The Royal Guard, experienced in dealing with such traitors, used their weighted lances to bash the heads of the Kadu City guards and the Bellos Merchant Group’s escorts. Since these men were immobilized, they were even easier targets than training dummies. The seasoned guards ensured that each blow would render their victims unconscious for at least three days.
The scene was filled with wails of agony and pleas for mercy, punctuated by the dull thuds of clubs striking heads. Each sound sent shivers down the spines of those nearby, who dared not meet anyone’s gaze, fearing the same fate if they drew too much attention. Resistance was impossible; the overwhelming aura that pressed down on them prevented any thought of escape or defiance.
Adler accompanied Flin to where Sinis and Bronzebeard Hammer stood. Flin took several deep breaths, attempting to calm herself, but her trembling hands betrayed her inner turmoil. "Take me inside to see," she commanded.
"Yes, Matriarch," Bronzebeard Hammer, his earlier bravado gone, transformed into a subservient dog before Flin, trotting ahead to lead her into the courtyard.
Adler made to follow, but Flin raised a hand to stop him. "Master, I will go in alone. You remain outside to manage the situation."
"But your safety..."
"It is fine. The Flame Lord's aura is still present. Who could harm me?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Adler conceded. The mention of the Flame Lord dispelled his concerns. With his protection, Adler felt superfluous.
Flin entered the courtyard. Adler idly watched the Royal Guard quell the rebels. They dealt with the incapacitated rioters like farmers harvesting crops, repeating the same simple, practiced motions. His gaze shifted to Angelina, who remained standing under the Flame Lord’s oppressive aura. "If I recall correctly, you are an Archbishop of the Magic Temple, are you not?"
Angelina forced a smile. "Your memory is excellent, sir. I am but a humble Archbishop of the Temple. In fact, I am your student."
"Oh? How so?"
"When I was an apprentice, the magical texts I studied were written by you. Thus, it is not an exaggeration to call you my teacher."
Adler burst into laughter. Angelina managed a nervous chuckle. After his laughter subsided, Adler’s demeanor shifted abruptly, like a customer who leaves without paying. "There is no need to try and curry favor with me. Today, even if you were my daughter, I could not save you."
Seeing her attempts to connect were futile, Angelina’s expression hardened. "I am an Archbishop under the Goddess of Magic. You have no right to lay hands on me."
Adler merely scoffed. He found such fools too idiotic to waste words on. With the Flame Lord present, even the Goddess of Magic herself might not fare well. Besides, would she dare appear at such a crucial moment? To do so would be to risk severe injury, if not destruction. The three supreme treasures of the human race were not to be trifled with. He, a Grand Magus, often found himself at a disadvantage against Kellychiya, solely because of the Flame Lord. How could a mere Magus dare to struggle before the Flame Lord? When did a rabbit dare bare its teeth at a tiger?
The Royal Guard acted swiftly, dispatching the guards and escorts. Their attention then turned to Angelina and those near her. Hidden behind identical golden masks, their faces were indistinguishable, yet their presence instilled terror. Cries of innocence, claims of being mere passersby, and even assertions of having dined with Mr. Li Xi, filled the air.
Angelina shrieked, "I am an Archbishop of the Magic Temple! You have no right to attack me."
The Royal Guard ignored her. They drove their six-legged warhorses toward everyone not affiliated with the Konoha Merchant Group, ensuring no one died but also no one could escape.
With each thudding impact, one person after another fell unconscious. In moments, only Angelina and the fifty mages she had brought remained.
"How dare you..."
"Thwack."
Angelina's voice was abruptly cut short.
It was unclear what Flin had witnessed inside, but she emerged from the room with bloodshot eyes. She looked at Armadra, the black dragon unable to fly within the courtyard. "You will follow me now. Are you willing?"
Armadra nodded his head so vigorously he resembled a fawning dog. "I am willing, willing! I will sign a master-servant contract with you immediately."
"That is not necessary." Flin shook her head. "A master-servant contract is useless to me. We have no need for such constraints. You may leave whenever you wish, and I will not stop you. If you wish to stay, I will keep you. Your strength is too weak, and there is nothing here requiring your intervention."
