For now, I needed to train Ria to make her loyal to me. I believed she would eventually forget about Raven and didn't think much about it after she experienced a 'good' life that everyone deserved.
"So, do you know where this Assassin's Den is located?" I asked once again with a chilling tone.
This time, Ria gulped nervously as she looked up at me, still crouching like a dog. She hesitated to answer a little, mainly because I added the promise from earlier.
And we got the location.
"Northwest of Capital City, near the coast of the beach around Tiga Port City."
I nodded at her.
After getting Ria's answer about where the assassin came from, I sent her back to Nina by ordering her to use the [Teleportation Gem] and forbade her to leave Border City without me.
The collar reacted to my command and bound her. If she tried to defy my command, she wouldn't feel anything but would only get her unconsciousness to surface and control her body to return to the Border City.
It wasn't lethal and could only follow one command at a time. So, Dominating a girl was still a better option to avoid getting betrayed.
Appearing on the edge of the Border City, I tested the effect by telling her to walk out of the entrance. Just as she stepped out a little, her eyes turned blank, and she began to walk back toward Nina's hotel through the main street.
The members of Raven Group looked at Ria with a mixed expression. But they didn't really care much and only pitied her because their lives had turned for the better after I took over the city.
I nodded at them and asked them to escort Ria safely before teleporting back. The reason why I took her back was simple. I didn't want Ria to hear what I wanted to ask the assassin next, as I wanted to minimize the chance of my plan getting leaked out.
Beatrice could be trusted, as I had dominated her already, and she had proven herself to follow my command wonderfully.
After I reappeared in the abandoned house, we continued our interrogation of the assassin. He answered my questions with a dazed look on his face, thanks to the combination of [Truth Serum], [Believing Pill], and Beatrice's charm.
It was easier compared to when I interrogated Sandra.
After getting some useless information, I decided to ask a few more questions before ending it.
"Who is your employer?"
"I… don't know…" The assassin answered.
"Who knows about your employer?"
"Mr… C. He's… the one who lived above the ground and took… missions."
"Where can I meet this person called Mr. C?"
"Any… where… He moved… from city to city."
"I see." I nodded and knocked him out of consciousness by chopping his head.
I used <Appraisal> to make sure he had at least 30 HP left, to make it believable that I caught the assassin by using violence instead of asking Beatrice to charm him. Then I turned to the primordial Succubus, who stood behind me like the obedient girl she was.
"Lift your <Charm> from him. I will hand him to the kingdom knights while you go and protect Queen Eve. Influence more nobles to side with the Queen as I try to find this Mr. C."
"Alright, Master! Don't worry about Eve. No one will be able to touch her as long as I am there."
"I am counting on you," I told her as I lifted the assassin and carried him over my shoulder.
Bringing him near the Royal Castle should be enough. I could hand him to the guard near the entrance, telling them to hand this guy over to Grand Marshal Garland. I parted ways with Beatrice as she flew while I jumped around the roof carrying an unconscious man.
With my [Shadow Cape], I looked like a suspicious person. It was nearly midnight now, so the street was empty. It was the only thing that saved me from getting shouted at.
Landing in front of the Royal Castle's entrance, the guards who saw me immediately clutched their spears and pointed them at me at once.
"Stop! Identify yourself!" One of them shouted.
The Royal Guards that patrolled inside noticed the commotion and ran out of the small gate, unsheathing their swords. Before long, I was surrounded by more than 10 people with scary eyes.
Then, a man with a bear-like build stepped out. And when he saw me covered in a cape and my face hidden under the hood, his eyes twitched slightly as he moved his arm.
"Lower your weapons! Don't be rude to His Holiness!"
"His Holiness?"
"Sir Paladin?!"
The guards looked back and forth between me and Garland as they followed his command. No one hesitated, putting their trust in the man called the Grand Marshal.
I smiled under my hood and pulled it down, revealing my face.
"My apologies for hiding my face. It would be bad if I were seen carrying an unconscious man while jumping around the roof, no?" I walked toward the Grand Marshal. "This is the assassin. As for the complete information, I will tell Queen Eve directly. But this guy knows nothing about his employer."
I threw the man on the ground right in front of the Grand Marshal, surrounded by many Royal Guards who ran toward this location due to the commotion.
He nodded at me with a serious expression, "Do you have something we should take note of, Your Holiness?"
'Look at him. He was able to talk in a complete sentence.' I scoffed inwardly as I looked at Garland.
There were too many people here. Because I didn't trust any of them yet, I shook my head.
"Nothing." I said, "Just be careful. I hit him too hard when catching him earlier. Bind him to nearby Revival chamber so even when he chooses to commit suicide, he won't be able to run anywhere."
"We understand that. It's one of the basics." Garland nodded and grabbed the assassin by the neck, lifting him up like a cat with one hand. His STR was impressive. "Thank you very much, Your Holiness. We will take care of the rest."
"No problem. Good work."
He nodded and turned around, entering the castle.
As for me, I put on the hoodie once again and leaped away. My mood increased because I had more cards I could use to push Queen Eve's reputation. The better the citizens accepted her, the more she would feel pressured to take the throne.
'It's unfair for her, but I know that she also wants to take the throne for the sake of her sons.'
Tiga Port City was located a little bit away from the Lima Port City. I guessed I could teleport there and then ran toward them.
But that would be boring. While I was in a bit of a hurry, I still had time to spare.
Finding Mr. C would be difficult as the assassin said he was moving around from city to city. Rather than trying to find him without any clue where he could be next, waiting for him in the den was a better option.
And talking about the Port City…
"Let's bring Cecil along. I bet she feels stuffed staying in Academy City for too long. We can hunt some pirates too if we find any, forcing them to be her subordinates to play with."
I muttered and stopped in a dark alleyway, taking out a [Teleportation Gem] with my mansion's coordinate written in it.
Activating it, my figure disappeared from the darkness.
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