Chapter 72: A Fun Lesson

Trons slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurry as the dim basement gradually came into focus.

The cold stone wall pressed against his back, while his arms remained stretched behind him, and as his awareness returned, the last memories before losing consciousness came rushing back.

He remembered standing outside Elias’s manor, grabbing Benjamin by the neck, and threatening to enter the building by force, only for Elias to appear behind him without making a sound.

Then came the flash of silver, the sudden warmth spreading across his body, and the horrifying sight of his severed arm falling to the ground.

’My arm!’

Trons’s eyes widened in panic as he immediately tried to move his left hand, and when his fingers responded, he froze.

He slowly turned his head as far as the restraints allowed and looked toward his shoulder.

His arm was there.

It was attached perfectly, without even a scar.

’My arm...?’

His confusion quickly turned into fear as he looked around the basement, and his eyes eventually settled on Elias standing beside a wooden table while Benjamin remained nearby. The old butler looked calm, but Elias’s expression was unreadable.

Then Trons noticed someone beside him.

’Part!’

His eyes widened further as he saw his companion restrained against the wall, and he immediately tried to call out.

"Mmgh!"

The cloth stuffed into his mouth muffled his voice.

’Fuck! I cannot speak because of the cloth in my mouth.’

Panic began spreading through his chest, but Elias seemed completely uninterested in his struggle. Instead, he turned toward Benjamin and calmly asked, "Benjamin, do you know why Crimsons are said to have the blood of steel?"

Benjamin shook his head. "I do not, my lord."

Trons stared at them in confusion.

’What is this? Where am I?’

He desperately tried to understand what was happening, but Elias simply walked toward him while continuing his explanation.

"Before the era which we now know as the Era of Myths and Wonders, the Crimson Clan did not have this striking crimson hair, nor were we known for our swordsmanship," Elias said.

"We were simply a minor noble clan under the rule of the old kingdom."

Trons’s eyes remained fixed on him.

"That was until Blakefyre Crimson was blessed by a creature known as Delhali," Elias continued.

"The creature was said to look like a lion with black skin, a crimson mane, and steel running through its veins."

Elias stopped directly before Trons.

"Since then, we have crimson hair and the blood of steel," he said.

Benjamin’s expression became slightly confused.

"What are you trying to say, my lord?" he asked.

Elias looked toward him and calmly answered, "Even though the old kingdom is no more, the Crimson Clan still stands because we are lions blessed by the myths. We are cruel to our enemies and magnanimous to our allies."

Trons’s heart began beating faster.

He didn’t understand what those words meant, but something about Elias’s expression made him afraid.

Elias took another step forward.

Then he raised the needle-like instrument he had taken from the table.

Trons’s eyes widened.

"Mmgh!"

The needle plunged into his thigh.

"Ugh! Ah!"

Pain exploded through Trons’s body, and his entire body convulsed against the restraints as his muffled scream echoed throughout the basement.

Elias stared at him.

The needle remained embedded in Trons’s thigh, and although his expression was calm, Benjamin noticed something Elias had failed to hide.

His hand was trembling slightly.

"If you cannot do it, then let me, my lord," Benjamin said quietly.

Elias looked toward him before shaking his head.

"I cannot do that," he said. "I must do it myself; otherwise, it would become too easy for me to inflict pain at a command."

Benjamin blinked.

For a moment, he simply stared at Elias before a small smile appeared on his face.

"Then let me teach you," he said.

Elias looked at him in surprise.

"Alright," he replied.

Benjamin stepped closer and examined the needle.

"Pain is not simply about causing injury," he explained. "If you damage someone too quickly, they may lose consciousness before you learn anything, and then all you have accomplished is hurting them."

Elias nodded attentively.

Benjamin said, "You should understand how much force you are applying, where you are applying it, and how the body reacts."

Elias looked down at the needle before carefully adjusting his grip.

"Like this?"

Benjamin studied his hand.

"Your grip is too loose."

Elias corrected it.

"Now?"

"Better."

Elias nodded before turning his attention back toward Trons.

The next attempt was more precise.

Trons’s body immediately jerked, and muffled cries escaped through the cloth as his muscles tightened against the restraints.

Elias watched carefully, paying attention to every reaction, and as Benjamin explained which areas were more sensitive and how to control the pressure, Elias gradually became more skilled.

His Masterful Hands proved unexpectedly useful.

His fingers adjusted with extraordinary precision, allowing him to control the instrument far better than Benjamin had initially expected. Elias could feel even the smallest changes in resistance beneath his fingers, and that made it easier to follow Benjamin’s instructions.

"Do not press there yet," Benjamin said. "Move slightly to the side."

Elias adjusted his hand.

"Here?"

"Yes."

Elias followed the instruction, and Trons immediately thrashed violently.

Benjamin nodded.

"Good."

Elias’s eyes brightened.

He had expected the process to be unpleasant, yet he found himself becoming increasingly interested in the technical aspect of it. Every movement required precision, and every slight adjustment produced a different reaction.

"This is surprisingly complicated," Elias remarked.

Benjamin chuckled.

"That is why experience matters."

Elias nodded before continuing.

Hours seemed to pass as Benjamin taught him, and Trons’s muffled cries repeatedly echoed through the basement. Elias gradually stopped trembling, and his movements became increasingly controlled as he experimented with different techniques under Benjamin’s guidance.

At some point, Elias even smiled.

"This is interesting," he said.

Benjamin smiled as well.

"You learn quickly, my lord."

Trons could only stare at them in horror.

His body trembled uncontrollably as tears streamed down his face, and every time he thought the torment was finally ending, Elias would ask another question, and Benjamin would patiently explain another technique.

Eventually, Trons’s consciousness could no longer withstand the pain.

His eyes rolled backward, and his body went limp against the restraints.

Elias paused.

"He passed out."

Benjamin nodded.

"Then we move to the next one."

Elias looked toward Part.

The second knight’s eyes were wide with terror, and the moment their gazes met, Part began shaking his head frantically.

"Mmgh! Mmgh!"

Elias calmly walked toward him.

"Do not worry," he said. "I will be more careful this time."

Part’s eyes widened even further.

The cloth prevented him from answering, and Benjamin quietly moved beside Elias.

"Remember what I taught you."

Elias nodded.

"I remember."

The basement once again filled with muffled screams.

This time, Elias’s hands were steadier from the beginning, and the lessons Benjamin had given him allowed him to proceed with considerably greater precision.

His Masterful Hands made every adjustment almost effortless, and before long, Elias had become so absorbed in learning that he barely noticed the passage of time.

Part endured longer than Trons, but eventually his body also went limp, and his head dropped forward as unconsciousness claimed him.

Silence finally returned to the basement.

Elias stood before the two unconscious knights for several moments before setting the needle-like instrument back onto the table. He then picked up a clean cloth and wiped his hands carefully, removing the traces of blood and sweat from his fingers.

Benjamin watched him quietly, then he asked, "What do you intend to do now, my lord?"

Elias looked toward the basement door before answering calmly.

"We have to leave Kilmir."