Chapter 74: A Hair-raising Past
Chapter 74: Chapter 74: A Hair-raising Past
The moment Bard uttered the two words "human flesh," the color drained from everyone’s faces in the hall. A bone-chilling dread washed over them.
Kaelon was the most shocked of all, for he had eaten a Sauce Meat Fruit.
’If what Bard said is true, then does that mean I’ve eaten...’
At the mere thought, a wave of extreme nausea churned in his stomach, surging up into his throat!
Unable to hold it back any longer, he bolted outside and began vomiting violently the moment he reached the doorway.
The servants and Guards outside the dining hall witnessed this and assumed Kaelon had simply drunk too much.
In reality, that small amount of alcohol would have absolutely no effect on an Earth Tier Warrior.
It was simply that cannibalism was far too nauseating, shocking, and horrifying to comprehend.
It was an act that shattered the perceptions and worldviews of everyone present.
Duane also found it difficult to calm his racing heart.
He could have accepted it if the Sauce Meat Fruit was made from the dung or carcasses of wild beasts or livestock.
But Duane had never imagined that Bard would reveal the ingredient to be human flesh.
This world had some semblance of civilization, after all; it wasn’t some barbaric, primordial age.
The Kingdom’s laws explicitly defined murder as a crime.
Cannibalism was a phenomenon that should not exist.
Seeing their reactions, Bard understood. "It seems, you—oh, no, it must have been Kaelon who ate it?"
Truthfully, he was a little surprised.
’This thing is said to enhance one’s Spirit and help achieve breakthroughs. Wouldn’t most Nobility consume it themselves after obtaining it?’
’Yet the noble before me gifted it to a subordinate instead of consuming it himself.’
Duane took a deep breath, calmed himself, and asked in return, "You claim it’s human flesh. Do you have any proof?"
"Or, how do you know this?"
Just then, Kaelon, who had been heaving his guts out, walked back into the dining hall with a pale face.
He stood in the doorway, staring at Bard and awaiting his answer.
Bard explained, "You might already know that before Daniels founded the Holy Hand Association, he was a member of my Broken Wave Gang."
Duane nodded.
Bard continued, "Back then, people would periodically go missing on Black Forest Island. I began investigating to quell public unrest, and during that time, I noticed something unusual about Daniels."
"There was always a stench of blood in his courtyard, and I also found scraps of human hair and other tissues near his home!"
"So, I took the opportunity to slip into his room while he was out. Guess what I saw?"
Everyone held their breath. Jasmine, the most timid among them, was visibly trembling.
Duane frowned and pressed, "What did you see?"
A cruel and complicated look flickered in Bard’s eyes.
"I saw dismembered human bodies, ranging in age from fifty or sixty years old all the way down to fetuses still attached to their umbilical cords. Men and women, young and old—they were all there!"
"Some of their heads were arranged neatly on a table, while others were soaking in an unknown liquid along with their internal organs."
"On his experiment table, I also discovered something that looked like those Black Eggs. Only, they seemed to be rejects; several had been crushed."
"RETCH!"
The color drained from Kaelon’s face, and he ran out to be sick again.
Looks of terror appeared on the faces of the others as well.
’Is this something a human being could do?’
"Demon... He’s a Demon!" Jasmine couldn’t help but whisper.
Even Duane was starting to feel sick.
’Anyone who could do something like that isn’t human. They’re a Demon.’
’He recalled how he had planned on finding an opportunity to ask Daniels for some Sauce Meat Fruits for his own consumption.’
’If he had actually obtained and eaten them, wouldn’t that have been tantamount to eating his own people?’
Guilt and nausea washed over him.
Duane forced himself to calm down, his gaze returning to Bard.
’For him to reveal this information now... he was clearly targeting the Holy Hand Association.’
’So, is it possible this is just his side of the story? That it’s all a lie?’
Duane scrutinized him but could see no signs of dishonesty.
’Besides, it would be difficult for a normal person to fabricate such an outlandish lie.’
’Therefore, it was highly probable that the story was true. At most, Bard might have embellished the details.’
"Why didn’t you expose Daniels’s crimes and arrest him at the time?"
Bard shrugged. "I may have been a mercenary for many years, but that was the first time I had ever encountered a scene like that."
He pointed toward Kaelon. "At the time, I reacted just like Atta—I fled in terror. By the time I calmed down and was ready to make a move, it was already too late!"
"That very night, Daniels burned down his house and, along with Uleir and the others, left the Broken Wave Gang to establish the Holy Hand Association in Broken Wave Bay. My accusations were dismissed as slander and baseless rumors."
The dining hall fell silent.
To think such a history existed between the Broken Wave Gang and the Holy Hand Association.
With a solemn expression, Duane asked, "And no one went missing after that?"
"No!"
Bard replied with absolute certainty, "Not in the territory controlled by the Broken Wave Gang, at least. As for what happens in Broken Wave Bay, I wouldn’t know."
He then added:
"However, it’s said that behind Daniels’s castle, there is a heavily guarded secret garden and a basement. That’s where his laboratory is located."
Duane fell silent.
He glanced at Kaelon, still outside dry-heaving, and thought of Benur, who remained oblivious. A pang of sympathy struck him.
’Who could have imagined someone using human bodies to make Magic Potions?’
"Baron, a man like that deserves capital punishment. As the Lord of Black Forest Island, you must investigate this thoroughly and avenge those who were unjustly killed!"
Bard had revealed his purpose.
’The Baron before me values his status and reputation as Nobility; he would never tolerate something like this.’
’Once the Baron learns what Daniels has done, he’ll never ally with him.’
’So, regardless of whether the Baron decides to move against the Holy Hand Association, I will be safe, at the very least.’
Furthermore, his own perspective had shifted.
’Rather than risk conflict with the Nobility, it would be better to seek cooperation. Pledging my allegiance isn’t out of the question, either.’
"As long as you wish to eradicate Daniels, I, Bard, and the entire Broken Wave Gang are at your command!"
Duane raised an eyebrow. ’Is he offering to surrender?’
"If the Holy Hand Association is gone, you’ll be without an ally. Aren’t you afraid I’ll deal with you next?"
Bard smiled slightly. "Submitting to you doesn’t sound like a bad option!"
Duane nodded and said coldly, "Rest assured. If this information you’ve brought me is true, I will absolutely not let Daniels go unpunished!"
Bard rose and gave a slight bow. "Then I thank you for your hospitality. I will await your arrangements in Forest Village!"
Duane did not press him to stay and had Ralph escort him out.
Soon, the dining hall fell quiet once more.
Though the food before them was still unfinished, everyone had lost their appetite.
Kaelon came back inside, fighting his nausea, and said with righteous indignation:
"My Lord, I want to kill Daniels with my own two hands!"
Raymond chimed in, "Using people to create Magic Potions... that’s just insane and evil. A person like that doesn’t deserve to exist!"
They all knew it was a world where the strong devoured the weak, but there were still lines that, as human beings, they would not cross.
Using people as ingredients for Magic Potions to enhance one’s power shattered the very foundations of human decency.
Anyone capable of such an act didn’t deserve to be called human.
"Of course!"
Duane wouldn’t call himself a kind or just man, but even he could not tolerate this.
"Raymond, go bring Monbodt here."
As the Civil Servant of Black Forest Island, Monbodt ought to know something about this.
"Jack, go find Julian. Have him visit the farmers’ homes on the island immediately and ask if anyone truly went missing several years ago."
’First things first,’ Duane thought, ’I need to confirm the veracity of this information as best I can.’