Chapter 76: Even Demons Are Better Than Them

“Did you find it?” Ailbana sat inside the jolting carriage, pressing her swollen temples with her fingertips. An unrelenting irritation lingered between her brows.

The carriage slowly came to a stop at the western city gate. The guards on duty leaned against the pillars, yawning repeatedly, the bloodshot veins in their eyes betraying their exhaustion.

According to city law, the gates should have been shut long ago at this hour, and the guards ought to have been fast asleep in warm beds. But the one arriving was the renowned daughter of the Aisakson Duke. As lowly commoners, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and work overtime through the night.

Fortunately, it was just a few extra hours of standing guard—no real danger involved. The soldiers quietly comforted themselves, though they didn’t dare look directly at the lavish carriage.

“Miss, the broken wall you described… it does exist.” Karol’s voice came from outside the carriage, tinged with faint hesitation.

“Take me there.” Ailbana’s voice was cold and decisive, her fingers halting their motion at her temple.

“Miss, this matter isn’t as simple as you think…” Karol stood outside, clutching the hem of her skirt tightly. After hesitating for a long moment, she still tried to persuade her. She had seen the horrific scene beyond that wall—she couldn’t bear for her lady to witness such hell.

“I’m giving you an order.” Ailbana’s tone sank, carrying the unquestionable authority of a ducal lineage.

“…Yes.” Karol ultimately didn’t dare disobey, her voice filled with helplessness.

Ailbana bent down, picked up the silver-white longsword from the seat, and stepped out of the carriage in one swift motion.

The crisp sound of the scabbard striking the ground jolted the two guards fully awake.

“My lady, you mustn’t go out!” Seeing Ailbana step toward the gate, the guards rushed forward in panic, their faces full of anxiety. “It’s dangerous outside at night—wild beasts roam, and there are unknown forces lurking. It’s far too risky!”

“You intend to stop me?” Ailbana halted, her gaze turning icy. She drew her sword halfway, the cold blade pressing directly against the throat of the guard who had stepped forward. The reflected light drained all color from his face.

The guard froze instantly. It felt as though his blood had solidified, cold sweat streaming down his back, soaking through his uniform. He didn’t even dare breathe loudly, standing stiffly in place.

“My lady, it’s truly unsafe outside at this hour. If anything were to happen to you, we couldn’t possibly bear the responsibility!” the other guard pleaded, his voice trembling, not daring to step any closer.

“This matter does not concern you.” Ailbana withdrew her gaze, her tone devoid of warmth, as if the danger meant nothing to her.

With that, she turned and followed Karol, resolutely stepping beyond the city gates.

Outside, weeds grew wildly, and the night was as dark as ink. Only sparse starlight barely illuminated the path ahead. After pushing through the tangled grass, they arrived at a broken wall deliberately concealed by creeping vines.

Behind it, Ailbana finally saw the scene Pereti had described—

Bones scattered across the ground, mixed with torn clothing. The air reeked of blood and decay. Several vultures hunched over the remains, pecking at the last bits of flesh. It was a sight too horrifying to behold.

“Miss…” Karol stood to the side, calling softly, afraid of disturbing Ailbana’s thoughts. But there was no response.

“Miss?” she tried again, her voice barely above a whisper.

After a long moment, a blazing flame suddenly ignited in Ailbana’s palm. She swung her hand forward, the fire tearing through the night with a crackling sound.

Startled, the vultures flapped their wings and scattered, leaving behind only their hoarse cries in the darkness.

“Approximately how many people are here?” Ailbana asked without turning around. Her eyes burned as she stared at the bones beneath her feet. The longsword stood upright before her, her flaming hand gripping its hilt tightly. Firelight reflected off her cold profile, glaring against the pitch-black night.

Her heart pounded—not from fear, but from barely contained rage. The scattered children’s clothing pierced her vision like needles.

“At least… five hundred,” Karol replied cautiously, her voice trembling. “Many bodies were dragged away by wild beasts nearby. What remains here are only the scraps left behind by vultures.”

She stole a glance at Ailbana and felt her heart tighten.

This was the first time she had ever seen such an expression on her lady’s face—absolute seriousness mixed with a fury on the verge of eruption, as if it could explode at any moment.

“Karol, did you know about this?” Ailbana’s voice suddenly turned calm—too calm.

Karol pressed her lips together, remaining silent for a long time, her fingers digging into her palm.

“Answer me.” The tone was still calm, yet it carried an invisible pressure that made it hard to breathe.

“Miss… among the nobles, you may be the only one who didn’t know,” Karol said with difficulty. “But that’s also…”

“Understandable?” Ailbana tilted her head slightly, looking at Karol. Her eyes burned like heated iron, the crimson flames in her palm growing fiercer—like a lion on the verge of rage.

She had never imagined that such a tragedy was common knowledge among the nobility, while she alone remained in the dark.

Karol felt a chill run through her body. Her limbs trembled uncontrollably, as if she had fallen into an icy abyss. Cold sweat soaked her hair as she stammered, “I-I didn’t mean it like that…”

Completely flustered, she lowered her head, not daring to meet Ailbana’s gaze.

“Hmph…” Ailbana let out a low, heavy snort, filled with mockery and anger. Her gaze returned to the bones at her feet, trying to discern what these people had once been.

Were they elderly? Children? Hardworking farmers? Honest craftsmen?

“In other words… my father, my brother—they all knew.” Her voice was as soft as a sigh, yet heavy with indescribable disappointment.

“Y-yes…” Karol’s voice was barely audible.

So this… was the real reason Father sent me to Falisa…

Ailbana’s heart sank, a chill creeping up from her feet.

Her father had been certain she would discover this. Certain she would feel anger for these commoners. That was why he had arranged this trip—he had absolute “confidence” in those nobles who treated human lives like grass, believing their atrocities would never cease until she witnessed them herself.

Ailbana had been born into a prestigious ducal family, raised in luxury. Deep within her bones lay the arrogance and superiority of nobility, and she often carried an unconscious distance in her interactions.

Even so, she had never regarded commoners as insects to be trampled at will.

Her father had told her more than once: commoners are the foundation of society, the very root of a city’s survival. She had always remembered those words.

But what about those so-called noble peers?

They treated human lives as worthless, slaughtering without restraint. And the Church—the supposed guardian of order—had chosen to shield these crimes, allowing such tragedies to repeat again and again.

Even demons understand the bonds of blood.

But these people—

They were worse than demons.