Augustus was too obsessed with bringing competent people to his side that he became blindsided by the dangers they posed.
His status as Young Master made him confident in his untouchable status as well, so he took less care than he should have. That was why he had so many schemers under his nose.
'But that's none of my business…' Rey shrugged to himself. 'As long as they don't get in my way.'
To distract himself from the melodrama, Rey went over the concluded crisis, specifically on alternate routes and what he could have done better or worse.
'I already knew Leon would avoid using Ancient MajiK in this plot, since everyone has their distinct Ether Signature and if he used any of the Six Arts, it could be traced back to him. He could use scrolls to eliminate this problem, but he will have to purchase something specific to the plan he has in mind, and there will be sale records left behind. Besides, using Ancient MajiK will make the investigators employ the same method to resolve the case, which will further complicate things and increase the chances of him getting caught.'
There were other things to consider, and Rey went through all of them while waiting for his Master's verdict.
Then… it finally came.
"You will return to your status as a slave…"
"Ah, Young Master!" Leon cried out. "Please, no… anything but that—"
Augustus ignored his pleas and continued to speak. He casually twirled strands of his hair as words left his delicate lips.
"I was actually thinking of getting a new slave since Cursed Boy will no longer be participating in the Chaos Dweller Pit. Now it seems I no longer need to worry about that since one has appeared right in front of me. How fortunate…"
"Young Master—"
"That's Master to you!" Augustus raised his voice, causing it to echo in the hall like thunder.
"It has come to my understanding that the maid who helped you did so out of love. No wonder she didn't rat you out despite the torture. Your love must be really strong."
"N-no… not her…" Leon whimpered, but Augustus mercilessly stared him down.
"Of course not. My word is my bond. She will be executed. But… I will stay her execution for every night you return from the Chaos Dweller Pit alive. That's good news, right? You can save her life if you work hard to survive."
"A-ahh… ahhh…."
Tears kept falling down Leon's face as Augustus gave him a cruel grin.
"What? Won't you thank me for being so considerate?"
Despite the overwhelming emotions coursing through him, Leon swallowed everything and pressed his forehead on the cold ground.
"T-thank you… Master."
"Hehe! That's more like it" Augustus chuckled, glancing at Rey for a moment before turning away.
Rey remained expressionless, though he understood exactly what his Master meant.
'Looks like Augustus is a lot more ruthless than I gave him credit for. The moment I mess up, he won't hesitate to make an example out of me. Even if he doesn't kill me, I will surely suffer the consequences.'
But Rey didn't fear his Master or anyone in this estate for that matter.
Pain?
Death?
He had long grown weary of such terrors.
None of them fazed him any longer.
At the moment, the only thing that consumed his mind was revenge. He would continue to strive for that goal, surviving and doing whatever it took to achieve that goal.
So what if he had to sacrifice people or even himself?
So what if he had to suffer excruciating pain or experience unspeakable horrors?
Nothing could be worse than what he had already seen: his whole world burning before his very eyes.
Rey had nothing to lose but everything to gain.
He wasn't going to stop.
Not until everything he desired was his.
'This is only the beginning!'
*******
The Coliseum.
Rey was inside once again, but this time was different. He wasn't in the arena, but sat among the audience.
Logan was not in attendance this time, since he had errands to run.
As such, Augustus used this chance to bring Rey with him. It was the regular night of the Chaos Dweller Pit, and Augustus already cast his bet.
Naturally, he bet on his own slave.
Not Rey.
No… It was Leon.
Before long, the event began and the Chaos Dweller was released from the pit. It began to chase the panicky slaves, causing all of them to scatter in multiple directions as they tried to save their own skin.
Only one of them moved with purpose.
—Leon!
He targeted the other slaves, cutting down their numbers one after the other to bring him closer to victory.
He had a crazed look in his eyes.
He panted in desperation
His movements were like that of a lunatic; an animal seeking prey.
"Hehe! Look at him!" Augustus chuckled at the sight while tapping Rey's shoulders. "He's doing exactly what you did on your first day."
Rey simply smiled.
He remembered his time in the Chaos Dweller Pit and how he had to struggle each time to survive.
He could see how different it looked to spectators. Even now, as he looked at Leon, he couldn't help but sink into contemplation.
'I must have looked like that to them—a pathetic, rabid dog.'
Rey wasn't one to care about reputation.
He didn't mind if others viewed him as lesser or looked down on him. In fact, if he could use it to his benefit, he would even relish that fact.
But… that didn't make it an alluring thing.
Rey never romanticized his situation.
