Chapter 59: A Miserable Life
E2v0ka“First.”S3EB
o48UIPerda opened the conversation.yfaVkgZ
Kzd2SVA damp echo, fitting for the basement, resonated.BGfBK
ndWOI“I must sincerely thank you.”iIwd
sRMGM“……”1rL17F
M6rTXHB“If you hadn’t attacked that day, I would have had to monitor Director Bernard for days and nights, which would have been an unnecessary waste.”0KeCTy
KzTxgVv“If you’re so grateful… could you let me go?”U1ih
FyEcKZ“Not that. I’m grateful, not an idiot.”xTM20
gnJjWvBPerda dragged a chair and placed it in front of him.AYoly
jIrk6eG“That transformation technique is quite interesting. It’s not magical imitation or perception distortion, nor a clumsy copy like that of doppelgängers.”jM8ja2
x5q3Q“If you find it so fascinating, I can turn into you as well, regent.”13S
eh0He said with a chuckle, in a mocking tone.gaF
gu5J“You can do it with me too?”KnGn
ptlE7Perda took the joke seriously.x5n
uRR“As long as there is blood, it’s possible.”nsA
UIkiYRPerda pulled a clean dagger from his clothes and cut his arm.Qraz
1lNRRtRed blood began to slide down his forearm.HL1t3IR
8Ha“Do it.”nLN34LI
o4ARuAm“……”RGlu9C
7Xb41CThe man collected the dripping blood and drank it.e4Dk
SsrSjAs he consumed a considerable amount, Director Bernard’s appearance began to change.u3UvO8F
wFoGHe transformed into Perda.8ST
puThGray hair, blue eyes.yU5ln
7OF9DVA weak body that once wanted to be a knight, but couldn’t.RN5IQX
Ua4zThough covered in bruises and with broken teeth, it was undoubtedly Perda’s image.Y9lpp6Q
urJ“It seems you can’t repair the injuries. What happened to that monstrous healing ability?”HHIXJh
tO7TZ“My function is to become that human. A human cannot have that kind of healing.”TmX
VUWn“You’re meticulous.”QffGXV5
rtDDeliberately removing the enhanced traits of demons and focusing only on imitating humans.WTEm8t
EP7YL8Perda stared at him.wUhkW
ILrThe man, meeting his gaze, let out a laugh.ZbKU
waU1Mc“Perda Valdrova… I thought you were crazy, but you exceed my imagination…”VFFgJC
dTF9“What do you mean?”thJ
PVTQoPerda tilted his head.5NnYcM1
6eHo“What you’re seeing is yourself. Your own broken and shattered self. And yet, you stand there as if it were something interesting.”qnG
6n3Tx“It’s not interesting.”pyHPIbk
TXU“And yet your eyes don’t even waver?”ETnpT
GUrIt was true.rbEGY8g
JOqSiPerda neither looked away nor showed fear.R7MOBu
rPiTHe was observing his own ruined state.sOMY4
EWd“You… were expelled from the Rosnova family, weren’t you?”PzfNYID
ItI“……”TE8ZhHr
hy8“I can feel how hard you tried. You have no muscles, but you broke your bones and filled your hands with blisters from all that effort, didn’t you?”6WjqozO
ddySFBb“……”kBPGq
7fO“But your father didn’t acknowledge it.”VRY2H
Urdqo“That’s right. And that’s why I ended up becoming a fiancé.”kG3wiI
bqqo“No. That was just an excuse to throw you out. You know it too.”vDTVa4e
DRDUKDThe man, wearing Perda’s face, smiled in a twisted way.vu0yC
sBUAC“You were abandoned for lack of talent. Just like me, discarded trash.”chn6OCT
LOxNb79In his eyes there was a plea for kinship.Mx7fy
U9hB0YLThe kinship born from sharing the same emotion called revenge.LrUIHA
8QVLeThe man with Perda’s face longed for revenge.nd1Tdof
zsgvXWiRevenge against the king who betrayed his loyalty.hKBKva
7WyJeXRevenge against the father who abandoned his son.kLQ
mzeThat feeling of anger was something Perda could understand deeply.tRkg
1zFj“Yes, I was abandoned.”pFf
ReCapPerda showed contempt.ni6H
kOOM6B“But you and I are different. Very different.”XxeI
kjQZO“In what way?”RKgFK0s
nGg“The soul.”esg
lnAf9uPPerda pointed to his chest.zyF
YYN“My soul was always mine.”2M3
D9GsGPWHe looked at the man with disdain.rh7d
DIhHearing that, the man shouted in fury.isfp
