CHAPTER 61: A BEFITTING PUNISHMENT

Estefan arrived at the fortress, his presence commanding attention as the City Guard immediately prostrated in reverence before their lord.

"So, these are all of them?" Estefan remarked, his gaze settling on the Red Serpents who were forced to kneel in the courtyard, their limbs bound with glowing runic cuffs.

"Yes, my lord," Frejlurd replied, stepping beside the Baron. "They’ve been completely restrained. The cuffs render their movements controllable. We’ve ensured they remain on their knees until ordered otherwise."

"Excellent," Estefan said with a faint, sinister smile. He turned to Frejlurd with quiet anticipation. "And? Have you prepared what I instructed you to?"

Frejlurd hesitated briefly, then nodded. "Yes, my lord... But are you certain it should be done in front of them?" He gestured toward the few relatives of the victims present within the fortress.

Estefan’s eyes shifted to the onlookers. "Not many came, I see. Still... those who did, they should bear witness. These men destroyed the lives of their loved ones. It is only right they see how justice is served."

"Most declined our invitation," Frejlurd explained, lowering his voice. "They said they didn’t want to witness the punishment, but they hope the Red Serpents never harm another soul again."

Estefan had specifically asked for the victims’ families to be invited since he intended to send a message, not just to the criminals, but to the entire city.

The City Guard’s reputation had taken a hit after the tragic deaths of three women. This act, brutal and symbolic, would show the public that justice was not only possible, but inevitable under his command. He needed to restore the people’s trust, and make them fear the price of crossing the law.

"Here they come," Frejlurd said, motioning toward a side building within the fortress.

From its entrance, nearly two thousand men emerged, each of them unclothed, their groins protected only by a thick transparent layer. The sight was revolting for those who found such things to be disgusting.

"That is more than enough disgusting flesh for me to witness today," Estefan muttered, turning his attention back to the Red Serpents. He stopped in front of them, his shadow stretching across their restrained forms. "Congratulations. You’ll be the first criminals in our city or maybe in this world to be punished in this particular fashion."

Confusion and fear were etched across their faces. Estefan began to speak again, this time with cold clarity. "Those men you see, they are civilians and City Guards alike who all volunteered to carry out your sentence. Each of them will deliver the same pain and shame you inflicted upon your victims."

The color drained from the Red Serpents’ faces as the horrifying realization settled in as they were about to be raped the way they raped their victims.

Frejlurd raised his voice and commanded, "Lean forward. Raise your waists." Bound by the runes, the Red Serpents’ bodies obeyed involuntarily, exposing them to the punishment that was coming.

"Don’t feel wronged," Estefan said, almost mockingly. "Had I simply executed you, it would’ve been a mercy. Watching someone else suffer doesn’t compare to living through it. But this... this is an equivalent exchange."

He then looked to the few relatives standing by. "If it’s too much for you to watch, you may leave. These men, these executioners... they will take turns with every single Red Serpent until death claims them. Yes, it will be disturbing. Yes, it will be agonizing. But it will also be justice."

Estefan’s voice dropped into a chilling tone as he addressed the criminals again. "I already confirmed beforehand that none of you enjoy male company. That makes this punishment even more fitting. And in case you were wondering... yes, I am the one responsible for the deaths of your families. I had them executed swiftly, without pain. Consider that a mercy you’ll not be afforded."

Shock rippled through the criminals. Arnot, the leader of the Red Serpents gang, understood immediately that they had been led into a trap. The Baron knew they would retaliate after discovering their families bodies. Estefan had orchestrated everything.

The Baron turned to leave. "Try not to enjoy it," he said sarcastically. "I had elixirs administered to the men, they are having enhancers for size and stamina. So... enjoy the final hours of your pathetic lives."

As Estefan stepped outside the courtyard, the atmosphere shifted. The Red Serpents felt it suddenly, presence behind them, movement at their backs. A collective scream erupted as they realised what was about to happen. Panic and hopelessness filled the air.

"You didn’t heed the pleas of those women you defiled," Frejlurd said coldly. "They cried, begged, and screamed just like you are now. But you all ignored them. So now... suffer the same fate."

