Chapter 134: Interrogation
2014-12-19
Author: Floating Tower
After hearing Soren’s words.
A middle-aged man beside him frowned as he examined the corpse. Drow rarely appear in the Frozen Kingdom, and there are no connections to the Underdark here. The Snakehead Whip would be difficult to recognize if it hadn’t been in the Underdark for a long time, as the priests of the Spider Queen rarely engage in combat. The sensation of an eerie pleasure accompanying pain, aside from the Whip Maiden’s followers, could only be evoked by succubi from the Abyss in Soren’s memory.
The Whip Maiden is one of the deities most proficient in using whip-like weapons, only slightly inferior to the Succubus Queen.
The Spider Queen uses the Snakehead Whip solely for tormenting enemies.
Others were still holding a funeral, and the middle-aged woman invited Soren to the Agricultural Goddess’s temple. Ahead was a sizable town, but it was tightly closed off with many guards nearby. A burly man, dressed like a constable, approached. He glanced at Soren and slightly leaned towards the priestess of the Agricultural Goddess, saying, “Priest Tinaer, who is he?”
The middle-aged woman looked at him and slowly replied, “A traveling adventurer; perhaps he can help us. That group of evil degenerates has been becoming increasingly rampant recently, with the number of victims rising to nearly ten. The townsfolk are beginning to panic, and we must put a stop to this madness.”
The constable clearly wanted to say something but swallowed his words.
Since such events began over half a month ago, the constabulary has had no leads, with the victim count rising repeatedly, starting with one person. They managed to cover it up for a while, attributing it to fierce bandits. However, as the victim count rose to two and then three recently, even an idiot could see this was far from a simple murder case. Judging by the condition of the bodies, the injuries don’t resemble those of some crazed serial killer but are more akin to offerings for some dark ritual.
Soren’s gaze swept over him and then briefly lingered on a young man not far behind him. The young man, noticing Soren’s gaze, appeared to evade it somewhat. Although it wasn’t clear why, he seemed a bit guilty. The young man had a thin appearance, brown hair, and brown eyes; he seemed to have some difficulty moving, as if he were slightly disabled.
Soren stopped in his tracks, watching the young man and asking, “Who is he?”
Upon hearing Soren’s inquiry, the young man instinctively took a half-step back, his expression slightly flustered.
The middle-aged woman seemed to notice something, frowning as she said, “He is the blacksmith’s apprentice; one of the victims outside was indeed the blacksmith.”
Soren suddenly reached out and grabbed the young man’s arm, then twisted it and threw him to the ground.
The sudden situation caught everyone off guard; before they could voice their confusion, Soren spoke in a deep voice, “Strip off his clothes.”
Everyone was stunned for a moment, but the middle-aged woman soon solemnly ordered them to act.
“What are you doing!… He’s just an outsider!… How can you let him lay his hands on me!…” The young man was clearly panicking, struggling desperately while shouting, “I didn’t kill anyone!… Everyone knows I can barely move!… How could I have killed Master Kana!… Let alone anyone else!… I’m not the murderer!…”
The constable frowned, his voice low, “Let him go. Kolro is just a poor kid. He has never trained for combat; he couldn’t even defeat a wolf. Among the victims are trained guards. He can’t possibly be the murderer!”
Soren glanced at him, directly loosening his grip on the young man’s arm and slowly stating, “I never said he was the murderer.”
“Strip off his clothes!”
Two guards exchanged glances and began to remove the young man’s clothing, revealing many scars on his back. Others looked on with sympathy, for the young man bore numerous marks indicating he had been beaten frequently. Apprentices in this era held a low status. Soren noticed a scar on his shoulder; it appeared to be from whippings he had endured in the past. The constable’s comment about him being a poor child likely stemmed from awareness of his past tribulations.
However, that was not what Soren was looking for!
He forcibly tore off the young man’s clothing and saw a gruesome scar. The other scars were old, while this one was fresh, likely made within the last month.
Soren pressed the young man down and stepped on his neck, asking in a deep voice, “Has he recently been whipped?”
Whipping.
A common form of punishment used to penalize wrongdoers.
“No.” The answer came from the middle-aged woman, who glanced at the wound and frowned, saying, “No one has been whipped recently; our laws hardly employ whipping.”
Soren withdrew his foot, looking down at the silent young man on the ground, slowly saying, “Don’t tell me you did this to yourself for no reason, especially with a barbed whip!”
