Former General Is Undead Knight - Act 4-28 - Rose of Subkingdom④

「Why… Why are you, one of us, siding with『Devil’s Piper』?」

Cardinal Zebedai spoke with an enraged voice.

The surviving assailant, Zail, snorted upon hearing that question.

「What are you laughing for, damn heretic!」

Zail ignored Cardinal Zebedai’s threat.

「Cardinal… It seems they’re being controlled with some sort of sorcery. They’re too strong for an ordinary person. I felt a strange stream of mana in their body. In my opinion, our enemy gained the information about this underground waterway with some kind of brainwashing sorcery.」

Simon told the cardinal about his conjecture.

「I see… Those guys gained the information so easily with brainwashing. We… have to get that sorcery at all cost. That sorcery might become the only way to save those peace-loving idiots in this kingdom.」

Cardinal Zebedai said so merrily.

「You can’t see anything, eh… That will be your downfall.」

Zail opened his crushed eyes and glared at Cardinal Zebedai, spittinf those words with a hoarse voice.

「What shall we do, Cardinal? Seeing that he’s brainwashed, there’s no reason to torture him.」

「Yeah, it just happened at the wrong time.」

Cardinal Zebedai laughed lightly as he spoke.

「That’s why we should grant him a swift death by skinning. Seeing that prolonged torture is meaningless since he’s being brainwashed, it truly relieves me, foolish Zail」

Cardinal Zebeida said as he brought his face closer to Zail.

「…Do it.」

Simon signaled to one of his subordinates to change positions with him so as to suppress Zail.

And then, he received a mithril knife from his other subordinate.

「Hey, get rid of his robe.」

Upon receiving Simon’s order, the subordinate forcefully tore off the other’s robe.

Simon placed the tip of his knife on top of Zail’s left chest.

「What a—」

Lastly, the blade tore Zail’s flesh.

Zail shouted. Simon placed the skin that was just torn from Zail’s body to the side as if it was not a big deal.

Simon brought his lips closer to Zail’s ear and whispered to the latter.

「After I’m done with your chest and abdomen, next comes your face. Then your eyelids, lips, nose, and ears. Next is your scalp. Unfortunately, we’re running out of time and can’t finish with your entire body. Although I can take my time to do that, the same can’t be said with the others. Consider yourself lucky. So Zail, do you have something else to say to me?」

「If I tell you… will you kill me swiftly?」

Zail spoke with a frail voice.

「No, I won’t kill you. I’ll use a healing spell on you. That way, we might be able to restore your eyesight too. That’s your dearest wish.」

「I-I…」

Zail finally showed some hesitation.

And yet, he bit his lips and glared at Simon with eyes that were supposed to be blind.

「Then, I wish for all of you to die in burning hell! That’s my wish, you damn demons!」

「…I saw your hesitation. On to the second one, then.」

Simon said with a flat tone as he placed his knife on the base of Zail’s neck and skinned him again.

Zail’s beast-like cries resounded in the passage as he received such torture.

Simon skinned Zail with inhuman precision.

It took him less than five minutes to skin Zail’s upper body and head.

Zail’s smashed eyeballs were exposed to the air. The same went for his teeth and gums.

In the end, Zail didn’t say anything until Simon was done with him.

「Your ability is as splendid as ever, Simon. I think no one can match your speed and precision in skinning torture. It’s truly artistic.」

Cardinal Zebedai clapped his hands.

「My apologies for failing to extract information from him, Cardinal. I might be able to extract necessary information as long as I have enough time, but… Their brainwashing spell might not fully control one’s mind.」

「Worry not, it also clears the doubts in my mind.」

「We will stop his bleeding. He can survive for half of a day in his current state, but the decision is yours.」

「Leave him.」

「Then, let’s leave this place… That is what I want to say, but it seems they’re catching up with us again.」

Five other hooded figures appeared from both passages before them and behind them. Simon’s group was caught in a pincer.

「Leave the ones in front to me. You guys take care of the ones in the rear. The cardinal’s safety is your top priority. And then… we take no prisoners.」

Despite fighting against five people at once, Simon was as calm as before.

Thanks to his unique, high-speed martial arts, he managed to knock down his foes with his bare hands.

Receiving his powerful palm strike in vital spots such as the chin, head, or solar plexus was a spell for death.

Cardinal Zebedai’s eyes were locked on Simon, who jumped into the fray.

Simon dispatched his foes in mere seconds, drowning them in a pool of their own blood.

Although Simon’s subordinates couldn’t  kill their foes as smoothly or as quickly as their superior, they also managed to dispatch their foes.

「There are too many of them, and all of them have their physical abilities strengthened with some sort of method. But… They’re ill-suited for the vanguard of 『Devil’s Piper』. No matter how many of them come, they’re still no match for us.」

「Just as expected, Simon is strong. As expected of the strongest man of the faith.」

During such a conversation between Cardinal Zebedai and Simon, their subordinates checked the faces of each assailant.

「…As expected, many of them are believers who live in this city.」

「I’ve been wondering, how could so many intruders enter en masse into the city with strict security, but… Have they, by chance, been living in this city all along?」

Simon observed the situation while his subordinates said this.

「What’s the matter, Simon?」

「…No, we walk the path we believe in. And it is by no means an easy path; it’s a thorny path. If it’s the right path, we shall open it; if it’s the wrong path, we shall shut it down. That’s all there is to it.」

「…Simon? What’s the matter?」

「It’s nothing, just an old man’s soliloquy, Cardinal. Let’s get going.」

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