Even If It Means to Break - Chapter 18 - 5. A Night of Weeping Beneath the Beast

“Hah… haah…”

“You seem far too busy spreading your lower mouth obscenely to have the composure to speak with the one above.”

The man lightly slapped her slick, milky s*x as it pulsed and oozed, then turned away. He picked up the sword lying nearby and swung it with careless indifference.

“Then I’ll begin the punishment as well.”

First, those insolent ears that dared to hear Hill’s lewd cries.

Before he even finished speaking, both of the boy’s ears dropped limply to the floor. Hill stared blankly at the sight, able only to gasp for breath.

“And that base nose that dared to inhale the scent of Hill’s spring.”

With a flick of his wrist, the bridge of the boy’s nose caved in.

“The tongue that spat such filthy words should be cut out too. But before that, it would be better to deal with the lips.”

The sight of lips being sliced away like rotten flesh felt unreal, like a hallucination. Hill closed her eyes, exhausted.

After that, the man swung his sword several more times casually, as though dealing with an annoyance. Each time, pieces of the boy’s body tore away like wet paper.

At last, after reducing the boy’s limbs to fragments, the man spoke again.

“Now then. Finally.”

For the first time, the sword left his hand and flew straight ahead.

And then—thud.

A dull, heavy sound as it pierced the heart.

She hadn’t expected the sound of a life ending to feel so… welcome. The tearing of flesh rang like a hymn of release. Hill let a single tear fall, silently blessing the boy’s death.

Yes. It was for the best. A life with no hope left was better ended.

He hadn’t even been captive for a full week. Perhaps, for a mad king, this counted as a mercifully swift end. After all, this was a man cruel enough to torture someone for years.

“Look, Hill. The breath of the insolent insect who sought to violate you has finally ceased.”

“……”

“You should smile. I personally delivered justice to the criminal who dared defile your precious body. As the one concerned, isn’t it only right that you rejoice?”

“……”

His red eyes fixed on her, demanding a response. The menace in them prickled her skin, as though he might resurrect the dead just to torment them again if she stayed silent.

Hill opened and closed her mouth several times like a fish before finally forcing out a hoarse reply.

“…I’m relieved. Truly relieved…”

At her rasped words, a smile bloomed on the man’s lips. He smiled as though genuinely pleased, stroked her face, and whispered.

“I’m glad to hear you say that, Hill. But…”

“……”

“There’s even better news.”

The casual tone sent a sudden chill down her spine. Hill’s face stiffened, but he ignored it, pressing his lips to her tear-streaked skin as he spoke almost cheerfully.

“I hope you’ll be happy.”

His merciless lips moved calmly.

“We’ve captured the one who stood behind the insect who had commissioned the assassination.”

His rough hand closed around her b****t again. As he kneaded the soft flesh, he settled firmly between her spread legs.

“The insect just now may have died too easily. But there’s no need for regret—the true culprit still remains.”

He leaned in deep, invading her once more, and murmured at her ear.

“Look forward to it. I’ll make sure you witness the end of the one who sought to harm you with your own eyes.”

5. A Night of Weeping Beneath the Beast

Noise continued outside without pause.

No matter how often she asked what was happening, she received only vague answers about minor repairs. She had no way of knowing what was truly going on beyond the walls.

Ten days had already passed since the assassination attempt. The man who claimed he had captured the mastermind showed no particular movement even after five days.

He had promised a fate far crueler than the boy’s—so why was everything so quiet? The calm felt like the stillness before a storm. Every day was like walking on thin ice.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that the construction sounds outside were tied to the coming atrocity. Even while pinned beneath the man, gasping for breath in forced desire, the unease never fully left her.

With her mind so unsettled, proper sleep was impossible. Nightmares plagued her, and her stomach refused food. Despite the lack of rest and nourishment, her body hadn’t completely broken down.

It was thanks only to Andouche, who cared for her as though staking her life on it. Hill couldn’t decide whether she should be grateful or resentful.

Another day passed.

Strangely, the man did not come that night.

Hill awoke in the quiet of early dawn.

The silence surrounding her felt like a wasteland just before sunrise. In the windowless room, she somehow sensed the approaching light. Leaning against the wall, she breathed slowly.

Why had the noise stopped?

The clamor had continued day and night without rest. Has the work finally ended?

If her guess was right, it meant a new calamity was about to begin. Her chest cooled with dread, yet oddly, no great surge of emotion followed.

Perhaps she had grown numb to grief, to despair, ever since the moment the tortured boy was finally freed.

If so, that at least was something. She adjusted her clothes with unexpected composure.

Like most days spent in this room, it passed quietly. Hill barely ate, sitting wilted like a plant starved of light.

Without windows, she couldn’t measure time by the sun. Yet somehow, the scene outside formed in her mind, shifting along with the unseen passage of hours.