Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice II

Chapter 247

The darkness was absolute, with no one in sight. It felt like a void, with Altrouge alone in the midst of it. The silence was deafening, leaving her feeling hollow and empty.

She couldn't even be sure of the existence of time, with nothing to compare it to, and no way to prove her own existence.

Altrouge was filled with panic, as the only thing that could prove she existed was the king who visited her every few days, teasing and tormenting her.

As a dead apostle and true ancestor who had long since disregarded pain, she had no defense against the pleasure he inflicted on her. The lack of other sensory input made his teasing all the more unbearable, but he was the only evidence she had that she existed.

Though she hated it, she couldn't help but hope for his visits. She felt trapped in a corner of her own thoughts, constantly anticipating his arrival.

But the king soon shattered her sense of security by coming at random times. Altrouge realized she had been naive to think he would stick to a schedule, as he was an expert at playing with her psyche. Even when she tried to adapt, he always found a way to keep her off-balance and in a state of constant anxiety.

"Do you know what true fear is?" the bastard asked in a calm tone, even as Altrouge struggled to control her expression.

"True fear," he continued, "is when I tell you the time and let you adapt to it, only to break that adaptation. You'll never know when I'll come or how I'll treat you. You can only hope and fear that I'll come at a fixed time, and then I'll mercilessly destroy that hope. You'll live in a constant state of fear."

Altrouge's voice trembled as she asked, "What... what do you want?"

"I've been merciful enough to spare your lives. Tell me about Crimson Moon," the bastard said calmly, his voice devoid of emotion.

Altrouge cried out, "Please, no more torment! I'll tell you everything."

"Good." With a snap of his fingers, the black mud that had blinded her eyes began to recede and flow away from her head.

As her vision cleared, Altrouge looked tearfully at the man. Despite his calm demeanor, she felt timid and afraid of him.

In some ways, this man was even scarier than Crimson Moon, the one who had created her life. Crimson Moon's punishment was straightforward, direct death. But this man's punishment was on another level, several dimensions higher.

She couldn't help but feel a deep sense of fear and awe towards him, on an instinctual level.

Shirou brought out a bowl of blood and held it out to Altrouge. "As a Dead Apostle, you haven't had blood in almost three months, have you? You must be starving. I'm a merciful king. This is some blood that I've saved for three months. Come on, fill your stomach, and we'll talk slowly."

Altrouge licked her lips, feeling the hunger gnawing at her insides. As a hybrid of a Dead Apostle and a True Ancestor, she couldn't rid herself of her dependence on human blood. After being left for almost three months, she was weak and desperately needed to replenish her supply.

But the blood Shirou offered was from three months ago. Wasn't it too stale?

As a princess, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. If they were going to feed her, couldn't they at least use fresher blood?

However, now she was a prisoner, and it was better to swallow her pride, or else this bastard might impose some horrible punishment on her.

Shirou brought the bowl of blood in front of her, and Altrouge, with her limbs locked, took a sip.