The thick scent of iron lingered in the air, the man's injuries worsened after a few days, and Sorin found it a waste to heal him again.

He promised to make the man suffer, and what he did to him seemed not enough. He needed him to feel his torment; he wanted them to pay.

His shrill screams had faded to strained pants and groans, he would have died earlier but Sorin wouldn't give that mercy to him. The man's body looked thinner, his face more gaunt. Food wasn't a necessity for him to survive, he could last longer even if he hasn't eaten.

He listened in disgust when the man ate the rodents and insects scurrying around the prison floor. It was impressive, actually, what he'll do to survive.

They didn't even shred a single ounce of mercy for the children, why would they deserve his?

Felix was more ruthless than Sorin had realized, enjoying each second as he slowly tortured the man. A sick satisfaction formed at the bottom of his stomach as he listened to the man cry.

"P-please, Your Holiness, spare me, please." the man begged.

The man, Thomas, was very resilient. Despite his injuries, he could still speak even if a sharp sound came from the back of his throat every time he took a breath in.

Sorin hummed in consideration, placing a hand under his chin "It's commendable what you'll do to follow orders." he commented, an empty praise.

Thomas wheezed out in pain "W-we needed to s-survive." his eyes pleading as if he was telling Sorin some sort of excuse "W-We had no choice."

Felix snorted beside the man "You did. It was either you don't involve yourself or you do. You chose the latter."

"T-they tempted us with rewards that we could only ever dreamed of… y-you foolish brats would never understand because you were born with everything." He spat out bitterly, blood and saliva dripping out of his mouth.

Felix slammed his foot on the man's head, a choked scream escaping his lips.

"So their lives were only worth measly gold coins?" He looked down at the writhing man, eyes filled with anger "Do you also take part in the baron's sick preference?"

Another stomp.

"Did you enjoy hearing them cry while you take advantage of them?"

Another one.

"How did it feel? Those few minutes of mortal pleasure? Was it really worth it?"

And another.

Blood and bones crunched under Felix's shoes clinging unto the leather, seeping on the cobblestone floors and walls.

"You pathetic insects!" A growl was ripped from his throat for the first time as he screamed in pure, unfiltered rage.

He didn't realize what Felix had been doing to man until he saw the bloodied mess on the floor "Ah, no, no, don't kill him yet, Felix." he shushed.

Sorin whipped his head toward the red-haired man, eyes blown wide in a frenzy "Don't die, Sir Thomas~" he said to the man humorlessly.

He used his divine magic, healing the man again.

Sorin clapped his hand in satisfaction, perhaps he'll be nicer to talk to after his injuries had healed "Okay, we're back again, Sir Thomas. I suppose that wasn't an enjoyable, experience, wasn't it?"

The man was visibly shaking, horrified at his previous experience "Y-You monster! How dare you use the Gods' powers?"

Sorin felt his heart thump at the man's words, now opening the door to the cell as Felix took a worried step back as if telling Sorin that he didn't have to enter the filthy cell.

With an empty smile, he grabbed a fistful of the man's hair, forcing his eyes onto Sorin's "The Gods?" he asked.

"That's a foolish assumption, Sir Thomas. Don't involve me with those indifferent beings." he sighed in fake disappointment "My divine magic came from someone else."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Sorin had long lost his connections with the Gods. The moment he had stupidly perished under the hands of humans, the Gods had long abandoned him.

His divine magic came from Lucifer.

Despite being the mother of all demons, she was still an angel herself, a divine being. She was strong enough to rebel against the Gods who had shunned her.

His connection was solely with Lucifer alone.

And Sorin was satisfied with that.

"Now, I'm asking this again, is the Baron the only man involved with the children?"

The man shook his head "I-I can't tell you." he replied. It seemed like no matter what torture is inflicted on him, he wouldn't dare utter a word. Sorin wondered how much payment they received for keeping their mouth shut up until the end, it should have been more than enough to sacrifice their lives.

"I'm getting tired of this." Felix sighed as he escorted Sorin away from the cell "How about you tell us and we'll only kill you?" he offered with a sly smile as if it was the most generous thing he could give the man.

Felix was vicious. He was the one Sorin ordered to investigate the man. Of course, he'll have a lot of information.

"If not, I'll eviscerate you, your wife... and she's carrying a child too! Is that why you were willing to follow the baron's orders?" he eyed the man's reaction, taking in his fear.

"I won't be satisfied with just them, you know. I'll move on to your entire village, that'll be nice."

