Chapter 307: Worse than death
Warning: Disturbing scene ahead, proceed with caution.
Luke stood beneath a tree, rinsing the blood from his hands with water from a clay pitcher. Crimson swirled into the dirt before disappearing beneath the roots. His clothes were soaked through as well, but changing them could wait until he returned to his family.
After cleaning his hands, he tossed the empty pitcher aside and turned to his left.
A man hung from the tree.
Completely naked.
His body was a grotesque ruin of blood, bruises, and torn flesh. Every limb had been broken beyond recognition. His swollen eyes bulged from their sockets, while spiked metal wire, the very kind he had once used to trap others, had been wrapped around him, biting deep into his flesh and pinning him against the trunk.
He should have died long ago.
Yet even after ten relentless minutes of torture, Luke had made certain he stayed alive.
The reason was simple.
Healing potions restored wounds, but they could not replace lost blood. So Luke never gave Manbaru the chance to bleed out. Instead, he shattered his bones again and again with a blunt weapon, then forced a healing potion down his throat before the damage became fatal. The cycle repeated endlessly, every dose repairing just enough for the next round to begin.
At one point, Manbaru had desperately twisted his head away, refusing the potion that would save his life. He had chosen death over another moment of agony.
Luke had simply gripped his jaw, forced his mouth open, and poured the potion down his throat anyway.
Even now, he wasn’t satisfied.
But time was running short.
The village guards were already converging on the scene.
With so many corpses scattered around, it wouldn’t take long before they started questioning his family. He needed to be there before that happened.
"Hah... let’s end this here."
Luke stepped in front of the broken man, crouched, and scooped up the shredded remains lying beneath him. Torn flesh, ruined muscle, even the man’s own eye ball.
He rose to his feet and calmly smeared the mangled mass across Manbaru’s face, pressing chunks of flesh into the empty sockets where his eye had once been.
The man’s body convulsed violently.
His mouth opened and closed in a silent scream. The pain was still there, as vivid as ever, but he no longer possessed the strength to cry.
"This should attract crows," Luke said casually. "Or maybe something bigger. Pray a large beast finds you first. Dying to the pecking of crows..."
He paused for a moment before giving a faint nod.
"Yeah. That would be a horrible way to go."
"Mmh..."
The sound that escaped Manbaru’s throat was so weak it barely existed.
Luke gave his bloodied cheek a couple of light pats.
"Have a pleasant time dying."
The shadows swallowed him.
By the time the darkness dispersed, Luke was already making his way back toward his family.
His mind was strangely empty.
Relief lingered somewhere within him. Monica and the others were safe. That alone should have occupied his thoughts.
Instead, what surfaced was the torture he had inflicted upon Manbaru.
The endless agony.
The calculated cruelty.
The sheer inhumanity of it all.
And despite recognizing every bit of it...
Luke felt absolutely nothing.
It was as though mercy had died within him that night.
Whether that was a blessing or the beginning of something far worse was a question for another day.
For now...
....
"Stop right there."
Luke’s voice cut through the air as he emerged from the darkness, appearing directly before Laila, who was in the middle of a heated exchange with one of the village guards.
"Ah... it’s you."
The guard instinctively stiffened, visibly startled by Luke’s sudden appearance.
"What seems to be the problem?" Luke asked.
He kept his back to his family, shielding them without making it obvious. His gaze swept across the surroundings in a single, measured glance.
More than twenty guards had already arrived.
None of them were attempting to surround him.
Instead, they were spreading through the area, examining the corpses one by one, speaking in hushed voices as they searched for survivors, clues, or anything that might help their further search.
"Forgive my suspicion, Lord Luke, but we had to confirm these people were truly with you," the guard said respectfully, his entire demeanour changing. "The Chief has asked me to escort you and your family somewhere safe. If you’ll come with us..."
"No."
Luke’s refusal was immediate.
"I don’t trust your people anymore. And I certainly don’t trust the village that nearly cost me everything in a single day."
The emotions he had suppressed for hours finally broke through. No matter how hard he fought to keep them in check, his voice quivered, and a painful lump formed in his throat.
"Luke..."
Monica stepped beside him and wrapped both hands around his arm.
Her heart ached.
The man standing beside her had always been cautious, but never like this. Tonight, every trace of trust he once held for others seemed to have crumbled away.
The guard let out a weary sigh.
"Lord Luke, I truly regret what happened. More than you know." He paused before continuing. "Even so, I must insist that you return to the village. Stay wherever you wish. We will arrange it."
He gestured toward the bodies littering the clearing.
"Our investigation has confirmed that Gorrem and Manbaru commanded far more men than those lying here. The rest are still missing. They could still be hiding somewhere in the forest, waiting for an opportunity to strike. If you leave tonight, you may walk straight into an ambush."
Luke’s brows drew together.
The guard wasn’t wrong.
It aligned with Rel’s advice as well. Travelling through the forest after dark had never been wise, and with hostile survivors potentially scattered throughout the area, the danger only multiplied.
Yet the mere thought of returning to that village made his chest tighten.
It felt less like going back to shelter...
And more like willingly stepping into a place that had already betrayed him once.
Just then, a familiar voice rose from behind them.
"I understand your vigilance, young man."
The warrior immediately lowered his head and stepped aside.
Supported by another villager, Agram slowly made his way forward. His injuries were severe enough that every step demanded effort, yet he had come regardless. He had anticipated that a situation like this would arise.
"I know our village has brought you nothing but hardship," Agram said. "The wounds it left behind may never truly heal. But the men responsible for that suffering have fallen by your own hand."
Luke’s eyes hardened.
"How do I know there aren’t more like them?"
Agram met his gaze without the slightest hint of offence.
"You don’t."
The old man’s answer came without hesitation.
"But I give you my word. I will personally stand guard over the place where you and your family stay tonight."
His weathered expression softened.
"For everything you have done for this village... for our people... the least I can offer is one night of peace before you return home."
Luke clenched his jaw.
His instincts screamed at him to refuse.
Then he looked behind him.
Thea still hadn’t regained consciousness.
Laila remained visibly shaken, her face pale from everything she had witnessed.
Roxanne stood in silence, her vacant eyes devoid of their usual spark.
And Monica...
She said nothing.
She simply held onto his arm, as though letting go for even a moment might cause him to disappear.
Luke slowly closed his eyes.
This decision was no longer about his distrust.
It was about them.
"...Fine."
The word left him with obvious reluctance.
Just for tonight.