qbkfp7“My soul hasn’t been sold to anyone! This is the path I chose!”gf5mjqv
phv0W5s“No. You sold your soul. You let that trash appraise you and didn’t hesitate to lower yourself. That’s why your desire for revenge became cheaper than that of a dog.”XoBnC
EnrE7HAThe man shouted, outraged.cw49u
dQjHyv“And what does that matter? As long as I achieve my revenge, that’s enough! Even if I destroy myself, what matters is making that bastard suffer worse than hell!”Jd8
QQF“No. Revenge requires a soul.”bulbobY
NkFCTsOPerda put his hand into the bag he had brought.ypO5XY
benB“Even if it gets dirty and breaks, it is only achieved when you keep your soul entirely your own.”ypV7F
FGDCLlHe took out a vial.c8io
y8wNlWithout a label or distinctive color, it was impossible to know what it contained.ovxcm7
tOvPu2There were seven in total.pry2
d3aCz“So stop pretending you understand me just because you have my appearance.”T2has
y1FVFLiHe opened one and stepped closer.XR7
h44“And enjoy life.”U7fz
LpjZ***pDI
6Ryi7tUpper floor of the castle, alchemy workshop.dIUM6en
EavThe alchemist was tidying up.j48
xBzD“May I come in?”06qeqe
T1iHearing the familiar voice of an elderly man, the alchemist stopped and bowed his head.a1m32
xGiJPG“Count Consilus, it’s an honor. Of course, you may enter whenever you wish.”I33QLHR
Yez3rpn“Thank you for allowing Regent Valdrova to use the workshop.”Blu2e
YZgq9P“Not at all. How could I refuse a request from the count?”Yfvm1J
mssX6EConsilus pretended to look around before speaking.W99z
z8VXhx“By the way, do you know what kind of medicine the regent prepared?”yHhNcX8
U71C“Here is the list of materials he requested.”O2hQim
N1DSThe perceptive alchemist showed him the records.YncnrHp
PHKConsilus reviewed them.3QiY
dNTr2Although he was a knight and military man, he had basic knowledge, including alchemy.I3VO7CC
aMmLThat’s why he frowned.LkhbW
4Rf“This… these look like ingredients for a recovery potion, don’t they?”JC6IwPV
RgF5P4cThe alchemist nodded.5vGM
0HcVPRw“Yes, correct.”AsDWAUm
oPHjq“He came all the way here just to make that? He could have asked you.”fj3bmsc
qj4p“That’s what I thought too.”uzVE
bIU7IK“That’s what you thought?”Yq7Q
YxiiThe sigh he was about to let out disappeared.rXkZ
MuSThe alchemist hesitated.gVxNZ
7NDEus“Well… that is…”lbNsP
B2ghji“Speak. Even mild criticism will be allowed.”gtQ
TtP5k“Risking offense… Regent Valdrova… has no skill in alchemy… no, he’s worse than a beginner.”tH7ip1
JLyqJYHis voice was filled with rejection.Gdh
589hConsilus blinked.i4ZR1xY
OkShqec“That bad?”sXJRgs
Yv1H“Yes. He made mistakes that not even a beginner would make. If one of my apprentices did that, I’d slap him.”RMiRRg
10V3“Hmm…”XgnEx
hpeOw“Ah, sorry, that was disrespectful…”2Aw
w7cfpmConsilus stroked his beard and thought before speaking.nTEgxPi
abID3T“I don’t think it’s a lack of skill.”sX6Ar
mirQhHZ“But the methods and procedures were completely wrong. Unless he was a beginner…”gxS
dKBHRV6“Tell me. If the process is incorrect, what effect does it produce?”ke1qg
NzmS4j3“Well…”rvRJw
7T3546UThe alchemist checked his notes.rE0gG
5Yiw6“For example, he stirred too quickly.”aY7cR2
NCxXJt“And that?”Akoq
6K0“It reduces the effect of the potion.”uBmbr
5SGqC0“And more?”MgE
eBC“During cooling, he stirred the cauldron. That also reduces the recovery effect. And…”Qx3zeAp
Q6BDHe began listing mistakes.2lm
jNaUQQMore than twenty errors in a short process.nqUFMsY
4GF“All of that…”IzgJ
I78LBAThe alchemist was astonished.5ijJ
P2fkAlchemy is delicate.2mPo9
JzK4uA single mistake can completely nullify the effect.YUi8
pBZk64But all of Perda’s mistakes had a consistent result.fOR
7tJc“They all reduce the speed and efficiency of recovery…”uVyi
JnvmUIt wasn’t the error of a beginner.zDz7CYD
fEDOIt was completely intentional.awe4
YeZy***3XBCR
