Chapter 526: Tug of War and Discovery
Chapter 526: Tug of War and Discovery
"But..."
Seeing the disheveled man's anxious expression, Lyon, who had successfully 'caught' him, hesitated for a moment. Then, with a resigned tone, he said, "Alright, we don't have any other options right now. We'll have to trust you, for now..."
Lyon continued, his voice carrying a warning, "But let me be clear, our original intention was only to complete our investigation and gather information about the Corlock Royal Family. We didn't intend to harm you, but if you alert them, then don't blame us!"
"I swear, I won't betray you!"
Seeing that he had already decided to 'surrender' himself, Lyon's hesitation did not diminish. The disheveled man, eager to know the truth, hastily swore an oath and then impatiently asked, "What's happening with the Royal Family? Is His Majesty really dead?"
"You could say he's ninety percent dead."
Lyon sighed, "According to the information we have, there are probably only two survivors left in the entire Corlock Royal Family. Almost all members with royal blood have had their brains extracted by Prince Andre and turned into Artifex Subsidiaries."
What?!
Upon hearing Lyon's revelation, the disheveled man was stunned, his eyes wide with shock. "Prince Andre... How is this possible? This is absurd! I... I don't believe it!"
"To be honest, we don't believe it either."
Lyon's face turned slightly cold, and he looked at the man with suspicion. "I understand how you feel. When we first received this information, we couldn't bring ourselves to trust it either. But the source is highly reliable, so we thought we could verify it by having you infiltrate Research Zone One."
"This..."
Seeing Lyon's furrowed brows and concerned expression, the disheveled man clenched his fists, sharing his hesitation.
Sometimes, people's reactions can be unpredictable. If Lyon had revealed the truth from the start, explaining that the Corlock Royal Family was in danger and asking for his help, the man would likely have responded with suspicion and caution, possibly even selling him out.
However, by hesitating to disclose the information and allowing the man to ask questions, while also expressing their own doubts about the news, Lyon inadvertently made the man more inclined to believe the information's credibility.
After some internal struggle, the disheveled man, who had initially refused to cooperate, clenched his teeth and lowered his voice, "Where did you get this information?"
"Hmm? Why do you ask?"
Lyon's eyes narrowed, and he became alert. "Do you know something?"
"I..."
"I've had my suspicions about you!"
Lyon's expression turned slightly cold, and he scrutinized the man. "You were kidnapped by us, yet you're not worried about yourself and even initiate conversation! And you're asking about such crucial information... Speak! What's your relationship with Prince Andre?"
"You've got it wrong!"
Seeing Lyon's suspicion, the disheveled man hurriedly explained, "I have nothing to do with Prince Andre! I'm loyal to King Fain!"
"That's just your word! How can I trust you?"
"I..."
After scratching his head and pondering for a moment, the disheveled man suddenly had an idea. He reached into his chest pocket, took out a pocket watch, opened it, and handed it to Lyon.
"Look! This is a photo of me and King Fain from our graduation at the Second Metal Academy. I've carried it with me all these years!"
"..."
Lyon examined the pocket watch, and inside the lid, he saw a photo of two young men standing side by side, both with bright smiles. He looked up, a hint of doubt in his eyes, and asked, "Is that you in the photo?"
"It's me!"
"Is it?"
"Yes! I was much thinner back then!"
"Alright... Although the photo doesn't prove anything, I'll reluctantly believe you this once."
After reluctantly closing the pocket watch and handing it back, Lyon, with some reluctance, shared their source of information:
"Our source is Princess Felicia, the last survivor of the Corlock Royal Family besides the murderer, Prince Andre."
"..."
Princess Felicia?
Upon hearing Lyon's words, the disheveled man's expression froze momentarily, his pupils suddenly shrinking, and the muscles on both sides of his cheeks twitched involuntarily. He then composed himself and said:
"Is that so... In that case, we should definitely verify this..."
Hmm? Is he doubting me again?
As the disheveled man's soul stirred once more, revealing the murky color of distrust, Lyon's eyebrows lifted slightly. He then asked bluntly:
"What's wrong with Princess Felicia? Why do you look so strange when you hear her name?"
"I..."
He hadn't expected that his brief hesitation would give away his suspicion. The disheveled man was startled, but he persisted, "It's just... I haven't met Princess Felicia much... So..."
"You're lying!"
Lyon interrupted the disheveled man without hesitation and stared at his face, his eyes burning with intensity as he pressed, "What's wrong with Felicia? You'd better explain yourself!"
"This..."
"Mr. Bell, we are Purifiers from the Purification Bureau. If you're truly a friend of King Fain, he might have mentioned us to you."
After briefly explaining the work of the Purifiers, Lyon fixed his gaze on the dishe eyes of the disheveled man, his tone turning slightly cold, "Usually, we don't take action against ordinary people, but to protect the Corlock Kingdom, three of our companions were killed in an explosion yesterday, and two were captured. We still haven't heard from them.
So, our emotions are not very stable right now, and it's hard to guarantee that we won't take it out on others. It's best if you cooperate with our investigation and tell us everything. Otherwise, don't blame us if we use force."
"..."
The disheveled man shivered under Lyon's icy gaze, causing his scalp to tingle.
After stealing a glance at Alger, who stood nearby with a sorrowful expression as if he had truly lost a companion, the disheveled man considered that these two, who claimed to be Purifiers, might not be enemies of the Royal Family. He clenched his teeth and spoke hesitantly:
"It's not that I don't want to be direct, but mainly... Princess Felicia died over a decade ago. How could she possibly be a 'survivor'?"
???
Princess Felicia died over a decade ago?
This time, Lyon and the others were shocked by the disheveled man's revelation.
The emerald-eyed maiden's body was intact, and her soul was vibrant, with no trace of death energy from a wandering spirit. Even Lyon hadn't considered this possibility, but...
After observing the disheveled man's soul and confirming that he was telling the truth—at least, what he believed to be the truth—Lyon's eyebrows furrowed in concern:
"Are you sure? Could it be that King Fain deceived you? Your friendship isn't that deep, so he might not have told you, his friend, the truth."
"Impossible!"
Seeing that Lyon doubted the friendship between him and the old king, the disheveled man became angry:
"I've seen that child! She suddenly fell ill on her twelfth birthday and died not long after.
Fain adored his daughter, Felicia. When she passed away, he didn't even bring a single guard with him. He rushed out of the palace in the middle of the night and came to my home, where he cried for a long time. This incident is definitely not a lie!"
(End of Chapter)
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