Chapter 656 – Strapped In.

“Mary.”

“Commander Wayland, is that you? We received your confirmation signal, but have not heard anything since. Lord Arthur has been worried.”

“I am here now. Tell him I have something for him, and I am taking it to the interrogation room. Meet me there with your people. We will need to extract some information.”

“I understand. I will be there shortly.”

Roland moved through the underground tunnels that connected his workshop to Arthur’s estate. Slung over his shoulder was a bound man, the same one who had tried to assassinate the gnome mage alongside the other adventurers. The man was called Eleven, a member of the Red Quill assassins.

“These guys go to some extreme lengths to keep their people silent…”

Within his left hand was a blood-covered molar. The tooth had been yanked from Eleven’s mouth after Roland incapacitated him with lightning energy. It contained a poison potent enough to melt even a tier three class holder into mush. It was not his only failsafe. Beneath his tongue was an occult rune that would have reduced him to the same sludge as the other assassins. It was a far more powerful spell, but Roland had already disabled it and managed to capture the man alive.

“I cannot take too long. They have probably already sent out a search party for me.”

Roland moved at a brisk pace, thinking of the dungeon and Agni, whom he had left behind in his small underground hideout. He had used the teleportation gate there to return to Albrook with the Red Quill member. Although he doubted anyone would suspect him, he did not want to draw unnecessary attention. This man could shed light on the previous incident in the noble district of Isgard involving Arthur and perhaps reveal who ordered the attack.

“Wayland, what happened? Who is this man, and why is he like that?”

“Oh, this? It is simply to keep you safe. If he ever gets loose, he could probably kill all of you if I am not here, so be careful.”

Arthur, along with Mary and several other maids, arrived just as Roland placed Eleven on a particular table. The man was bound with metallic cables forged from the same alloy as Roland’s armor.

The chamber they stood in was not meant for comfort. Metal walls reinforced with layered runic magic absorbed mana and canceled out all sound. At the center stood a heavy table bolted to the floor, surrounded by containment pylons that shimmered faintly with restrained energy. This was not a place for conversation. It was a place for answers.

From time to time, they captured spies and criminals who could not be handled through normal means. This facility had been created for those who were exceptionally dangerous, the kind who, if they escaped, could cause countless casualties, like this ‘Blood Dagger Master’.

In each corner of the chamber stood a golemic camera, with another fixed directly above the chair. The room was monitored constantly for any movement or sign of escape. The single entrance door could only be opened from the outside. If someone somehow managed to break free, the chamber was designed to flood with a paralyzing poison strong enough to knock out even a sea serpent. If that failed, the room could be filled with high-powered elemental spells that would purge whoever or whatever remained inside.

“So, why did you want me here? Who is this man?”

Arthur stepped closer, his expression hardening as he studied the unconscious assassin. The man was bound at the wrists and ankles and had yet to wake. It was obvious that this was an interrogation chamber, one meant to extract as much information as possible, even at the cost of the prisoner’s life.

“Do you remember the assassins who attacked us in Isgard?”

“The melty ones?”

“Yes… the melty ones. He is one of them, a high-ranking member. They go by the name Red Quills and may have been involved in certain incidents connected to the Valerian household.”

“To my house?”

Arthur stood still for a moment, considering what Roland had revealed. His eyes narrowed as a thought formed, one Roland had not voiced because he lacked solid proof.

“Are you saying these Red Quills might have been hired by someone within my own family?”

“That is a possibility, but we will not know until we investigate further. This man appears to be among their elite, though we cannot confirm that without extracting information first.”

Arthur’s usual cheer faded. Roland had implied that there could be a connection between this assassin and one of his siblings. There was also the incident involving Arthur’s mother, the attack that had taken her eyesight. The culprit had never been caught, and these assassins might have carried out the deed. If they could obtain the client list, Arthur would have all the leverage he needed to remove one of his enemies from the Valerian house and have a proper target for his revenge.

First, however, they needed information from this man, and that would not be easy. Assassins like him were trained to endure extreme punishment. Even if they were physically abused and tortured for weeks or months, they would not break. At best, they would offer false information that could not be verified. Fortunately, this was no ordinary interrogation chamber. They had more tools at their disposal than pain alone.

“My Lord, please leave this to my maids and me. We will get everything out of him.”

Mary stepped forward as she noticed the anger rising in Arthur’s face. The other maids followed, pushing in several tables. On them were various potions, elixirs, and magical devices designed specifically to extract information. They had used similar methods before to question Ermes. Truth serums and carefully crafted illusions were among the techniques these women had mastered, and some of them seemed to take a certain pride in their work. Their leader, a bespectacled maid, stepped forward.

“Commander Wayland, leave this to me!”

She spoke with a strange glint in her eyes, and Roland simply nodded.

“If you require a stronger serum, consult Rastix or Sebastian for additional magical devices. I must take my leave for now.”

He said this to the glasses-wearing maid, who seemed to be struggling to suppress a grin. Roland had witnessed her work before and knew she was somewhat of a sadist. While he disliked these sorts of people, in a world like this one, she was someone they needed. A lesser evil he had to accept to get through.

Roland glanced at one of the tables as he spoke. On it lay something that looked like an oversized pair of tweezers. One of the maids picked the instrument up and began idly opening and closing it, which instantly made Roland feel an uncomfortable, almost physical threat to his manhood. He quickly turned to face Arthur.

“Lord Arthur, we should let them work.”

“… I understand.”

Arthur nodded, though his gaze lingered on the man called Eleven. It was clear he wanted to drive a sword through him to force him to speak, but he restrained himself, knowing that would be a mistake. Soon, he and Roland stepped out, and the heavy door slid shut behind them.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“So, what have you been up to these past few days, my Knight Commander?”

“There were a few miscalculations on the way to the dungeon, but I believe I am back on track now.”

“Miscalculations? Seems like a fortunate miscalculation.”

Arthur recovered quickly and even chuckled when Roland mentioned the bump in the road in the form of a group of assassins. He folded his hands behind his back as they walked down the dimly lit corridor and reached a fork. One path led back to the mansion, the other to Roland’s workshop.

“These Red Quills, do you think one of my brothers or their mothers could have sent them?”

“That’s a possibility we can’t discount.”

Roland nodded as he delivered the uncomfortable truth to his noble friend.

“While Theodore remains our greatest foe for now, we can’t assume the others are innocent. Even Julius.”

“That’s what I was afraid you would say, especially with his arrival so close at hand.”

Arthur let out a long sigh as the weight of it settled on him. With this revelation, they were almost back to square one. They had recently begun to count Julius among their allies, but they could not afford blind trust. There was also Tybalt and even Ivan, any of whom could have ordered the attack, along with the nobles aligned with them.

“Let’s hope our assassin sheds some light on this. I’m getting tired of knowing so little.”