With no defensive force left in the city, Phield executed several townsfolk who dared resist and swiftly seized control of the place, then casually captured the poorly defended castle as well.

Of course, he could never hold it for long. This kind of annexation blatantly violated the Empire’s laws and order. The moment other nobles discovered it, the great houses would unite to exterminate him, and no one would be able to save him.

"My lord, we brought in some of the townsfolk. Quite a few are still hiding inside their homes, but we don’t have enough men to guard too many prisoners."

The way Newte and the others looked at Phield was no different from how believers looked at a god.

Using a force far weaker than the enemy’s, he had annihilated the entire army of Wind Tour Territory and even captured the city itself. To Newte, it was nothing short of a miracle. The soldiers’ worship of Phield and Tisiana had reached an almost fanatical level.

What they did not know was that Phield had relied heavily on Rosalia and her Corrupted Greatsword Warriors.

After routing the enemy army, the Corrupted Greatsword Warriors had hidden themselves amidst the chaos, while Rosalia temporarily retreated into her greatsword.

Until the perfect moment arrived, Phield had no intention of exposing the existence of the corrupted army.

"Wuuu... Lord Phield, please spare us. We’re innocent."

"Yeah, we never participated in the punitive campaign. I swear it."

The captured townsfolk wailed loudly as though they had suffered some terrible injustice.

"Innocent?"

With a cold sneer, Phield casually pushed open the door to the butcher shop. According to the minimap, there was a basement here, and people were hiding inside.

In truth, the population of Wind Tour Territory was far greater than what appeared on the surface.

Finding the basement entrance, Phield shoved open the door. A foul gust mixed with the stench of blood, urine, and excrement slammed into him head-on, nearly making him faint.

"Dear Goddess above... this is hell."

"T... they’re eating people?"

The soldiers who entered alongside him were so horrified that they collapsed onto the ground.

Even the men of Nightfall Domain, who were long accustomed to death, were shaken to their core.

The basement of the butcher shop was piled high with severed limbs and body parts that could only belong to humans.

Human corpses hung from hooks everywhere.

In the corner were three living people. One of them had already had all four limbs amputated.

"Please... just kill me."

The limbless man, now little more than a living torso, weakly begged in a dying voice.

"No... this can’t be real."

Newte’s face turned deathly pale. Images of his family flashed through his mind, and he instantly understood what had happened to them. He dropped to the floor and vomited violently.

"What happened here? Damn it."

Suppressing his nausea, Phield forced himself to speak calmly as he questioned the survivors. But the three people had already been driven insane. Their eyes were hollow and lifeless. The only one capable of speaking was the mutilated man.

"Humans... devouring each other."

Even Rosalia, hidden within the greatsword, transmitted a shocked emotion.

"When I was alive, such things were unheard of. Just what happened to the Empire during these past ten years?"

"I’d like to know that too."

Walking back outside, Phield said nothing. He kicked one of the townsfolk to the ground, and with a flash of his blade, chopped off the man’s arm.

"AAAAAH!"

The townsman screamed miserably as blood sprayed everywhere.

"Why are you eating people?"

Phield was furious.

He rarely lost his temper. Even when slaughtering enemies, he usually acted out of necessity and position rather than emotion.

But this time was different. For the first time in a long while, he realized he was being completely controlled by rage. He simply could not tolerate something like this.

The surrounding soldiers could hardly believe what they had heard. But when they clearly saw the strange expressions on the faces of the Wind Tour townsfolk, along with the mutilated human dragged out from the butcher shop, many of them nearly exploded with fury on the spot.

The raider cavalry remained noticeably calmer.

Firstly, wolf beastkin grew up in far harsher environments. Secondly, their countless battles and bloodshed had already hardened them beyond ordinary men.

"Because we can eat our fill. Because we can gain wealth. Because we can obtain the hope of becoming Divine Chosen."

One female townsfolk showed not the slightest trace of fear. She boldly stood up and answered matter-of-factly.

"Aren’t those reasons enough? You sheltered flowers who know nothing about survival. I’m the chief clerk of Wind Tour Territory. If you want answers, ask me directly."

"Don’t disrespect my lord."

A nearby wolf beastkin soldier instantly drew his cavalry saber, ready to cut her down.

"Let her finish."

Phield raised a hand to stop him, then coldly continued,

"And I’m no sheltered flower. My territory is a hundred times harsher than this place. If your excuse is merely food scarcity, then you have no right to lecture me."

Even during the worst periods in Nightfall Domain, no one had ever considered something this monstrous.

Phield let out a cold snort.

"Enough nonsense. Tell me exactly what happened here."

The woman revealed a crazed expression and began recounting the story of the territory.

Everything started after the suppression campaign.

About a month after returning to Wind Tour Territory, the baron suddenly issued a ruthless decree. He announced that he wished to breed a new species of eagle beast, and every household was required to provide one hundred kilograms of fresh meat every week to feed them.

For the impoverished Wind Tour Territory, it was an impossible demand.

Even hunting day and night would never produce enough meat consistently, and the people immediately erupted in complaints and resentment.

But soon after, another decree followed.

The baron permitted the townsfolk to ambush, rob, and kill suspicious travelers or bandits.

At first glance, the two decrees seemed unrelated.

But when combined together, they became the beginning of a nightmare.

The lord had demanded fresh meat for the eagles, but he had never specified what kind of meat.

Wind Tour Territory quickly transformed into a den of bandits. Using their familiarity with the terrain, the townsfolk began kidnapping travelers, setting traps, and slaughtering outsiders on a massive scale.

Some people tried to resist or flee. Some failed, while others managed to escape. But even those who escaped lacked the power to bring down a noble.

"And after that? You people simply accepted this kind of life?"

Phield frowned in confusion.

He found it strange that Baron Busby would suddenly issue such insane decrees for no reason. None of it made any sense.

"That’s right. Not only did we accept it."

Like an addict intoxicated by some irresistible drug, the woman admitted with a feverish expression,

"At first, we all resisted it. But after killing someone for the first time, I felt like I finally found the meaning of life. It was wonderful. That feeling... light and floating... like falling into the clouds. Just thinking about it makes me fee—"

"Alright, stop right there."

Phield rubbed his temples.

"And what about the Divine Chosen?"

"The lord said that as long as we killed enough people, he would select the best performers and grant them the power of Slaughter Divine Chosen."

"What?"

A chill instantly ran through Phield’s body.

"I should’ve realized it earlier. This kind of irrational madness... besides those lunatics from the Shadow World Sect and the Slaughter Divine Chosen, who else could it possibly be?"