The Personal Guard stormed into the village, and cries and wails filled the air. Someone tried to flee but fell to the ground as the cavalry passed, and in the next second, a head flew skyward.

Gene witnessed this scene and couldn't help but swallow, not out of reluctance but from mild disgust.

But there was laughter ahead of him. Raising his head, Gene saw Michelle laugh as if he found amusement in something, which only fueled Gene's internal grievance.

What's so entertaining about killing...

"Sir! All the bandits have been captured."

A soldier ran back to report, and Michelle rode into the village directly.

Gene dared not leave, knowing he was only safe near Michelle.

Following him inside, they saw the gathered villagers, mostly just a few women left; the remaining men appeared strange.

The leader of the Personal Guard forced someone forward, introducing him while pushing a bound man out, "He's the leader of these bandits, was still thinking of resisting just now."

Michelle sat atop his high horse, gaze slightly overlooking the man. Gene curiously looked on; he was experienced with the common folk and could immediately tell something was off about this man.

That red-haired barbarian, his clothes didn't fit, as if they were stolen.

Gene initially suspected the Personal Guard was exaggerating, merely seeking an excuse for amusement, but unexpectedly, he was truly a bandit.

More importantly was the man's attitude, even though he seemed aware of his impending doom, he dared to contradict Michelle.

"What the hell are you looking at?"

An insult in common tongue followed by incomprehensible Barbarian Tribes language mixed in, though his demeanor clearly indicated the words weren't pleasant.

Upon hearing this, Gene knew trouble was coming, and sure enough, Michelle's face twisted into a sinister smile.

"Drag all these bandits inside." Michelle raised a hand, pointing to the village's only half-decent house before glancing back at the women who'd been abused, "The rest are yours."

"Yes!" The soldiers, evidently accustomed to Michelle's ways, revealed a hint of cruel joy.

Though destitute, they could still wring a bit of flesh from the situation, and as for those women...

Just when they'd thought they were saved, they were dragged away again by soldiers, brutally tormented until their tears ran dry and their throats too hoarse to cry out.

The soldiers didn't care; all they knew was after days on the road, they could finally relax a bit.

Inside the house, possibly belonging to a farm owner or the village chief.

Michelle viciously tortured the barbarian before the other bandits, with the screams not fading for a long time. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Gene was forced to watch the indescribable scene, several times feeling nauseated but holding it back, his face turning purple and green.

But Gene knew he had to endure, for should he display any unease, he'd likely join the ranks himself.

As for the remaining bandits, they dared not utter a sound, frightened by Michelle's madness.

Until witnessing something even more terrifying.

"Bring it here." Michelle raised a hand.

Gene was startled awake, his body involuntarily trembling, his wandering mind sharply focused.

Thankfully, he wasn't being called, nor did anyone notice his oddity. Regaining composure, he felt his back was already drenched.

Only then did he realize Michelle was reaching toward a hooded figure in a black robe.

Michelle had two constant companions, a guard in heavy armor and the enigmatic robed figure.

Gene was curious about the mysterious person but knew better than to inquire.

In his musings, he saw the figure present a luxurious ornate cup.

Inlaid with various gemstones, the cup's structure was of bone, veined through with crimson strands, casting an inexplicable unease.

What on earth is this for?

Before Gene could comprehend, he saw the guard grab the long-tormented bandit like a chick, yanking his red hair to raise his head.

In the next moment, Michelle drew a splendid dagger from his waist, directly slitting the man's throat, catching the flowing blood in the cup below.

Perhaps due to the excessive bleeding during the torture, the cup seemed hard to fill, unable to overflow despite draining the entire body.

Gene now understood why previous corpse handling resulted in bodies without blood!

Gene wasn't particularly fazed by the scene, having witnessed much before, but he failed to grasp why.

Until Michelle made an even more abstract gesture, suddenly raising the cup with a grin toward Gene.

"Gene, have a taste."

"Ah?"

Gene was momentarily stupefied, but Michelle's previously pleasant expression turned sour instantly.

"What's wrong? You don't like it?"

Gene's heart skipped, feeling a chill at his neck, hastily stepping forward to take the cup, trying to explain continuously.

"I like it, I like it!"

"If you like it, then drink it."

Michelle, with his erratic temperament, seemed calm for once, a strange light in those eyes.

"Y-yes, thank you, sir." Gene responded perfunctorily, attention entirely on the cup of blood in his hand, swallowing hard.