He knew it well.
'Pathetic! Right now, I am utterly pathetic and weak!' His eyes shone ominously as he stared down at the slaves being mercilessly killed and devoured.
'I'm only slightly better than those down there! I could return to their position at any moment, as long as it is the whim of my Master.' He solemnly told himself. 'So I must not relent in the slightest.'
Until he was free.
Until he was able to extricate himself from this situation, he had to remember his place and constantly remind himself.
He was nothing.
For now.
"Oh? Would you look at that?" Augustus laughed, interrupting Rey's thoughts. "He actually survived until the very end."
Indeed.
Leon held on and became the final survivor in the Chaos Dweller Pit.
Through sheer tenacity and resolve, he did it.
'It must have been humiliating for him, but he held on to protect the woman that he loves.' Rey watched the whole thing and sighed.
'It's such a shame, though…'
Augustus collected his reward money as well as his returns from gambling. Afterwards, they rode home in their carriage.
Augustus naturally had his own separate ride, and Rey had to share with Leon.
On their way back to the Estate, no one said a word to each other. However, right before they arrived, Rey finally broke the silence.
"Sorry…"
Leon was too exhausted to speak.
He only glanced at Rey, his eyes asking what it was he was sorry for. The disgraced man likely thought Rey was mocking him or sending him some meaningless sympathy.
Rey could guess what was on Leon's mind.
His sigh only grew deeper.
"I'm not sorry about how this turned out for you. You brought it on yourself the moment you tried to bring me down. What I'm sorry for…"
After another brief moment of silence, Rey closed his eyes and parted his lips.
"... Is what's about to happen."
The carriages stopped.
They opened on their own, revealing a scenery one would see right before stepping into the Desgarron Main Estate.
Right there… was a pole.
"T-that…" Leon's lips quivered as he stared at the sight before him.
There was someone impaled on the pole.
From her lower region, right through her mouth—she had been hung right outside the gates.
It was the maid.
Leon's lover.
Despite being placed in such an agonizing state, she was surprisingly still alive.
A miracle!
Though the look on her face made it clear how much she craved death.
She couldn't speak.
She was gaging on the long pole that stretched out of her mouth, completely humiliated under the serene moonlight.
It was an utterly cruel display
Leon, shivering at the sight, slowly left the carriage. His loud sobs wouldn't stop, not even when Augustus alighted his own carriage and stood a short distance from the pole.
"See? I kept my promise." He smiled at Leon. "She is still alive."
"Y-you—!"
At this point, something snapped within Leon.
"You monster!" He charged at Augustus despite his exhausted body, but he didn't get very far.
He had only taken a few steps when he felt his ligaments being sliced and searing pain coursing through his body.
"Arghhhh!"
His loud scream pierced the night, but there was no one to hear him.
Only his beloved stood before him, but she was too lost in the pain to hear anything. Leon looked back, at the one who stopped him, and found Rey standing there.
He now understood what Rey meant.
The apology…
It was all directed at this moment.
Augustus slowly approached Leon, crouching in front of the gasping young man before speaking.
"Nobody humiliates me and gets away with it." His expression was cold and his words dripped with brutality. "No one."
Leon was speechless.
Throughout the years he had served his Master, he had never seen this side of him. He was helplessly dazed, painfully writhing on the floor, when he heard the next devastating words echo in the air.
"Set her ablaze. Make sure he watches and only kill him when it's over."
"Yes, Master." Rey's voice echoed in the night, his gaze silent.
The desecration of innocence and the defilement of love played right before him reminding him of what he lost.
But he was just as powerless as Leon.
He could stop none of it.
And so, just as it was done unto his beloved, he set the world of yet another man ablaze.
"LISA!"
"LISAAA!!"
"LISAAAAAA!!!"
Cries that were not his filled the air, calling out to the burning lady.
He watched as the flames consumed the woman; her muffled cries echoing in the night as her flesh burned without stopping.
He also saw as Leon watched in suffocating agony. It reminded him too much of his own past and the humiliation he suffered.
How his wife was killed.
How his three children were slaughtered.
How his people were slain
How his world burned.
He took it all in and smiled in the chaos, allowing all those feelings to flow within him without stopping.
'I will no longer apologize to you, since this was all your fault. But, I will promise you one thing.' Rey looked away from the flames and cast his gaze on the Desgarron Estate.
SWISH!
Just as Leon's decapitated head fell to the ground, his executor walked away with one last thought to offer.
There was no apology.
Just a promise.
'Your revenge… I will help you carry it out.'