NOVPUB
Chapter 234: Dropping the Façade
"I just want to know how you gather information in the Rivas Grand Duchy. The appearance of the Lust Devil and his movements have actually shocked the Rivas family’s troops. It’s suspicious that this happened at the same time and place where Irene Rivas was located. It almost seems as if the Lust Devil knew exactly where to appear. At this specific moment, the information guild claimed there was no activity from any members of the Seven Deadly Sins in Ilyon Town," Aldrian explained.
"Please explain to me, Guild Master Pedro, how you provided that information to the Rivas family," Aldrian pressed with a smile. However, Guild Master Pedro couldn’t shake the ominous feeling that smile gave him, as if something terrible was about to happen.
"Well, at that time, we could only detect the movements of the Wrath Devil in the Rivas Grand Duchy. It was thanks to our brave informants stationed at the border. Because of their sacrifices, we were able to track the Wrath Devil. All of that information was sent directly to headquarters using a long-distance artifact. The special department personnel received and handled the details. As for the Lust Devil, we really don’t know about his movements—none of our men ever saw him," Guild Master Pedro explained.
Aldrian nodded, but inwardly, he sneered.
"Half-truths mixed with lies. It seems true that he doesn’t know the Lust Devil’s movements, but it looks like he—or someone from the information guild—relayed Mother’s location to the devils instead."
"I see. Do you have someone from the Rivas family who serves as your contact? Someone who is always in communication with the information guild?" Aldrian asked.
"We have someone from the Rivas family who is always in communication with us because we’ve been working together for a long time." 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
"Is it always the same person?"
"Yes, it’s always the same person."
"Lies," Aldrian thought. But from this, he realized that there was another traitor within the Rivas family, someone feeding information about his mother to the information guild. The traitor within the guild would then pass that information to the devils—most likely, the man standing right in front of him.
To be honest, he just wanted to see if he could find anything from the information guild’s headquarters, even if no traitors were found here. Even a small clue would be invaluable, as it could lead to unraveling a much larger case. However, discovering that the guild master himself was involved was unexpected. Silently, he thanked Hector for the badge.
He realized that by carrying the badge of the First Prince, this man must have assumed he was an envoy from the First Prince. The information guild must be aware that the imperial family is investigating the traitor situation, and the guild master likely believed that the First Prince had caught wind of something here, which explained his nervousness.
With this conversation, it was confirmed that the guild master of the information guild was involved in this traitors problem.
"I don’t feel the same irritation I felt from Master Dan. Is it because his karma with the devils isn’t as strong as Master Dan’s?" Aldrian thought.
He pushed that thought aside, deciding to end the charade. He fell silent for a moment, as if deep in thought. Seeing this, Guild Master Pedro, thinking Aldrian was lost in contemplation, refrained from disturbing him.
"Alright, Guild Master, thank you for your information and cooperation. But before we end this, I have one more question to ask," Aldrian finally said.
Hearing that they were almost done, Guild Master Pedro sighed in relief inwardly.
"Please, ask away, Your Excellency," he said with a bright smile.
"What are you trying to hide from me with that façade of yours? You gave me half-truths, thinking I wouldn’t notice. What are you trying to do, hm? Do you think that because I’m here without the knowledge of the imperial family, you can easily deal with me and sweep everything under the rug if something goes wrong? How cute. Is it with those hidden guards of yours, or your devilish compliance?" Aldrian said with calm expression.
Suddenly, without warning, various attacks were hurled toward Aldrian. Swords and arrows struck swiftly, but Aldrian did not move. He simply watched as the incoming attacks halted in midair, stopping before they could even touch him. It seemed as though the attacks had struck something solid, yet there was nothing in front of them.
Space Shield
He hardened the space around him, creating an iron-like wall. This required a high level of comprehension and control over space, as manipulating it to the point where it became as solid as an object was no simple feat. This technique was more than enough to block the attacks of a few cultivators with low King-stage cultivation.
He had already established his domain before dropping his pretense. The attacks that should have been powerful enough to harm him now felt like nothing more than child’s play. Then, with a simple shift of his will and control, the gravity around them grew heavier, causing the bodies of the ambushers to collapse under the weight, unable to withstand the intense gravitational force.
Due to the sudden change in gravity, none of them had time to adapt. Before they even realized what was happening, Aldrian had already attacked them with a slap to their foreheads. His footwork was so fast that he struck each target with only a split-second interval between them. Each slap carried his energy, directly attacking and shaking their souls, causing them to instantly lose consciousness.
Afterward, Aldrian sealed the cultivation of the seven ambushers and turned his gaze toward the guild master, who had already stepped back the moment these people attacked him.
The guild master, having steadied himself after the change in gravity, was horrified by the sheer power of this man. They had failed in their ambush! After hearing Aldrian’s last question, he was certain that Aldrian already knew about his involvement and had been toying with him.
Could this be a sign that the imperial family was already aware and was now trying to catch him? No, it wasn’t confirmed. It could be that this man had simply said he was here without anyone’s knowledge, and only he knew about it.
Although he was a Middle King-stage cultivator, he didn’t have the confidence to battle Aldrian. The most ridiculous part was that he had finally sensed this young man’s cultivation—at the Peak Earl stage, which made no sense. How could someone at such a level block the combined attacks of seven low King-stage cultivators and subdue them so easily?
"I could gladly kill you all, but I haven’t. You better treasure this chance, Guild Master Pedro. I don’t like being tested on my patience. I’ll ask you a few more questions, and don’t even think about lying, because you won’t like the consequences. Let’s just say, you’ll wish for death, or you’ll regret being alive," Aldrian said, walking closer.
He truly wanted to torture and then kill the guild master because this problem was connected to his mother. The main reason he didn’t kill these people was because they were under the Rivas family. If he killed them here without providing any proof to the Rivas family, it would only create confusion within both the family and the information guild.
They wouldn’t take kindly to someone killing their subjects without prior notice or solid proof. So, he would give them what was rightfully theirs, the right to judge these men. This would also benefit him in the future when he finally showed himself to them.
Guild Master Pedro gritted his teeth, unable to see a way out. He wanted to use an escape talisman, but it seemed this man would reach him first, even before he could activate it. With a determined expression, he tried to unleash his most powerful technique, hoping to destroy the place and escape. However, he was stunned when Aldrian suddenly disappeared and reappeared right in front of his face.
His movements became sluggish due to the heavy gravity, causing him to react too late. A direct punch landed squarely on his gut. The golden energy wreaked havoc inside him, causing him to writhe in agony as he dropped to the ground. The golden energy, capable of being fatal to both body and soul if Aldrian willed it, inflicted a horrifying pain that combined the torment of body and soul.
This was the most effective method of torture for Aldrian, far more than bloodshed. He only inflicted external wounds if he desired it or if he wanted play with them.
After five seconds of excruciating pain, Guild Master Pedro finally felt it stop, but the aftereffects lingered. His head throbbed as though it might explode, and his insides felt shredded to pieces. It was as if he had narrowly escaped hell. Saliva dripped from his mouth, a testament to the unbearable pain he felt.
Aldrian didn’t care. He took out an information crystal and began recording their voices and movements. Placing the crystal on the table, he directed it toward the guild master.
"That’s the kind of pain you’ll experience if you try anything funny. So, Guild Master Pedro, I hope you can give me an honest answer. You want all of this to pass quickly, right?" Aldrian smiled warmly. However, to Pedro, there was no warmth in that smile—only the chilling grin of a demon come to play with him.
