Chapter 177 - <Short stories 7.9>

Lucretius dragged the man and threw him onto the water channel.

Splash!

Bina was in the middle of creating a proper sewage system in the kingdom. It wasn't completed and took longer than expected because their kingdom was very large. Luckily, Lucretius managed to find a finished channel nearby with clean water.

Truthfully, Lucretius wanted to throw him onto a dirty sewage canal, but that could cause Roberto to contract a deadly disease and die. He had promised both Bina and Amarince that he wouldn't kill him, so Lucretius had to let Roberto live.

In the cold water, Roberto finally regained his consciousness.

"…!"

After flailing around for a few seconds, he managed to swim to the edges. Lucretius, however, kicked him every time he almost got out. This occurred a few times before Roberto was finally allowed to come out of the water.

"Hmm. You are weaker than I expected. I would kick you a few more times, but if I did, I think you might have drowned."

"…"

Roberto was panting heavily at this point.

Lucretius continued, "You better thank the empress. If she hasn't created these channels, you would have been eating shit today."

Roberto threw up some water and smirked. "Ha! The empress must have asked you to not kill me. Is that it?"

"Maybe."

Roberto wanted to anger Lucretius. "So that's why you assaulted me. You can't kill me, so this is how you relieve your anger? Wow, what a petty emperor you are!"

Lucretius grinned and kicked the man again.

"Gyaa!" Roberto screamed again as he spat out two of his teeth.

"My, my… I guess I broke your teeth. Too bad. Why won't you be careful with your words next time? If you call a petty man petty, don't you know he will get angry? Don't you think a petty man will act petty and hit you?"

The ground became wet with Roberto's blood as he continued to cough out every time the king assaulted his body.

Lucretius continued, "You should know that a petty man like me will never let someone like you off easy, a man who targeted my wife."

Lucretius then took out his sword. The sound of the metal rang clearly, making Roberto took a step back instinctively. He could feel Lucretius' silent rage.

"…"

Roberto felt a wave of gigantic aura of pure anger surging within himself for being such a coward. He was the one who orchestrated this mess because he wanted everything to be in ruins, including himself and his mother. Yet here he was, running away because he was afraid of death.

'I hate myself.'

Lucretius was about to kick Roberto's hand when Roberto instinctively rolled into a ball, and the emperor ended up kicking Roberto's back instead.

Kick!

Roberto felt a surge of incredible pain. He spewed out more blood before fainting. Lucretius became annoyed. He scooped up some water from the channel and splashed it onto Roberto's face.

"…!"

Roberto shivered in cold and pain. It wasn't a cold day, but he was hurt and wet with freezing water. He was quickly becoming hypothermic.

Lucretius looked down at him with contempt and placed his sword onto Roberto's neck. As Roberto gasped in shock, the sharp edge cut his neck, making it bleed a few drops. Roberto shuddered in pain and fear of his life.

The emperor's voice was cold. Much colder than the icy water in the channel.

"When you squeezed Amarince's neck, she became fearful of her voice. To a singer, I suppose her neck is the most important part of her body. When I was about to kick your hand, you protected it with your body. I guess your hand is important to you.

"…"

Roberto looked down at his hands. They were bloody with cuts and bruises, but nothing was broken. Not yet.

If Lucretius had kicked his hand, his hand could have been ruined forever.

Instinctively, Roberto tried to protect his hand. To a composer, his hand was everything.

Lucretius ordered quietly, "You better not show your filthy face in front of me or Bina ever again. I will let you live because you will be useful for us in order to control your mother. If you become troublesome, then we will kill you. I will always have people watching you, and if you step out of line in any way, you will die by my sword."

Roberto looked up in confusion.

'Is he really going to let me live? This easily?'

In the past, many of the angry husbands came after him to kill him, but Lucretius was the only one who succeeded in getting this close.

However, the emperor was saying he would let him go. Why?

Emperor Lucretius knew everything Roberto has done. Amarince would have told him all the details, but even knowing all of it, he would let Roberto live?

Just then, Lucretius smiled as if he knew what Roberto was thinking. The emperor then brought his sword down onto Roberto's hand fast.

"…!"

The sword landed exactly on the crevices between the middle finger and ring finger of Roberto's right hand. His skin wasn't cut, but he could feel the edge of the sword.

Roberto shivered in horror as Lucretius explained, "… To be honest, I was going to take at least one part of you, like an arm or something."

Roberto clenched his teeth to stop himself from trembling.

"P, please take only… One arm… Please let me have at least one hand…"

Roberto finally started begging. If he lost both of his arms, he wouldn't be able to hold a pen, which meant he couldn't compose anymore.

Lucretius smiled viciously. "How weak you are. You should be able to hold a pen with your mouth if you lose both of your arms."

Roberto grabbed onto the emperor's leg and continued to beg. "P, please…! Please, your highness! I will leave this kingdom, I mean this continent! I will never return!"

Lucretius shook his head. "That won't do."

Roberto was afraid. Was the emperor going to kill him? Did he change his mind?

"If I let you leave, your music will be performed in another kingdom or continent, and Bina will become sad. Roberto des Lonensia… You annoy me and I want to kill you, but… there are too many people who want Christian Boceti to live." Lucretius announced, "I will let you live and let you keep both of your arms."

Roberto brightened up after hearing what the king had spoken.

However, Lucretius pointed his sword at him again and continued, "But I will have to take an eye from you. I am being very generous here, as I'm sure you agree."

Roberto gritted his teeth. The sword was hovering over his face now. If he tried to run, the sword may cut his face or his neck.

Lucretius moved the sword from one eye to the other. Roberto was now drenched in sweat as well as the channel water.

Lucretius asked calmly, "Which eye do you use the most?"

Roberto had no choice. "R, right side."

As soon as he said the word, the sword moved quickly.

"GYAAAAA!!"

Lucretius made sure not to stab his head too hard or too deep. Roberto needed to remain alive for Bina. He needed to continue composing to keep Bina happy. If Roberto died here, it would be hard for Lucretius to find a replacement for such a music genius.

Lucretius carefully and emotionlessly moved his sword.

The night filled with Roberto des Lonensia's agonizing scream.