SLDS 26

On a languid afternoon, Cecil stopped by the training grounds as he always did. He was about to lightly warm up and begin training when he noticed Loco’s face, which looked completely drained of energy.

“What’s wrong? And what’s with your lips?”

“…It’s nothing, sir.”

Loco’s lips, flaky with dead skin, were covered in scabs of dried blood here and there. Loco silently rubbed his lips, as if to hide the wounds.

“Are you sure it’s nothing?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, then.”

Cecil didn’t pay it much mind and readjusted his grip on the wooden sword.

He says he’s fine, so is there any need for me to be nosy? In the first place, he wasn’t the type to care about others, with the exception of Alexis.

But his increasingly troubled face these days, his listless movements, and even the bruises on his wrists that peeked out from under his long sleeves—Loco’s unsettling aspects kept catching Cecil’s eye.

‘Is this guy getting beaten up?’

Among the squires, Loco was on the particularly slender side. He was short and had a gentle personality, so the profession of a knight didn’t seem to suit him well. Still, since his own will was so firm, Cecil had simply assumed he was doing fine.

Before long, Cecil concluded that Loco was being bullied. Once he started suspecting, clear evidence kept flashing before his eyes.

After training ended, Cecil spoke to the head chamberlain who was waiting outside.

“Leo, go and get a bottle of malt whiskey. The best one you can find.”

“What? Whiskey, sir? Didn’t you say you weren’t drinking anymore?”

“It’s not for me… Just hurry up and get it.”

Unable to resist the urging, Leo ran to the Peridot Palace. Even as he returned with the expensive whiskey held to his chest, his expression was still full of doubt.

“Good, you brought the right one. Wait here for a moment.”

Cecil snatched the bottle by the neck and smiled in satisfaction. He then headed without delay toward the barracks behind the training grounds.

He planned to give this malt whiskey to Loco.

Since it was a high-end liquor that wasn’t easy to drink, his fellow knights would all, without exception, go crazy for it, and they would undoubtedly act friendly to Loco to try and get a glass somehow.

Moreover, if he handed it to him in front of everyone, they would think he had a rather close relationship with him and would surely not dare to treat Loco carelessly in the future.

A smile never left Cecil’s lips at the perfect plan. Though his body was tired, this much effort was worth it. Since Loco had helped him so much, wasn’t it only right to repay the favor?

Cecil threw open the barracks door without knocking. A clamor of laughter and vulgar curses could be heard from the entrance. It seemed everyone was relaxed since it was their break time.

The inside of the barracks was filled with the sour smell of sweat. Cecil covered his nose with his fist and walked further in.

“Gasp! Mr. Cecil! What brings you to this humble place…”

As soon as the squires saw Cecil, they hastily straightened their clothes.

As is always the case with men after training, they had their clothes thrown off and were busy covering their bare skin in front of Cecil.

Cecil looked around at the knights indifferently. No matter how good their bodies were, to his eyes, they were just giant flesh-colored lumps. Not seeing the face he was looking for, he singled out a squire standing nearby and asked.

“You there, do you happen to know where Loco is?”

“Ah… you mean Loco Maxwell, sir.”

In that moment, the knights exchanged meaningful glances. A few of them even looked toward a secluded area in the back.

“……”

“……”

Cecil saw through the suspicious atmosphere at once. Convinced they were hiding something, he pushed aside the knight blocking his way with his hand.

“Whoa! W-wait a minute, sir!”

Cecil strode straight into the barracks without hesitation. Despite it being a shabby and rough place, there was no trace of reluctance.

Following a narrow hallway led him to what appeared to be a locker room. In front of it, squires in a similar state of semi-nudity as the ones he’d seen earlier were leaning against the wall, snickering.

And that wasn’t all—the fronts of their pants were wide open, and they had pulled out their dark, hairy genitals and were fiddling with them. It was a scene that could hardly be considered a normal break.

“Gasp! M-Mr. Cecil!”

As soon as they saw Cecil, they scrambled to stuff the things in their hands back into their pants. While they were busy arranging their clothes, Cecil abruptly opened the wooden door and went in.

In the dim locker room, three people were tangled together as if they were one body. Cecil froze stiffly, like someone who had just witnessed a secret he shouldn’t have.

“Mmph, urgh, gack, ugh!”

“Aren’t you going to suck it properly? How am I supposed to cum like this?”

“Hah, this bastard, since he can’t breathe, he’s clenching super tight down there. Hey, push it in deeper.”

“Hey, Loco. Try to put some effort into it. There’s a huge line waiting behind us, you know?”

Unlike the men who were giggling and snickering, Loco was on all fours like a dog, crying. The genitals moving in and out between his small, fully stretched mouth and his buttocks were no different from grotesque weapons. Loco’s contorted face proved that this was not a consensual act.

“These sons of bitches.”

Cecil clenched his jaw tightly. His anger surged to the point that his vision turned red. Even the hand holding the liquor bottle began to tremble.

