed in alarm, as she stood up and patted her butt with a concerned frown.

"Guess it won't be long before you stop showing up down here, huh?" I mused, as I took a swig of water to clear my mouth.

I've gotten pretty used to the taste of my own blood in my mouth, but it's still an unpleasant feeling, I don't like it.

"I can just sneak in through the door if I become too big for the tunnel," She shrugged after mulling it over.

"Heh, or you could end up getting stuck somewhere in the middle of the tunnel, with no hope of anyone ever coming to save you," I smirked sadistically, as her face went pale in alarm.

"Y-you really think that could happen? I don't like the thought of that at all...," She grimaced warily.

Yeah, that'd be a pretty shitty way to go. Stuck in the dark, unable to move, slowly growing weaker and weaker until succumbing to hunger and thirst.

Anyway, after that, she chatted with me about random stuff as usual, unrelenting even though I barely responded at all.

I was more interested in the snacks she'd brought along...small cookies and biscuits, mini-cupcakes that had gotten a bit smushed and some bite sized brownies.

I suppose Noble society has some good points...their desserts are a lot richer than the sweets from the town near my village, the difference in quality is pretty obvious.

She mostly tends to bring fruits and nuts, which are pretty good and all, but these are what I look forward to the most. Not that I'd ever say that to her, I don't need any favors. It's just, letting these go to waste would be a pity. That's all.

I do miss having a nice, warm, savory meal though, something with meat. It's been so long since I've eaten a hot meal, I haven't had any meat even once since I was brought here.

"Okay, I should get back to my room now. I'm supposed to go out and buy new clothes to wear for tomorrow, but I don't understand why that's necessary," She sighed, as she stood up and dusted herself off.

Hm, now that I think about it, in my previous life, whenever there was a special occasion, my parents would take my brother to get new clothes. I never understood that either, we each had walk-in closets, and he had a ton of fancy outfits he'd hardly ever worn.

"Guess that's just how the upper-crust operates, it doesn't really serve any purpose," I shrugged in response.

"Yeah...," She muttered, seeming like she wasn't listening to me, as she hesitated while staring at the tunnel.

"Hm? Aren't you leaving?" I prompted her.

"Uh, yeah...but now I'm scared I'll get stuck inside the tunnel," She frowned apprehensively.

Just great, maybe I shouldn't have put that fear in her head, what a pain. And now I gotta waste energy convincing her to leave...

...

...

I sat up with a yawn, stretching my arms up as my eyelids fluttered open. I glanced at the rusty old clock on the wall in front of me...oh, it's evening, a little past 5 PM the next day.

I spotted a couple of stale bread rolls set down beside me, letting out a sigh as I picked one up and tore off a piece. It's so dry and tough to chew, this is the worst.

After Prysm left yesterday, I spent the rest of the day, and a fair bit of the night, training with my Magic and combat skills. I just really wanted to distract myself from the torture flashbacks that kept popping into my head, it was driving me crazy.

Hm, this is kinda unusual. It's pretty quiet out there...usually, I can hear the faint murmur of voices and footsteps above the ceiling of the basement, as well as some from outside the door. What's more, it's unusual that no one's showed up to torture me yet.

Oh, right, guess they must have all gone to the castle for Prysm's appraisal. I do hear a few footsteps faintly echoing out above, but that's probably the slaves...they're probably cleaning or something.

Besides the woman from the Light Continent, I've hardly ever seen any of the other slaves in the mansion. There's no reason for them to come down here, after all.

Duralles wouldn't care whether this basement is clean or not. There is a broom down here, and I make it a point to sweep the place regularly. Since there's no trash can, I just flush the dirt I collect whenever I sweep.

Hm? Something's off...I can hear the sound of footsteps more clearly, as if people are running around frantically. What's going on? And was that a thud just now?

"Initiate Skill: Super Hearing," I muttered, before closing my eyes and focusing.

I've learnt how to control this ability and avoid getting overwhelmed, but a lot of the time, I hear Duralles and his older children torturing or raping their slaves, so I usually only work on mastering it at night, when there's not much going on.

Yeah, I can hear it...two sets of footsteps roaming around together. And each time they come across someone, a thud echoes out...but I don't think they're killing anyone, probably just knocking them out.

If I really focus, I can hear breathing too, but boosting my hearing that much for too long gives me a major headache. The two pairs of footsteps are heading down this way...I better get ready.

I quickly hopped onto my feet as they got closer, preparing myself to face whoever was coming. No time to think about it, just get ready to defend myself if necessary...

"Initiate Skill: Magic Eater. Manifest Soul Weapon: Dragon Whisker. Elemental Lava: Lava Arrow," I chanted, Magic Circles appearing as I activated my Skills and an attack Spell.

They're here...the door isn't locked, so they can just walk it. There's no need to lock it since my Enslavement Collar prevents me from walking out the door. I braced myself as the handle twisted down and door slowly creaked open...here they come...!

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