https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-32-Thank-Goodness-It-s-One-of-Us/12808310/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-34-Clues-for-the-Wizard-s-Apprentice/12808312/
Chapter 33: Make Him Speak
Chapter 33: Make Him Speak
To prevent chaos, Kuei ordered the attack to be kept under wraps.
After rooting out a few spies, the inner castle quickly returned to its usual state, operating smoothly as before.
As for the Black Sword Knight, after receiving extensive treatment and barely clinging to life, he was thrown into a dungeon to be interrogated.
However, even after two days of relentless questioning, they had failed to extract any valuable information from him.
"That guy must have undergone anti-interrogation training. No matter what we do to him, he refuses to speak," Brad reported in the council chamber.
"I say we just crush his bones one by one; I don't believe he can endure that," Jodan sneered.
Brad shook his head. "It won't work. He seems to have a way to block out pain. He shows no reaction when we torture him."
"Such a technique exists?" Jodan's eyes widened in surprise.
The other knights exchanged uneasy glances.
How were they supposed to interrogate him now?
Kuei frowned, turning to Su Nan, who was sitting nearby. "Su Nan, do you have any ideas?"
Su Nan nodded. "Let me handle the interrogation."
Hearing this, everyone perked up.
Led by Brad and Jodan, Su Nan made his way to the dungeon where the Black Sword Knight was being held.
Upon entering the cell, he saw the Black Sword Knight, his limbs shackled to iron pillars, looking utterly miserable. The burns from the lightning rune gem still marred his body, and the torture of the past two days had left him with barely a patch of unblemished skin.
Yet, despite his condition, he showed no signs of pain.
Seeing Su Nan enter, the knight's expression changed slightly, followed by a disdainful sneer.
"Don't waste your time. You won't get any information from me. If you have the guts, kill me!"
Su Nan replied calmly, "If you really wanted to die, you would have found a way to end your own life. Why prolong your suffering?"
This remark clearly hit a nerve. The knight's eyes twitched, and he grunted but said nothing more.
Su Nan was unfazed, approaching the knight with a serene expression.
"Since physical torture doesn't work on you, let's try something else. I'll make you speak on your own."
The knight's expression grew even more disdainful, but as he met Su Nan's gaze, he suddenly shuddered. Su Nan's eyes seemed like deep, dark pools, and the knight felt his soul being drawn in.
Within seconds, the knight's face became vacant, his eyes lifeless, as if he were in a trance.
"Name," Su Nan spoke slowly.
"Yuri Alric," the knight replied in a dazed tone.
"Age."
"Thirty-two."
Brad and Jodan, who had been following Su Nan, were stunned.
What was happening?
How had the knight suddenly become so compliant, answering every question?
Noticing the knight's odd expression, they realized Su Nan must have used some form of magic.
They had never imagined there could be a spell that could strip someone of their will and make them answer questions obediently!
In the face of such power, no one could keep secrets.
Brad and Jodan drew in a breath, their respect for Su Nan growing even more.
Su Nan, oblivious to their reactions, focused on the knight.
The Charm Person spell could influence the target's perception, making them see the caster as a trusted ally.
The caster could command the target to do things they normally wouldn't.
However, commands that would cause obvious harm or threaten the target's life, such as suicide or self-mutilation, would likely fail and end the spell's effect.
But for simple questioning, the Charm Person spell was quite effective.
"Who sent you to assassinate the Lord of Blackrock City?"
"It was High Priest Casper."
A High Priest?
Su Nan's eyebrows arched. "Tell me about your origins."
"We belong to the Starfire Church, devoted to the Great Star God who created this continent!"
Even under the spell's influence, the Black Sword Knight's vacant face showed a hint of fanaticism when mentioning the Star God, revealing the depth of his faith.
The Starfire Church, huh?
Su Nan was surprised. He hadn't expected these assassins to be from the same Starfire Church that attacked the Storm Earl.
"What is your relationship with the Golden Rock Marquis?"
"I don't know." The Black Sword Knight shook his head, his expression still vacant.
Su Nan frowned. The connection between the Golden Rock Marquis and the Starfire Church was undeniable. Since this knight didn't know, it suggested that the higher-ups in the Starfire Church were the ones in contact with the Marquis.
"How many of your companions are in Blackrock City?"
"Four, including me."
"Tell me the names of the spies you know."
The Black Sword Knight rattled off six or seven names. A few of them were the spies who had been caught in the past two days.
Without waiting for Su Nan's instruction, Brad noted down the names and hiding places of these spies and left the dungeon with Jodan to apprehend them.
Su Nan then proceeded to ask about the Starfire Church's organizational structure, branch locations, and member status.
According to the Black Sword Knight, the Starfire Church was a religious group dedicated to spreading the great glory of the Star God across the entire continent. They had secret collaborations with many nobles, assassinating competitors in exchange for the nobles' support, which allowed the church to grow rapidly. In just over a decade, they had established a presence throughout the entire Starlight Duchy.
As for which nobles they had collaborated with, the Black Sword Knight knew of only a few barons and viscounts. Higher-ranking nobles were beyond his level of access.
After all, above the rank of High Priest, there were Priest, High Priest, Grand High Priest, and the Supreme Pontiff who controlled the entire church.
"A Grand Knight is just a mid-level officer; it seems the Starfire Church has a deep and formidable foundation."
Su Nan mused to himself.
He had initially suspected that the Starfire Church might be connected to the apprentice wizards, but now it was clear he was wrong. The Starfire Church clearly followed a religious path, which was the complete opposite of the wizards who sought truth and power for themselves.
Regarding their bases, the Black Sword Knight knew of only three within the Golden Rock Province. He had no information on the others.
Su Nan mentally noted the personnel structure of these bases and then asked about the Starfire Church's activities in the Golden Rock Province over the years.
The results were shocking.
It turned out that the deaths of seven or eight nobles in the Golden Rock Province over the past decade were all orchestrated by the Starfire Church. They created various accidents to eliminate these nobles, making their deaths appear as natural or accidental. For more challenging targets, they resorted to direct assassination.
Among these was Su Nan's adoptive father. He appeared to have died in battle, but in reality, the Starfire Church had sent someone to replace one of his guards before the war began. This person then orchestrated his death on the battlefield.
Although the Black Sword Knight didn't know the true purpose behind these assassinations, Su Nan could easily guess that the mastermind was the Golden Rock Marquis.
By eliminating vassal nobles and installing puppet rulers, the Marquis aimed to indirectly control their territories.
The ultimate goal of the Golden Rock Marquis was to gain complete control over the entire Golden Rock Province.
No, perhaps that wasn't his ultimate goal.
To achieve such control, he didn't need to go to such lengths. The Golden Rock Marquis must have had a deeper purpose!
(End of Chapter)
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