Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!-Chapter 494: They Went In And Never Came Back

Aisha crouched near the mouth of the tunnel, pressing her hand against the earthen wall. The runes on her wand flickered to life, glowing faintly as the ground began to shift and widen.

"We’ll need more space if we’re sending them out in groups." She muttered, brow furrowing in focus.

Behind her, Julie was ushering the children together.

"Alright, little ones. Five at a time. Stay close, hold hands, and don’t run off, understood?"

Skadi crouched to the side, her big tail swishing nervously as she offered her hand to a few of the smaller kids.

"Don’t worry! Big sis Skadi will protect you with her fluffy tail! It’s a VIP protection service!" She declared proudly.

The children giggled, holding onto her fur as she led them one by one toward the tunnel.

While the trio worked together, Cassius and Carmela stayed behind, positioned near the back of the chamber.

They were to guard the remaining children in case any cult members showed up and the air between them was anything but friendly.

Cassius tried to break it, as usual.

"So." He began casually, leaning on his sword. "Why were you here, Carmela? Were you captured too? Or did you...live here before?"

No answer.

He tried again. "Are there others like you out there? Maybe other survivors of your kind?"

Silence again.

He sighed, tilting his head toward her. "You know, it’s considered polite to answer a man who just gouged out his eyes for you."

Still nothing. Carmela stood tall and stoic, her crimson eyes fixed on the tunnel entrance, refusing even to look at him.

Cassius exhaled through his nose, defeated. "All right then. The silent type. That’s fine, I’ll just talk to myself."

He shifted his stance, pretending to look nonchalant, but he couldn’t help noticing something over and over again.

Every time her gaze flicked toward the children, her expression softened just a little. The cold sharpness in her eyes would melt away, replaced by something warmer, fond, almost maternal.

And every now and then, when one of the kids smiled at her shyly, she would give a tiny, barely noticeable smile back. It was the only moment she ever looked approachable.

Cassius watched quietly for a moment before smiling faintly himself.

"So that’s your weakness, huh..." He murmured under his breath.

Just then, he felt a tug on his cloak. He looked down and saw a tiny girl—no more than four years old—staring up at him with big, curious eyes. Her hair was messy, her cheeks smudged with dirt, but her voice was soft when she spoke.

"Big bro...is she on our side?" She asked, pointing a small finger toward Carmela. "Is scary lady on our side too?"

Carmela blinked, taken aback. The words scary lady hit her like a dart, and she visibly flinched.

Her brows knit together, and she glanced away, looking oddly...hurt.

Cassius stifled a laugh, crouching down to the girl’s level.

"Why would you call her scary, little lady? She hasn’t done anything bad to you, right?"

The girl shook her head.

"No, but...her face is scary." She frowned in thought. "She looks like my mommy when I do something bad. Like she’s gonna scold me."

That made Carmela’s lips part slightly in surprise. She reached up, as if touching her own face could somehow reveal what the girl saw.

Cassius chuckled before saying, "Yeah. She is scary. She’s a really scary person."

The little girl gasped, and the other children nearby immediately took a few steps back, whispering anxiously.

"See! Big bro said so too!"

Carmela whipped her head toward Cassius, her expression darkening at the betrayal.

But Cassius just raised a finger.

"But..." He continued calmly. "She’s only scary to bad people. To her enemies." He smiled down at the girl. "But you guys on the other hand, she’d never hurt little kids like you. You’re perfectly safe around her."

"And to tell you the truth, she’s actually a really nice lady, just shy and awkward. She doesn’t know how to talk to people well."

"Eh?!" The girl gasped. "But isn’t she a grown up!?"

Cassius laughed. "Oh, trust me, little one. Some grown-ups are very shy. Isn’t that right, Miss Carmela?"

Carmela frowned faintly as she didn’t want to answer at first but after seeing the gaze of the little girl she conceded and said, "I...suppose."

The little girl giggled. "That’s so silly! She’s so big, but she’s shy like me!"

That made the other children start laughing too, their earlier fear dissolving into cheerful giggles.

Even the boys who had been clutching each other a moment ago started whispering jokes and smiling at Carmela.

And though her expression stayed stiff, there was no denying the faint warmth in her eyes.

For the first time in who knows how long, she looked...content.

Cassius glanced at her again, wearing a smug, knowing grin. His face practically said, ’You’re welcome.’

Carmela caught the look and immediately turned away with a faint glare.

’He’s still a noble.’ She reminded herself firmly. ’No matter how nice he pretends to be.’

And as the minutes passed, more and more children were escorted out through the tunnel. The line was thinning. Cassius let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Good...only a few left."

But just then he felt another tug on his sleeve. He looked down again—this time, it was a little boy, perhaps six years old, with bright green eyes and a serious expression.

"What is it, kid?" Cassius asked, smiling. "You want to ask about Miss Carmela too? I promise she won’t bite."

The boy shook his head before saying, "No, I wanna show you something, big bro."

Cassius raised an eyebrow. "Show me something?"

