By Zephyria 
What exactly is the problem?
The environment is similar, and the conditions are roughly the same. Does the degree of injury affect it? I even deliberately tripped and subtly offered my face to be hit, but it wasn’t working out.
It was natural to be in pain after being hit, but compared to back then, it was nothing. After getting hit a few more times, I realized it wasn’t going to work, so I just annihilated them all and released the kidnapped people.
“A human trafficking ring is running rampant near the village? Are you not doing your jobs properly? Do you want to die?”
“We’re sorry!”
“If I see this kind of thing happening again, you’re all dead. Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
I gathered the guards and chewed them out, but it didn’t improve my foul mood. The most annoying thing was the canker sore in my mouth that kept throbbing. This constant, nagging pain was more irritating than having my back skinned.
As soon as I returned to the castle, Asella and Garam approached me with expressions that screamed “lecture.” But as soon as they saw my pathetic state, they paused, shut their mouths, and began to hesitate.
With a look that said I’d kill anyone who bothered me, I silently passed them and returned to my room. Usually, they would have chattered away without a care for their lives. I guess appearances really do matter.
I breathed a sigh of relief, having safely returned to my room without suffering any nagging. I should use this more often. Though not too often, of course.
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My injuries were minor, so I didn’t really need treatment, but they were so insistent that I rested for a day. A few days later, the Emperor awarded me a medal and a mysterious sword called Almas. It was because I had made a great contribution to the capture of the Gaulaprum fortress.
The sword was said to be a Relic from ancient times, stored in the imperial vault, but it was too cold, so I used it a few times and then threw it in the warehouse.
After that, I was harassed and kidnapped by human trafficking rings and gangs a few more times, but I didn’t achieve satisfactory results.
In the process, I dismantled and suppressed several armed organizations, and was awarded territory for my contributions.
Perhaps that’s why a faction that disliked the moderate Crown Prince put me forward and created a faction. It was an unexpected phenomenon, but I didn’t care.
Because I had already vowed to kill all the royals of this country with my own hands anyway.
The Crown Prince seemed a bit different, but that didn’t change my resolve.
“Ra’s surveillance has intensified, so this will be the last voyage for a while.”
“But there are still many merchants who want fish.”
“All the fishing nets are broken.”
“All of them?”
“It will take time to repair them and get back on track.”
“So, is this the end of fishing for this year?”
I focused on the voices I could hear. With my arms tied behind my back and a blindfold over my eyes, I pretended to be asleep while trying to assess the situation.
In the process of dealing with the thugs, I had learned about a certain organization. It was a ridiculously large organization. From drug manufacturing to smuggling, kidnapping, prostitution, and human trafficking, they were involved in every kind of evil deed imaginable.
Unlike groups that couldn’t even lay a hand on a slave for fear of damaging them, this was a truly large-scale gathering of idiots.
One wrong word, and a slave’s head would be chopped off in an instant. In this kind of crisis, could I feel that pleasant emotion again?
Peace, relief, or something.
I had a feeling that this time, anything could happen, and my heart was pounding. Perhaps I couldn’t control my excitement? I unknowingly twitched my shoulder slightly, and someone happened to see it.
A rough hand grabbed my arm and forced me to sit up.
“He’s awake.”
His voice was grating and metallic, as if he had been stabbed in the throat several times. When the blindfold was removed, I instinctively squinted at the sudden light.
As I struggled to open my eyes, I heard a serious voice near my ear.
“Isn’t he a noble?”
“I had a bad feeling about it, so I checked his ID. He’s a fallen noble.”
How did they know? Of course, I wasn’t a noble, but a royal.
Actually, similar things had been said several times when I was kidnapped last time. At first, I thought it was because I was wearing clothes from the imperial family. So, the next time, I deliberately wore torn clothes, but they still said the same thing.
Still, it seems like it was a good choice to secretly steal Garam’s ID before leaving.
“A fallen noble? Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I had the kids check several times.”
Perhaps I was finally getting used to the bright light, because I was starting to see clearly. The man who seemed to be the highest in rank was surprisingly small. His eyes were sunken, and he looked too weak to even lift a finger, but his gaze was fierce.
What’s with this bug leader of a bug group that only commits crimes, acting so tough? I was seriously considering smacking him on the back of the head when his brow furrowed.
“That guy…”
Just as the guy who had been staring at me was about to say something, the door suddenly opened, and someone was thrown in like discarded trash.
It was a man who looked like he had just become an adult, but his body was covered in wounds, as if he had been beaten badly. He was clutching a rusty sickle like a treasure, but he was eventually knocked down by the kicks of the large men and beaten like a dog.
Thwack! Thud!
It was a miracle that his bones weren’t broken. Was the slave trying to escape?
