Chapter 365: Let’s Start This Birthday Celebration!

Julie’s throat tightened as she stood at the edge of the pit, the grotesque moans rising like smoke from some hidden layer of hell. She couldn’t bear to look for long.

Men clawed at the dirt walls, dragging themselves up only to collapse, tumbling back down into the writhing mass. Their legs, ruined, bent and twisted at impossible angles, made escape nothing more than a cruel illusion.

It wasn’t a prison, it was despair made flesh, a pit of sorrow where hope was broken along with bone. Julie’s chest ached, nausea coiling in her stomach until she wrenched her gaze away, staring instead at the earth beneath her boots.

Beside her, Aisha and Skadi didn’t flinch, but their narrowed eyes betrayed the same unease.

What unsettled them even more than the sight of the pit itself was the crowd. Hundreds of townsfolk stood around the rim, men, women, children, all watching silently.

Not one reached for a rope. Not one offered a hand. Not one voice called for aid.

Julie’s brow furrowed, her mind racing.

Normally, people would rush forward to help, even if only out of instinct, but here…they watched as though they were spectators at some grotesque play. The wrongness of it clawed at her skull until her temples throbbed with a headache.

And then, a man in armor stepped hesitantly toward her through the press of villagers. He looked uneasy, sweat dampening his brow, though he stood tall out of habit. He bowed quickly, his voice carrying the tremor of someone who knew he was addressing someone above him.

“M-My lady…I mean, Miss Julie? You are…the leader of the Holy Guard, yes? My name is Noah. I am captain of the local law enforcement.”

Julie straightened, her eyes flashing with both authority and pain.

“Yes. That’s me…Captain Noah, then.” She nodded curtly, greeting him with a strained politeness. “Tell me, what is going on here?” She motioned sharply toward the pit. “Why are there so many men down there with broken legs? What in the world is this? Some kind of…twisted torture ceremony?”

Her voice sharpened, frustration bleeding through. She stepped closer, her eyes boring into his.

“And why is no one helping them? Why aren’t you helping them? You’re the law enforcement, aren’t you? You should be the first one down there, pulling them out!”

Her anger caught Noah off guard. He blinked at her, confused for a moment, as though he hadn’t even considered the questions she asked.

Then, visibly flustered, he straightened his shoulders and replied quickly, words tumbling out.

“I-I don’t know the exact details, Miss Julie. But here’s what we’ve gathered.”

“It started when hunters came across a man in the forest. He had a scarf covering his head. They saw him carrying four or five men, beaten, unconscious, legs broken. He moved so fast, they could hardly follow.”

“At first they thought they were mistaken, but then they saw him again…And again. Each time, hauling another group of men. Suspicious, they tracked him.”

Noah’s hand trembled slightly as he gestured to the pit.

“Finally, the trail led here. And when they arrived…this pit already existed. And it was already filled with men. Hundreds of them, crammed together, all with their legs shattered, muffled cries for help on their lips.”

“The man with the scarf kept coming back. He would toss in his load, then vanish into the forest, only to return with more….He treated this place like a prison, breaking their legs first to ensure they couldn’t escape. Then he left them here.”

Julie felt her head pulse, the weight of his words pressing harder against her temples. She rubbed at her brow as if to ease the pounding.

“So you saw this. You saw all of them suffering…” She pointed furiously down at the pit, at the chorus of moans and desperate hands reaching upward “…and you did nothing? Why didn’t you get rope, men, anything to pull them out? Why are you standing here like the rest, watching?”

Her tone was scathing, her frustration boiling into anger, to which Noah stepped back, hands half-raised as if her words were physical blows.

“I…There are reasons, Miss Julie. Two reasons!” He stammered, swallowing hard. “The first…these people are not innocent. They are not citizens of this town, nor travelers in need of aid.”

“…They are criminals. Every single one.”

Julie froze. Aisha’s eyes widened. Skadi tilted her head, ears twitching at the revelation.

Noah pressed on quickly, perhaps emboldened by their silence.

“When I first arrived, I too was horrified. I thought they were victims. But when I looked closer, I recognized them. Their faces…I’ve seen them before. On wanted posters. These men are murderers, rapists, thieves. Mercenaries for hire, killers without conscience. All of them have blood on their hands.”

“That’s also why…that’s why the townsfolk aren’t moving to help. Many here are victims of these men. Families who’ve suffered at their hands. They look into that pit, and they don’t see innocents. They see justice. Some are even crying…but not for pity. For relief. For vengeance finally returned.”

Julie’s breath hitched. Slowly, she turned her head, scanning the crowd. And Noah was right. There was no pity in their eyes. No sorrow.

Only a grim, burning righteousness.

Some watched with tight lips, some with trembling hands, others with tears spilling down their cheeks, but not out of grief, out of vindication.

Julie felt her guilt ease just a little, though unease remained. The revelation shifted the weight in her chest, but it did not erase it.

“I see…” She said slowly, forcing her voice steady. “So they are not good men. Still…” Her eyes sharpened again as she locked back onto Noah “…even if they are criminals, you should have investigated. You should have secured them, taken them into custody, questioned them.”

“…Not left them here like cattle in a pen. You are the law enforcement are these parts, Captain Noah. It is your duty.”

Noah flinched at the accusation, panic flickering across his face. He shook his head quickly, words spilling out in desperation.

“We couldn’t! We didn’t dare! Because…Because—”

“…you were the ones who told us not to!”

All three women froze.

Julie blinked. Her voice went low, incredulous. “…What did you just say?”

Noah, trembling, nodded insistently. “You told us not to interfere. That we were to watch, not act. That this was justice being carried out. That we had to leave them where they were.”

