Leaning away from the screaming head, Elysian could clearly see it was Grimscar’s head; he was sure. It bore the same expression he had seen when the b*stard was most terrified, frozen in time, preserved for the enjoyment of the most malevolent and vile creature.

‘I’m a spiteful person. I enjoy seeing the suffering of those evil people. However, even for me, there is a limit I can stomach, and it seems this is testing it.

Hmm…

I just don’t want to see a person suffer just for the sake of it. For me, it’s an act of retribution—of justice. Well, if this is really Grimscar, hmm… it might not be too bad.’

“Why are you turning pale?” BloodShade quipped, chuckling as she studied the reaction of the boy. “Where was that boy I saw who was always unfazed by whatever I threw at him?”

“Is this really Grimscar?” Elysian asked, completely ignoring the taunting of the malevolent creature. “I mean, I know it’s not really his head, but is his soul inside that thing?”

“Soul? Hmm…” BloodShade pondered for a moment before smiling at him. “Sadly, no. That thing is only made up of his blood,” she continued, her smile never wavering. “His pain, and… his dread. His soul is imprisoned within this realm, specifically the pillars behind me.”

Elysian’s eyes widened at the revelation, pointing at the obsidian pillars behind the woman. “You mean he’s there?”

“Yes, he is,” BloodShade admitted, nodding her head. “Anyone who is killed by my knife will be sent inside that pillar, trapped for all eternity. They will be tortured repeatedly, creating that delicious fruit in front of you,” she stated, chuckling in delight, enjoying herself. “Do you want to meet that man? See his suffering?”

‘Do I want to meet him? No, I don’t. My role was already done when he died. If he ends up being imprisoned in that hell, it’s his fate—his karma; I wash my hands of that and won’t get involved.

However, what about the other people?’

At the revelation, Elysian fell silent for a moment, staring at the head before glancing back at the woman. “So that means all the people I killed with you are there.”

“Yes,” she confirmed, noticing the sorrow deep inside his eyes. “Why? Is there a problem?”

Elysian was quiet again for a bit longer, his expression down as he considered his actions and decisions up until that point. It was clear that the boy was deeply bothered by what he learned. “Is there a way that you can release them?” he asked, staring at the malevolent creature straight in the eyes. “I mean, is it possible that their souls could be freed from that prison?”

BloodShade considered his question while studying the young noble very carefully. His words and expressions just now offered an image of the boy she hadn’t expected. She had always viewed him as someone like herself, malevolent and spiteful; though both held true for them, she channeled her malevolence to everyone. She wanted them to suffer and experience the unfairness of the world as she did, while the boy only targeted those he deemed deserving.

At that moment, BloodShade did not know how to feel, understanding that she and the boy were totally different. “I can,” she finally answered, frowning at him. “But why would I?”

As the creature challenged him, Elysian’s gaze never wavered. “It’s unjust and cruel.”

“Unjust and cruel,” BloodShade muttered softly, repeating the words as if she savored each one before bursting into laughter. As she continued to cackle, the young noble just watched with an expressionless face. “You are joking, right?” she asked as she reined herself in. “You’re the one who killed them, and some were tortured to the point where I would even blush from such exquisite work. Now, you’re talking about injustice and cruelty? Isn’t that funny?”

Elysian sighed in resignation as he heard her words. She had a point, and it was hard to argue with that; still, he had to try to give his perspective on the matter, providing some nuance that he thought needed to be considered in areas that he believed to be wrong and unjust. “I know it sounded absurd, especially coming from someone like me,” he stated as he glanced at the screaming heads behind the woman; there, he saw the first man he killed since his regression and the one he tortured in the alleyway. “However, from my point of view, punishment should be proportional to the sin someone committed. Meaning, you should punish someone up to the point where retribution is achieved and the souls of the victims find solace, or else it would be another injustice,” he muttered, speaking more to himself than to the woman at that point. Pausing for a moment to ruminate, he continued in a whisper, “Else, we are no different from those vile men.”

“Do you think yourself a god, boy?” BloodShade asked, snorting at the child’s words. “Who are you to say that someone needs to be punished? Or if someone needs to be tortured to this degree to ease those tragic souls?”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

‘Do I? Am I so arrogant to think that?

Sigh.

Of course not.’

“I’m no god,” Elysian responded, chuckling at the notion before his mood soured again. “I’m no one, but… but I can’t just sit around doing nothing as injustice is done before my eyes,” he said, glancing back at the woman. “The question is, who really has the right to exact justice? Even kings do so not because of some divine right, though they claim it. It is mostly to promote order and, in some ways, demonstrate their rule. At the end of the day, they can do it because they have the power. In my case, I’m the son of the Baron. It’s indirectly my responsibility to promote justice in this land. Most importantly, I have a little power to do what I think is right, and punishing those vile creatures is just in my view,” he continued, growing quiet again as he got lost in his thoughts.

