Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!-Chapter 291: I Was Just Gutting Some Pigs

For a moment, the forest was silent except for the crackle of the bandits campfire.

Then chairs scraped and boots thudded against the dirt as every man in the camp shot to their feet, panic widening their eyes. Some reached instinctively for their weapons. Others raised trembling hands as if to ward off the sight.

"You...You..." One of them stammered, but the words choked in his throat, spilling out in a pitiful half-sentence.

"W-What...What is—" Another croaked, but his voice broke before he could finish.

The leader himself felt his mouth open to bark an order, any order, but no sound came out.

He’d seen slaughter before. He’d seen men gutted, women’s throats slit, entire caravans butchered in the name of plunder...But this?

This wasn’t human.

And seeing the boy before him, the artifact he was holding slipped from his nerveless fingers, clattering against the stone beneath and he barely register the sound around him.

All he could focus on was the pale boy standing at the edge of their camp, crimson eyes faintly aglow, and the horrifying "flag" swaying gently in the cold night air.

Some deep, primal instinct screamed at him.

Run...Don’t engage...Don’t even take a step closer, or you’re already dead.

But before he could react, before he could even draw breath, Cassius moved.

He suddenly let the bundle of bamboo poles in his left hand tumble to the ground with a hollow clatter. The sound seemed deafening in the unnatural stillness, like bones dropping on stone.

Then, with a casual flick of his wrist, he drove the skewered man’s pole into the earth.

Thrust!

The force of the impact sank it deep into the soil, leaving the corpse standing upright, its limbs dangling grotesquely like some obscene banner.

Cassius then stepped back, tilting his head to inspect his work. His lips curved in a faint, pleasant smile, one that only deepened the dread gripping every man present.

Then his gaze shifted to the bandits and as his glowing eyes swept across them, they flinched as if struck. A few men instinctively lowered their heads, unable to bear the weight of that crimson stare.

"Hmm..." His voice was soft, thoughtful, almost kind.

"One..." He murmured, his finger pointing lazily at the man closest to him.

"Two...three...four..."

He continued counting slowly, his finger drifting from man to man, each one freezing as it fell upon them.

"...twenty-five...twenty-six...twenty-seven...twenty-eight."

He stopped, his eyes glittering faintly in the firelight.

"There are twenty-eight of you."

Cassius said before his gaze drifted down to the bamboo poles scattered on the ground at his feet. His pleasant smile remained, but his tone took on a soft note of disappointment.

"...But I only brought fifteen poles."

The words sank into the bandits like knives.

The leader’s mouth moved, his lips trembling as he tried to ask, ask what he meant, ask what he intended, but his voice refused to obey.

But even still a cold sweat rolled down his back as a horrifying realization crept over him.

"Ah...It seems like I underestimated how many of you there’d be. That’s my mistake." Cassius let out a soft sigh, his smile faltering ever so slightly in mild annoyance.

Then, as if struck by inspiration, his eyes lit up, and he chuckled softly.

"But no matter."

His voice dropped lower, taking on an icy edge that seemed to make everyone’s heart turn cold.

"We can simply...make a few of you share."

Cassius’s smile widened, innocent and almost childlike as he tilted his head ever so slightly.

"Two, three...maybe even four of you on one pole."

The next words slipped from his lips like a whisper of death.

"...Let’s turn you all into a proper shish-kebab."

—

Skadi’s ears twitched as she crouched low, brushing silently past the dew-damp bushes. Her eyes flicked left and right, nostrils flaring delicately as she sniffed the cold night air.

The faint, metallic tang was still there...Blood.

Earlier, she had been curled up happily in her bedroll, tail swishing lazily as she snuggled deeper into the soft blanket.

"Ahhh...it’s so warm..."

She had murmured to herself, a satisfied grin spreading across her lips. The gentle creak of the tent’s fabric above her, the comforting warmth of Julie and Aisha in the same tent, and the faint lingering scent of the evening’s feast, it all made her feel like a pampered noblewoman for once.

It had been such a lovely night too.

The three of them had stayed up far later than planned, chatting and laughing about things they rarely had time for on missions, gossip, silly memories, even a few secrets shared between them.