The knights, who had been completely absorbed in their debauchery, noticed his presence belatedly, but Cecil moved before they could react.

Cecil walked straight over and smashed the liquor bottle on the head of the knight who was shoving his cock into Loco’s mouth.

CRACK!

With a violent shattering sound, the heavy glass broke into pieces, and the knight’s eyes rolled back in their sockets as he fell over. In an instant, the strong scent of oaky liquor spread and filled the locker room.

Cecil gripped the broken bottle neck and twisted his upper body.

The other knight who had been raping Loco quickly backpedaled, pulling up the pants that had fallen to his ankles.

“You must be dying to die. How dare men who call themselves knights of the empire commit rape inside the imperial palace?”

“That is not it, sir, it’s not! It’s a misunderstanding!”

“Ha, so, are you saying my eyes are deceiving me right now?”

Cecil’s anger was as cold and sharp as the winter sea. Each word he threw, filled with suppressed excitement, made the knights freeze.

Nausea rose in Cecil at the disgusting smell of semen. His own forgotten past kept being projected onto Loco’s form.

‘The empire’s secrets are not nearly enough.’

‘This is about killing the woman the Crown Prince of the Berka Empire cherishes most in the world… Shouldn’t you show a little more sincerity?’

‘Get on your knees and crawl between my legs. If you suck my cock with that pretty mouth of yours, Cecil, I will consider it.’

Cecil swallowed back the bitter taste in his mouth with difficulty, erasing the horrific memory. He clenched both fists tightly and glared at Loco, who was still prostrate on the floor.

“Get up. Straighten your clothes this instant.”

“……”

“Didn’t you hear me say get up!”

The body, which had been cowering like a sinner, trembled as it pushed itself to its knees. Without even wiping his tears, Loco picked up the clothes strewn on the floor.

Cecil could no longer stay in this filthy, smelly space. He turned on his heel and left the locker room. The squires began to part like the Red Sea to clear a path for Cecil.

He walked straight out of the barracks. With reddened eyes, Cecil looked for Claude. He saw the man talking with the vice-commander in the distance.

“I need to talk.”

When he barged into their conversation, Claude and the vice-commander stared at Cecil with bewildered eyes. They were first surprised by his face, which was filled with fury, and then they were utterly shocked to see the broken bottle neck gripped in Cecil’s hand.

“What… is the matter?”

“Did you know?”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“I’m asking if you knew that Loco Maxwell was being sexually abused by the knights.”

Claude’s eyes narrowed. He seemed to think it was impossible.

“Did you see it yourself, sir?”

“I suppose you think I’m spouting nonsense right now?”

Cecil threw the bottle neck he had been holding onto the ground. Clang, the glass, of which less than half remained, hit the floor and shattered into pieces.

“Does it make any sense that the Knight Commander doesn’t even know what the knights under his command are doing?”

“First, please calm down and tell me the details—”

“Get your hand off me! How dare you try to place your filthy hand on me!”

As the stern warning fell, Claude, who had been about to reach for Cecil, covered his head with his hands. He let out a long sigh and then planted his hands firmly on his hips. There was no way to stop the overly agitated Cecil.

“I will look into it. However, this matter is something that I, the Knight Commander, must handle entirely. Mr. Cecil… please calm down and return to your palace.”

“Handle it properly.”

“I will do so.”

Cecil glared viciously at Claude before leaving, and the vice-commander looked around at the mess that had been made and clicked his tongue softly. He then glanced around cautiously and began to gently push the glass shards with the tip of his boot.

“Howard, do you know anything?”

“This is the first I’m hearing of it, sir. But… Maxwell has seemed a bit dispirited recently.”

“I’ll have to see for myself.”

Claude clenched his jaw muscles and immediately headed for the knights’ barracks. He had to find out in detail just which bastards had dared to tarnish the name of the Knight Order.

As soon as Cecil returned to the Peridot Palace, he soaked himself in the bathtub.

He dismissed all the chamberlains and washed himself. His skin stung from the harsh scrubbing, but he washed and washed again. As if venting his anger.

“Mr. Cecil… are you alright?”

Before he knew it, two hours had passed. When there was no sound from inside, worried voices followed, but the person submerged in the bathtub remained silent for a long time.

Even more time passed after that, and when the water had grown cold enough to make his whole body tremble, Cecil tilted his head back and opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Leo, are you there?”

“Yes, Mr. Cecil. Your orders, sir.”

“I don’t feel well. I think I need to go to bed early today.”

“Shall I call for the palace physician?”

“That won’t be necessary. Just get me some sleeping pills.”

Cecil slowly rubbed his wet face. His mind was so noisy that he felt he had to force himself to sleep.

“Then, for tonight at the Saint Palace…”

“I’m not going.”

“I will send someone to deliver the message.”

Haa, Cecil let out a troubled sigh.

“There’s no need. It’s not like anyone will care even if I don’t go.”

Cecil couldn’t confess to anyone the reason he was so distraught. And even less so in front of Alexis.