104. Bargaining and Torture
Though it was not my intention, as a result, our volunteer work at the soup kitchen bounced back with a greater-than-expected effect. Because.....
「It's not that it was a safe place to live before, but since those guys took up residence in the tower, things have gone crazy-」
「Ah. On the contrary, I heard that they started doing something inside the tower after prohibiting "entry to the tower" without permission.」
「In addition, strange voices can be heard at night.」
「Not only women and children, but even the locals have stopped going near it because it's too dangerous.」
「And it seemed that people who came by boat often brought in or took out "something".」
Various information came from all over the place, even though I did not ask for it.
I casually entered the circle and drew out more detailed information. Then...
「Between you and me, I heard that they are keeping demonic beasts inside.」
「Moreover, there seem to be ancient ruins in the basement of the tower. There are caves and underground passages that lead to Hanaria and Karguri.」
I even heard about this kind of thing.
「By the way, what kind of people are living in the tower?」
「It's hard to say exactly what kind of people they are, though. At the very least, they are probably not an honest person-」
「I think they are probably religious people who worship some kind of god......, but I can't say more than that, right.」
Therefore, we decided to have a strategy meeting at "Sea Seagull Pavilion," which Luia designated, in the evening.
「Oh dear. Looks like you did some pretty spectacular things while I was gone♪」
Luia said that as the first thing out of his mouth.
「That said, it was much easier for me to move around thanks to the many people's eyes on you guys, but......」
「From the looks of it, it sounds like you got a pretty good harvest.」
「Sort of.」
With a smile on his face, Luia says.
「As it turns out, it seems that those in the tower are private soldiers sent by the Duke of Mordom, but it's precisely the other way around.」
「The other way around? You mean ......」
「――It is correct to say that the people who were originally based here took advantage of the commotion and reached out to Hanaria.」
「Any proof?」
When I said that, Luia took out a piece of paper from his pocket.
「Is this――a map? And...」
「It's a report from the secret spy I've been hiding for a long time. It seems that the people here have been plotting an attack on Hanaria for a long time. Furthermore, this isolated island is shown on the map as "Island on the Bay," but there seems to be an underground passageway, so it is possible to walk across from as far away as Karguri and its vicinity.」
Come to think of it, there was a guy who was talking about that.
「To sum it up, Jimina is both an "outpost of hostile forces" and an important base that can easily be directly attacked from the outside to the castle.」
「Didn't you military personnel know that?」
「How can that be? Of course, it is not publicly available information either.」
「In other words, 'those who know, know'?」
When I confirmed this, Luia gave me a big nod of approval.
I put my hand on my chin and pondered for a while, then let out a deep breath.
「After all, there was a strong possibility that a heretic group was involved.」 [TLN: Change evil group to Heretic Group]
It's frustrating that I can't say "absolutely" because I have no proof.
「As you may have noticed―but considering the movements of the Duke of Mordom, I'd say there's a high probability that the two groups are connected.」
「Yeah. No matter how much you look at it, there's too much waste in their movements after dropping the castle. but...」
「Who exactly blew up the Hanaria castle―and for what purpose? There's also...」
「Petrifying ash, right?」
「Yeah. For that matter, who was making it and for what purpose ......」
As usual, there's a lot we don't know.
「What a pain in the ass. There's no point in thinking about this and that, so we're just going to start the raid (カチコミ) now.」
We can't waste any more time if we can't come to a conclusion after thinking about it.
「For now, Luia, protect everyone at the Leia Orphanage who has evacuated from Hanaria. Lilyza and Osada-kun, you will be working with me, but do you have any problem?」
When I checked to make sure, both Osada-kun and Lilyza shook their heads as if to say, "No problem".
(But still, where the hell did that Philly get disappeared?)
Although I didn't say it out loud, it was the only thing I was concerned about.
The origin of the problem was a "clue" brought by Iru old man.
I heard that it was a request from the three Elders living in the hidden village to find out what had happened since the "parting with King Hanaria".
One of the clues left behind by Philly was in Bele, and after heading there, she disappeared, leaving behind the word "Argos".
(All the pieces are scattered, but they always have some form.)
I have no idea now―no. Only a faint imagination came to my mind.
「Good~ Eveniiinnggg♪♪♪ I heard that some suspicious people are nesting here, so I came to exterminate theeeem♡♡♡」
Late at night.
We entered the tower with an imposing air of dignity, and after knocking down a big guy who looked like a guard in a second, we went straight into the "Jimina Tower".
As soon as we entered, the people who had been inside begun to appear in droves, but...
「Ahh~. They sure don't look like a bunch of honest people 」
As Lilyza blurted out, the only people there were those who could be considered "rogue" in any way you look at them. What's more...
(There are not only human races, but also a lot of beastmen and demihumans.)
There seemed to be a good number of them, but honestly speaking, they were "no better than goblins," so it didn't take much time to subdue them. However...
「Y-You bastard! You know what will happen if you make a fucking enemies with us, don't youuuu!?」
One of the men I tied up with the "Bind"―a beastman with countless sword scars on his face speaks with power, but...
「Nope♪ That's why we're here to go raid on you, but ...... What the hell are you doing here? Who sent you? What's your purpose? Also ...... any idea whereabouts the elven woman is?」
For the time being, I posed questions to him, but he seemed to be underestimating me at this point and would not answer with a sneering smile on his face.
「Hmmm. I think it would be better for you if you just be honest and speak up, though――Osada-kun, Lilyza. I'm sorry, but would you please leave us alone for a minute?」
I told them, and they seemed to guessed it, and just said, "Don't overdo it," and walked out. And then
「GGYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!」
「GOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!???」
「GAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!」
Since he was so uncooperative, I decided to torture him without question.
「I'm new to this kind of thing――I heard there's a trick to it♪ Take it slow and easy at first――It seems that it is important to make them think, "This is something I can endure." ♪ But if they still won't talk honestly, first crush their fingers one by one and cut them up like green onions. ...... Then do the same with their toes, and after that chop up both limbs like "radish slices". If that doesn't work, cut open their belly and expose the guts while applying [Healing] to the extent that they don't lose consciousness, of course.」.
「...... A-All right! I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything, so please s-s-spare my life!!」
「Aww. Even though I haven't even explained 1/5 of what I'm going to do yet―Still, a good decision」
To be clear, I thought that if he was going to make me go through any more "extra trouble and time," I would take a more extreme approach, but it seems that he realized that I was indeed serious. The people around him were all pale.
「Anyway, about the questions I asked you earlier―answer them one by one. Of course, if you tell a lie, you get it, right......?」
「I-I--I-I wouldn't say a lie! P-Please, I'll tell you everything for real!」
For the time being, I trust his word, and......After listening to him, I put them all to sleep with [Hypnosis] because it was too much trouble for them to make a fuss and called the two who were outside back inside.
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