For Skadi, it had reminded her of long-forgotten childhood nights spent in the warmth of her mother’s arms. It left her feeling small and safe, and soon sleep had claimed her completely.

But then...The scent had come.

Faint at first, barely noticeable, but then sharper, heavier...Blood. A lot of blood.

Her tail had bristled instantly. Her instincts screamed that something wasn’t right.

No ordinary creature should bleed that much in this quiet forest and it only meant that multiple lives had been lost. And the moment she realised this, she had bolted upright, startling Julie slightly in her sleep, and without a word darted out of the tent to follow the trail.

Now, with each step, the scent only grew stronger.

’This isn’t right...This isn’t normal at all.’

She thought as her claws extended involuntarily, glinting faintly in the moonlight. Every muscle in her body was taut, ready to spring into action at the slightest movement.

And just as she was already tense beyond relief...She heard a rustle.

Skadi froze, ears perked sharply toward the sound.

Her tail stiffened as she crouched low, one hand brushing against the hilt of her blade, the other steady against the ground as her sharp nails dug into the dirt.

The bushes ahead rustled again and she braced herself, ready to pounce and tear apart whatever dared come near.

But then the leaves parted...and to her shock a familiar figure stepped into view.

"Master?!" Skadi yelped in surprise.

Cassius looked up, equally surprised for a brief moment. In one hand, he carried a short, bloodstained blade, and his other hand rested casually on his hip.

"Oh? Skadi?" After his initial surprise his voice returned as calm and warm as ever, as if they were merely meeting in the camp. "What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?"

Hearing his gentle voice, all the tension in Skadi’s frame melted instantly at the sound of his voice. Her claws retracted, her tail wagged reflexively, and her fierce, wary expression softened into one of sheer puppy-like joy.

"Master!" She said again, bounding toward him and pressing her face into his chest.

But just as she felt herself melt completely into his embrace, the memory of why she was even here came crashing back. Her body stiffened slightly as she pulled back, her eyes wide with unease as they searched his gaze.

"Master, I..." Skadi began, her voice soft but tight with worry. "Listen to this...I-I was actually sleeping peacefully when I caught the scent of blood. A lot of blood...It wasn’t faint, it was strong. Overwhelming." Her claws flexed unconsciously as her tail twitched behind her. "I thought...something terrible had happened. I thought you might’ve been..."

Her words trailed off, but the fear in her voice lingered.

Hearing this, Cassius’s expression didn’t flicker. Instead, he looked down at her, calm and unbothered, and then let out a quiet, almost amused chuckle.

"Ah...that?" His voice was warm, almost teasing. "Skadi, there’s nothing to worry about. There’s nothing dangerous out here tonight."

Skadi blinked, confusion flashing in her eyes. "...What do you mean?"

And in response, he casually lifted the short blade in his hand, the steel still wet with fresh blood, and gestured lazily toward the darkened treeline.

"I was just hunting." He said smoothly. "Those pigs I mentioned earlier? It’s their blood you’re smelling. I caught a whole pack of them and...gutted them all on the spot."

Her eyes widened as the words settled over her. Her tail stiffened for a heartbeat, then slowly wagged again as a relieved smile crept onto her face.

"Ohhh...so that’s what it was. I see, I see! That makes so much sense. No wonder I smelled so much blood. That frightened me for nothing. How dumb of me..." She let out a nervous laugh, pressing her hand lightly to her chest. "For a second, I thought for sure you’d been attacked master."

"Of course not Skadi...Do you really think that anything can happen with me around?"

He smiled at how concerned she looked at the moment. But then his face turned much more inquisitive like he couldn’t understand something.

"But leaving that aside, you could smell the blood from that far away? I mean, we’re quite far away from camp." He asked, his tone curious but edged with something unreadable.

"Well, to be honest, it was faint at first." She admitted softly. "But then it hit me all at once. And I...I couldn’t ignore it. It felt like danger."

