Chapter 515: Interrogation (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 515: Interrogation (2)
The attack by Belmoras that took place in Avalon.
After barely managing to repel them, I was able to absorb some of their memories through Tam.
And within those memories was a piece of information so shocking it was hard to believe.
The three archmages, known as humanity's last bastion.
The fact that one of them, the Lord of the White Magic Tower, also known as the Witch of the Snowfield, was a collaborator with Belmoras.
The shock of it kept me up for nights on end.
Archmages are, without exception, monsters who defy common sense.
Even so, each of them has a specialized field. Duke Winchester, the archmage of Britain, was generally considered an all-rounder.
The proof was in the endless stream of requests, worth hundreds of billions of pounds, that countries sent his way for matters other than Gate raids.
In other words, he was a specialist who dabbled in nearly every field.
But that also meant he was a step behind the other archmages when it came to combat.
The White Tower Lord, on the other hand, was recognized for her martial prowess and, along with Mac Damon, the Lord of the Black Magic Tower, was called the strongest in all of humanity.
For one of those monsters to have sided with demon worshippers was one of the worst-case scenarios humanity could imagine.
The only silver lining was that the White Tower Lord hadn't made a contract with a demon like the other worshippers.
It was merely a cooperative relationship.
That was why I had approached this trip to Russia with such grim determination.
If I could somehow change her mind, humanity would be able to avoid one of the great disasters awaiting it in the future.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the fate of humanity rested in my hands.
Fortunately, I had a way to break through this situation.
This was thanks to the generous executives of Belmoras, whose memories were full of useful information.
If I hadn't had a solid plan in the first place, I never would have asked the Tower Lord to her face, "Why did you betray us?”
I'm not suicidal, after all.
Truthfully, I wanted to say it sooner, but I needed time to steel my resolve.
You only get one life.
But I finally decided that dragging it out any longer wouldn't help, so I went for it. And this was the result.
“...I think I'm getting frostbite.”
Trapped in an ice prison, sharp icicles surrounded my neck like a bomb collar.
Drip—
A trickle of blood ran down from the tip of an icicle.
I forced a smile, but my whole body was already drenched in a cold sweat.
I didn't need anyone to tell me that one slip of the tongue would mean bidding farewell to this world. I could feel it all too clearly.
“...How did you know that?”
“If I tell you the truth, will you listen to what I have to say—”
Press—
Before I could finish, a pure white icicle dug into my neck.
Deep enough that just a little more would reach my carotid artery.
“Stop playing games and answer the question.”
The atmosphere was utterly murderous. I swallowed dryly.
“...It's information I obtained from the Belmoras executives I dealt with in Avalon.”
“A lie. There's no way they would have given up information. Even under intense torture, the demon would—”
“I can absorb memories from corpses.”
This was already a gamble.
A single, all-or-nothing bet with everything I had.
The moment I tried to hold back my chips, I'd fall right off the cliff.
“It's because of your daughter, isn't it? The reason you joined hands with those demon worshippers.”
“...”
Hearing my words, the Tower Lord's eyes began to tremble violently.
For the record, as far as I knew, the Tower Lord had never once been involved in a dating scandal.
Despite the world's super-rich and famous celebrities passionately courting her, captivated by her beauty, none had ever succeeded.
Furthermore, rumor had it that she didn't just turn them down; she would drive them away with a barrage of cold-hearted insults.
Something about several men developing PTSD-induced erectile dysfunction?
In any case, the news that such a woman had a daughter was something I was hearing for the first time in my life.
If this fact were to become public, the entire world would be in an uproar, but that wasn't what was important right now.
“I already know that you joined them to lift the curse on your daughter.”
I looked into the Tower Lord's eyes, which were now trembling so much her hands shook, and continued in a low voice.
“The Devil's Brand.”
“?!!”
In that instant, the flow of the Tower Lord's magic power, which filled the workshop, became unstable.
It was so unstable that I could probably even attempt a counter-spell right now.
“That... How did you...”
“I told you. I saw their memories.”
The icicles digging into my nape made the area around my neck sting, but I forced a relaxed smile.
“...Psychometry? No, they would have had countermeasures for that... Then do you really have the ability to absorb memories from a corpse...?”
The Tower Lord narrowed her fine brow and bit her lip.
It seemed she had a lot on her mind.
Then again, it would be stranger if she wasn't fazed in a situation like this.
“For the record, no one else knows this, so you can rest easy.”
“...”
In that moment, the Tower Lord's expression crumbled.
An anxiousness I had never seen before was laid bare.
Her previous composure had vanished without a trace. As she looked at me with anxious eyes, her lips trembling, she was no different from any timid young girl you might find anywhere.
