Chapter 285: Interrogation
The plan was simple. Make them believe the women had gone out alone while Luke stayed behind.
Someone would inevitably follow them. And the moment they finally revealed themselves, Luke would step in.
"How is this possible?" the masked man cried in alarm, sprawled across the ground. "How are you here?"
Luke smirked.
"I should have been in my room. And if I had left, your people would have informed you, wouldn’t they?"
Luke had already guessed there was someone inside the inn keeping watch over him, ready to report even the slightest movement.
So he made sure they believed he was still inside, resting peacefully. Then, after putting on the Vanishing Cloak, he slipped out of the inn without anyone noticing.
Naturally, with his elevated stats, he was easily able to catch up with them while keeping an eye on the surroundings.
From there, he silently shadowed the women. Just as they had planned, they deliberately avoided the bustling plaza and made their way toward a far more secluded area, giving their pursuers the confidence to act.
And that confidence had led them straight into this trap.
"Well," Luke said with a faint grin as his gaze swept across the area, "let’s just say I outsmarted all of you."
More than ten people surrounded them, every one of them tense, uncertain whether to fight or flee.
They were armed yes, but all of them had seen what he was capable to move irrationally here and try to overpower him.
Luke, on the other hand, looked completely at ease. He already knew none of them were magicians, except for the one lying helplessly at his feet.
So, he could take his sweet time dealing with them.
"So?" Luke asked calmly. "What’s it going to be? Do all of you attack me and die... or do you," he said, lowering his gaze to the masked man, "...tell me everything about the people you’re working for?"
"Don’t you dare insult..."
SQUELCH
One of the fools charged forward, blinded by anger and eager to avenge the humiliation.
He never even made it to his second step.
A dagger pierced the center of his forehead with terrifying precision, stopping him in his tracks. His body froze, his eyes vacant, and before he could even let out a scream, Luke was already above him.
A massive war hammer materialized in his hands.
THUMP!
The hammer crashed down with overwhelming force.
Monica and the others instinctively turned their faces away. Even the assailants couldn’t bear to look at the mangled heap of flesh that had once been their comrade.
Luke casually lifted the bloodstained hammer and rested it on his shoulder.
The masked man witnessed everything.
Yet not once did he dare move a single muscle to save his subordinate.
Luke hummed softly and turned to the masked man.
"So? What’s your decision?"
The man clenched his jaw before slowly removing his mask.
A dark bruise stained the left side of his face, a reminder of the punch Luke had landed moments earlier.
Keeping his eyes lowered, he spoke in a defeated voice.
"I’ll talk."
Luke nodded in satisfaction.
"That’s more like it."
He then shifted his gaze to the others.
"And I’d appreciate it if none of you moved from where you’re standing. If I decide your leader’s information isn’t worth much..." A faint smile crept onto his face. "...I’ll simply take it out on the rest of you."
A suffocating silence fell over the assailants.
Every one of them saw the unwavering confidence in Luke’s eyes, and none doubted he meant every word.
The most horrifying part was that they all knew he had the strength to carry it out. The desire to run vanished the instant they met his gaze.
"Don’t you have any empathy for human life?" the leader asked through gritted teeth. "What kind of monster are you?"
Luke merely shrugged.
"I decide who deserves to be treated like a human."
His eyes swept across the group without the slightest hint of mercy.
"As far as I’m concerned, you’re no different from the beasts I hunt. Maybe a little weaker, but that’s about it. Slaughtering the lot of you wouldn’t make me hesitate."
The words carried no anger.
Only certainty.
Everyone present understood the same thing.
If they defied him, Luke would kill them without a second thought.
The leader felt the last sliver of hope slip away.
He had considered feeding Luke false information and looking for an opportunity to escape. But now he knew the price of that gamble would be paid in blood.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"We were ordered to keep watch over you and your family. The plan was to abduct one of those four women... and use her to force you into a corner."
"But why are you doing this in the first place?" Luke asked, folding his arms. "Just for loot?"
The man shook his head.
"Our objective is to spread chaos throughout the village and make the people lose faith in the chief. We were assigned to rob visitors, especially outsiders, so fewer and fewer people would come here over time." He looked up before adding, "You just got their attention because of your strength."
Luke frowned.
So it was a coup.
They intended to remove the chief by crippling the village’s greatest source of income: tourism.
Just today, that meat vendor had sold them meat worth a single tora for five, and Roxanne had paid without questioning the price.
Not because she was careless, but because she simply didn’t know any better.
That was how tourist traps worked.
If enough visitors were cheated, robbed, or frightened away, the village’s economy would slowly collapse. And once that happened, the chief’s rule would inevitably come under fire.
"Luke... may I ask something?"
Roxanne’s hesitant voice broke his train of thought.
Luke nodded immediately.
"Of course. Go ahead."
She stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the kneeling man.
"Who do you work for? Lord Taro has always ruled wisely and treated everyone with kindness. Who would want to put him in such a difficult position?"
The man lowered his head without saying a word.
Luke narrowed his eyes.
"Not going to answer?"
The man hurriedly shook his head.
"It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just... I genuinely don’t know who’s behind all this."
Luke remained silent for a moment.
Then, without warning, a dagger appeared in his hand.
The leader’s face turned pale.
"I swear on my mother’s name, I’m telling the truth!" he blurted out. "I really don’t know! We only report to Lord Manbaru, the man you nearly captured earlier."
Luke frowned.
’System... what are the chances he’s lying?’
[Host, after analyzing him with your Special Eye, the system has concluded that the target is telling the truth.]
Luke had come to the same conclusion.
After a brief silence, he asked, "So you don’t know who Manbaru works for either?"
The man shook his head.
"No. Please, believe me. I’ve already told you things even most of my own men don’t know. That’s all I know. I have nothing else."
Luke’s lips curled into a grin.
"Well then, you can still do me one favor."
The man looked at him in confusion.
"Take me to this Manbaru."
The color drained from the man’s face.
His body trembled violently.
Then, without warning, he grabbed the small object hanging from his neck and shoved it into his mouth.
"No!"
Luke reacted instantly.
In less than half a blink, he appeared before the man, reaching out to stop him.
Too late.
The man had already swallowed the poison.
His tongue twisted unnaturally, his eyes rolled back, and his body convulsed.
Luke immediately uncorked a healing potion and forced it down the man’s throat.
But before the liquid could even take effect...
His heart had already stopped.
[He is dead, Host.]
The system’s emotionless voice confirmed it.
"Tch... damn it."
Luke clicked his tongue in irritation, tossing the lifeless body aside before slowly rising to his feet.
A chilling silence spread through the clearing.
The remaining assailants stood frozen in place, terror written across every face as they stared at him.
Luke turned toward them, frustration burning in his eyes.
"Luke..."
A soft, hesitant voice reached his ears.
He closed his eyes and drew a long, steady breath.
Then another.
Only after calming himself did he speak.
"Before I open my eyes..."
His voice was quiet.
"...disappear."
By the time he opened them again, every assailant had fled.
Only Monica remained, standing quietly before him.
Luke let out a weary sigh and pulled his mate into his embrace.
The operation had been both a success and a failure.
They had uncovered part of the conspiracy, yet the one person who could have led them higher had died before their eyes.
Still...
Monica was safe.
And for now, that was enough.
~~~~~
A/N:- I hope you liked the Chapter. Send friend request to hayden_greyhart on discord to join the server.
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