"Mm..." He hummed thoughtfully, his thumb running along the flat of his blade as though deep in thought. Then his lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "I see. Then that means, the next time I gut pigs in the forest, I’ll make sure to do it...in a much more discreet manner, much more farther away."

"...Wouldn’t want to drag you out of bed in the middle of the night again."

Skadi’s cheeks warmed faintly, and her tail gave a small, flustered flick. "But it’s really as expected of Master!...To hunt those wild pigs no one else could even get near...that’s amazing! I could never do something like that."

Cassius shook his head with a modest smile. "Not at all. They were easier than you think. In fact, they were distracted...almost like they were staring off toward the camp, looking towards the three of you. So, it made it easy for me to approach."

"Huh?" Skadi tilted her head slightly, her ears flicking in confusion at his cryptic words. But she quickly pushed the thought aside, there was something far more pressing on her mind.

"Master...all those pigs you butchered..." Her eyes lit up as she spoke, her tail giving a small wag. "Where’s all the meat? Did you bring any back?"

Even though she’d eaten dinner earlier, the thought of that much freshly hunted pork sent her stomach growling faintly. She licked her lips unconsciously as her mind filled with the image of thick, juicy cuts sizzling over a fire.

Cassius noticed her glance behind him toward the treeline and chuckled knowingly. "It’s written all over your face, Skadi. You want the meat, don’t you?"

Skadi blinked and hesitated for a moment before giving a sheepish grin, her tail wagging a little more. "...Maybe just a little. I know I already had dinner, but...I can’t help thinking about all that delicious meat."

Cassius shook his head with a faint smile. "Unfortunately, you won’t be able to."

"Eh? Why not?" Her ears twitched and her smile faltered slightly.

"Well, after I butchered the pigs, I ran into a few hunters in the forest...Since I had such an overwhelming amount of meat, I gave it all away to them."

Skadi’s shoulders drooped as a sad little look crossed her face, her tail going still. "Oh..."

But then she forced a small smile and straightened up. "That’s...for the better, I guess. I’ve already eaten my fill tonight. It’s only fair for others to enjoy that delicious meat too. I hope they enjoy it."

Cassius’s expression softened, and he reached out to pat her head gently. "You’re such a good girl, Skadi. Sharing like that without complaining."

Her tail wagged happily again as her ears pressed back in delight, her earlier disappointment melting away under his praise. "Eheh...Master..."

"Now, come on." He said warmly, giving her head one last pat before nudging her gently forward. "Let’s get you back to camp. It’s late."

Skadi’s ears flicked, and she nodded obediently. "Okay...but can you tell me a story on the way back?"

"Of course." He said, his eyes glittering faintly as he placed an arm around her shoulders and guided her back toward the tents.

And so they walked, Skadi’s tail wagging slightly as she listened to his low, soothing voice spin an old tale.

But what she didn’t know, what she could never know, was that just beyond the treeline they had come from lay a clearing steeped in unspeakable horror.

A forest of bamboo poles poked from the earth like skeletal fingers clawing at the sky, each one bearing a grotesque, mutilated trophy.

Some of the bandits had been impaled from anus to mouth, their bodies stretched unnaturally around the shafts, organs torn and dangling like grotesque ornaments. Their jaws gaped wide in silent, eternal screams, blood dribbling from their slack mouths as flies swarmed hungrily around them.

Others were crammed together onto a single pole, two, three, even four bodies skewered like meat on a spit, their limbs twisted and entangled, skin split and sliding off where the bamboo tore through muscle and bone.

One unfortunate soul’s face had been peeled partially away, his teeth bared in a grin as congealed blood streaked down his chest.

The ground below was a blackened blend of gore, thick puddles of blood soaking into the earth until the soil had turned to a sticky, glistening sludge.

The stench was also overwhelming, iron, rot, and human waste mingling in a suffocating fog that hung low over the clearing.

It was a graveyard made by hands that took no mercy, no hesitation.

But Skadi, blissfully unaware of the carnage mere steps away leaned gently against Cassius’s side, her tail curling contentedly as her eyes drooped in drowsiness.

She listened to his calm, steady voice, never realizing the hands that now rested on her shoulder were the same hands that had painted the forest red...