NOVPUB
Chapter 474: Torture Session
A few hours had already passed since the emperor declared the civil war over, and the empire was still swept up in festive joy. Of course, there were some who felt resentment, as the outcome of the war had not been what they predicted—but there was nothing they could do about it.
With the emperor’s declaration and final decision, even though the majority of nobles had supported Wilmar, they had no choice but to stand down and lay down their arms. There was no point in continuing a war that could no longer be won, especially with Aldrian backing the imperial family. It was wiser to preserve their family’s resources than to fight a battle they had no hope of winning.
However, despite all the celebration, many still had not seen Aldrian in the capital. After the battle near the capital and his entry into the imperial palace, he had not appeared again, even though many had been waiting for him.
The people of Caritas, the city where Aldrian lived and ruled, were the happiest at this moment. They had finally heard that the unnecessary war had come to an end, and that the second prince had been successfully defeated. Many had already lost too much because of this conflict, and hearing that the prince would finally receive the punishment he deserved brought peace to their hearts.
With Aldrian on their side, there was no doubt that the second prince and those who had aided him would face justice.
The city’s joyful atmosphere had even reached the mansion, where the staff could be heard chatting excitedly about Aldrian. But despite the cheerful mood, confusion soon followed. Word had spread quickly throughout the estate that their lord had returned.
A few of the gardeners working behind the mansion claimed they had seen Aldrian suddenly appear at the edge of the forest in the distance, dragging two people with him.
Wasn’t Aldrian still in the capital? How had he already returned to the mansion?
Near the surface entrance to the dungeon, a few of the Fingers stood guard in the shadows beneath the tall trees. The dungeon was located deep within the forest surrounding the mansion, far from the main estate, making it a secluded and remote place.
While they remained on guard, they suddenly sensed someone approaching. When they saw who it was, they realized it was Sylphia. From the way she moved, it seemed she was heading toward the dungeon—likely looking for Aldrian.
One of them stepped out from the shadows and appeared in front of her. Sylphia was briefly startled, but quickly regained her composure. She recognized the figure’s robe and presence—it was one of the Fingers.
Covered in a black robe that concealed their features, the figure clearly had a woman’s build. Sylphia guessed she must be one of the two women among the Fingers.
"My lady," the figure said with a slight bow.
"Are you the Fifth or the Seventh Finger?" Sylphia asked.
"The Fifth."
Sylphia gave a small nod.
"I just finished my cultivation session and came to see Aldrian. I heard he returned and walked in this direction. Do you know where he is?"
"My lady, my apologies, but it would be best if you didn’t see master right now. He’s busy with the captives in the dungeon. I’m afraid you might witness something... unpleasant."
Sylphia tilted her head.
"Captives? Who are they?" she asked. She had not heard the details of Aldrian’s return. All she knew came from a maid’s report, which had been passed along from someone else.
"Grand Duke Donovan, the leader of the Golden Swan Commerce, Carlson Harris... and the second prince. For the second prince, he attempted to infiltrate the mansion earlier today, but we managed to subdue him."
Hearing the names of the captives and realizing Aldrian had taken them to the dungeon, Sylphia knew better than to disturb him. She understood his nature all too well—especially when it came to dealing with his enemies in a space where no one would interrupt him.
Considering who they were, men who had harmed so many and had nearly caused Eleine’s death, Sylphia had no doubt about what awaited them. Aldrian would make sure they experienced a nightmare they would never forget.
"Alright, I will wait for him in the mansion," Sylphia said before turning around and heading back toward the mansion. The Fifth Finger watched her retreating figure before turning her attention toward the dungeon’s gate.
Since Aldrian had brought the captives inside, there had been no sound. She was curious about what Aldrian was doing with them, but she didn’t believe for a second that he was simply having a polite conversation with them.
However, she quickly pushed those thoughts aside. Such thinking wouldn’t be productive for her mission. What she needed to focus on was carrying out her task dutifully.
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Under the dim light of the dungeon room, the muffled voices from clenched lips echoed throughout the space.
"Hnggmg!"