Julie’s face hardened, her tone rising. “What are you talking about? We never gave such an order! This is the first time we’ve met. We’ve never spoken to you before.”

Aisha stepped forward, her eyes sharp as knives. “Explain yourself. What do you mean by ’we told you’? Who, exactly, told you to stand down?”

Noah’s lips quivered as the silence pressed in on him. The crowd’s murmurs swelled like waves crashing against stone and he bowed his head quickly, words spilling out in apology.

“I-I’m sorry! Forgive me, I wasn’t clear.” His gaze darted from Julie to Aisha, settling uneasily on her sharp eyes. “It wasn’t you…not the three of you who told me to stand down. It was him.”

“…The man himself, the one carrying those men and tossing them down like sacks. He’s the one who gave the order.”

Aisha’s brows knitted. Her voice was low and sharp. “What do you mean by him? What did he tell you?”

Noah swallowed hard, speaking quickly now as if afraid she might cut him down for stalling.

“When I first saw him, when I saw him hurling those men into the pit, I thought it was some lunatic. I approached cautiously, intending to detain him…But he told me he wasn’t acting alone, that he was part of a mission under the Holy Guard. He claimed ties to the Holyfield Estate.”

Confusion rippled through the three women, their eyes tightening.

“I didn’t believe him at first.” Noah continued nervously. “I thought he was a fake…an intruder, maybe. But then…he showed me proof. A crest from the Holyfield Estate, and even the crest of the Holy Guard itself. Both authentic.” He let out a small, nervous laugh. “I had no choice but to believe him.”

Aisha’s ears twitched sharply at that. Her eyes widened as a realization sparked within her. She stepped forward, her voice suddenly urgent.

“Wait. Did this man…did he have black hair? Red eyes? Pale skin?”

Noah hesitated.

“His face was covered. I didn’t see his hair. But…” His body shivered slightly, as though the memory crawled along his spine. “His eyes. Crimson. Bright crimson, drenched in blood. The kind of eyes you can never forget once you’ve seen them.”

At once, the three women turned toward each other. In their eyes was the same realization, the same unspoken understanding. The name hovered on all of their lips until Julie exhaled heavily and whispered it aloud.

“…It’s him.”

Noah stiffened. His voice rose in alarm. “Him? Then, then he was a imposter? I was fooled? Is he a traitor—”

“No.” Aisha cut him off sharply, shaking her head. “He’s one of us. You don’t need to be afraid.” Her eyes softened a fraction, though her tone remained firm. “He’s no imposter. Go on.”

Relief crashed over Noah, his shoulders sagging as though a great weight had been lifted.

“Thank the gods…I thought I’d been tricked. But yes, he didn’t stop there. He handed me a map.”

Noah’s hand instinctively moved to his belt where a satchel hung.

“On it, he marked dozens of locations, bandit dens, hidden camps, even traffickers warehouses. He said there were hostages in need of immediate rescue. I…I sent my men to those places. And every mark was true.”

“We found them. Hundreds and hundreds of them. Victims, children, women and even babies, some abducted from their homes, others chained in cities, some sold into slavery.”

“They were everywhere. And all of them…all of them pointed back to the very men you see suffering in this pit.” He motioned toward the writhing mass below.

Julie, Aisha, and Skadi listened, stunned into silence as Noah pressed on.

“That’s why there are so few of us here now. My men are still out there, pulling the victims out of their cages. And those people in the pit…” His voice hardened with contempt “…they’re the ones who put them there. Bandits, slavers, murderers. Monsters.”

“And because that scarfed man came with the crest of Holyfield, someone far above me, I didn’t dare to defy his orders. I stood down, as he told me. And so did the people.”

Julie finally exhaled slowly, the pieces falling into place. She turned to Aisha, and for the first time since arriving, a small smile tugged at her lips.

“Thank God it’s just Cassius and no one else.” She said softly, almost with relief.

“Of course it’s him.” Aisha’s expression shifted into a grin of her own. “Who else could pull something like this off? If it wasn’t Cassius…” She folded her arms defiantly, smirking. “…I’d break my own legs and throw myself into the pit.”

“Me too!” Skadi also joined in saying. “I would also break my fluffy tail and shaved it off before jumping in with you Aisha if it isn’t Master!”

Both of their bravado earned a few startled looks from nearby townsfolk, but Julie’s laugh broke the tension.

Then, as the laughter faded, her smile curved into puzzlement.

“But why? Why would he do all of this in secret? If he wanted to hunt bandits, he could’ve called us. Why break their legs and toss them into a pit? Why not just cut them down where he found them?”

Aisha’s grin softened into a thoughtful frown. She shook her head. “I don’t know. Best to ask him ourselves.”

Her eyes then fixed back on Noah, her voice firm. “Where is he now? Is he still here?”

Noah nodded quickly. “He left just minutes ago. But—” His finger suddenly shot up, pointing to a clearing not far away. “Ah!There! Look, over there!”

All three women’s eyes snapped to where he pointed. And sure enough, he was there.

Cassius.

Even at that distance, his eyes gleamed, two burning coals cutting through the shadow of his scarf. Slung over his shoulders were four more broken men, their muffled cries weak, hopeless.

He dropped them into the pit like refuse and straightened, brushing the dust from his gloves with casual indifference.

The crowd parted without a word as the three women moved forward and Cassius too turned his head at last, noticing them approach.

His voice rang out, cheerful and unburdened, the way only he could speak after a day of breaking bones.

“Well, well! Look who finally decided to join me.” He lifted his arms wide as if welcoming old friends. “I’ve been waiting for you three. Glad you could make it in time.” He gestured toward the pit behind him. “That was the last batch. Which means…” His eyes glimmered with mischief. “…we can finally begin this little birthday celebration.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep