"On our way back… we were ambushed."
As Philip's voice faded, Sauros's face froze for a beat—then twitched violently with rage. He raised a leg and kicked Philip again, this time with even more force, sending him crashing to the ground and bouncing once.
Sylphy glanced at Allen, who had been too quiet this whole time, then quickly rushed to Philip's side to cast healing magic.
Philip simply waved his hand, indicating he was fine, and quietly got back to his feet without saying a word.
Sauros withdrew his leg, stared at Philip deeply, then swept his gaze over everyone present. When his eyes landed on Allen, they paused for a long moment, flickering with thoughts. Amid the tense silence, as if bothered by the sun's brightness, he squinted.
And then suddenly spoke.
His voice was thunderous!
But the words he spoke made Sylphy, Rudy, and Eris all freeze.
"Tutor? Fine. Those two brats stay. I know Eris needs a magic instructor."
"But—"
"That tall one over there? No need! Ghyslaine is enough as a sword tutor!"
"As for the assassination, we'll investigate slowly!"
"Grandpa! I allow Allen to be my tutor!"
Eris looked at Allen in panic, body squirming in protest, but Sauros held her tightly in his arms.
"Grandpa!!"
"Allen saved me! I want Allen to be my tutor!!"
"Silence!!"
"Grandpa!!"
Sauros gave Allen another glance, then turned, ready to head toward the mansion.
Beside him, Thomas—still standing respectfully—gulped discreetly, his steps slightly hesitant as he followed.
Philip, still kneeling, looked toward Thomas and opened his mouth to say something.
And just then—
Allen moved.
He casually patted the worried Sylphy's head, then turned to Ghyslaine.
"That thing I asked earlier—thanks."
Without waiting for a reply, he stepped forward.
And suddenly appeared at Sauros's side.
The morning sunlight glinted in everyone's eyes—
And then, blood sprayed into the air!
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Two severed wrists tumbled to the ground, spraying blood like fountains.
Allen and Sauros brushed past each other, their gazes meeting for an instant.
Sauros looked stunned.
Allen, expressionless.
Their eyes parted.
Allen reached out, grabbed the screaming Thomas by the hair, and—with everyone stunned—dragged the upper-ranked swordsman like a stray mutt toward the fountain.
Blood from the severed wrists painted a long trail across the white stone pavement, further smeared by Thomas's flailing legs.
Allen turned to glance at the crowd, then gently spoke to the thrashing Thomas.
"Now, take a deep breath."
Thomas looked at him in horror and opened his mouth to curse.
"You little—!"
Before he could finish, Allen slammed his head into the water.
Thomas began thrashing wildly! Their dōki (fighting spirit) exploded at the fountain's edge, water spraying everywhere!
But Allen's arm didn't even tremble.
Amid the sound of splashing water, Allen's calm, slow words rang clearly in everyone's ears:
"Want to know someone's 'secret'? It's not hard. Just place 'death' in front of them. Let them stare into it, feel the fear. The truth will naturally surface."
"But there's a problem."
"If revealing that 'secret' leads to dire consequences—perhaps threatens the safety of their entire family—then death suddenly isn't so frightening. After all, death only takes a moment."
"Once that moment passes, it's over."
"If death isn't terrifying enough… why not stay silent? Maybe staying quiet leaves a sliver of hope, right?"
"So what to do?"
"The answer is simple."
"Keep them hovering on the brink of death. Keep them staring at it. Let them feel fear… continuously."
"When their mind breaks, the 'secret' will no longer be a secret."
Allen smiled, meeting Sauros's unblinking stare.
"This is the essence of interrogation—simple, swift, effective. A perfect fit for this era."
He yanked Thomas back up. The man gasped violently, already coughing and wheezing from the moment he was submerged—he'd started choking even before Allen had begun speaking.
Fueled by rage, he turned to shout again.
But Allen slammed him back into the water.
The fountain erupted with bubbles, splashing upward as Thomas struggled, kicking the ground frantically. The expensive pants he wore began to shred at the hem from the friction, soaked with blood, smearing the floor.
Under sunlight, the water spray turned crimson orange.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at his legs—those agonized movements burned into their minds.
Helplessness, suffocation, futility, darkness, sensory deprivation.
Teetering endlessly at death's edge, bound in fear, unable to escape.
But unable to die.
This—
Was water torture.
Sauros narrowed his eyes as he watched. Allen, feeling his stare, looked back coldly.
He pulled Thomas out again.
The man gasped for breath, staring at the rippling water, his face pale. His lips trembled. He had completely forgotten the pain from his severed wrists.
"You… what the hell are you doing?! Stop this!!"
Allen sensed that Thomas was no longer channeling any dōki and smiled faintly.
He leaned in close, face to face, and slowly, firmly asked:
"I only have one simple question for you—"
"Who did you leak Mayor Philip's travel plans to?"
Thomas froze.
He shot a glance toward Sauros.
Then shouted without hesitation:
"I didn't!"
Allen stared straight into his eyes.
"Lies."
Thomas, panicked, shrieked—
"Stop!!"
(End of Chapter)
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