Javier grabbed Hanarak’s hair, yanking his head back and leaning his golden knight’s face close to his, the eyes glowing a menacing red.

"You’re lucky my father commanded me to bring you to him alive."

His grip tightened, making Hanarak flinch and wince in pain, his scalp burning under the iron hold.

"If it were up to me, you would suffer in ways you can’t even imagine. You would beg for death, but I would never let you die. I would keep you alive, just to watch you break, piece by piece."

He sneered before standing up slowly, dragging Hanarak by the hair as he stumbled helplessly.

"There are countless methods of torture I could use on you, methods you’ve never even heard of. Flaying, peeling your skin layer by layer while keeping you conscious. Crushing, slowly breaking every bone in your body without killing you. Pressing, stacking weights on your chest until you can barely breathe, then removing them just before you suffocate, only to start again."

He paused, his voice dropping to a cold whisper.

"And those are just the simple ones. I have inventions that could make you feel every second of agony for an eternity without ever letting you die. Be grateful you’re being delivered to my father."

He glanced down and released Hanarak’s hair, letting him collapse to the ground in a trembling heap.

"You know, with magic, I could heal your wounds, cut your skin open again, pour salt and acid into the fresh wounds, and then heal it all over again. I could repeat that cycle endlessly, keeping you alive and conscious, feeling every second of agony, until you beg me to kill you."

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.

"But you’re lucky. Armand was never cruel to begin with."

Javier moved behind Hanarak and shoved his foot into his back, forcing him forward.

"Now move! Or I’ll drag you the rest of the way. And don’t even think about running, you piece of shit!"

Meanwhile.

Someplace in the Dwarven Nation.

A small town.

Gorak and his team sat at a corner table in a bustling tavern, the air thick with the smell of ale and roasted meat. Dwarves filled the room, their loud laughter and clanking mugs creating a lively atmosphere.

"Leader?"

"Hmm?" Gorak glanced at the healer girl across from him. "Yes, Falce?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"What are we doing here?" She glanced around nervously, her eyes darting at the dwarves who occasionally stared in their direction.

"Hmm?" Gorak casually lifted his ale and took a long drink before setting it down and speaking in a low voice. "We’re on a mission, remember?"

Another girl smirked and glanced at Falce. "Didn’t Leader already brief us on the plan?"

Falce fidgeted, glancing down at her plate before looking at Gorak again. "B... but... every dwarf here is staring at us... you know."

Gorak chuckled softly and shook his head. "Well, we’re the only humans here, so it’s normal. Just like when we were in Amazarak before. So you don’t need to overthink it. Just act like usual. Besides, it’s normal for them to see an ’adventurer party’ like us."

Another girl in Gorak’s group nodded. "Yes, Falce. Just be yourself. Don’t think too much about it."

"Um... okay." Falce mumbled softly before reaching for her meal.

The other girl leaned in and whispered toward Gorak. "Sorry, Leader. But may I ask something?"

"Yes? What is it, Valcrea?"

"What are we really doing here? Weren’t we supposed to head to the Human Kingdom?"

"Ah~ No... I’m just waiting for someone."

Noji, another girl in the party, glanced up and spoke in a low voice. "Is it important?"

"Yes," Gorak smiled. "Since we’re on our mission to gather more intel so the others can plan their next move, I was waiting for someone who has information we need."

Valcrea leaned closer, her hand resting lightly on the table as she whispered. "Is this source trustworthy?"

Noji nodded, her expression serious. "Yeah, Leader. What if this source is just trying to take our gold or gives us fake information?"

"Ah~ Thank you, girls, for worrying about it." Gorak smiled warmly, appreciating their concern. "But according to the locals, this source is someone who knows a lot of information. And I haven’t paid anything yet. I wanted to hear what kind of information they could provide first before making any deals."

"Oh... so this source of information is... a broker of sorts?" Noji asked, tilting her head.

"Mmm... you could say that. According to what I’ve heard, you can ask him about anything, and he’ll give you the information you need. Payment is made according to his terms, or you can negotiate a deal with him."

Falce exhaled in relief, her shoulders relaxing. "That’s good to know. I was worried we might be walking into a trap."

"Mm... yes. So you all can relax and enjoy the food. Don’t think too much about it."

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms with a confident smirk.

"Besides, if this source tries to take advantage of us... you all know what to do~"

All the girls smirked in unison.

"Yes." Valcrea’s smirk turned dark as she spoke in a low voice. "We could kill them. After all, no one on this continent can defeat us in terms of magic and power."

"True." Noji raised her ale mug, took a long drink, and let out a satisfying exhale. "Just like those Halfling soldier squads before."

Another girl, who had been silent the whole time, mumbled softly, her voice carrying a dark edge. "Mm... I enjoyed hearing their screams... watching how fast those soldiers fell... dozens of them, gone in moments."

"Yes." Gorak chuckled. "If we wanted, we could finish this whole tavern within seconds." He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes with a dark smirk. "But we can’t do that... for now. Our task is to collect information, any information we can get."

"If you say so, Leader. We’ll follow," Falce said with a smile.

Valcrea leaned back in her chair, a lazy grin on her face. "Poor bastards. If they didn’t try to stop our party, they might still be enjoying their lives, drinking ale and wasting their days away."

"How dare those filthy low-life scum try to stop us, the chosen people?" Noji chuckled darkly, her eyes gleaming with arrogance.

Valcrea smirked, leaning forward. "True. We are the highest among the highest." She glanced around the tavern with a look of disgust. "Even sitting here with these dwarves makes my skin crawl. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t be sitting in this filthy tavern, surrounded by their stench and crude manners."

"Well..." Gorak smiled, his tone calm but firm. "I know how you all feel. Trust me, I feel the same way. But we have a mission to focus on. Once the time comes, we can enjoy ourselves and go all out. For now, we play the part of humble adventurers and gather the information we need."

( End Of Chapter )