“He is a follower of the Whip Maiden.”
“It should be a ritual conducted within the last month; followers of the Whip Maiden have a whipping ritual where they are struck with a barbed metal whip to feel the power of pain and torment. I assume I don’t need to teach you what to do next? Find a way to pry his mouth open and get him to say who the other followers are. The Whip Maiden must have grown her faith here!”
Soren’s expression was cold, completely disregarding the constable’s pale face. He had discovered a lead as soon as he arrived, while they had been busy for half a month without any results, which was frankly a slap in the face!
“Take him away.”
The middle-aged woman’s face was grim. When it came to matters of faith, a priest could become brutal. She said in a low voice, “Interrogate him! Get him to reveal who else has fallen into the evil god’s camp!”
The young man was lifted by two guards. He cast a venomous glare at Soren and the others nearby, before ultimately narrowing his gaze at the middle-aged woman with a grim expression, saying, “You will all die! The Goddess of Torment will arrive and mercilessly torment you all! In the end, she will kill you all! You hypocritical bastards! The demon of false kindness! You vile bitch! You watched my mother die in sickness without extending a hand to save her! You stood by while I was beaten by the blacksmith, indifferent! You self-righteous bastards! I curse you! I curse you all to hell!!!”
Fallen to become a servant of the Goddess of Torment.
The young man had surely undergone some terrible experiences, but unfortunately, Soren had no interest in knowing them.
He didn’t have much sympathy either; he only stated, “Followers of the Goddess of Torment have a strong endurance to pain. I think it would be wise to use some clever means when you interrogate him.”
The middle-aged woman’s expression was ashen as she signaled to a nearby person, then slightly nodded at Soren, saying, “Thank you, adventurer.”
“If it weren’t for you, we might not have discovered so quickly that someone has fallen to this extent.”
She led Soren toward the temple, while the guards dragged the young man away. The constable’s expression fluctuated as he walked over, kicking the young man hard. Since there were indeed followers of the evil god developing their faith here, there certainly wouldn’t be just one; the realization that he, as constable, was unaware of an evil god’s cult would undoubtedly cause his authority to plummet!
Agricultural Temple.
In front of the temple was a fountain, surrounded by pools of water, and plants were planted around it. The walls were carved with many images, and in the center stood a goddess statue with a stunningly beautiful face, wearing a gentle smile and arms outstretched as if to embrace something. A faint glow enveloped the temple, indicating it was a place frequently used for offering rituals. As a deity of strong divine power, the Agricultural Goddess’s domain was thicker with aura than many other deities.
The middle-aged woman had someone bring her a cup of water and gestured for Soren to take a seat.
Soren glanced around and noticed the statues of the River Goddess and the Lake Goddess in the side hall; farmland needs water for irrigation, and these two weaker deities were the Agricultural Goddess’s most important subordinates.
The middle-aged woman looked at him, smiling, “We should receive news soon.”
“I truly appreciate your assistance. If you need it, I can arrange accommodation for you. You look like you’ve traveled long and hard; perhaps you could use some rest here.”
Soren nodded slightly and took a sip from the cup.
The clear water had a hint of sweetness; it was made from holy water, purified through the divine power of the temple.
The foundation of a temple is the result of centuries of accumulation.
The constable indeed did not make them wait long, but the news he brought was not good. His face grim, he entered and slightly bowed, saying, “Priest Tinaer. No matter how we interrogate him, he refuses to speak, only cursing us repeatedly.”
“I believe his mind has been taken over by the evil god!”
The middle-aged priestess’s complexion darkened immediately. She coldly glared at the constable in front of her, slowly saying, “I’m only concerned with the results. I don’t want to hear your incompetent excuses!”
The constable’s expression instantly hardened, and he seemed to want to retort but couldn’t muster the courage.
Officials are not nobles; they are merely selected administrators, and their status is not higher than that of knights, let alone that of a temple’s head priest.
Soren frowned and stood up, slowly saying, “Let me handle this.”
“The Whip Maiden is also a deity of torment. After conducting their rituals, her followers gain some special abilities, making it impossible for many tortures to shatter their spirits. If special means aren’t employed, ordinary interrogation won’t make them speak.”
The middle-aged woman nodded and immediately replied, “I’ll trouble you, Your Excellency.”
“Once this group of degenerates is dealt with, the temple will certainly reward you with the compensation you deserve.”
……………(To be continued ~^~)
