Villain Retirement

"This is bullshit! We didn't travel god knows how many lightyears just to get separated! This is all your fucking fault!"

"This is your genocidal maniac brother's fault."

On the other side of the planet, Hannah, Tsula, Hera, and Vera were currently surrounded by trees that were almost as tall as skyscrapers, but as thin as bamboo. It wouldn't be uncommon for those that would see the trees from above to mistake them for hair with the way they looked from afar.

"Fuck!"

But as is the case with all of Theran, even with Hannah kicking it with all her might, the only thing her leg really did was slightly cause the tree to sway.

"And why are you even staying with us? Aren't you supposed to be a diplomatic prisoner!?" And with her leg obviously hurting and starting to swell, Hannah turned her frustration toward Vera, who was just casually sitting on the ground and warming herself up with a flame that Hannah made for them.

"Because I'd honestly just rather stay with you people than be surrounded by a bunch of psychopaths," Vera only stared at the flames and shrugged, "My mother, the Queen, is going to be here. I would rather take my chances with you than with them."

"What makes you think I won't fucking kill you?"

"Because you're a good person," Vera shook her head as she stretched her palms near the fire, "Your love and trust are misplaced in your genocidal maniac of a brother, but you're a good person."

"You…" Hannah opened her mouth, but she really couldn't find any words to say. And so, with a stuttered breath, she just also sat on the ground in silence.

"Good, I thought the two of you wouldn't stop arguing."

And before the silence could settle down, Hera broke away from the group and started walking around to check the towering bamboo surrounding them,

"You kids should really learn how to relax," she then said as she grabbed one of the shoots and started wagging it,

"Out of all the people on this entire planet, I assure you—you guys are the most stressed. These themarians have… a lack of care for everything to the point that they're just letting us roam free. Think of it as some sort of vacation or something."

"...What is with you and taking a vacation?"

"Do you know how long it has been since my skin last touched some vitamin sea? A very long time, that's how," Hera shook her head as she returned to the fire and stood beside the eerily quiet Tsula,

"More than that, we should be worrying about grandma here. She's like hundreds of years old, she's ready to… you know, at any time. We might have to bury her before Ms. Phoenix."

"Hera, she can hear."

"...What?" Hera then blinked a couple of times as she looked at Tsula, only to see both her sunken eyes staring through her soul, almost causing her to jump in fright.

"I… I think she's dead."

"What!?" Both Vera and Hannah stood up from the ground to look at Tsula, only for her to also look at them with her eyes that were only a step away from death.

"Should… she really be traveling with us?" Hannah gulped, "How much further to the city?"

"20 kilometers, give or take," Hera said as she looked at the Teera X120, "We're not even sure if there's really anything for us there. The bartender might be lying about someone willing to help us there. We should let the princess run there to ask for information instead."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I can't?" Vera sighed, "As soon as I use my speed, it'll alert someone. I don't want to deal with a themarian right now. And we already agreed that a shot in the dark is better than just sitting around and doing nothing."

"That would be kinda hard since we're fucking surrounded by them," Hannah rolled her eyes, "And you didn't agree about anything, you're not part of the decision-making club here. And what do you have against the themarians anyway? They seem like a pretty chill people."

"At what corner of the universe do you think these people are chill?" Vera closed her eyes and shook her head, "And you've met like what, 20 of them?"

"I've met themarian criminals, I can't really judge their people based on them."

"Your mother makes Riley Ross's crimes look like a child, she's a themarian," this time, Vera was the one to roll her eyes, "Also, you shouldn't even bother with the ones that have collars around their necks—they are the normal ones."

"..." 

"When you have that much power, it's normal to act on it and make mistakes." And all of a sudden, Tsula, who was literally covered in rocks, finally spoke up; her voice, almost as growling as the stones wrapping her,

"You should be wary about the dragons hiding in the cave rather than those that are freely flying above the skies."

"..."

"..."

"The fuck does that even mean?"

***

"I'm out! I quit!"

The hallways of the Supreme College of Varoif are usually quiet and reserved. But there is currently a storm brewing in one of its lecture halls—and not even an hour after, its door opened as a handful of students walked out of the class.

If one were to take a peek through the opened doors, then one would see a sight of hell. No, one did not even need to take a peek inside… as a pool of blood was already flowing and sliding out of the hall as soon as the door opened.

Of course, most of the students still remained seated in their seats; either because they were too stunned to move, or too engrossed with the lesson. The blood belonged only to a single individual—Princess Esme.

But even if one were to look long and hard, one would not be able to see Princess Esme… but instead, the anatomy of a themarian floating right at the front of the class, her long and tall limbs, stretched for everyone to see.

Her muscles, her flesh, and her stomach all cut open and revealed the insides of her body.

"That will be all, Ms. Cam. Please return to your seat. And congratulations on torturing someone for the first time."

"Y… Yes." And the student that was forced to volunteer, Cam, had a smile on her face as she returned to her seat; her cheeks, still flowing with blood that wasn't her own. She didn't even mind the squelching sound created by the blood drowning her clothes as she sat back down in her seat.

"Princess Esme, you may also come down."

And as soon as Riley said that, the lump of flesh and blood floating in the air very slowly closed and reattached itself; and by the time her feet landed back on the floor, Princess Esme was once again whole.

"How was the experience of being tortured, Princess Esme?"

"It was very painful and surreal, Professor Riley," Princess Esme just placed her hand on her chin, not even minding that she was completely naked, "I do not really wish for it to happen again—nor do I wish to inflict it on another person."

"Sadly, I can not promise you the latter, Princess Esme," Riley sighed, "This is Torture 101, after all. Since you have been tortured, then it is just fair that you will torture someone…

…and that goes for all of you," Riley then said as he faced the students that chose to remain, 

"Please choose your partner, as starting tomorrow, you will take turns in torturing each other. Remember the very first lesson I told all of you—Torture is always psychological. Our classes might start in this room, but you can start studying your partner outside. Learn about them, and use it against them…

…All of you may go."

And as soon as he said that, all the students except for Princess Esme instantly disappeared from the room.

"Thank you for the valuable lesson, Professor Riley."

"Hm."

"Although you becoming a professor was truly something I did not expect, but I think the Kingdom of Varoif would benefit greatly from your lessons."

"I am only imitating the way Katherine does her lessons, Princess Esme. The praise should be hers," Riley said as he raised his hand, and as he did so, the blood that scattered all over the lecture hall all started vaporizing and dissipating into thin air.

"..." Katherine didn't really know whether to be proud or not from Riley's statement.

"And so, have I proven myself to at least be equal to the only princess of Hel?" Princess Esme then said as she started wiping off the blood from her skin.

"Can you stay an entire year the way you did today?"

"I do not know how long a year is, but the answer will be no."

"Then my answer is also no," Riley shook his head, "Aerith stayed a year being harvested and tortured, and she treated it as rest."

"...I do not think I will ever be capable of that," Princess Esme then let out a very long and deep sigh as she shook her head, "I do not want to admit it, but I truly am lacking against Princess Aerith."

"That is not something to be ashamed of, everyone is lacking compared to Princess Aerith."

"But if she really is as great as you say she is…

…Then why is she currently scheduled to be put to Eternal Death?"

"What… do you mean, Princess Esme?"