The Tower of London was a well-known tourist attraction in England.
It was once known as a facility of blood, torture, and execution that was the last stop for prisoners. It had even been said that once you passed through its gate, you never came out alive. But it was currently open to the public and for just under 14 pounds (less than it costs to enjoy afternoon tea in a restaurant) anyone could just go in and look around. It wasn't just the historical execution devices that were on display; you could also see treasures of the royal family.
But at the same time, there was a huge "blind spot" where the facility was still used for its original purpose.
Much like the deep shadow brought about by a bright light, one could get close to the Tower of London as a sightseer; but there was still a labyrinthine "blind spot". Prisoners were still kept there and they were tortured or executed without hesitation as needed. The Tower of London was well known for its executions and that dark purpose was still being carried out to this day.
If one entered through the normal entrance, those shadowy portions were completely unreachable.
If one entered through the secret entrance, one could not escape the shadowy portions.
"…This place is as gloomy as ever."
Stiyl Magnus mumbled that as he exhaled the smoke from his cigarette.
Unlike the areas open for sightseeing, areas actually used had cramped, dark passageways. The clutter of stones making up the walls were stained black by the soot of the lamps and the flicker of the flames made the stains look like they were moving. There must not have been much to keep the moisture out, because the top of the floor was covered in cold dew.
The girl walking next to Stiyl started speaking.
It was Agnese Sanctis, former nun of the Roman Catholic Church.
"So we will be interrogating Lidvia Lorenzetti and Biagio Busoni?"
"I want to ask them some things about God's Right Seat. Since the leader of a unit like you doesn't know, it'll probably be faster to ask some VIPs."
"…Do you think they'll tell you? They're practically nobles."
"You can watch and learn a few things about how we deal with that kind of thing in England. Lecturing each and every member of your Forces would be a pain, so you can just explain it to them later."
Stiyl stopped in front of a door.
It was a thick wooden door that had been darkened by all the moisture it had absorbed.
He opened the door without knocking and there was a small room on the other side. It was a square room only 3 meters on each side. This room was only for "interrogation", so it didn't have the tools of torture one associated with the Inquisition. What was in it was a table directly bolted to the floor and a pair of two-person chairs similarly secured to the floor.
There was limited cushioning on the chair on the right side of the table.
On the other hand, the chair on the left side was nothing but bare wood. And the armrests had belts and metal fixtures to confine a person's arms.
And the two-person seat on the left had two people restrained in it.
They were Lidvia Lorenzetti and Biagio Busoni, both important people that held special positions within the Roman Catholic Church.
"I'm sure you know what I'm here to talk about."
Stiyl sat in the chair on the right and spoke in an annoyed voice. Agnese didn't know whether she should sit down as well and decided to stand next to him.
Biagio, a middle-aged bishop, was bound to the chair by a belt. He glared at Stiyl. His gaze never fell directly on her, but Agnese flinched as she was a former member of the Roman Catholic Church. Stiyl however didn't seem to mind.
It may have been due to the fact that he had been deprived of sleep to the point that it wore down his mind but didn't affect his health, but Biagio didn't look well. His hair and skin had lost their sheen and now just looked cracked and dried.
"…So you want to talk. If you're going to lecture about the Bible, leave it to Sunday."
"Tell me everything you know about God's Right Seat."
"Bring out the torture devices the Anglican Church is so proud of. I want to show an amateur like you what true piety looks like." Biagio's arrogance was as strong as ever.
Meanwhile, Lidvia did not seem at all interested in the conversation. It wasn't that she was working to suppress her emotions; she truly wasn't feeling anything strongly enough to show up on her face. Lidvia may have had more patience than Biagio whose irritation was clearly showing on his face.
This was exactly what Agnese had expected and she knew this could take a while.
"Don't look down on Necessarius."
Biagio was not the only arrogant one: Stiyl Magnus slowly exhaled cigarette smoke and smiled shockingly cruelly.
"We don't particularly care if you end up dying from the torture. Necessarius has ways of getting information out of a corpse's brain. Although that's more a question of the level of defenses and the level of damage."
Even Agnese felt a chill go down her spine as she heard that. He must have understood that Stiyl was not bluffing, because Biagio gave an annoyed look. Also, Lidvia finally seemed to take an interest as she moved her eyes to look at Stiyl.
Stiyl started speaking in an irritated tone that sounded like a person about to begin a job they weren't looking forward to.
"What you call 'torture' and what we call 'torture' are two different things. Propagate ridiculous ideas like that and you'll find that 'peace in death' won't cut it here. I don't care if you resist, but you will just die in vain."