“Stop it and get out. More importantly…”
The bug leader glanced at me and frowned again. Then, he took the big guys and left. He didn’t forget to put the blindfold back on me before leaving.
After the surroundings became as silent as death, I sat up and untied my bound arms. Then, I took off the blindfold and approached the man who was crumpled in the corner like a crushed can.
He had been beaten so badly that there wasn’t a single unharmed spot on his body.
“Tsk, tsk…”
I clicked my tongue without realizing it, and suddenly, the motionless man opened his eyes wide. Startled, I instinctively stepped back, and he abruptly sat up and cursed.
“Damn it… Those bastards…”
His pronunciation was slurred, as if his mouth was torn. His eyes were half-crazed. I watched as the man, who looked like he was about to die, somehow got up and tried to go towards the closed door.
“Stop. You’ll die if you do that.”
“I’m going to kill them…”
“I said stop.”
“Damn it… Damn it…”
Did he really have a problem with his eardrums from being beaten so much? I slowly followed the man as he dragged his legs forward, and then subtly stuck my foot out.
The man tripped over my foot and fell with a loud crash.
“What are you doing!”
He must have hit his head wrong when he fell, because his forehead was split open and bright red blood was streaming down.
“Didn’t I tell you to stop?”
“Who the hell are you, you bastard!”
“Your ears are fine.”
“Damn it… You goddamn bastards… You filthy bastards… I’m going to kill you all!”
Feeling relieved that my curiosity was satisfied, I nodded. Suddenly, the man sat down and began to shed thick tears. The sound was getting louder and louder, so I warned him.
“Someone will hear you. Be quiet.”
“Shut up, you bastard!”
He sobbed and pounded the bare floor with his bloody hands. He seemed frustrated and didn’t know what to do.
“Why are you angry at me? It’s not like I hit you.”
“What do you noble bastards know!”
“I’m just a good citizen who was kidnapped like you. What noble are you talking about?”
“You bastards… You goddamn bastards… You filthy bastards… I’m going to kill you all!”
It seemed like those guys would come back if this continued. I had no choice but to hit the man on the back of the neck. He couldn’t resist at all, and he didn’t even notice me moving my arm before he fell forward.
“How absurd.”
How can he kill anyone when he’s like this? Frankly, he was too weak to kill even an ant.
I looked at the fallen man with a pathetic gaze and roughly tore a piece of cloth to tightly bandage the open wound.
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I thought he might die like this, but the man regained consciousness in less than 10 minutes. He abruptly sat up, groaned, and then fell back down.
“Just stay still.”
He took a deep breath as if to say something to me, but then closed his mouth. He seemed surprised because I was almost half-naked. I needed cloth, so I tore my top a bit, and now it was completely tattered.
“Do you think I’ll be grateful if you do this?”
The man looked at the cloth that was wrapped around his body, which used to be my clothes, and said sullenly. But his half-crazed eyes had returned to normal.
“Those bastards… I have to kill them all… I have to throw them all into a fire…”
He raised his arm to his eyes and muttered to himself. It sounded like a vow, so I listened for a while and then asked.
“Do you really want to kill them?”
“What?”
At my question, the man lowered his arm and glared at me. His face was full of anger.
“I’m asking if you really want to kill them.”
“Of course. Why would you ask that? Do you think I’m joking right now?”
When he nodded without hesitation, he abruptly sat up again.
“You bastard!”
“Look at you now. Your emotions are your priority, aren’t they?”
“What?”
“Choose one: to be angry or to look for an opportunity. You can’t do both.”
I was planning to knock him out again if he didn’t understand this time, but fortunately, he calmed down. He was still panting, but I could see that he was trying to control his anger.
After some time passed, the man asked me.
“What’s a noble like you doing here?”
“Why do you keep calling me a noble?”
“Are you crazy? If you want to hide your identity, why do you use that kind of tone?”Tone?””
“You sound like some old geezer.”
I actually fixed this a bit, but it seems like it’s still not enough. I figured I might as well ask everything I was curious about, so I asked again.
“But other people knew I was a noble even when I didn’t say anything.”
“You look like a noble.”
“What do I look like?”
“You just look like shit, you bastard. Why do you keep asking that?I observed the man’s tone and expressions, and engraved his illogical, vulgar, and hasty behavior in my mind.
“What’s your name? I’m Garam.”
Seeing him acting so wildly, I figured he must have some circumstances, so I decided to introduce myself first. He scanned me up and down with disrespectful eyes and spat out with a cocky expression.
“Abyss. What are you doing here? Did you get caught too?”
“Just…”
I was about to answer without thinking, but I stopped. What should I say? I thought about it, but I couldn’t think of a suitable word, so I vaguely made something up.
“Just… a hobby or something.”
“……?”