In her judgment, these three people didn't seem to be lying either.
She asked, "How about those using swords and knives?"
Rhode shook his head, "Too weak, they don't seem like the ones who could leave such marks."
Mira threw deep bubbles at the ones groaning loudly, and they immediately stopped moving.
This scared the three people being interrogated, who thought they were dead.
Rhode, unwilling to give up, asked one last question, "Have you heard any news about the murder case nearby a few days ago?"
"Yes! Yes!" One of the wind magic users, afraid of being disposed of, hurriedly shouted, "If someone committed the crime, it must be that guy! We also heard about the Harvest Festival here from him!"
"You mean him?"
"That person?"
The other two were taken aback.
Rhode didn't have the patience to listen to their riddles and pressed, "Who?"
Klune, somewhat fearful, said, "Death God, Ailiger."
Mira was surprised, "The ace of Iron Forest?"
Rhode was also surprised, "Five million... No, Ailiger! You guys still have contacts with him?"
Klune had heard about Ailiger being wanted for 5 million J, and this guy seemed eager to earn the bounty on Ailiger! That guy is terrifying... oh, this guy is also terrifying.
He had no choice but to honestly say, "Because Iron Forest is also one of the guilds under Oracion Seis, and aside from the Naked Bandage Man, they're probably the strongest.
But suddenly, Iron Forest was wiped out by Fairy Tail, and then... ah! You are Fairy Tail!"
Due to the recent heavy blow, Klune only now realized who his opponents were.
Mira looked at Rhode, Iron Forest was eradicated by Erza and the team, and the Naked Bandage Man was eliminated by Rhode and Gray with the council's help...
They inexplicably took out two of their strongest formations, oh, and today they took out a not-so-strong one.
Guilds and Oracion Seis really seem to be destined to cross paths.
Rhode also felt this way, feeling that the hatred was deepening, and they might face off head-on sometime.
But he still knew very little about Oracion Seis, only knowing that with just six people, they ranked among the top three forces in the Dark Realm, and couldn't be underestimated.
However, maybe they could get some intel about Oracion Seis from these people.
"Tell me more about Ailiger."
"Yes!" Knowing these two were from Fairy Tail, Klune didn't dare resist any longer.
It was said that although Fairy Tail was a legitimate guild, they were a bunch of rule-breakers.
They would sometimes destroy a town or a few villages, sometimes even more like a dark guild compared to dark guilds themselves.
Rumors circulated in the Dark Realm, saying those guys might become the fourth major force any day now.
So, Klune obediently, like a little chick, told everything he knew, afraid of facing all kinds of torture.
"So you came here to rob just because you were short on money, and coincidentally heard about the festival here from Ailiger?"
"Yes."
"Then why is he here? Where is he now?"
"Ailiger should have just taken a regular assassination job, and we don't know his whereabouts. However, he did ask us about the location of the Wise Tree Sea (Wasi Tree Sea)."
"Wise Tree Sea?" Mira felt it was somewhat familiar.
"In the Southern Mountain Range near the Cat Transformation Inn, there's a huge forest area," Rhode said, furrowing his brow,
"So it seems, Ailiger's next destination could be there, either as a hideout or his next mission location."
Mira mentioned what Rhode feared the most, "Wendy and Carla..."
The most famous place nearby was the Cat Transformation Inn, could Ailiger be targeting them?
Rhode felt a bit worried, but thinking of old Mr. Robin Lu, there shouldn't be much problem protecting Wendy and the others, right?
Otherwise, once this mission is over, maybe he should go check. If they encounter, it could at least give Wendy and the others a heads-up, and if they do... it could be some extra income.
"Is there any other information? About Ailiger?" Rhode said, "Think carefully before you speak, because if I find out you concealed something from others, you might as well be waiting to feed the wolves."
"No more, really no more! I've told everything I know about Ailiger!"
"Good." Rhode took out a small notebook, "Now tell me about Oracion Seis, the names of their members, if they're male or female, how old, what they look like, what magic they are good at..."
Klune now suspected that Rhode was from the Advisory Council, probably one of those from the interrogation team, and this long list of questions almost left him stupefied.
But he could only answer honestly.
Rhode noted down everything, but unfortunately, this person didn't know much, although he could describe rough characteristics, he didn't know their names.
He only knew the six people used codenames: Leader, Laser, Cobra, Hot Eye, Angel, Midnight.
The descriptions of their magic were also vague, with some not even knowing the general effect.
Only that Angel, a white-haired woman, used summoning magic and 'can peer into people's hearts,' with the latter two traits familiar to Rhode and Mira.
They had encountered a cloaked lady who used celestial spirit magic, able to know others' thoughts through the Gemini constellation spirit...
But... would a member of Oracion Seis from a dark guild save trafficked children?
The two instinctively dismissed the idea.
But for reference, Rhode made a note, planning to ponder over it when organizing information later.
Klune knew that each member of Oracion Seis was incredibly powerful, but he didn't know exactly how powerful.
He only knew that any one of them could easily deal with their guild; otherwise, why would everyone in dark guilds obediently pay protection fees?
Rhode tried to extract all the available intel from his mind, then had Mira hypnotize him, before asking others.
After cross-verification, finding it mostly credible, they tied these people up and cast sleep magic, handing them over to the local monsters for custody until the end of the festival, after which they would be handed over to the kingdom's army or local law enforcement.
Having found the suspect from the recent murder case and capturing a group of troublemakers, Rhode felt much reassured.
"Now there's just one question left: why is the village chief being so evasive in his speech?"
Mira speculated, "Could there be some important treasure in the village he's worried about being stolen, and he can't tell us?"
"Maybe... but they wouldn't issue a specific task without giving a bit of trust. If there is something valuable, and he hasn't told us, it's not our responsibility if something goes wrong."
"Hopefully, nothing's out of order." Mira linked arms with Rhode as they walked towards the village, "Come on, let's see how the festival is going."
When they returned to the village center, the solemn ritual part seemed to be over, and the joyous part was underway.
The villagers apparently prepared some simple performances, taking turns to perform.
Many of the performances weren't that formal, with little rehearsal, and even some mistakes, but everyone laughed happily both on stage and off.
The atmosphere was akin to a class New Year's party activity, even if the performance wasn't stellar, or there were multiple mistakes, seen from familiar people, it appeared particularly amusing.
The ambiance gradually became lively, and towards the end, with a stir from someone unknown, the villagers applauded and cheered, inviting Rhode and Mira onto the stage to perform magic.
Not wanting to disappoint in such a moment, Rhode went on stage and performed magic tricks like the Grand Transformation Poro, transforming into wolves, and showcased a few stylish text spells, eliciting rounds of cheers.
The children's cheers were the most enthusiastic, and now their usual mage games had some new material.
Mira took the stage and demonstrated her Transformation Magic, initially transforming into some cute little animals.
But when it came to transforming into people, she created a stir with 'just Rhode's head,' 'just Elfman's head,' 'just Gajeel's head' series.
Seeing the young people in the audience, who were eagerly anticipating a performance from a well-known model, turning petrified one by one, Mira flashed a successful smile.
She had wanted to do this during the Miss Fairy Tail Contest, but had held back to earn the prize money for the family. Now, though in a different place, she finally got what she wished for.