c95“Ugh…!”b0OGB0
vdQ5nThe man’s entire body tensed to the limit.MBek6
3qhFKThe veins in his neck bulged, blood vessels protruded, and as he clenched his broken teeth, even those began to crumble.7V4Dcd5
bsq55z“Do you feel it?”LzMQv
Fb4woPerda shook the empty vial as he asked.2hoELaQ
9DnBWRJEverything that had been inside was now in the man’s body.qPLmf1N
c5KLt5P“Doesn’t it feel like your entire body is a field of flames? Like it’s burning you slowly, but unbearably hot.”CWIc
QoTXvR“Ugh…! What the hell… did you do to me?!”dFP
oWqHe couldn’t finish the sentence.e6YP
zZ8S2uUBut Perda answered.fbd
sRv“A miserable life.”5Usy5Fw
IPX9lJG“W-what… is that?!”VNv78Q
Bfl72“That’s what I called it. It’s the most painful life that can be given to someone like you, who was already prepared to die. And what you’re feeling now is the growing pain of nerves that had died from torture and are coming back to life.”aoO
ifZFa“Ugh…!?”Vyvyg
LSYi0v“That’s right. I’m not killing you. I’m keeping you alive.”x1u
oo3DFsE“Shut up…!”Rou
OibJThat couldn’t be recovery.PWbA0Yq
dxhyPerda shook the empty vial.2FOlbF
345so“Strange, isn’t it? The better a recovery potion is, the faster and stronger it regenerates. That’s why high-level ones are always popular. They’re well refined and leave no side effects, even if used in combat.”08Gb2
2dT6JThe man had been a knight.eRV82
nbIzZHe had been on the battlefield, so he knew well the effect of high-quality potions.XagskW
bgOTuZT“On the other hand, cheap ones are painful. They recover slowly and poorly. What I made is the cheapest of the cheap. So, if I press here…”Uwh
HuNjnPerda gently pressed a bruise with his index finger.Klrj9
qGWslMU“Aaaaah!”RuGyWk
uNjLA tearing scream burst from his mouth.0SOJm
2cpNThe man who had endured the executioner’s torture screamed for the first time.NmB2n3T
08Ocu“Newly regenerated nerves are extremely sensitive. If a finger does this…”4zIwQs8
aFNPerda picked up an object the executioner had left behind.jcC4MaP
CAKuCOIt was long and sharp.IDvGOz
7isq2IXA needle.CHF
5aOCMP“What do you think will happen with this?”x0mNVs
n7lClink, clink.OQfyJC
fhC31“Stop… stooop!!”2JsfxQ
zUWq2iqThe man began to lose his mind and struggle.xvceY
lCVNad“I’ll tell you everything! I’ll tell you everything!”v4ICgu7
yE7“Tell what?”VeIyhcu
u29Fm“There must be a reason for this torture, damn it! I’ll tell you everything! I’ll tell you where our base is! Just stop! Please! Pleeease!”6DKXKz
WcNYelFive minutes.gTAgqq6
oGH6That’s how long it took for someone who had resisted the executioner to break.UBJJy
KAH4gIt was ridiculously fast.v9DipiA
79ppGOf course, he learned to endure dying, but never to endure living.3hMn7te
ZzePnIm“No.”VOg
2ymInstead of interrogating him, Perda placed a gag in his mouth.dFdHBBK
r9LdO“Your surrender was expected, but not now.”bcl
aHP49He set the empty vial down and took another.Sf9lx
IQQbcoThe liquid inside swirled.WwcMvu1
ZEojc7To his sensitive ears, it sounded like waves crashing in a storm.nLiDz
dfC1w“Sing a little more. Enjoy a little more that miserable life you abandoned.”MivqL
Od3VqhsOn the spiral staircase leading down to the basement,MkpkR
Nraqg2the screams of a sinner in hell did not cease.euSx1b
ajD39***XPlu0
aiSThree hours later, Perda met again with Count Consilus in the hall.q6saESR
LOt6Ucs“I discovered some interesting things.”kn8Opcp
Ft6XQvQ“What kind of things?”lbSM6A
rVQh“They call themselves Doppler.”3Sj
cHJ“Doppler? Sounds derived from doppelgänger.”Q9jlQ6r
J0j3“That’s right. They say they are a superior version of doppelgängers.”djZ8icT
DjD0oM“What arrogance. Very fitting of demons.”XYaQKmf
5n9zsOCount Consilus let out a laugh.cBNBOkQ
VuB8s“I never imagined we’d obtain information about demons.”ngrE
