### Chapter 514: Interrogation
In the darkness of Kankdar, the church prison ship, *Fiery Trial*, affiliated with the Heretic Tribunal, docked at the port. Inside the ship’s cabin, in a narrow, long, and rust-stained corridor, Judge Clifton walked briskly with two attendants following him toward a sealed iron gate at the end of the corridor.
Arriving at the iron gate, Clifton took out the key himself and unlocked it. When the door creaked open, a steel barred gate appeared before him. Behind the bars was a man bound in shackles, dressed in tattered prison garb, covered in small wounds and bl**d, his face marked with horror. He was Kyd, one of the guards of the Adus Envoy Group.
Upon seeing Clifton suddenly appear before him, the imprisoned Kyd’s face turned pale with fear, instinctively shrinking back a bit. Clifton, after giving the prisoner a cold glance, slowly began to speak.
“Hank Kyd, colluding with the Savior Faction heretics to assassinate a member of the Baruch royal family in plain sight. The evidence is irrefutable and witnessed by many. Do you have anything to say…”
Hearing Clifton’s words, Kyd trembled and hurriedly replied, “No, I didn’t want to assassinate anyone! I was controlled! I didn’t know anything at the time; I was somehow controlled while I was sleeping, and only realized what happened when I woke up! Please investigate thoroughly, Your Honor!”
With panic in his voice, Kyd pleaded with Clifton, but Clifton continued, unperturbed.
“Controlled? Heh… Many prisoners attempt to evade their crimes with such claims when they come to us. How many extraordinary abilities exist in this world that can control others at will? You say you were controlled—what evidence do you have? If you can’t provide any, it’s just an excuse!”
“I…”
Listening to Clifton, Kyd desperately wanted to explain, but the words caught in his throat, unsure how to articulate them. Indeed, he had no evidence to prove he wasn’t controlled, and his attempt to assassinate someone was, in the eyes of others, a clear fact.
Seeing Kyd’s helplessness, Clifton’s lips curled into a slight smirk. He stepped forward, pressing the matter further.
“Without evidence, you are colluding with heretical assassins, which is indisputable. You know, as a holy warrior, what the consequences of such collusion are.”
“Colluding with heretics is… a d*ath sentence…” Kyd stuttered, his voice trembling as he looked at the approaching Clifton. Seemingly satisfied with Kyd’s obvious fear, Clifton nodded and continued.
“That’s right. Colluding with heretics is a great blasphemy against the Lord, a crime more severe than colluding with pagans. It is unforgivable, and once convicted, there is no room for rebuttal… I have been granted immediate investigation rights, as well as immediate judgment and execution powers for this trip to Kankdar. This ship, *Fiery Trial*, also has execution capabilities. Kyd, would you like me to take you out now and let you choose your method of execution?”
With a hint of danger in his tone, Clifton spoke to Kyd. While others from the envoy group still needed to be interrogated, Kyd, who made a direct assassination attempt, could be sentenced to d*ath without any trial. Kyd’s life was entirely in Clifton’s hands.
Listening to those words, Kyd’s panic intensified, and he began to tremble uncontrollably, his eyes widening, his expression twisted with fear. The dread of d*ath echoed fiercely within him, and he finally burst out.
“Please spare me, Your Honor! I beg you to spare me! I am not a heretic! I really don’t want to d*e! Please, have mercy! As long as you let me go, I will do anything you ask! I am willing to do anything!”
Under the threat of d*ath, Kyd broke down, his voice choked with tears as he humbly pleaded with Clifton. Clifton, after a feigned moment of contemplation, slowly replied.
“Actually… there is a way for you to live. Although you colluded with heretics and attempted to assassinate a prince, causing the church significant negative impact, your assassination was thwarted in time, and you didn’t commit the act in the end. So, if you cooperate actively with my investigation and make amends for your past actions, there is still a glimmer of hope for you.”
Clifton continued speaking to Kyd. Hearing Clifton’s words, Kyd quickly responded.
“Cooperate… cooperate! I will absolutely cooperate, Your Honor! I will do everything I can to assist your investigation.”
Seeing Kyd’s willingness, Clifton nodded slightly and leaned forward.
