Tyrant? No, I am the Villain
Chapter 37: What it means to feel fear

Chapter 37: What it means to feel fear

Estefan wasn’t shocked since he knew exactly how rotten the city of Rammstein was as the corruption had long since wormed its way into every crevice of government, turning councillors into puppets and City Guards into cowards.

The very same corruption had empowered criminal groups like the Zorthar and Lutis to act with impunity. All it took was a bribe, a bag of coins under a table and any crime became forgivable.

That’s why Estefan had executed everyone within the city’s political core who had proven corrupt. He had torn out the roots of the infestation but the remaining criminals, the ones emboldened by years of immunity still prowled the city like it was theirs.

Even after losing their puppet, they kept acting as if no one could touch them. A delusion born out of two decades of unchecked power since they paid the ones who should have kept them in check to simply act ignorance.

That illusion was what Estefan intended to shatter. Since he wanted to eliminate their proud feeling of untouchability before fully crushing them.

He sat across from Celine Zorthar, the bold, brash niece of Mikhail Zorthar. Her words still echoed in his mind as her open confession to murder, torture, and extortion.

She hadn’t whispered these sins like secrets. No, she literally flaunted them with pride in front of the person who can use it against her.

Legally, Estefan could have her arrested and he could execute her on the spot but he didn’t and instead he remained silent as his silence only seemed to embolden her further.

"As I thought." She said, smirking and leaning back. "All bark, no bite." Her confidence was toxic. "You can’t touch me. Want to know why?"

Estefan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because you’re weak. Pathetic." She crossed her arms. "What the hell can you do with those City Guards of yours? They can’t even handle the Lutis orphans and those muscle heads are barely a threat."

She scoffed. "Heard you killed their commander. Good because that bastard kept asking us for more bribes so we were already planning to hang him in the square, but you saved us the effort. So, thanks for that." Even her gratitude dripped with sarcasm.

Estefan remained impassive, but she wasn’t done. She began mocking everyone around him, his soldiers, the laws, even the palace’s furnishings.

Finally, Estefan spoke. His voice was cold. "If you’re done with these childish provocations, state your real reason for being here."

She laughed. "Oh, that? Right. My uncle wanted me to tell you that he intends to give you a choice." Her smile turned venomous. "Be our dog... or be removed."

The words dropped like an axe through the air. Galliard stiffened behind Estefan and even the servants cleaning in the background froze. This was different from Ratragunda’s suggestive innuendo. This was a direct threat to the ruling government of the City since he was the Government.

"I won’t sugarcoat it." Celine continued. "Being our dog has perks. You’ll be paid handsomely for just shutting your eyes when we tell you to and passing laws that help our business. In return, we feed you well. Maybe even let you sample some of the finer things in life."

Estefan snickered after hearing her offer.

She narrowed her eyes. "What’s so funny?"

"I didn’t realize the Zorthar family was delusional enough to send a loudmouth girl as their messenger." He began to mock her.

Her face twisted with irritation. "You really don’t know who you’re dealing with."

"And you really don’t know who you’re provoking." He responded in a tit for tat manner.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. This was a waste of time. I knew your pride wouldn’t let you say yes. I’ll just tell my uncle you would rather suffer."

Estefan chuckled softly, not because he was amused, but because it was like watching a rat growl at a lion, harmless, unaware, yet so annoyingly irritating.

"You’ll die." He said suddenly, his tone like steel. "If you don’t learn to control your mouth."

"Oh?" She raised her chin. "Go ahead. Try it."

Estefan stood up and seeing that both her guards reached for their scimitars at once, while standing behind the couch where she was sitting as they drew their weapons which was a threat to him to not do anything against her.

But in an instant, both heads dropped onto the couch, flanking Celine like morbid trophies.

She didn’t even realize it at first, not until the twin thuds hit her ears. She turned to her side and screamed as she saw the severed heads.

"What... how!?" she gasped, staggering back only to bump into something solid behind her.

She spun around and froze.

Estefan was standing right behind her.

He hadn’t moved visibly, he hadn’t raised his voice, he had simply acted.

She looked up at him and all her confidence melted away. His expression was blank, emotionless and cold as his presence was suffocating, his body unmoving like iron and she felt like a rabbit in front of a wolf.

Her heart pounded as for the first time, Celine Zorthar who was a feared individual from one of Rammstein’s deadliest families, felt true fear.

"You brag about strength." He said, towering over her, "Yet your family ran and hid when my father sent his knights."

He leaned closer, his breath calm and his voice controlled. "You talk about terror. But today... now... you feel it."

She took a step back, trying to regain some control, but his hand snapped forward and gripped her shoulder.

"I welcome you here anytime." He whispered into her ear. "So you can remember what it feels like to be afraid and to taste true terror."

She shoved against him, he didn’t budge an inch. "You dare!"

"I do." He replied simply.

Powerless, that’s all she could feel now. Powerless, helpless and humiliated.

For years, her uncle ruled parts of the city like a warlord. She had never been touched or threatened and now she stood, trembling in front of a man she had mocked just moments ago.

"You and your uncle are nothing." Estefan declared. "I’m just studying you... observing how many of you there are... So when the day comes... I know how many graves to dig."

His voice was calm matter of fact. The way one would speak while counting coins.

Celine said nothing. She couldn’t because her voice had dried up and her body was shaking. She didn’t know how to walk away without collapsing. All she knew was: she had underestimated him, badly.

And now, for the first time in her life... she understood what fear tastes like.

[To be Continued]