tHXt“It’s because they’re closer to humans than anything else. If they weren’t, the torture methods I know wouldn’t have worked.”3vuTNSe
Ebs“Truly impressive. You’ve created something we couldn’t even imagine…”CIH7
jX3EEven the castle’s alchemist, with thirty years of experience, was astonished.9MIYo0
0MLDPerda had ruined the recovery potion in a far more complex way than making it correctly.hLrPZ
bojBJfMIt was practically art.4hapVDI
DCF9mN“These so-called Doppler… Bernard must not have been the first. Do you know how long they’ve existed?”6PP
qp6yuYA“He said they started ten years ago. He was servant rank and only recently rose to knight, so he doesn’t know precisely.”ou51
xN4na7Demons have hierarchies.dz8gM6
RnjjSfThose of servant rank are expendable human followers.IMXKTBe
z2MQDGFrom knight rank onward, they begin to truly use demonic power.BOx
OcjlU2W“If they’ve existed for ten years, they must already be infiltrated everywhere.”XOfYuW7
GAxWE“In Escolea, and probably also in the Grand Council.”n7molZL
FkgI“That… can’t be. How can there be chaos within Blancaros’s absolute domain?”PBhwm
ewA“They already knew what Bernard said in the Council. Whether human or Doppler, it’s a fact that there are demon followers inside.”vaxFJ9
nfwCSConsilus understood it, but fully accepting it was another matter.xUHI
3JpUV“The Grand Council, symbol of the continent’s unity, will lose credibility.”7HF
VOCgipA place created for the harmony of Serdes.7ViA0
7l9ihThat the subordinates of the evil dragon Godwin were infiltrated within Blancaros’s territory would shake the continent.d5Op
32Suj9x“What do you plan to do?”I02
wokLdTConsilus asked.LZWa
uR5RMxGPerhaps Perda had a solution.GZpgw0g
xKc“The best option is a preemptive strike.”jBT4A
zdKw“A surprise attack is an excellent tactic. But we need to know where they are.”bDjxfd8
BtiMCi8“Of course.”wLga
0kpfConsilus reacted with surprise.Y2f
zXQ“Did you discover their location?”p7F7
uMyWMg“Not the main base, but a key facility. He was the guard captain of a research center where those beings are created. That’s why he knows their weaknesses well.”zOr4BK
vVxsa“Then we can attack immediately.”EoqNI2e
lHUYHpuThey had the location. It was perfect.0HDj
ogMe“There’s a problem.”OjBtnW
bE0ZF“What is it?”jCmTqJ
4OjqF“That facility is within Silverwind’s territory.”3i7oyga
UueNaG“Ah…”DGQDO
DrYhConsilus understood the gravity.q4qW
QN1VgO“How complicated. If Silverwind cooperated…”GwHRue
QTds“They won’t. And asking would take time.”GaeIyZ
chOW“True… then sharing the information isn’t a good idea either.”HX6
QJX3“If we only wanted to eliminate them, we could destroy the entire mountain.”kkd2z
dB5TR1But that place was not just a military target.YgdA0
ew7It was an information center.Ozo
ik5OThere, they could obtain data on the Doppler and demonic plans.RiV
5xQPerda decided.BJOU1
iOFJr“We’ll have to infiltrate, destroy it, and withdraw.”YDavi
ey2TJ1An extremely dangerous operation.SDAaDu
JdTyGrJust as Perda was organizing the plan—RnC
u6XO0C8Consilus spoke first.DbQ4kvY
072T“With due respect… could you grant me that opportunity?”JoRwf1
9ww“Opportunity?”2pSssY
YJFAeBI“Yes.”g6zE
vQu4u0aCount Consilus knelt, placing his hand over his chest.xUxd
klEaVBi“As the shield of the Empire and a knight loyal to the Great Power… I wish to be of help to you, regent.”IYqw3
XL8UiHe was an old man with white hair.8ZFJOW
krZKBut in his prime, he had been a renowned knight.4lfTSe
czykzNow, a man who had lost everything.cDNZKtU
dP4X8XdPerda accepted.1dIiQ73
lzS“We leave tomorrow. Prepare immediately.”KlR
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Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationBro gives me chills I’m not even tortured by Mc.
Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationBro is expert in torturing people.