Parents can be infinitely strong when it comes to their children, but at the same time, they are beings who can crumble more easily than anyone.
There was even a case of a businessman who took his own life at the demand of his child's kidnapper.
“...Why did you tell me the truth? I have the option of killing you right now to silence you.”
“To live.”
“...What?”
Beyond the line of death lies the path to life.
This time, I couldn't help but deeply empathize with those words.
“I already know that you promised to hand over your soul to them in exchange for saving your daughter.”
What would happen to humanity if a great demon, having obtained the soul of an archmage, were to descend upon this land?
That being would surely become a great conflagration, burning not only humanity but the entire planet.
I instinctively sensed that I had reached a critical turning point.
The person before me was not only a devoted parent willing to give up her own soul to save her daughter, but also a future calamity that would soon threaten all of humanity.
“...You asked why I told you the truth?”
Hoo—
I took a short breath internally and forced the corners of my mouth up.
It was a kind of bluff, meant to encourage myself and solidify my resolve.
After a calm pause, I slowly opened my mouth.
“I will save your daughter.”
*
Twenty-three years ago.
Near Moscow, a group of demon worshippers conducted a summoning ritual, and as a result, a demon actually appeared in the world.
Fortunately, it wasn't the demon's main body that descended, but the creature summoned in exchange for thousands of souls—hunters, mages, and children—was absurdly powerful.
Not only were dozens of hunters killed, including three of Russia's S-rank hunters, but a city near Moscow was left in a state of near-total annihilation.
The casualties numbered in the tens of thousands, and the property damage was beyond estimation.
The person who defeated that demon was none other than the White Tower Lord.
Not only did she slay the demon that was about to attack Moscow in a single blow, but she also achieved the feat of hunting down and eradicating the demon worshippers behind it.
The Holy See even issued an official statement expressing its deep gratitude for this event.
Up to this point, it might have seemed like a happy ending, but a tragic epilogue awaited the Tower Lord behind the scenes.
—How dare a mere human...!!!
Andras, the Marquis of Discord, who had descended upon Russia.
Just before his annihilation, he left a terrible curse for the Tower Lord.
The Devil's Brand.
A curse of death that would never fade.
However, Andras's target was not the Tower Lord herself.
He knew that in his incomplete state of descent, it was impossible to brand an archmage like her with a curse.
—I curse your bloodline!!! You will curse your own powerlessness as you listen to the screams of your child, who will writhe for eternity in the flames of hell!!!
The target of Andras's curse was none other than the Tower Lord's daughter.
Of course, no one besides the Tower Lord herself knew she had a daughter, but that didn't matter to Andras.
To a demon, humans are no different from monkeys.
And it was only natural for a beast to bear offspring.
As a result, the worst possible curse, one that no one could ever lift, was branded upon the Tower Lord's only daughter.
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“Excuse me.”
Following the Tower Lord into her mansion, Kang Hyun-woo glanced around.
“There's no one here, so there's no need for formalities.”
The Tower Lord shot Kang Hyun-woo a sideways glance before turning her head and walking deeper into the mansion.
Just as she'd said, the mansion was utterly deserted.
From the moment I stepped onto the estate grounds, I hadn't sensed a single person.
'Is there really no one here?'
Kang Hyun-woo tilted his head.
To manage a mansion of this size, you would need at least four or five servants.
For a moment, he thought she might not have hired anyone in order to hide her daughter's existence, but he quickly shook his head.
There was no way someone of the Tower Lord's stature couldn't hire a few tight-lipped people.
She could even force them into a contract to ensure their silence.
'Does she prefer to live alone? Or maybe she cleans it herself... No, probably not.'
Just looking at the windowsill, he could see a thick layer of dust.
Besides, considering the Tower Lord's packed schedule, she wouldn't have time for things like cleaning.
“...This is the room.”
While Kang Hyun-woo was lost in thought, the Tower Lord stopped in front of a door at the end of the second-floor hallway.
The area around the door showed clear signs of frequent use.
The slightly worn floor, the hand-stained doorknob, the minutely misaligned doorframe.
Even in this vast mansion, this was the place that had seen the most human touch.
Creeak—
As she slowly turned the doorknob, the Tower Lord's expression was fraught with tension.
Her fingertips were tense as the door opened cautiously.
The scene inside the room, revealed beyond the open door, was decorated with a cute and stylish interior that a young woman would love, yet it didn't clash with the mansion's classic atmosphere.
'It's huge. It must be almost a thousand square feet.'
As Kang Hyun-woo looked around, his gaze stopped on the large canopy bed in the middle of the room.
Swish—
He followed the Tower Lord to the bed and carefully drew back the curtain.
There, a woman who bore a striking resemblance to the Tower Lord was sleeping soundly.