Nerijus felt the small knife against his face and shivered.
He didn't want to recall what the knife had just done to his face, but its touch brought the recent events flooding back to his mind.
The incredibly dull knife had slowly, bit by bit, sliced off his eyelids, nose, lips, and ears.
If it were only pain, it would have been bearable. After all, the Mohgwyn Dynasty worshiped wounds, blood, and suffering.
But the severed parts had fallen haphazardly to the ground, gradually assembling themselves into a grotesque, jumbled "face."
Nerijus had felt each part being taken from him, and he had witnessed, piece by piece, the completion of that "face."
When he saw that misshapen face finally complete, Nerijus's spirit completely broke.
"I'll tell you everything, everything..."
Nerijus completely abandoned the oath he had taken when he joined the dynasty and was anointed.
"I first landed on a beach in Limgrave with my maiden."
"Along the way, we encountered many enemies, especially Godrick's squads for capturing Tarnished. We barely managed to escape."
"Through constant battle, I gathered a fair amount of Runes, and she helped me convert them to strength a few times."
"But the number of Runes needed to grow stronger kept increasing. It got to the point where I couldn't level up for a long time, yet the enemies were becoming more numerous. She couldn't help me much anymore."
"It was then that a lord wearing a white mask appeared before me."
"He told me that if I killed my maiden, broke away from the guidance of the Two Fingers, and pledged my loyalty to the Mohgwyn Dynasty, I would obtain unparalleled power."
"Hah, of course I agreed."
"Though I was grateful for all her help along the way, I was jealous of her! I hated her!"
"Why couldn't I see the guidance of grace! Why did she have to be the one to guide my path!"
"Behind her smile, I'm sure there was scorn and mockery! At the Roundtable Hold, she always spoke to those Tarnished who had no maiden!"
"She was definitely planning to kick me to the curb once she found someone stronger! She only wanted to fulfill her own mission; what happened to me didn't matter at all! I knew it, I knew it all!"
Nerijus roared hysterically.
Bai Shi's brows furrowed as he listened. An incomprehensible madman.
This man had been broken long ago, his emotions twisted. No wonder the White Mask had found an opportunity.
"Hehehe, I killed her. She had a look of disbelief on her face before she died. She surely never expected that I'd see through her plan."
"After killing her, that lord sought me out again. He said that in light of my resolve, I only needed to kill a few more Tarnished to be anointed a Mohgwyn Dynasty Knight."
"Since I'd already gone that far, there was no reason to hesitate."
"I sought out those fellows the maiden had been cozy with. Just as I thought, they had a thing for her. The moment I mentioned it was about her, they came over enthusiastically."
"I brought them, one by one, before the maiden's corpse and disemboweled them, piece by piece."
"The strange thing was, in the midst of the slaughter, I felt supreme pleasure."
Nerijus savored the unprecedented ecstasy. He had become intoxicated by blood then.
Bai Shi's eyebrows knitted together, a vein throbbing on his forehead.
Yura drew the knife across Nerijus's face, making a new cut and interrupting his reverie. This update Δ±s available on ππ π§ππβ«πππ£πβ«πππ₯
He had heard many similar stories about how one becomes a Bloody Finger. It no longer fazed him; it only deepened his hatred for them. If this were just an ordinary Bloody Finger, Yura wouldn't expect him to have any useful information and would have likely executed him already.
But a Mohgwyn Dynasty Knight was different. They were rarely captured and possessed immense power. An encounter with one would often cost a Bloody Finger Hunter their life.
This man was Bai Shi's prize. Yura had only intended to witness his death and had no plans to overstep his bounds by interfering.
But since Bai Shi also wanted to ask some questions, he decided he might as well ask a few things himself.
Yura swore to extract every last piece of information Nerijus knew.
"Continue. What did you gain, and what it takes to become a Mohgwyn Dynasty Knight."
Nerijus felt the dull knife and began to tremble.
"I... I received these two daggers I hold, and the garments of a Mohgwyn Dynasty Knight from that lord."
"And some incantations of the Mohgwyn Dynasty. One can use them as long as their faith in the dynasty is sufficient."
"As for the requirements to become a knight, I've seen some ordinary Bloody Fingers, as well as Pureblood Knights. Without exception, they are all Tarnished without maidens."
Yura came to a realization. No wonder the Mohgwyn Dynasty Knights were so few and so powerful.
It wasn't just because of the weapons and incantations granted by the dynasty; they themselves were Tarnished who had already been strengthened by a maiden using Runes.
Few Bloody Finger Hunters were accompanied by a maiden, to say nothing of the many boons granted to the Mohgwyn Dynasty Knights.
An ordinary Bloody Finger Hunter would stand no chance against them, even if they fought with all their might.
"Lastly, the whereabouts of the other Bloody Fingers. And... news of Eleonora, the Violet Bloody Finger."
Nerijus tried his best to recall the locations of the other Bloody Fingers. He was going to die anyway, so what did it matter if he dragged a few more down with him?
Nerijus knew he was certain to die, but as long as the torture stopped, that was enough.
"There are three Bloody Fingers hiding on the Weeping Peninsula. There are many shoals there, and a lot of Tarnished have landed there in the past."
"But the bridge connecting the Weeping Peninsula and Limgrave is difficult to breach, so they can't leave the peninsula and have been hiding all over the place."
"That's why Godrick thinks there aren't many Tarnished there and hasn't sent any capture squads. But in reality, it has the highest concentration of Tarnished."
"The Bloody Fingers on the Weeping Peninsula are constantly hunting for Tarnished in hiding."
"I'm the only one here in Limgrave. Godrick is constantly capturing Tarnished for grafting, so there aren't many of them left."
"In Liurnia, there seems to be a group of assassins from Crowmount active, and there are one or two in Caelid as well."
"As for Eleonora, the Violet Bloody Finger, I heard she has already headed for the Altus Plateau."
When Nerijus had finished revealing everything, Yura looked at Bai Shi.
"Anything else to ask? Should I do it?"
Bai Shi said nothing. He walked over silently and stomped, crushing Nerijus's head.
Bai Shi, a man of compassion, couldn't stand the sight of this man living.
Bai Shi let out a long breath. The man was truly a lunatic. Then again, that's what the Mohgwyn Dynasty was like.