“Good, then now, Kyd, tell me about your accomplices. Aside from Prince Mazale, who are your other targets? What is Sister Vania’s position among you corrupted beasts? Was your assassination plan directed by her?”
Clifton bombarded Kyd with questions. Hearing Clifton’s inquiries, Kyd hesitated.
“Sister Vania… um… this…”
“What’s wrong? Are you unwilling to speak? I advise you to be sensible and confess everything you know. So long as others are caught, you can still claim a merit for yourself. You can only ensure your survival by establishing a solid contribution, so I still advise you to think carefully and reveal everything that should be revealed…”
With a meaning-laden tone, Clifton spoke to Kyd. In light of those suggestive words, Kyd’s heart suddenly clarified. He realized Clifton wanted him to bear false witness. Clifton clearly aimed to implicate Vania, but seemed to lack crucial evidence, hence needing Kyd’s testimony.
What Clifton wanted was for Kyd to identify Vania as the mastermind behind everything, regardless of whether or not she had ties to the heretics. As long as he pointed her out, he’d certainly have a shot at getting himself off the hook. If Vania, the supposed leader of their so-called “heretics,” was imprisoned, then he might have some chance to survive based on his contributions!
“Your Honor… if I expose the leader, if I unveil the corruption of the envoy group, will I be saved?” Kyd asked hopefully, and Clifton nodded again.
“Of course.”
“Then… then I will testify… I will confess everything!” Kyd shouted, determined to say what Clifton wanted to hear. Seeing Kyd’s display, Clifton’s lips subtly curved upwards.
“Your Honor, I confess! Our entire envoy group, when we were in Adis, was corrupted by heretics… um…”
Just as Kyd was about to say more, he suddenly froze, his body shaking slightly as his eyes rolled back. After producing an odd sound, he began to tip over. At the critical moment, however, he suddenly straightened up, looking at Clifton with his usual demeanor.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Noticing Kyd’s peculiar behavior, Clifton asked directly. Currently, Kyd looked at Clifton with a silent gaze, then responded, slightly panting.
“Uh… nothing, Your Honor. Please let me continue confessing. WherewasI?”
“You just mentioned the entire envoy group being corrupted by heretics in Adis…” Clifton squinted, reminding Kyd.
“Ah, remembered! Then let’s continue. Yes… we were corrupted by heretics in Adis, and Sister Vania, along with all of us, resisted this vile corruption, battling fiercely against the heretics. We not only repelled them in our beliefs but also physically fought them back! Our conduct even inspired General Shadi of the Revolutionary Army in Adis, prompting him to sever ties with the heretics and return to the Lord’s embrace. Soon, he will declare this uplifting news to all believers of the holy church!”
With a hint of determination amidst his weakness, Kyd spoke candidly to Clifton. Hearing Kyd’s confession, Clifton’s expression darkened, clearly shocked by the unexpected content. Given Kyd’s previous behavior, he shouldn’t have spoken such supposed testimony at this moment.
Suddenly, a glint of golden light flickered in Clifton’s eyes as he gazed sternly at Kyd, his voice harsh as he ordered, “Who controlled you?! Who is behind your actions? Speak up!”
Clifton shouted angrily at Kyd and employed a rapid extraordinary scan to assess Kyd’s body, trying to discern what controlled his actions. However, he couldn’t spot any valuable traces. It seemed Kyd had no external extraordinary ability attached to him.
“Controlled? Heh… Your Honor, I just stated I was controlled during the assassination. You can’t demand evidence, then nonsensically claim I was controlled—where’s your proof? Didn’t you say there aren’t many methods to control others? Are you also just making excuses for your own incompetence?”
“You…”
With clear sarcasm, Kyd retorted to Clifton. Hearing Kyd’s words, Clifton’s rage boiled over, just as he was about to intensify his extraordinary scan, Kyd suddenly collapsed to the side, passed out right before Clifton.
“Open the door! Check him thoroughly! See if there are any extraordinary traces on him; no props, no anomalies should be overlooked!”
Spitting out words, Clifton pointed at the unconscious Kyd and shouted loudly. Following his order, his attendants promptly opened the cell door and began a thorough examination of Kyd’s body while Clifton watched closely.