There were a few seconds of silence. Biagio continued to stare at Stiyl and Lidvia began to speak.
"We don't care about 'trivial things like that' either."
She made eye contact with Stiyl as she spoke.
"But there is one thing I would like to know. What is the situation 'outside'?"
Stiyl looked puzzled at that question, but then he remembered.
(Come to think of it, there was a report about that.)
Lidvia Lorenzetti was an oddity even within the Roman Catholic Church who would reach her hand out to people society had abandoned. To her, being imprisoned in the Tower of London without being able to hear what was going on "outside" made her worry as a protector. All she had heard about was the chaos spreading through the world. After remembering, a smirk grew on Stiyl's lips.
"I'm sure you can take some guesses about what's going on."
"…"
Lidvia's expression faltered slightly. Of course, the first to fall victim to the riots and chaos were the very kinds of weak people she reached out to.
"…Hmph." On the other hand, Biagio Busoni was much more of an elitist who believed the clergy were superior to all others. He was more interested in the effects and results of the chaos rather than the damages it had caused.
Lidvia stared at Stiyl's face and spoke. "In exchange for my cooperation, I request that you release of all my 'comrades' who are imprisoned here. I want them released so they can help as much as they can to stop this chaos and provide shelter for the weak people caught up in it all."
It was Biagio, not Stiyl, who reacted to that. Lidvia was completely composed while Biagio made no attempt to hide his irritation. He clicked his tongue so hard it sounded like he was spitting.
Meanwhile, Stiyl had no real reaction. "Do you really think we'll go along with that?"
"I'll make you."
"How?"
After Stiyl asked his question, Lidvia stopped breathing for a short time. Then, her smooth lips began to move even as she was bound to the chair.
"San Pietro elude le trappole dell'imperatore e del mago. (St. Peter escapes the clutches of the emperor and the magician.)"
Stiyl looked puzzled at her words. They had taken all spiritual items and amulets from her. She shouldn't be able to perform any real magic by chanting a spell here.
A light shined, not from Lidvia Lorenzetti, but from Stiyl's side. Specifically, it came from the Roman Catholic cross hanging from Agnese's neck.
"Tch!!"
Before Stiyl could react, a beam of light flew from the cross. The beam of light stretched out towards Lidvia like a stake and destroyed the belt and metal fixtures binding her right arm to the chair.
Lidvia grabbed a sharp piece of broken metal and reached out towards Stiyl. Their arms crossed with a crash that sounded like a gunshot.
"…"
"…"
Stiyl and Lidvia were silent. Stiyl had a sharp piece of metal at his throat; Lidvia had the corner of a rune card at her throat.
"…! Lidvia!!"
After recovering from her shock, Agnese hurriedly grabbed her Lotus Wand that was leaning against the wall, but Stiyl used his other hand to motion Agnese away as he glared at Lidvia.
The magician was clearly enjoying himself. It was like he was saying this was how an interrogation was supposed to be.
"Did you really think you could take my life so easily?"
"If you won't release the needed number of people, I have no other choice."
Lidvia spoke with an unconcerned voice.
"I demand that you release Oriana Thomson so that she can guide those who have been swallowed up by the riots."
"Why don't you think again about whether you're in any position to make demands?"
Stiyl's voice did not waver.
Oriana was the skilled courier that had been teamed up with Lidvia.
"That courier knows about the situation of the world. And she came forward with a deal for 'her leader Lidvia Lorenzetti to be able to protect the weak.' The Anglican Church made a deal where she temporarily cooperates with us. If you want to release her from that, I don't think she would agree to it herself."
"…"
Lidvia and Oriana had had the same idea; Oriana acted faster. She remained silent as Stiyl continued to speak.
"Don't waste what she has done. This situation has been brought about by the Roman Catholic Church… no, by God's Right Seat. So if they're defeated, the situation might be able to be resolved, right?"
Lidvia did not respond. Biagio clicked his tongue and looked away as if to say that this were ridiculous.
After a deep, long silence, she slowly opened her mouth. "…What do you want?"
"Necessarius's goal is clear." Stiyl seemed bored as he spoke. "We want to save the lost lambs that have been swallowed up in the overwhelming power that is magic. Our goal is the same as it has always been."
Lidvia glared at Stiyl but he did not flinch. Whatever it was that Lidvia had been observing about Stiyl, she finally sighed and relaxed.
"…I have never directly met them, but I have had opportunities to hear bits of information about them."
Lidvia Lorenzetti's words resounded throughout the dark interrogation room. Agnese finally sat down next to Stiyl and spread out a piece of parchment to record what was said.
"And from what I've heard, it seems God's Right Seat is…"