Chapter 6: Lynn's Past

Lynn's body curled like a shrimp, lying on the cold ground.

Just moments ago, the two guards seemed to have received Rhein's orders. One held his body upright, while the other delivered a relentless beating to his abdomen.

After ten heavy punches, Lynn no longer had the strength to stand, his stomach churning violently.

Yet, the corner of his mouth curled into a faint, cold smile.

In truth, he struck that pose merely to put on a show for the opposition.

Lynn didn't intend to leave his fate in someone else's hands.

*As he had thought just minutes before, dealing with someone like Rhein was actually quite simple.*

*You just had to let him feel as if he had complete control.*

*After that, his innate arrogance would slowly devour him until he revealed a flaw.*

*All Lynn had to do was seize that flaw and deliver a fatal blow.*

So far, everything was proceeding according to plan.

*But... damn, it really hurt.*

He thought silently to himself.

After finishing their private punishment, the two guards propped him back onto the chair and left without glancing back.

Not long after, Rhein returned to the prison.

Looking down at Lynn, who sat motionless in the chair, Rhein gazed at him from his lofty position, "Honestly, my mood is terrible right now."

"Morris and the others failed their mission today. It's possible I'll face punishment because of them."

"You need to understand, ultimately, all of this was caused by you," he said, his gaze filled with contempt. "If it weren't for your foolish resistance, none of this would've happened."

The perspective was novel—in a twisted way, it was as if the victim bore the guilt.

However, Lynn didn't refute him. Despite his weakened state, he nodded in agreement, "If it weren't for that one night with your mother, you wouldn't be sitting here pretending to be a proper human being."

He was deliberately trying to provoke Rhein, forcing him to lose his composure.

Upon hearing those words, Rhein indeed took a deep breath, "It seems earlier discipline wasn't sufficient."

He turned and left again.

A moment later, Lynn was greeted by yet another brutal beating.

...

*Why don't people ever learn their lesson?*

Outside the prison, Rhein leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, resting while listening to the muffled punches and grunts from inside.

At that moment, a commotion of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from afar.

Rhein immediately opened his eyes and looked toward the distant staircase.

A group of people entered the underground prison of Augusta Manor.

Leading them was a long-haired woman clad in a tailored military uniform, her shoulders draped with a regulation officer's coat. Her presence exuded steel and bloodshed.

She was tall and striking, dignified yet commanding, her slender, beautiful legs encased in knee-high boots.

Like an empress reigning supreme, she made it impossible for anyone to meet her gaze directly.

Unfortunately, a black patterned mask concealed her face, making it impossible to see her features.

"Your Highness..."

Even someone as proud as Rhein couldn't help but kneel on one knee and salute her upon seeing this woman.

"Rise."

The woman, addressed as "Your Highness," stepped past Rhein in her boots and approached the prison door.

Upon hearing the commotion inside, her brow furrowed deeply.

"I recall instructing that he should not be harmed in any way before I meet him."

Her voice carried unmistakable coldness.

"My apologies, Your Highness," Rhein bowed deeply. "But you also granted me the authority to act autonomously in certain situations."

"Based on my judgment of the circumstances, letting him meet with you directly might have led to some unpleasant outcomes. Therefore, I took the liberty of taming this somewhat clever fellow."

Rhein believed that violence and fear were the most effective tools for teaching someone submission.

Lynn was no exception.

"Somewhat clever? That's your assessment of him?"

Her icy tone softened slightly upon hearing Rhein's explanation.

"Indeed. Compared to the average person, his capabilities are decent—enough to serve Your Highness's endeavors in a certain capacity," Rhein nodded. "But only decent, nothing more."

After a moment of silence, she spoke again, "Open the door. I want to see him myself."

...

After the second beating, Lynn no longer even had the strength to remain upright in the chair.

His hands remained cuffed beneath the table, his head slumped weakly against its edge, utterly drained.

Before long, the door was pushed open once more.

He'd assumed he'd hear Rhein's contemptuous words again.

Surprisingly, the first thing he sensed was the faint fragrance of roses and the sharp sound of boots striking the floor.

Unfortunately, he lacked the strength to lift his head.

A moment later, a cool and melodious voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Lynn Bartleion, 17 years old, formerly enrolled at Saint Laurent Royal Transcendent Academy."

"During your time at the academy, your grades were outstanding, your talents exceptional. Within just two years, you ascended to the rank of Fourth Rank Transcendent."

"Not only that, you repeatedly applied for field assignments, successfully passed evaluations, and earned approval to head to the battlefront against the Demon Clan. As a second-year academy student, you led a group of fourth-year students into combat and earned numerous commendations, achieving the rank of Captain at a young age."

"You were poised to become the youngest officer in the Empire's history, backed by the Marquis Bartleion—a promising future lay ahead."

"You had a beautiful fiancée, adoring mentors, and classmates who respected you. Your prospects should have been boundlessly bright."

"But after that incident, everything was utterly destroyed."

"..."

Lynn remained silent.

Seeing this, the woman with the arresting voice did not seem angered, "Since you won't speak, I'll continue."

"A year and a half ago, during the Holy Sword Army's thirteenth campaign against the Demon Clan, you were given an order: your elite squad was to collaborate with the Commander to execute a highly dangerous decapitation mission."

"After the task was completed, believing you had discovered an opening in the enemy's lines, you didn't follow orders to return to camp. Instead, you recklessly pursued victory, venturing deeper into enemy territory."

"During this time, your squad members repeatedly urged you to turn back, but you refused, wagering their lives for your personal glory."

"As the reports state, your squad was eventually ambushed by the Demon Clan and sustained heavy casualties. In the end, at the cost of every member's life, you escaped back to camp alone."

"Afterward, you were court-martialed. Thanks to your father's intervention, you survived but enraged the entirety of the Imperial Capital."

"Even your faith abandoned you—the Archbishop of the Heavenly Principle Church personally stripped the Divine-given factor from your body, making you a mundane mortal, forever barred from the path of a Transcendent."

"Your family deemed you a disgrace, exiling you from the Imperial Capital to this remote border."

"I'm not mistaken, am I... 'Mr. Shame of the Nobility'?"