Chapter 21: “A single word can repay a thousand gold.” (End)

“…Are you saying I should kneel before a s*ave?”

Sregon asked, incredulously.

But Rosell’s gaze was firm.

“It seems you have forgotten your origins, sitting beside Brikal.”

“What?”

“You are a half-breed, aren’t you? The kind of race that gets hunted and sold into slavery by us humans.”

Rosell’s sharp words caused Sregon to shut his mouth. Small fangs, neither orc nor human, protruded from his lips.

The half-breed race was a s*ave race, traded at a high price due to their rarity and reclusive nature.

Sregon had also been sold as a s*ave at an auction where he had caught Brikal’s eye and was made the Torture Executioner.

He had forgotten this for a long time.

Without a title, surname, or middle name, he was nothing more than a guard, watching over a dungeon like a stray dog.

In that moment, with Rosell’s single comment, Sregon realized his own lowly position.

As expected, this “Iron Throne” had a strange power to make one realize their place.

“…That’s right. I was a s*ave.”

“Quick to admit, good. Now beg for forgiveness.”

“I understand. If I can leave this place, I’ll do anything.”

Sregon dropped his anger and relaxed his body.

He knew well that in this place, any false pride could sever one’s life, so he no longer resisted.

There was no way he could fight Rosell with force anyway, so there was no need to make a pointless fuss.

With a resigned expression, Sregon pulled his chained ankles behind the chair’s legs and knelt.

“…Unless Esil’s heart is moved, there will be no mercy. So, leave your petty pride on the chair.”

“I have no intention of doing so, so don’t worry.”

In Sregon’s red and blue pupils, no lies could be seen.

He looked at Esil.

Not as the Torture Executioner, but as a mere sinner.

Then, his head suddenly dropped, and when Esil’s gaze followed, his forehead collided with the stone floor.

Thud!

Sregon’s forehead hit the dungeon floor with such force, it sounded like an explosion.

However, his half-orc skull was as hard as steel, so it did not break.

Lying with his forehead pressed to the ground, Sregon confessed his sins.

“I’m sorry..! Emilia! I sincerely apologize for all the pain I caused you!”

He shouted, as if asking for his sincerity to be recognized.

His voice, thick and raspy like it was filled with phlegm, didn’t make Esil cover her ears.

Though she used to tremble with her ears blocked at the sound of his footsteps, now, she clearly looked at him.

Thud!

Sregon struck his forehead on the floor again and continued to apologize.

“I’m truly sorry! I am a servant of the king. The king’s command is law, and I had no choice..! This apology may not ease your anger, but please recognize my sincerity! Emilia!”

Esil, who hadn’t yet entered the dungeon, looked at him. Her expression was complex, as if many emotions were crossing her mind.

Just two months ago, she had been sitting in that chair, apologizing for crimes she didn’t commit.

Now, it was Sregon, who had only listened to those apologies, who was the one apologizing.

Disillusionment? Sadness? Frustration?

No word could explain what the look in her eyes truly meant.

A silence fell between them.

“…H-huh…! Huhhh…! I-I’m sorry! I promise I will never commit such crimes again…!”

Then, overcome with emotion, Sregon burst into tears.

Was it tears of repentance?

Esil still couldn’t tell.

She just couldn’t believe this moment was real.

The moment she had dreamed of, the moment the nightmare was forced to kneel.

It felt like the end of the nightmare she had wanted to escape for so long.

Esil decided to quietly fold these complex emotions.

The fact that they were complex meant there was much to untangle.

But she was too exhausted to untangle them one by one.

To heal his own wounds, Esil would have to inflict the same 65 days of hell upon him.

She would need to return not just as much, but even more than what she had received, for only then would she feel relief.

But she was tired from enduring that long period of suffering.

All she wanted now was to escape from this bitter, complicated, and at times enraging turmoil.

If he truly repented, that would be enough for Esil.

That alone would allow her to break free.

Of course, she hadn’t yet escaped from Viela, Daltan, Gleon, or Brikal, but if she could escape from the 65 days in the underground prison, that would be enough for her.

The wounds from betrayal and the wounds from torture were different in nature.

If her body and mind, ravaged by torture, could now find freedom, that freedom would serve as the foundation to heal the betrayal.

And so, soon,

Hot tears welled up in Esil’s eyes and fell onto the cold stone floor with a soft sound.

“Uhh… uhh…”

She was finally escaping.

Whether Sregon’s repentance was sincere or not didn’t matter.

Even if it wasn’t genuine, Esil believed it was, and she was now determined to escape from the harsh shackles of the underground prison.

That was why tears flowed from her eyes.

That was why a smile blossomed on her lips.

Covering her face with her small hands, Esil cried healing tears for a while.

She was finally breaking free.

From all the fear she had gained in the underground prison.

Until Esil’s sobs ceased, Rosell and Sregon quietly waited.

Rosell knew what those tears meant, so he waited until they stopped on their own.

Healing.

Overcoming.

Forgiveness.

The heroine, Emilia, was a pure and adventurous woman.

She also had a kind and warm heart.

Of course, Rosell knew that these tears didn’t mean she had completely forgiven Sregon.

But she was crying to overcome it, and to finally escape the nightmare.

Rosell understood that and chose to wait.

She must want to end this with a small sense of satisfaction, after the exhaustion.

As long as Esil could overcome her trauma, that was good enough for him.

After Esil stopped crying, Rosell first lifted her to the surface, then sat Sregon back in the chair and bound his arms.

