Atonement, For Your Cruelty — Chapter 16

YOU KNOW HOW IT IS THESE DAYS, RIGHT?

MONEY TRUMPS STATUS.

IT'S BETTER TO BE A RICH COMMONER

THAN SOME POOR NOBLE, WOULDN'T YOU SAY?

WE NEED TO KEEP UP WITH THE TIMES.

WE SHOULD BE AIMING TO BECOME SOMETHING LIKE THE "BETA CORPS."

IT'S TIME TO DITCH THAT VULGAR "MERCENARY" TITLE...

ESPECIALLY NOW THAT WE'RE TAKING ON JOBS DIRECTLY FROM THE KING.

SO LET'S TRY TO BE A LITTLE MORE HYGIENIC WITH OUR TORTURE METHODS, EH?

WHAT IS THIS DISGUSTING MESS, HUH?

IT REEKS OF ROT IN HERE!

MY APOLOGIES!

SO? DID YOU FIND ANYTHING OUT?

LIKE HOW MANY MORE OF THESE BASTARDS ARE UNDER OSCAR VON REICHENHART

AND WHERE THEY'RE LOCATED.

NO, SIR. WE TRIED EVERYTHING, BUT THEY WOULDN'T BREAK.

YOU BEAT THEM TO A PULP AND GOT NOTHING?!

HAA... DAMMIT.

I'M GOING TO ASK THE CHAIRMAN HOW HE WANTS TO PROCEED. YOU KEEP AN EYE ON THEM.

YES, SIR!

BOTH OF THEM ARE HALF-DEAD, SO WE CAN'T TORTURE THEM ANY FURTHER.

AND THIS WAS AN ORDER FROM THE KING OF LUXEN, NO LESS. WE'RE SCREWED.

THE CHAIRMAN IS GOING TO CHEW ME OUT FOR THIS.

SIR.

HUH? WHY ISN'T HE RESPONDING?

SIR—

WHAT THE—?!

AAARGH!!!!

AAGH!!!!

WHAT THE...

WHAT'S GOING ON UPSTAIRS?

AN ATTACK?

IS IT A BRAWL?

NO,

THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A FIGHT.

IT'S MORE LIKE

A SLAUGHTER.

DAMN IT...

OSCAR VON REICHENHART.

YOU...

Y-YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF NERVE, WALTZING IN HERE!

Y-YOU-

YOU BASTARDS!

W-WHAT ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE FOR?!

KILL HIM!

THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE.

WE'RE NO MATCH FOR THEM.

AND THEY CAME HERE UNARMED!

HOW CAN WE BE GETTING THRASHED LIKE THIS?

AND SO

BRUTALLY.

AAAAAARGH!!

OOF—

UGH...

UGH...

P-PLEASE...

P-PLEASE, HAVE MERCY.

IF YOU WANT TO WALK OUT OF HERE ALIVE, THINK CAREFULLY.

WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF ROOTING OUT THE SPIES?

W-WE DIDN'T FIND THEM INTERNALLY...

THE KING! THE ORDER CAME FROM THE ROYAL PALACE!

I KNOW THE KING WAS INVOLVED. BUT WHO IN THE PALACE?

HUH...?

"THE ONE WHO SEES THE WORLD WITH THEIR EYES CLOSED."

SOUND FAMILIAR?

RIGHT.

NO NEED TO DWELL ON AN ANSWER I ALREADY KNOW.

BY THE TIME THE SEARCH PARTY ARRIVED,

THE LEADER WAS ALREADY DEAD.

ANYTHING USEFUL?

IT SEEMS THEY TOOK ALL THE IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS WHEN THEY KILLED HIM.

ANY SURVIVORS ON OUR SIDE?

THEY WERE ALREADY

BEYOND SAVING.

TIE UP THE REST AND LOCK THEM AWAY.

MAKE THEM LOOK LIKE THE OTHERS.

GO ON.

THE REPORT?

RIGHT.

IT'S THE TRANSLATED ID AND ABEL'S REPORT.

IT'S BEEN 5 DAYS ALREADY, HASN'T IT?

5 DAYS.

THINGS SHOULD HAVE PROGRESSED QUITE A BIT BY NOW,

SO I IMAGINE HE'S WRITTEN A LENGTHY REPORT.

MARRIAGE PLANS, A LATE-NIGHT ENCOUNTER,

HOW HE WON HER OVER...

A TRIP TO THE MARKET.

SAUSAGES.

CANDY, COFFEE... PANCAKES.

5,200 KERTE? IS THAT ALL HE SPENT?

IT APPEARS ABEL IS STRUGGLING.

INDEED. AND IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT.

THE WAY HIS SENTENCES ARE SO CLIPPED, AND HOW HARD HE PRESSED THE PEN.

HEH

HEH.

HEHEH.

GOOD GRIEF.

I DON'T BOTHER DWELLING ON THINGS I ALREADY KNOW.

BUT THIS... THIS IS BOTH FAMILIAR AND NEW.

I THOUGHT IT WAS STRANGE, BUT THIS... IS TRULY ABSURD.

HOW STRANGE.