Sorin's heart dropped. The threat was real, he could feel it emanating from Felix. He knew that Felix wouldn't hesitate to bring the man's entire family here for amusement.

Sorin knew. Yet, he still let Felix threaten the man.

It was interesting.

"Felix." He snapped himself out of his thoughts, swallowing the guilt that grew in his stomach when he realized what he was thinking.

"What? It's much easier this way, isn't it?" he grinned "So? What do you say, mister? I'll leave them alone if you tell us."

"Don't bring my family into this!" the man roared "They're innocent! You cruel monst–"

"And those children weren't? How about the orphanage you burned down?" Sorin cut him off.

"I don't hurt any of them, I swear, I just bring them when I'm ordered to." the man defended, tears welling up at the side of his eyes

"A-and the orphanage, the baron told us we had to do it, he had no use for the orphanage anymore. We had no choice. It's either we kill them or we all die."

An empty laugh escaped Sorin's lips. He almost couldn't believe it "Then, I'll do the same to everything you love just like what you did to mine and the families of those you've hurt."

The man kneeled on the ground "N-no please..." he begged.

"Then, tell me who else is involved aside from the baron." Sorin offered "A simple trade."

"P-Please..." the man begged but Sorin's smile remained the same. Minutes passed by as they waited for him to break down before a whisper escaped his lips "...his wife too... and the village chief."

Sorin's blood has gone cold at the answer.

It was true. Some humans are lower than scum, they are scourge who filth this earth.

"T-they have sick tastes and fantasies but I-I promise I don't involve myself." the man confessed.

"I told you everything I know, please don't involve my family."

"...I'll kill them all." Sorin whispered to himself. Felix must have heard it based on the expression on his face "I'll tear their heads from their necks and that wouldn't even be enough."

Sorin tilted his head in a relaxed manner, an eerie calm settling down inside of him when he finally knew. The same small smile played at the corners of his lips "I've been holding myself back for far too long."

He has, hasn't he?

He had sacrificed so much for the empire. For the people, Sorin had always said. They were worth fighting for, worth sacrificing his life for because the empire deserved peace. Sorin never wanted anything in return, it would be naive to have that mindset but he was way too trusting.

Too foolish to even think that the people he loved—the people he fought for will do such heinous acts.

Resentment flowed through his veins like a raging river as his attention returned to the human. He was begging for them to kill him and not involve anyone else

"I told you everything, please… those people are innocent, please." he cried.

"Do you think your life is worth more than theirs? I've asked you so many times but you really have to bring others into this." Felix circled the man with cold, wide eyes; the smirk was gone from his face and replaced with nothing.

"Don't you think it's your fault that they have to suffer the consequences of your stubbornness?"

Sorin watched as despair filled the man's face. The unspeakable horror of what was to come filled his mind as he let out a shrill scream.

The begging stopped as he tried to claw and scream at Felix who simply skipped a step back away from the feral man "I'll kill you! I'll kill you if you touch them!"

"We're done here." Sorin hummed, annoyed at the man's barking and screaming.

"I'll kill you! You demon bastard! Evil incarnates!"

Felix raised his arms, claws sharpening to end the man's life but Sorin had stopped him before he could pierce through the man's skull "Don't kill him." He hissed. Confusion was evident on Thomas' face before a small ounce of hope sparkled through his life.

"He is not a martyr, Felix." His words were filled with mockery as he watch realization dawn on the man's face.

Felix's eyebrow furrowed for a moment before slowly pulling away from Sorin's grasp on his arm as a toothy grin formed across his lips. The man's screams and threats became louder but Sorin had learned to tune it out.

"Let the man live," Sorin ordered.

Demonic magic filled the air as Sorin summoned a small, demonic beast on his palm. It looked similar to a centipede, with multiple barbed limbs and a visible mandible.

"Adorable, isn't it?" Sorin cooed at the demonic beast, the man quivered at the sight of the beast, a chittering noise coming from its mouth.

"Felix, open his mouth up, please." Sorin said with a cheery voice, Thomas squirmed helplessly at Felix's tight grip.

"Ahk–mpfff..."

Sorin crouched before dangling the demonic beast on his tongue, a twisted smile formed on his lips "I'll know you'll do well, Sir Thomas."

He dropped it on the man's tongue, the creature instantly slithering down his throat.

"Looks like you'll be busy for a while, Sir Thomas." Sorin turned his back from the man on the floor. His body convulsing and twitching in pain.

"I'll see you soon."