Chapter 26
In a remote village on the outskirts of Drelgarde, a masked individual jumped off his horse, staring calmly at the house before him. The area was populated by bushes and overgrown trees, but he was not alone.
"I'll be going inside. Chain them and come in," he ordered, leaving the two horses in the man's hands.
The door opened without much effort, and Garran entered calmly, like he owned the place. Technically, he did, since he owned the Drelgarde fortress.
He didn't bother to survey the area and walked ahead till he got to two doors. He could smell the metallic scent of blood and rot in the air and that made him smile. The sweet feeling of satisfaction coursed through his entire being. He could hear the whimpering and groans of people in the second room, but he didn't bother with them and entered the first room.
The door opened to a man lying on the floor. His clothes were soaked with blood, and his body was riddled with bruises and wounds — some old, others fresh.
Garran chuckled. He couldn't believe that someone as high as the royal physician had been brought down so low as a result of his stubbornness. A subtle frown lit up on his face, 'Why was he–No need to think about it, he deserves it.'
His frown cleared from his face and he looked ahead.
"Good day, Doctor Rex!" Garran exclaimed, a calm smile on his face, which contrasted greatly with the madness slowly swirling in his pale blue eyes.
The doctor slowly turned his body, grunting and groaning as he moved. His face was disfigured and was almost unrecognisable.
"Woah, I guess my men were a bit rough. How painful that must have been." He uttered sarcastically. He felt some intricate and dopamine filler emotion whenever, he expressed wickedness and though he didn't know where it was from, he was quite okay with it.
'What was he okay with?'
He frowned.
Rex slowly opened his eyes and looked ahead. All he could see were well-polished shoes, but the voice felt familiar, so he strained his swollen eye and caught sight of the lemon-blonde-haired prince.
"Prince Garran?" His voice sounded shocked. He didn't expect Garran to be the one orchestrating all this. Initially, he thought Minos had caught up to him after he escaped from the vase, but who would've known that it was the Crown Prince?
Suddenly, he was engulfed by fury so heavy that it gave him the strength to sit, albeit he still leaned on the wall for support. He couldn't understand why he was being targeted, he was just another doctor who was doing his job, the thought of losing his fiance broke him and like an overflowing dam, he exploded.
"Why? Why are you doing this? I told him everything, so why?!" the man yelled, but his voice came out raspy because of the constant beatings and little food.
Garran wanted to frown but he subconsciously smirked as though he was enjoying the man's fury and squatted close to him.
"Everything? No, you didn't tell him everything. You left out the key parts."
Garran grinned, the madness in his eyes spilling out. This was how he was seen by most of his victims — a mad, mentally unstable prince. It had always been like this…but was this his methods? How was his methods then, then suddenly, like a radio's switch, he began hearing Minos' words echoing in his mind.
But for Rex, he was unlucky, since Garran was still subconsciously replaying the venomous words of Minos in his mind.
"Are you ready to speak or…" Garran inquired, in what looked like a polite way, with a short dagger trailing along the doctor's chin.
"I was only a doctor who was called to do my job! Why are you all torturing me now?!" Rex cried, his chest heaving up and down. He coughed some blood and bit his lip to prevent the pain from coming out, which resulted from his fractured rib.
"I just need a few answers, and you would be set to go. I can also sponsor your next start if you answer well," Garran proposed. His subordinate entered the room and brought him a chair.
Garran pulled the chair closer to the battered doctor and sat before him. Normally, he would have wished for his victims to prolong talking so that he could explore other torture methods. And although his wounds had fully healed, he was not in the mood today, even though he felt his whole being tell him to do otherwise— mainly because this one didn't have his sight on his sister.
"How much?" Rex asked, his cold eyes looking at Garran. Hatred burned in his gaze, and if looks and thoughts could kill, he would have damned the entire royal family.
Garran beamed. "A million suns plus a mansion — that is if you answer all my questions to my liking."
Rex's eyes widened at the proposition. A million suns was enough to feed him till his death and even cater for his children, that is, if he lived moderately. He couldn't understand why the prince was willing to give out such a large sum when he could technically torture him for it. Not that he wanted to be tortured, but it was confusing.
"Okay, it started a year ago when all the best doctors started disappearing after treating the King." He groaned, a wound on his abdomen had opened wide, seeping blood but he didnt stop and continued, though his voice was low as though talking hurt." Early this year, it got to my turn, but randomly, I was called that the King had collapsed and was called to treat him. The High Steward and the Archbishop were around — they showed me the King's petrified legs."
Garran frowned as he processed the information. Rex gulped and continued.
"I was then sent to some location where the missing doctors were already at, and they were researching a cure for the sickness."
"So, did you find it?" Garran asked.
Rex shook his head slightly, his head held low. Meanwhile, Garran's subordinate frowned and glanced around the room warily, his hand on his sword.
"We did find another thing. The illness only affected the—"
"My Lord! Take cover!" Garran's subordinate yelled and jumped toward Garran, pushing him away to miss an arrow by a hair's breadth.
Garran held his breath in shock. He turned quickly to look at Dr. Rex, who had an arrow fixed in his throat.
"No, no — finish it. It only happens to who?" Garran asked repeatedly, his voice tinged with nervousness.
"Leave me and go protect those in the other rooms," Garran ordered his subordinate. He was still a High Human and was capable of taking care of himself.
He quickly removed the arrow while letting go of his aura — just enough to suffocate anyone under his level and also not hurt himself as he had done the last time.
"Reveal yourself!" His voice carried a will, and soon a black cloth fell out of midair. He frowned slightly while he tried to heal the doctor.
"Don't… I… was… tired!" Rex pushed his hand away. He gestured for Garran to come closer, and when he did, he whispered something in his ears.
Garran frowned, but before he could ask for clarification, the doctor dropped dead.
Just then, the door opened, and his subordinate entered. He shook his head quietly.
"They were Stavs, my lord. They only exist in Kaelthor because of the high rate of death there."
Garran nodded. He already knew what it was when they fell. They excelled in surprise attacks, but when it failed, that became their death sentence. A little exposure to heat or killing intent could kill them.
"Burn the house and the bodies. We don't want any problems," Garran said coldly. He felt awfully different today and he could sense the change in him. Perhaps, it was the after effect of being left in the room with nothing to do or probably something different.
Jumping onto his horse, he galloped away.
"It's a pity that I was not able to question those traitors!"
Meanwhile, in a certain cabin in the forest, a woman coughed blood and fell to the floor. Nevertheless, she smirked. She held a bow in her hands and pulled off the black cloth she was wearing
"It seems the report on his health was…exaggerated," she muttered, cleaning her lips with her dress. She smiled excitedly. "He looks even more handsome, hehe."
She closed her eyes while fantasising about Garran.