The sound of water dripped in Ryuji''s ears, his hands bound by chains while forcing him to kneel in a damp puddle, each drop causing his mind to jolt back to the men standing ahead of him.

    ''These bastards!''

    Despite Alan''s decision not to punish him, some sort of retribution would be necessary for the death of six knights to be forgiven.

    ****

    Two days before.

    Alan stood on the opposite side of the small room, his face filled with frustration. He knew Ryuji wasn''t the type to cause trouble, and after asking around, the knights were in the wrong. Yet, heroes lacked any importance to the kingdom until accepted by a patron.

    He realised Ryuji was in a dangerous position.

    "Alan, stop being so nervous." Ryuji''s voice seemed deeper and more raspy than before, as if the change was physical and permanent.

    Yumiko seemed to be worse—her hand held onto Ryuji''s arm, barely able to grip it with her small hands while trembling slightly.

    Ryuji knew it was because she knew the reality, and he remembered her initial state.

    In his mind, she looked beautiful and clean as they shared a bed. However, he remembered the truth and her bloody wounds and bruises. He was the one who cleaned them and helped her heal.

    She couldn''t fight because of her injuries, not a lack of skill or knowledge. Somehow, his mind twisted many events in the past week, but now he could see the truth of this world and his actions.

    They could not tell what was going on in his head, but the change was clear. He felt different—taller and larger, almost as if his aura expanded slightly, dwarfing them. It was like standing before a two-metre-tall demon, which caused Alan to feel terror and relief that he supported this boy over the holy knight.

    Alan turned his head.

    "Ryuji, do not worry—I will guarantee Yumiko''s safety. But you cannot escape punishment."

    "If anyone damages a single hair on her head, no matter how long it takes. I will destroy this kingdom and all who support it."

    Yumiko''s heart thumped; despite his changes, she knew demons were a very passionate and monopolistic race, unlike humans.

    The Beastkin empire held an alliance with them for the longest period, so the humans enslaved them and treated the Beastkin badly.

    Now the wars were over, an Alliance formed between humans and elves, the most populous races on the planet. Yet the Beastkin and demons remained in a strange state of neutrality.

    "I will ask Alicia and Sheila to help take care of her. Is that alright?" Alan looked at her.

    "Come on, Ryuji. Lord Qwass isn''t the patient type." Alan didn''t have any enthusiasm, yet it was the kingdom''s wish to bring the Chosen in, so he was already preparing his case with the king and taking Ryuji from Lord Qwass before a day passed.

    "Haha, you''re so cute. When I come back, how about I pluck that cherry you''ve been guarding?" Ryuji held her by her armpits, pulling her away, not wanting to continue hearing her cries.

    "Let''s just take him! Come, guard, follow me." Lord Qwass walked out of the room.

    "Hey, hey, aren''t you in a bit of a rush?" Ryuji kissed her nose before making sure she looked into his eyes before he placed her on the desk, turning to follow the guard. "I will not lose. Promise."

    Ryuji was curious.

    ''Can I truly promise something like that?''

    ****

    The sound of iron hitting flesh resounded; a man''s groan, followed by the dripping of blood, filled a hollow stone''s room while the man''s head drooped, leaning down.

    ''I never wanted to become this way, but this is who I am... Will Others accept me in this world, or will it be like the past?''

    Ryuji''s memories were not complete. The simple-minded Chosen quickly figured out the duality of his personality when he was a young teen and became scared of how violent and hypersexual he became. He would fight every day, beat the ones he deemed enemies half to death, and sleep with girls he didn''t know from different classes.

    ''I lost control, and mother was busy with work back then... It was hell. But it felt so good to beat and fuck whoever I wanted!''

    He wanted to fix himself and pursued psychology and medicine.

    Thankfully, his mother and father were rich. Thus, they could afford such support; however, on the medicine, he became withdrawn and almost neutered.

    But with his best friend''s support and the strictness of his mother, he pushed through the troublesome obstacles until one month later—the prescription was late, and his mother passed away.

    ''... I took the virginity of the girl my best friend had liked for two years. It was amazing, and she kept coming back for more! However, I regretted falling off and started going into the city to find people to fight.''

    Thunk!

    Another deep echo reverberated as a bone snapped, the male being beaten in the damp room, grunting as his arm twisted the wrong way. Another iron bar started hitting him in another spot.

    Ryuji knelt, leaning against the damp wall of the cell, a burning flame in his abdomen as the three knights continued to abuse his body, beating him without mercy.

    What confused him was that he had already lost most of his teeth.

    Yet he felt new ones growing stronger as if made of a different material altogether, hidden in his gums as if waiting for his freedom.

    ''What would I do if I only had the power of a normal person in this world?''