Although the sound was muffled, it was loud enough to suggest that the person was trying to shout, desperately attempting to scream but unable to move their lips. Bloodstains covered the floor, and strangely, there were several severed limbs scattered about, even though only four people occupied the room, with three of them being captives.
The one who had tried to scream just now was Wilmar, whose arms had been severed by Aldrian. He couldn’t shout in pain or writhe in agony because Aldrian had used a spatial lock on him. The other two captives could only lower their heads, their expressions blank. Their faces were pale, and their features showed that they wished for death to come for them.
Hundreds of severed limbs—arms and legs—were scattered around the three captives, which seemed strange at first. But this was actually one of Aldrian’s new methods of torture.
After cutting off one of Wilmar’s arms, Aldrian healed it using his golden energy. Within seconds, a new arm grew where the previous one had been severed. Then Aldrian cut it off again, healed it again, and repeated the cycle over and over. He continued without pause, cutting and healing, until he eventually grew bored.
It was not just the arms. Aldrian did the same to every part of their bodies. Each time he cut them, he healed them. Every time he skinned their flesh, he restored it.
This cycle of repeated torture was one of the most horrific methods imaginable. The captives were forced to endure the same pain again and again, with no relief, as long as the torturer continued to heal them.
Many people can claim that they can withstand any kind of physical torture because they have been trained so. However that is because they never experiencing repeated torture like this that they can claim like that. At one point they will broke down because they have to experiencing the same pain that they tough already passed. They though that the pain will one time because their limbs already severed.
There were people in the past who had tried this method. But regrowing severed limbs required high-grade healing elixirs, which were expensive and too valuable to waste. Because of that, the technique was abandoned.
However, such limitations did not apply to Aldrian. He could regenerate limbs easily using his golden energy, or even combine it with life laws, to regenerate limbs in seconds—making this form of torture terrifyingly efficient.
This was also one of the things that initially shocked Wilmar and the others. They couldn’t comprehend how any kind of energy could regrow limbs so quickly. What kind of witchcraft was this? They knew of advanced techniques used by skilled physicians that could help regenerate limbs, but those were extremely rare.
Even now, they could only name three people known to possess such abilities—and even then, the process required immense energy and multiple sessions to fully restore a limb.
But Aldrian? It took him no more than twenty seconds—and just like that, a new limb would grow.
Aldrian had been repeating this torture on the three men for several hours, and it had already been Wilmar’s turn for over an hour. Grand Duke Donovan and Carlson were exhausted, their will to live drained. Compared to enduring the same pain again and again, they would have preferred death.
Although they had expected to be tortured, none of them had imagined Aldrian would use a method like this.
A few minutes later, after severing several more of Wilmar’s limbs, Aldrian finally stopped. He let out a sigh and looked down at Wilmar. He healed the leg he had just cut and turned his gaze toward the other two.
He released the spatial lock that had frozen their movements, allowing them to move again. But none of them reacted. They simply lowered their heads, as if their minds had already died.
There was no spirit left in them. Yet, Aldrian approached and placed a hand on each of them, one by one, gently channeling his golden energy into their souls. This was meant to refresh their psychological state, preventing them from completely breaking down and helping them regain a semblance of sanity.
After a few seconds, Aldrian withdrew his golden energy from the three men, and they seemed to regain some sanity. They looked at him with trembling eyes, filled with fear. From the way they gazed at him, it was clear they believed Aldrian tortured them for his own amusement.
Since the session began, he hadn’t spoken a word. They had expected him to ask for information or anything, but no—he simply continued the torture with a calm expression.
"You crazy psycho," Carlson couldn’t help but blurt out.
Realizing his mistake, he quickly shut his mouth.
Aldrian glanced at Carlson, a faint smile finally curling on his lips.
"Thank you for the compliment. However, I believe it’s only right for me to do this after you tried to kill me in the past."
Aldrian then approached Carlson, locking his gaze with his.
"And it’s only fitting for me to do this to someone who helped the devils spread destruction across the continent."
He stopped right in front of Carlson.
"You see, I’m really curious—why did you go so far as to assist them in infiltrating so many places?"
