The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 541: Remember; medieval basement is not an amusement park

Chapter 541: Remember; medieval basement is not an amusement park

"Op--" I paused right on time and lowered my raised hand. Damn it, Val! Stick to the concept, shall we? I cleared my throat and erased the smile off my face, pinching the waist of the husband laughing silently beside me. "Ahem; good day."

Of course--of course, Opti would be laughing too. But at least he was better at hiding it since his race compelled him to be a good actor. "Good day, Young Master."

Oh, he even lowered his voice--although I had no idea why he was still in his boy disguise. Perhaps a young boy interrogating in cold blood was scarier?

Meanwhile, Hagai was looking at us in confusion. Well, he was not part of the gang, so he couldn’t react the way we could to each other. Honestly, I barely interacted with those three vassals so I forgot their existence sometimes. Still, he had enough sense to just be a good bystander.

Anyway, I put on my best poker face and looked at the cell. To be exact, at the resident of the cell.

Actually, there were several cells in this same room. Some of them, on the other side of the room, were the poison users I threw out of the forest. I couldn’t see Zir’Kal or any demon lust elder, however, so I guessed they were placed somewhere else.

The Spectre...I hadn’t asked about my vegan Iron Maiden yet. That one felt like a finale, don’t you think?

For now, my focus was on the nightmare.

Natha pointed at the cell with his chin, and the guards opened the cell swiftly, allowing me to look at the resident clearly. The nightmare was covered in blood instead of a cloak this time. His blue skin was littered with tiny puncture wounds, which I reckoned was the source of the drying blood. This told me that no one bothered to clean him up--or heal him up, for that matter--since that night.

Not that I would waste my time to sympathize.

Ah, of course, it had nothing to do with the fact that he wasn’t even a quarter as handsome as Natha.

Jade had told me, in a dramatic retelling, what this nightmare had said that night and the account of his escape attempt. Of course, some of it might be subjectively inflated by the little bird’s emotional state, but...who cares?

Why should I care about someone who deliberately, after knowing the possible existence of our child, tried to use it to harm us? And why would I care about someone who would hate Natha unreasonably and blame him instead of the Spectri who were persecuting them instead?

I would be less angry if he went straight at me or Natha, the adults. But going straight for my baby?

My baby?!

I would never forgive him even if begged and prostrated on my feet.

"This is it?" I looked at the nightmare with a coldness that didn’t even need to be forced. Simply recalling this nightmare’s contribution to my child’s fearful scream that night was enough.

Opti switched on his serious mode--for real this time--and nodded. "This is it; the nightmare called Oc--"

"Ah, I don’t need to hear it," I waved my hand dismissively. I had no use in remembering the name of someone who would never roam this world again.

"Forgive me, Young Master," Opti smiled and bowed slightly. "I should not stain your senses with filth."

"Yes; my Aunties tell me to stay hygienic all the time."

"Hmm...isn’t that mean you can’t slap him with your hand, Young Master?" Ocla tilted his head.

"I don’t need to," I narrowed my eyes at the nightmare, who seemed to be unconscious, and roused my newly filled mana core.

Ah...the feeling of using mana freely was delicious. Power danced at the tip of my fingers and an invisible hand hovered above the nightmare. I blinked my eyes and the hand swung to smack the nightmare’s cheek to consciousness.

Hagai flinched and Opti whistled before clapping his hands. I hid the joy of finally using my mana again without having to deal with a screaming circuit because the nightmare’s eyes flickered open.

"Ugh...what--"

I flicked my fingers and another slapping sound filled the dungeon.

"Ack! You--!"

Oh, he still had the energy to get angry? I glared at the nightmare who paused when he met my eyes, and suddenly, the frown on his brows and lips faltered. Instead, he looked...scared?

"Y-you..."

I tilted my head, totally unimpressed with how the nightmare suddenly clammed up. Now? Now you acted scared? What about my child who was screaming and crying all night, you prick?!

Unconsciously, I let out a harsh wave of mana that got the cell’s door and the binding chain rattling, as well as pushed him against the wall even more. Natha held my shoulder gently to remind me that I shouldn’t waste my mana like that and after taking a deep breath, I was finally able to calm down again.

Opti cleared his throat and a dramatic reading of a report regarding what the nightmare had been doing came into play. It wasn’t just what he contributed to the attack that night, but all of the unpunished crimes he did in his entire life.

Quite entertaining, not gonna lie.

It seemed that rather than trying to live well in a world that did not directly persecute him--unlike Natha--he went around as an information broker. Now, being an information broker wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but deliberately selling information knowing it would be used for crimes was another story.

From Opti’s report, he had given information that aided in kidnapping, stealing, murder, and all kinds of heinous things. We could argue that he was just doing his job trying to live, but if he was the one to come to people with bad intentions and sold them damning information unprovoked?

Honestly, his notoriety was known throughout the whole demon realm. But he was also very good at looking for a chance to slip away, so he had only been arrested once throughout his unsavory career.

Phew--I was glad we got him this time. If Jade did not persistently chase him, we might not be able to find him.

"Very adventurous," I scoffed as the nightmare glowered at how the list of his crimes was listed.

"Indeed," Opti nodded cheerfully while rolling the report and took out another one. Still?

"Please continue," I told him.

This was when I finally heard what this nightmare did. So far, the investigation stated that he was the one who planted the spy--Uncle Sol’s disciple--and there was a suspicion that he had bribed and brainwashed other staff as well, although we hadn’t found the exact personnel.

Not only that, but he was also one of the main members of the troupe who was plotting against Natha. It was this nightmare that made the whole infiltration plan, led the attackers through the secret tunnel, and canceled the druid illusion barrier with a relic he stole from the black market.

A druid relic.

I wanted to swear, but my lips curled into a smirk instead. I raised my hands--which made the nightmare flinch--and clapped my hands slowly like Grandpa used to do when he mocked the people he caught; with a raised brow and unamused eyes.

"Wow," I said dryly. "Thank you for bringing my inheritance, I guess?"

Opti, pressing his nonexistent glasses, raised a pen in the air as if getting ready to make a note. "Would you use it as a point to lessen the punishment, Young Master?"

"What nonsense," I frowned and crossed my arms. "Since when does spoil of war be considered in a trial? It’s not like he gave it away willingly."

"What the f-fuck?" the nightmare, who only glowered and hissed--and sometimes even smirked--when Opti read the list, suddenly made a noise. "This is not a trial!"

Did this seasoned criminal truly wish for a legal proceeding? I looked at the nightmare incredulously. I was going to slap him again, but Natha finally spoke after keeping his silence since earlier.

"Actually, it is."

I looked at him with not-very-hidden sparkling eyes. "It is?"

"Legal trials are only held when there’s doubt and the deeds need to be proven," he crossed his arms and curled his lips. "Not for those who are caught in the act."

Really? That smirk looked rather suspicious, but...who cares? Hahaha!

Natha did not stop at that, however. "It also doesn’t apply to people with an exiled brand."

I gasped--surprisingly, Hagai also did. Opti’s smile, which had never faltered, grew even wider as he approached the panicked nightmare. I had to admit...it was rather satisfying looking at that expression, since I recalled how smug he looked and sounded that night.

Opti, the master shapeshifter, grabbed the nightmare’s hair and pulled his not-handsome face up. The chains rattled as the nightmare struggled away, but what he could do while being restrained? Opti’s merciless hand grabbed his forehead and a hissing sound could be heard, as if something was melting.

A painful scream filled the basement, and I could hear rattling sounds from the other cells. If it was me before that night, I would have flinched and might even feel bad. But at that moment, Shwa’s fearful scream and cry resounded louder and clearer than anything in my mind.

"There you go," Opti chuckled and pulled his hand away.

Oho!

There, in the nightmare’s forehead which bore nothing before, was a striking brand that acted more like a curse since it should un-erasable.

Our justification.

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