The inspection lasted quite a while. Kyd was stripped and scrutinized from head to toe. They even checked inside his nostrils and mouth, verifying his abdominal cavity using extraordinary means, yet found no peculiar extraordinary traces or props. There were only his numerous injuries.
After extensively using extraordinary perception, Clifton watched as Kyd was searched for a long time but found nothing useful. Ultimately, he had no choice but to order the search to cease. After securing Kyd back in his prison, he chose to leave. All the while, he furrowed his brow, pondering the prior scene, leaving him immensely puzzled that nothing was found on Kyd.
‘Could it be… that kid truly wasn’t controlled? Did he just pretend to follow my instructions to mock me?
‘Hmph, I initially thought he was an easy target, but he turned out to be as stubborn as the others, and even worse… Is that little nun so captivating? Are these guys willing to d*e to protect her?
‘If that’s the case, then I’ll see how long you can hold out!’
Contemplating this, Clifton quickened his pace, now needing to formulate a plan for tomorrow’s interrogation.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of Kankdar, Doro sat on her hotel balcony, gazing into the distance at the port in the darkness.
“Truly extreme measures, this Judge. Thank goodness he left a way out for those people; otherwise, things would have gotten troublesome.”
While sipping her coffee and admiring the night sky, Doro murmured. At this moment, she was closely monitoring the situation aboard *Fiery Trial*, without using her Small Zombie Puppets, and her observation eyes were those of the guards from the envoy group held captive within, including Kyd.
After the battle at Baruk Palace, the envoy group’s guard corps suffered heavy losses. The only survivor aside from Kyd, who had suspicions of fleeing from battle, was grievously injured and was being treated by Vania.
Due to the likelihood that these individuals would be under Vania’s care for some time, and the presence of possible monitors differing from Vania’s faction among them, Doro had instructed Vania to be cautious when treating these guards, using a method of flesh reconstruction to implant her Puppet Mark within their bodily tissues.
By implanting the Puppet Mark deep within through bl**d vessels or muscle fibers as a part of the healing process, it became exceedingly concealed, often nestled between skin layers, leaving no trace on the surface. Furthermore, it was also undetected in places like the stomach or intestines, where one would usually hide things. While the Puppet Mark had no extraordinary traces when dormant, once activated, Doro could convey the protection of the Veil Ring to the puppet target, allowing the target to achieve extraordinary concealment without carrying any “shadow” items, which would normally be deemed impossible under typical extraordinary circumstances.
Originally, aside from the lightly injured Kyd—whose injuries were almost negligible and did not warrant wasting spirituality to heal—all the other envoy guards were implanted with Doro’s Puppet Marks. On the day of the assassination, while subduing Kyd, Vania, following Doro’s orders, healed his unresolved minor injuries, effectively implanting the Puppet Mark. Thus, when Clifton interrogated Kyd, Doro could see through Kyd’s own perspective what was happening.
When Kyd was tempted by Clifton and appeared to be on the verge of directly accusing Vania and other envoy group members, Doro decisively intervened, transmitting an electric current that instantly stunned the already weak Kyd. With the puppet mark, she swiftly took control of Kyd’s body, helping him craft a loyalist image while diffusing the crisis.
‘Although this crisis has been resolved, the issues remain. As long as those individuals endure torture under the judge, there will eventually come a point when their defenses crumble, and my spirituality is limited; I can’t constantly use my abilities to confront the judge.
‘Therefore, while those individuals can still hold on, my immediate priority is to find the evidence mentioned by Evi to fully dismantle the Tribunal’s suspicions.’
Staring at the moonlit sky, Doro’s expression turned grave. She began to seriously contemplate where to look for the indisputable evidence that could unequivocally refute the biased judge.
After pondering several plans while looking at the moon, she finally fixated on a direction.
“It seems to resolve this current predicament, I must seek out Baruch’s faction…”
…
Ugh… My schedule is in shambles, and I was too tired to write during the day; I ended up sleeping until nearly evening. Apologies for the delay.
Looking at the time, it’s already the end of the month. Tomorrow is the start of a new month. I’ve managed to complete my attendance. My schedule is in disarray, so I’ll take a day off tomorrow to adjust a bit and address my writer’s block; I hope everyone understands. I’ll try to be back the day after tomorrow.