Emerging from his silence, Elysian said, “If there comes a time when I realize what I did was wrong, I will carry that burden and suffer for it. However, if I did nothing as Grimscar terrorized and tortured women in my land, I couldn’t live with that… I just can’t.” Meeting the gaze of the Medea, he added, “Like what they did to you.”

BloodShade’s expression suddenly soured at the mention of her past before it slowly softened, turning into a sincere smile. “If you want to release their souls, you can; it will be your decision. The truth is, I don’t really care.”

“Thank you,” Elysian said, bowing in gratitude. “Can you release all the souls I killed?” he muttered before quickly correcting himself. “Aside from Grimscar.”

BloodShade looked at him for a moment, raising her brow.

“What?” the noble asked, grinning at her. “As I said, punishment should be proportional to the crimes they committed, and that b*stard committed some heinous crimes that can’t be forgiven. He should stay in there and suffer for all eternity.”

“Well, it’s your choice,” BloodShade responded, shrugging as the pillars suddenly glowed with an eerie crimson light, followed by the weeping of souls. “It’s done. They’re free aside from that one.”

Elysian breathed a sigh of relief and bowed again. “Thank you.”

“I hope that you can replace these souls quickly,” she said, grinning at the boy before squashing the screaming head in front of him. It turned into crimson and black dust. BloodShade took a deep breath and inhaled it all before exhaling in ecstasy. “Ah, that was good,” she said, glancing back at the boy and gesturing for him to do the same. “You should try it. I guarantee you won’t regret it.”

‘Sh*t! What should I do? She won’t try to harm me, right?

Of course, she won’t. Still, the head looks very creepy. But if I decline her offer, she might take offense.’

Left with no choice, Elysian swallowed hard as he slowly grabbed the screaming head of Grimscar and lifted it toward him.

‘How did she do it?’

When he tried to squeeze the head, Elysian failed. Lost and not knowing what to do, he tried to find ways to do what she did. As he tried, the screaming head suddenly turned to dust when he willed his mind to it. Recoiling in surprise, the crimson and black dust entered his nose toward his brain.

‘What the hell?!

W-Wait…

Hmm… This doesn’t feel so bad. It’s actually nice.’

Elysian suddenly felt his exhausted and stressed mind relax like a rope, finally unwound from ages of being tied and lashed. The boy closed his eyes, savoring every moment as he breathed a sigh of relief, released from a bondage he hadn’t known held him captive. As his fatigue drained away from him like a river, endlessly flowing, it carried with it the nicks and scars that had accumulated throughout his existence. He hadn’t felt this invigorated for a long time, even in his past life.

‘This feels really good.’

Satisfied with what he felt, Elysian slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the wide smile of BloodShade, enjoying herself as he watched the expression on the young noble’s face. Then, a message appeared in his view.

image [https://i.imgur.com/5FXkCHP.png]

“Thank you,” Elysian said, bowing his head sincerely in gratitude. “I didn’t realize that stress and the ravages of time had taken such a toll on my body and mind. I haven’t felt this good in a long time,” he continued, smiling at her before pausing for a moment as he considered his words. “Well, I think—ever; I think I haven’t felt this good in my entire existence.”

“Well, that’s good to hear, master,” BloodShade responded. A small smile crossed her lips before suddenly arching her brow. “But the ravages of time? Really?”

‘Sh*t!

Hmm… Do I even need to lie to her? Our relationship has now been fully sealed and completed as master and servant. Though I completely trust Bran and Osric, my connection to this woman is even stronger since she is inside and directly connected to me.

Also, sooner or later, she will know the truth about me; it’s simply inevitable. If I lie to her now, it will just ruin our relationship and the trust I’m building.’

“I think it’s time for me to come clean.” With a deep sigh, Elysian truthfully stated, “I’m from the future.”

The woman looked at the noble for a long moment, frozen in place as she tried to repeat the words she heard. When it still didn’t make sense to her, she blinked so fast that it was as if something had entered her eyes.

‘Yup, this is going to be loud. Sigh.’

Elysian just quickly studied her reaction before putting his hands on his ears, already anticipating her reaction to his revelation. Just as he predicted, BloodShade’s realm was suddenly filled with rapturous laughter, the thunderous sounds coming from all directions with them at the center. Even though he anticipated it, this didn’t make the experience pleasant.

After the woman had calmed down, Elysian seriously asked, “Are you done?”

BloodShade slowly glanced at the young noble, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Brat, I didn’t know that you could be funny. Telling me with a straight face that you came from the future…” she muttered before completely stopping her words when she noticed that the boy wasn’t laughing but just watching her with a serious expression, awaiting her to calm down. Squinting her eyes, she frowned and asked, “You’re just joking, right? Or have you gone insane?”

“Nope, I’m totally serious,” Elysian responded, nodding his head to a beat he alone could hear before he stopped moving as he considered her words more thoughtfully. “Well, the insane part, hmm… I’m not too sure.”