"Uh, alright." Armadra had never heard anyone tell her she was weak before. He shrunk into a small bat and landed on Flin’s shoulder.
Flin walked out of the courtyard and addressed the former guards of the Konoha Merchant Group and the dwarves. "From now on, the Konoha Merchant Group belongs to me. Do you agree?"
With their former boss dead, and the merchant group on the verge of being torn apart by opportunistic wolves, the opportunity for the princess to take them under her wing, especially as their boss’s fiancée, was a stroke of unimaginable luck. It was as if their ancestors had been struck by lightning.
Sinis and the other guards were ecstatic. "We agree!"
The other dwarves looked to their chieftain, Bronzebeard Hammer, who was following Flin. Seeing Bronzebeard Hammer nod slightly, the dwarves immediately bowed their heads. "We also agree."
"Good. Once I have dealt with matters in Kadu City, you will all return to Aysing with me. I will ensure you are all settled and will re-establish the Konoha Merchant Group in Aysing."
"Yes."
Flin's "matters in Kadu City" were simple: interrogation and execution.
A long line of over a hundred tables was set up on Konoha Street. Three Royal Guard soldiers were assigned to each table, while others were responsible for escorting the prisoners to be interrogated. Flin paid no mind to the potential repercussions or the infamy she might acquire, her heart needing this release. Even Adler, witnessing Flin's need for an outlet, dared not dissuade her, fearing he might draw trouble.
Each table was laden with torture instruments. Beginning with Monton Bellos and the city guards, they were questioned about the minute details of Li Xi’s murder. If they faltered or their accounts were inconsistent, the methods previously used on the most brutal criminals were employed on them under the watchful eyes of the public.
With over a hundred people being interrogated simultaneously, Konoha Street echoed with cries of agony.
Flin made no move to stop the onlookers. Many who came to witness the spectacle fled after only an hour, their faces pale and shaken by the blood and brutality, which seemed to embody all the sins of the world.
"Speak, who told you of Lord Li Xi's passing?"
Bellos, his severed arm bandaged and both legs broken, his eye socket a gaping bloody hole, stammered, "Sir, it was truly Archbishop Dick of the Magic Temple."
"No, think harder."
Bellos had no tears to cry. He had answered this question a dozen times. Regardless of his answer, the outcome was the same. Initially, he had tried to argue and beg for mercy, but he had long since given up. His remaining eye was devoid of light, replaced by a dull, lifeless gaze. "Sir, I am speaking the truth. There was no one else."
Just as Bellos braced himself for another arm to be broken, a cold voice emerged from behind the interrogating Royal Guard’s mask. "Bring Dick."
Dick, his magical abilities sealed, was weaker than an ordinary person. His emaciated frame was dragged to Bellos’s side, curled up like a stray dog.
"Dick, they say you delivered the news of Lord Li Xi's death. Did you witness Lord Li Xi being killed with your own eyes?"
The scene of over a hundred people being tortured had already shattered Dick’s already meager courage. He stammered, "Sir, I am an Archbishop of the Magic Temple in Kadu City. You have no right to interrogate me."
The Royal Guard waved a hand. "Let him come to his senses."
A whip made of thorny vines, soaked in brine, descended. Dick convulsed on the ground as if electrocuted, unable to speak from the pain.
Before the second whip could strike, Dick frantically raised his hand, signaling he had something to say.
"Speak quickly."
Dick coughed several times. "I… I had offended Lord Li Xi before. To mend our relationship, I followed Archbishop Angelina’s instructions and assigned a task from the Magic Temple to Lord Li Xi. That day, I was delivering the task to Lord Li Xi. As no one answered the door, I entered. That’s when I discovered Lord Li Xi and his two wives were already deceased. I saw nothing else."
The interrogating Royal Guard soldier immediately dismissed his statement. "That's not right. You are withholding information."
"Swish."
A whip lashed out, striking Dick's thin frame.
"Ah!"
"Speak!"
"I’ve told you everything I know. I am a bishop of the Magic Temple. You have no right to interrogate me."