“You said you would forgive him, didn’t you?”

“Esil has forgiven you, so I will honor her wishes. However, it would be best if you remain here until the banquet is over.”

“…I understand.”

Though he had to stay in this darkness for two more days, Sregon didn’t complain.

He knew well that in the underground prison, one had to humble oneself to survive.

“We’ll bring you your meals tomorrow. I hope you use this time to truly atone.”

“…Thank you.”

With those words, Rosell left the underground prison.

The heavy iron door slammed shut, and only a torch illuminated the thick darkness.

Sregon focused on the sound of Rosell’s footsteps as they faded away.

When the sound stopped, he suddenly chuckled.

“Heh, fools. Falling for it so easily. Once I get out of here, I’ll sweep it all away.”

Sregon’s squinting eyes gleamed with malicious light.

He had only bowed down to survive.

He had learned through countless tortures that this was the only way to live.

The moment he left this underground prison, he vowed to report everything to King Brikal, destroy Rosell’s territory, and wreak havoc.

A sinister smile spread across his face.

“Heh heh… Yes, after I destroy everything, I’ll have a taste of Esil’s hole. It’s not really torture, just a little taste, right? Stupid b*tch. I’ll make her regret today.”

Muttering to himself, Sregon snapped his fingers as if he’d remembered something.

“Hehehe, yes, yes. I’ll have to defile her right in front of Rosell. If he sees his precious s*ave being raped, he’ll surely regret today. Good, good, heh heh.”

The methods he had lived by.

The ways he had used to torment others.

The ways he had used to make others submit.

The ways he had made others regret.

Sregon, who had lived off tormenting others with such cruel and cunning methods, already had a mind full of evil deeds he planned to deliver to Rosell.

It was rising.

But he didn’t know.

He didn’t know the true meaning behind the proverb that a single word could repay a thousand gold.

“…I truly wanted to show you mercy…”

“Khieekk?!!”

Sregon was startled by the sudden voice that echoed through the prison.

He jumped, his bound body jerking as if it would leap off the ground.

The voice was so powerful that Sregon looked around with a frightened expression, but there was no one in sight.

Even if someone was outside the door, they wouldn’t have heard it.

It was murmured softly, like a whisper.

“…It’s unfortunate. To miss the opportunity like this.”

“Hiieekk!?”

It was undoubtedly Rosell’s voice, the same one that had just left the prison.

Yet, the voice reverberating in the prison sounded as if it was right beside him.

Sregon looked around again, but there was still no one in sight, and his eyes filled with absolute fear.

Then, after a moment,

A chilling presence appeared behind his neck.

“I told you, didn’t I? That a single word could repay a thousand gold.”

“Ro, Rosell?!”

Sregon spun around, and there was Rosell, standing with a sad look as he looked down at him.

He was truly sad.

He was sad that he had missed the opportunity to show mercy.

“W-what are you…!”

“I just borrowed a bit of the power of a magical tool I developed specifically for you.”

Even a skilled mage couldn’t teleport or turn invisible, so Sregon felt as though he was seeing a ghost as Rosell suddenly appeared before him.

“Ah… Ahhh…! I-I misspoke just now!! It wasn’t serious!”

“Enough. I wish you would just shut that disgusting mouth of yours.”

Cold sweat began to form on Sregon’s back.

It didn’t matter how Rosell had hidden his presence or how he had gotten behind him.

What mattered were his eyes.

In those eyes, there was no mercy, no anger, no sadness—nothing.

That cold, dry gaze felt like a death sentence.

“Mi, I’m sorry…! I’m really sorry! Please! Please spare me…!”

“The carriage has already passed.”

Rosell muttered softly and walked toward the prison door.

Sregon, filled with a sense of dread that this might be his last moment, shouted.

“Wa, wait! King Brikal will never stay silent! Don’t do something you’ll regret! Rosell!!”

Creeeek.

As Rosell opened the door to the prison, he turned and looked at Sregon with a gaze full of sorrow.

The words he spoke earlier, about showing mercy, had been sincere.

“Regret… is something you, Brikal, and those who betrayed Esil will have to deal with.”

“Ro, Rosell! Wait! I’ll do anything if you spare my life! Ugh… please, please…”

At last, Sregon’s “sincere” tears of repentance fell, filled with fear.

He regretted it.

His careless words had prevented him from repaying his debt as Rosell had said.

But Rosell’s gaze remained unmoved.

“…The carriage only looks forward. It never turns back.”

“Ugh..! I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! Ro, Rosell!”

“I hope you’ll experience what it was like to destroy the hearts of those you ruined while you reflect here.”

That was the last mercy Rosell could offer.

Rosell knew Sregon’s “loyalty” had been genuine, and he had hoped that, together, they could look forward to a time of mercy.

Sadly, he was left with no choice but to offer this kind of mercy instead.

With a sense of responsibility, Rosell began to close the prison door.

As he did, he etched into his memory the distorted face of Sregon, soaked in tears and regret.

“Ro, Rosell! Rosell!! Please! Please!!”

Sregon screamed, but there was no more mercy in Rosell’s hand as he closed the door.

-Creeek… Thud.

-Roseeeell!!!

In the end, the door slammed shut, and Sregon, like those he had ruined,

Was left to tremble in absolute fear, his eyes filled with terror as his final moments approached.

He met his end in the same way he had ruined others.

And that end was truly fitting for him.