NOVPUB
Chapter 217: Interrogation
Aldrian recalled one of the names from the list of noble families that have a ’not harmonious’ relationship with the Rivas family: the Lucard family, led by Duke Lucard on the eastern side of the empire. In the Doria Empire, there are four grand dukes, each with their faction, particularly when it comes to matters concerning the throne.
The Rivas family remains neutral, showing little concern for the empire’s succession struggle as they are more focused on the border’s situation. However, the Rivas family is renowned as the strongest noble house, making their position strategically significant in any political movement. For instance, their alignment with one faction could disrupt the balance of the political landscape.
The Lucard family, as part of a faction under one of the grand dukes who has chosen a prince, views the Rivas family as both an obstacle and a threat. Although the Rivas remain neutral, many factors could lead to changes in the future.
Now that fate had brought them to him, he could take advantage of it.
"Good. Can you make it back to the inn yourself? There’s something I need to do, so I think I’ll be late," Aldrian said.
"Are you sure about this? I mean, is it okay for your plan? You don’t have to face them if it affects your plans later. I can just hide at the inn until your business in this city is done," Sylphia said, her worry evident.
"No, it’s alright. This is what I want as well, so you don’t have to worry," he replied, gently stroking her golden hair. She blushed deeply, unable to believe that Aldrian was bold enough to touch her hair, yet she felt a surge of happiness that he did. With each passing moment, her relationship with him grew closer and more intimate.
"I’ll go ahead now. See you later," Aldrian said before disappearing from Sylphia’s sight. She smiled warmly as she gazed at the empty space where he had stood. Today had been one of the best days, a rare opportunity to spend time with him since their time in the Ivory Empire. Her heart felt like it was blooming with flowers, and even as she walked back to the inn, she couldn’t help but smile to herself, replaying each moment they had shared. All these signs only deepened her realization of her feelings for him.
"So this is what love feels like, huh?" she thought. She couldn’t remember exactly when her feelings for Aldrian had changed. At first, she had seen him as a friend, someone with vast experiences from beyond the Ivory Empire, much like her own love for adventure. She had always kept their relationship that way, but as time passed, it shifted into something else. She began feeling jealous when he was close with other women, desiring his attention, eager to learn his secrets. Each time they met, she felt bolder, and he too, reciprocated her, entertaining her every action and question.
How could her heart not melt? How could her heart not be touched?
"Or maybe he’s just that irresistible?" she thought, joking as she walked happily toward the inn.
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The people who witnessed the chaos earlier had already called the city guardian to the scene. The city guardian, whose command chain is under the imperial family, received the report and immediately moved to the location. However, to their confusion, the scene was already clear of any disturbance. Still, they could see that the people present seemed equally confused.
When they asked what had happened, the eyewitnesses claimed that all the unconscious people had disappeared at once. The city guardians could only scratch their heads, as they found no traces or clues at the scene. In the end, they concluded that the disturbance was just a normal brawl, nothing more.
However, in an empty alleyway 2 kilometers away, the bodies of the 14 unconscious men lay tied by their hands and feet. They had yet to wake up after Aldrian struck them hard. Not only had he physically attacked them, but their souls had also trembled, causing them to faint instantly when he struck. Now, Aldrian stood before them after moving them to this location. If these men were truly sent by Danius, he could use them to draw the Lucard family to him.
He wanted to grasp the families opposed to his mother’s family in his hands, and the Lucard family could serve as his starting point. This would also grant him access to the deeper circles of the empire’s nobility. With noble families within his clutch, it would be much easier to flush out the spies or traitors who sided with the devils hiding among them.
He unmasked one of the unconscious men, touched his head, and injected his golden energy into him.
"Wakey wakey."
"Aarghhh."
Aldrian used his energy to inflict pain inside the man’s body. The intense pain instantly woke him up, and the first thing he saw was Aldrian’s smiling face. He tried to move, but was shocked to find his body bound by ropes covered in energy that even he couldn’t break. Aldrian woke all of them using the same method. Once they were all awake, Aldrian took out a chair from his storage ring and sat down in front of them.
Aldrian looked at these people, the strongest among them only at the Marquess stage. But to ambush Sylphia, even with someone at the Marquess stage, it seemed that the young master—or whoever sent them—was really pissed.
"Alright, gentlemen, I want you to answer my questions, and you’ll be good to go. That’s easy, right? Believe me, I don’t want to inflict more pain on your bodies, so I hope for your cooperation," he said to them. He could see their stiff expressions. They seemed to remember the pain that had woken them up and hesitated.
"First question: Who are you?" Aldrian swept his gaze over all the men. After waiting a few seconds without any answer, he asked again, "No answer?"
Suddenly, all of them felt as if their bodies were being ripped apart from the inside, and their souls shook with torment. They wanted to thrash their bodies about, but because they were all tied up, they couldn’t move freely. After two seconds, Aldrian stopped his torture. They weren’t emperor-stage cultivators with strong souls and mental fortitude—if he inflicted any more pain or prolonged it, he could truly kill them from the intensity of the suffering.
"Still not answering?"
"I’ll talk, I’ll talk! We’re from the Lucard family, the shadow group that guards the Lucard family’s members," one of them said.
"So, they are indeed from the Lucard family," Aldrian thought. "Why are you targeting my friend?" he asked. Without waiting for any of their responses, Aldrian inflicted pain on them for a second and then stopped.
"Young Master Danius! He ordered us! He wants to make that woman pay for humiliating him in front of many people. He wanted us to bring her to his place, that’s all we know."
However, after he answered, the wrenching pain returned. They felt as if their souls would collapse under the agony, but then, finally, the pain stopped.
"Wh-why do you... I already answered your question?" he said, still lingering in pain, feeling as if his body were on the verge of collapse.
"Hmm, why?" Aldrian said with a smile. "I just want to do it."
The men shuddered when they saw that smile. What they saw was nothing short of a demonic grin, one that would haunt them for a long time. They then watched as Aldrian stood from his chair and walked toward one of them, starting from the edge. He touched the man’s forehead, and the others could see that the man was powerless to move and his eyes rolling. After a few moments, the man fainted again, leaving the others confused.
They then saw Aldrian move to the next man and do the same. They didn’t know what Aldrian was doing, but it seemed like he was checking something through their foreheads. One of them suddenly remembered something and thought to himself.
"If you have some kind of technique that can read memories, why are you torturing us? You could just read our memories and be done with it!" he shouted inside his head. But Aldrian looked in his direction and smiled.
"Well, because I want to talk to you guys. Is there any problem?" Aldrian said, walking in front of him. The man’s eyes trembled as he looked at Aldrian’s figure from his kneeling position.
"Psycho!" he shouted inside his mind before receiving the same treatment as the others. After Aldrian was done with all the men, he woke them up again and spoke to them.
"From this moment on, you will become my eyes and ears in the Lucard family. I have already planted slave seals in your souls. Forget about erasing them or doing anything funny with them. Well, you can’t do anything about it anyway— even peak emperor stage cultivators can’t erase them. But, of course, you don’t want to feel that pain again, right?" Aldrian asked, to which they all responded by shaking their heads.
"Good, you don’t have to do anything special. Just continue with your usual activities, but if something interesting comes up, make sure to tell me. That’s easy enough, right? Now, let’s go to your young master. We can’t keep him waiting," Aldrian said.
All the men could do was lament their young master’s fate for offending this crazy man!