"Continue."
A boot, reinforced with steel plates, stomped on Dick's feet. With a crack, his feet were crushed.
"Ah!"
"Besides you, who else saw Lord Li Xi’s body?"
"No one else. Just me."
"That's not true."
His fingernails were ripped out, ten by ten.
"Ah!"
"Speak!"
"Wuwuwu..."
...
In the top-floor suite of the hotel where Avril used to handle affairs, Armadra the black dragon still hung in its usual spot. However, the occupant of the room had changed. Adler accompanied Flin as they watched the interrogation below, particularly noting Dick’s loudest screams.
Adler couldn't help but speak, "Your Highness Flin, without evidence, your actions will offend the Magic Temple. Killing a bishop, an archbishop, and fifty followers in front of the entire city will not be tolerated by the Magic Temple. If you truly wish to exact revenge, I can find an opportunity to act discreetly, ensuring no one knows."
Flin sneered. "Evidence? What evidence? If we consider who benefited the most from Brother Xi’s death, it would undoubtedly be the Magic Temple. They dared to assassinate Brother Xi; do you think I fear offending them?"
Adler was speechless. This was too presumptuous. Whoever she deemed the killer was the killer. How overbearing!
Flin eyed Adler with ill intent. "Besides, my brother asked you to protect me. Did he not task you with taking on the Magic Temple for me? While I may not approve of some of my brother’s actions, I acknowledge his responsibility as my brother."
Adler froze. Was he meant to deal with the Magic Temple? Did he have such a hidden mission? Why had no one informed him? No wonder Princess Fimor had so readily agreed to send him instead of Kellychiya. These siblings were not pure of heart; their darkness was profound.
"You are here. Then I shall trouble you, sir."
As if to coincide with Flin's words, a beam of teleportation light shot up from the Magic Temple in the distance. To be able to teleport even under the Flame Lord's aura indicated at least a Cardinal.
Adler gave a wry smile. Who said Princess Flin was the weakest among the princes and princesses? Was she not using him effectively? Her schemes and tactics were not lacking. At this point, he had no choice. "Your Highness, rest assured, I will ensure no one can disrupt your affairs."
Adler's immense magical energy surged, and he flew towards the Magic Temple, his voice resounding throughout Kadu City. "Which old friend comes to meet me outside the city?"
A voice echoed from within the Magic Temple. "So, you old dog are here. Very well, I will give you this face and accompany you outside the city."
A figure emerged from the Magic Temple and headed in Adler’s direction, outside the city.
Once Adler had completely disappeared from view, Flin turned to the dwarf chieftain, Bronzebeard Hammer, her expression deadly serious. "Are you certain everything you've told me is true?"
Bronzebeard Hammer nodded, his square face resolute. "Matriarch, I swear upon the honor of my Bronzebeard tribe, I assure you everything I have said is true."
Flin, who had been cold and aloof to outsiders, suddenly smiled. "Very well. From now on, you will call me Matriarch. I am your master’s fiancée. Even if he is dead, the title cannot be lost."
Bronzebeard Hammer’s relatively uncomplicated mind did not fully grasp Flin’s words, but he felt she was correct. He replied, "Yes, Matriarch."
Sinis and the others stood by the interrogation grounds, watching as the bodies of the beaten to death were carried away. Even though they knew these men had ill intentions towards them and deserved their fate, witnessing such a brutal death before their eyes stirred their compassion. They were common mercenaries, living at the bottom of society, and had never witnessed such carnage. Even a slaughterhouse could not describe the scene before them. The once clean street was now stained with blood, forming macabre patterns.
Flies and horseflies were the busiest creatures present, likely never encountering such an abundant food source in their lifetimes. The Kadu City guards, in the hands of the Royal Guard soldiers, were like dough, easily kneaded and broken. These were living lives! Sinis personally witnessed a city guard soldier whose bones were completely shattered, yet he was still alive, conscious, and able to answer questions, a testament to the torturer's mastery.
Taichi sidled up to Sinis and whispered, "Isn't Her Highness the Princess going a bit too far? If this continues, Kadu City will lose thousands of lives today."