"Begin," he ordered and it began.

The punishment unfolded brutally. Pain, humiliation, and screams filled the fortress courtyard. What the women had endured was now being relived, amplified, and returned to the very monsters who caused it.

Three hours passed and nearly half of the Red Serpents had perished as some from internal bleeding, others from ruptures too gruesome to describe. Those still alive were barely conscious, enduring torment beyond anything imaginable.

Their executioners who were all wearing leather hoods to conceal their identities, worked methodically, fueled by a sense of revenge. Some of them had lost wives, sisters, and daughters as some relatives secretly joined to deliver punishment, they even wore spikes with the protection layer on their phallus to make sure the punishment was brutal.

This was not a punishment born of pleasure. It was retribution. For some watching, the scene brought closure. Tears rolled down their faces, not from sorrow, but from a strange, cathartic satisfaction.

For the first time, justice wasn’t just a promise. It was real, physical, horrifying, and unforgettable.

One old man stood watching, voice trembling as he whispered, "This... this is beautiful. They are feeling what they made my daughter feel, shame, helplessness, the sense of being broken beyond repair." His daughter had taken her own life after the assault. Now, he stood in silence, watching justice unfold in its darkest, truest form.

Baron Estefan departed the fortress after delivering swift justice. Inside the comfort of his carriage, a loyal Bloodhound appeared silently across from him while staying on their knees in front of him.

"That’s how justice is done," Estefan remarked coldly, his expression as unmoved as stone. "Now, the City Guard has gained the trust of the people. By eliminating a long standing criminal group who have terrorised the civilians through sexual violence, they have shown their worth. The public will rally behind them, just as planned."

He turned to face the Bloodhound, his gaze sharp. "It begins now. We’ve emboldened the Guards, given them newfound loyalty and morale. The citizens are behind them. Next, we make the city itself their enemy. The crime syndicates thrived because the city turned a blind eye due to fear. That silence ends."

Leaning into the plush cushions of the carriage, he exhaled. "Summon the hounds. The hunt will soon commence. But first... I have unfinished business at the palace. That little Lutis infiltrator needs addressing. They failed to manipulate me, and she will soon realise her seduction plan has crumbled."

His voice darkened slightly. "She must realize it." Estefan shifted his gaze to the passing cityscape outside the carriage window. "There are too many unknowns circling close. I need to eliminate them to purify this place."

Resting his head against his clenched fist, he watched the city roll by, his mind echoing with bitter memories. "The Duke failed. My father... he was blind. Rather than recognising the corruption poisoning his own councillors of this City, he put blind faith in them. It destroyed everything."

He sighed, the weight of lineage heavy on his shoulders. "I am not him. I will not repeat his mistakes."

Estefan was certain of his superiority. His father’s attempt to rid the city of its filth through brute force had only tarnished the family’s name.

The Angeras Knights, once feared, were ordered into the city under the Duke’s command. Their rampage, however, brought chaos and terror. Instead of cleaning the streets, they became the terror themselves or made to look like a terror by the Duke’s enemies in the Capital, which brought ruin and painted the Duke as a tyrant.

Eventually, under mounting pressure, the Duke had to call them back in disgrace. The mission had failed. The gangs remained, and the city’s decay only grew worse. His father’s perfect rule now bore a stain, this one city that mocked his reign by succumbing to rot and vice.

"I will purge it all," Estefan muttered, eyes fixated on the city’s skyline. "This city will be the foundation of my revolution. Through it, I will strike at my father. He’ll feel the weight of my hatred, the wrath born from my mother’s death. I will take everything, the house, the duchy, and burn it all using this for her."

His motives were never born of compassion or duty. Estefan’s actions weren’t those of a noble reformer or a hero. No, they stemmed from a cold, relentless thirst for revenge. He didn’t seek justice, he sought a weapon.

But that weapon needed the right form. He couldn’t be seen as a madman who assassinated his father. That would only lead to being hunted, forgotten, and reviled. He wouldn’t allow that fate.

He intended to become the hero of the people, the savior they praised. He would write the narrative, carve his legend into the books of history, not as a villain, but as the triumphant conqueror who brought order.

[To be Continued]