Bam! Bam!
"Kughh!... Arrghh!...."
The distant sounds of impacts and the screams of someone reached Avendial's ears from a fifty meters away.
A small cart, resembling a golf cart, carried two unusual individuals.
At the front sat a woman in a flowing black dress, her golden eyes shining brightly as she focused ahead.
Beside her sat a man with silver hair, contrasting with her sunny gaze; his deep blue eyes evoked the image of a vast ocean, while his hair glimmered like moonlight.
Avendial felt a twinge of pity for Leo, whose familiar, anguished cries echoed after each impact sound.
It was clear that Leo, having narrowly escaped death in the past, was now being used as a punching bag by someone.
"Marquess, aren't you curious about why we created this place?" Aecilia asked, her gaze fixed on the road ahead.
The headquarters for the nightcrawlers was far more than a mere base; it resembled a small city hidden away in the shadows and unnoticed by the outside world.
Avendial sensed Aecilia's expectation that he would ask questions, but he remained calm, choosing to keep his thoughts to himself.
"...I have a few guesses," Avendial replied.
He folded his hands, closed his eyes, and tilted his head slightly back against the cart's seat, contemplating the implications of their location.
Memories of history flooded his mind, particularly the tale of how a previous emperor had sought to suppress the Sertsul family by assigning them territory that was largely considered infertile.
This oppressive move didn't stop there; the head of the family at that time had married the woman who incited the prince's wrath—she was the very reason for the emperor's aggression.
After the prince ascended the throne, he targeted the man who had won her heart, resulting in that man's untimely death in what was described as an accident.
The specifics of history are well known: the subsequent rise of the Sertsul family and their ventures into pleasure houses and beyond.
Avendial pieced together that it was likely this new stronghold served as a precautionary measure, a safeguard against history repeating itself.
Furthermore, he recalled the child he had previously seen with the feather tattoo—having shared a conversation with him in the future, where the boy recounted living in a shelter due to his sister being abducted by the royal family.
They had wanted to take him too, but somehow he had escaped, finding protection under the Sertsul family.
But at that time, there were no remnants of the Sertsul family remaining, prompting Avendial to not delve deeper into it.
Now, however, this place appeared as though an entire small world had been meticulously crafted for people to inhabit.
Yet, the fate of those who lived here was far from favorable.
The child, in particular, met a grim end for standing against the royal family.
The last Avendial heard of him; he had attempted to go against the royal family, only to be killed by his own sister, who had been brainwashed by the royal family over the years.
Some stains were dry, while others were fresh, with nail marks on some; even fingerprints seemed to be visible on some.
His gaze quickly swept across the room, taking in the sight of numerous individuals trapped inside.
They were subjected to unspeakable torture, their fingers displayed grimly alongside plucked teeth, their hair embedded within torn skin, and their flesh openly leaking blood.
The gruesome scene before him clearly revealed that this place was less an interrogation room and more a torture chamber.
"Leo is in the interrogation chamber; these people have already been questioned," Aecilia explained as she stepped forward, guiding him toward the only door that lacked soundproof glass.
The emanating screams hinted strongly that there were distinct areas designated for both interrogation and torture, and these unfortunate souls were now enduring the latter phase after having already revealed all they knew.
"I see..." Avendial replied, following behind her until they reached a seemingly ordinary wooden door, the kind one might find in any home.
Aecilia slowly opened the door, and the sight that unfolded before them was anything but ordinary.
Inside the room, four women encircled a single man who was brutally bound at the wrists and ankles. Among them, three stood by while one delivered gruesome punches.
What struck Avendial as alarming, however, was that the person delivering the punches seemed abnormally strong, evident from the sound and air-tearing noise; it was the undeniable fact that she was an Evolver—not an ordinary one at that.
"Hey, everyone, stop! Can't you see who's here?" Aecilia had initially thought they would only be asking questions of Leo, not suspending him in mid-air like some sort of sandbag, with his arms and legs bound by chains.
Despite that, one could not ignore the fact that his body was impressively muscular, every detail of his physique clearly outlined beneath his tattered clothing.
However, Aecilia was more concerned with the fact that she had just brought the Marquess to this place for the first time, and the very first thing he witnessed was this rather shocking scene.
"Huh? Aecilia? Oh, so he is the Croceaus guy."
The woman at the front, who was punishing Leo with punches that reddened his flesh with each blow, turned to acknowledge Aecilia's voice.
Recognizing familiar tone, she approached them, casually unrolling the band she had tied around her hand.
'.....' Avendial, standing there, glanced at the woman who just casually mentioned him while striding closer.
He noticed the striking similarity between her and Aecilia—both had the same golden-hued complexion—but this woman's physical appearance was strikingly different.
She sported a boyish look, complete with a funky, gray-haired, tomboyish hairstyle.
Her attire consisted of tight jeans that revealed glimpses of her toned abdominal muscles, and piercings near her lips added a hint of rebellious flair as she came within just an arm's length of him.
"What a handsome man you have here, Aecilia," she remarked, eyeing her cousin, who had brought along this rumored individual—someone Aecilia had a crush on.
Billie then took a towel from one of her subordinates, wiping the sweat from her face as she stretched her hand out toward Avendial.
"My name is Billie Sertsul," she said, her gaze lingering on him.
"How about I take the time to properly introduce myself to you, Mr. Handsome?" Her eyes, filled with mischief, roamed down to his pants, glinting with flirtation.
As she closed the distance between them, leaning closer to his ear, she whispered in a voice dripping with seduction, "Maybe I need to change the venue to my bedroom... for my deep introduction. What do you say?"