The boy nodded, his voice lowering to a whisper.

"It’s the place where they’ve been taking us...one by one."

The moment those words left the boy’s lips, Cassius’s expression shifted. His smile faded instantly. Carmela, who had been watching quietly from the side, turned her gaze sharply toward the child as well.

The air around them suddenly grew tense again.

But even though a cold shiver ran down Cassius’s spine at the boy’s words, he forced a calm smile and knelt to the child’s level.

"Then can you take me there, lad?" He asked softly, keeping his tone light. "Show me where they’ve been taking the others."

The boy hesitated, eyes darting toward the dim corridor. But then he nodded slowly, small fingers clutching at Cassius’s hand as if holding on to safety itself.

"Okay." He whispered. "But...it’s scary down there."

"It’s okay I’ll be right by your side." Cassius said gently. He gave the boy’s hand a reassuring squeeze and gestured for him to lead the way.

Carmela followed in silence, her face grave, crimson eyes darkened by the weight of what she already feared they’d find.

They walked deeper into the far side of the underground passage and the air grew mustier, colder with each step—until they stopped before an old, heavy door.

It was a strange hybrid of wood and corroded metal, ancient enough that flakes of rust and rot had eaten into its surface.

The boy stopped and pointed. "Here." He said, voice trembling. "Sometimes they’d take some of us here. I—once I looked when they didn’t know. They said...they said they needed ’fresh blood’ for the ritual."

He frowned, confused and scared.

"I don’t know what that means. But every time someone went through that door, they never came back."

Carmela’s expression hardened instantly. Her fingers twitched slightly, and Cassius could almost feel the bloodlust radiating off her. He could see her lips twitching as she swallowed hard, bracing for whatever truth lay behind that door.

Cassius then rested a hand on the boy’s head, forcing a small smile.

"You did good, lad. Really good." He said. "Now go back to your friends. Julie and Aisha will take you to safety soon, all right?"

The boy nodded quickly and scampered off down the corridor, glancing back once before disappearing around the bend.

When he was gone, Cassius’s smile faded.

He turned to Carmela.

"You don’t have to look." He said quietly. "I’ll handle this part."

But Carmela didn’t respond. She just stared at the door, her face pale but determined.

Cassius sighed. "I figured you’d say that." He stepped forward and gripped the old handle.

The hinges screamed as he slowly pulled the heavy door open and the moment it cracked, a suffocating stench flooded out—a revolting mixture of rotting flesh, dried blood, and damp decay.

Carmela staggered back, her hand flying to her mouth.

But when her eyes landed on what was inside, she froze completely.

Hanging from the ceiling were over a dozen small bodies—children—chained by their ankles, upside down.

The skin on their necks was slashed open, their faces drained of color, the lifeless eyes staring blankly at nothing.

Beneath each child sat a metal basin filled to the brim with thick, dark blood. Some had already coagulated. The coppery scent was overwhelming.

Seeing this horrifying sight, Carmela’s stomach lurched violently, and she turned away, vomiting onto the cold stone floor. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gagged again and again, unable to stop.

Meanwhile, Cassius stepped inside quietly, his expression blank. He crouched next to one of the bodies, a little girl and brushed his fingers gently across her cold cheek.

"You poor thing..." He murmured.

Behind him, Carmela wiped her mouth shakily, her eyes wide and bloodshot. The trembling in her hands grew into a full shake as her voice broke into a whisper.

"They...they drained them alive..."

Then, all at once, her trembling turned into fury. Her nails extended slightly, and her fangs showed.

"I’ll kill them!" She hissed, her voice shaking with rage. "I’ll kill every single one of them! I’ll tear their throats open, drink every drop of their filthy blood, rip their hearts out—"

"Carmela." Cassius’s voice suddenly came through.

"Don’t stop me, human!" She whipped around to face him, panting, her crimson eyes glowing like fire. "I’ll massacre them all!"

Cassius stood up slowly, his tone calm yet heavy.

"If you go now, you’ll get a few of them."

"I don’t care!" She snapped. "I’ll take down as many as I can!"

"But then what?" He interrupted, his voice steady, cold. "A few will survive. They’ll run, rebuild, start again somewhere else. And then what happens? Another group of children dies. Another Carmela finds their corpses. It never ends unless it’s done properly."

And as he turned, Carmela noticed that his own crimson eyes glowed faintly as he looked at her—and for some reason even she felt a shiver through her body, even though he was only looking at her.

"Listen to me..." He continued while Carmela couldn’t help but take a step back because of his gaze. "If you want revenge, you can have it. But if you want justice...if you want to make sure this never happens again, then follow what I say."

For a moment, she didn’t move. Her breathing slowed, though her body still trembled. Finally, she looked at him, her eyes narrowing.

"And what are we going to do?"

Cassius turned toward the room again, his expression unreadable.

"We’ll burn the roots." He said quietly. "Every branch, every trace of them. Until there’s nothing left to grow back."

His crimson eyes flickered like firelight in the dark.

"That’s how we end this once and for all."