### Chapter Ten: Conversations in the Cell (Part Two)
After saying that, he stared at me, unblinking.
In that moment, an extremely complex expression flitted across the man’s face—first shock, then confusion, followed by bewilderment, realization, and finally, anger mixed with inexplicable joy. I could almost feel the emotional rollercoaster inside him; it had to be quite a ride.
After a long pause, the man seemed to collect himself.
“Prove it to me,” he said in a low voice, as if suppressing something, or perhaps expecting something.
I didn’t respond. Instead, I raised my pale hands in front of him, fingers dancing. My left hand conjured Dead Smoke, while my right hand ignited with Infernal Fire.
“He… heh hahahaha!”
The contrasting white and red light illuminated the grimy cell and his wildly shaking pupils. He grinned widely, emitting a bizarre, excited laugh as if witnessing a holy spectacle, mumbling, “I see… so that’s how it is… Silvya, Silvya, ah hahaha…”
His laughter echoed through the empty “Special Prison.”
I quickly restrained my power.
Crimson flashed in my eyes as I silently watched him transform from someone suppressing intense turmoil into a progressively deranged figure.
After a moment, his laughter faded.
The Commander’s expression swiftly returned to calm.
“Are you not afraid of me leaking this information? To the Temple Church? Into the Pope’s ears?” he asked, sounding a bit threatening.
“……”
I looked at him, slowly revealing a hint of pity in my gaze.
“Hmph.”
The man seemed unwilling to see that look in my eyes. His expression hardened as he looked away and muttered, “You’re right. If I fall into your hands, I doubt I’ll escape this dark cell alive… even if I do, as a defeated Commander, abandoned by my proud subordinates, what can I possibly do alone, huh?”
He had a certain self-awareness.
Moreover, it seemed like his will to survive was rather weak.
“What about the remaining brothers?” the man asked again.
“Many are dead, and quite a few have fled,” I replied expressionlessly. “When the Northern Army arrived at Moon Mountain Gorge, they scattered like roaches. They couldn’t even organize a decent charge before they were off, many of the survivors are probably trying to blend in with the southern civilians right now, preparing to escape the Empire… before leaving, they might even rob those poor civilians of their last scraps of food.”
My soft-spoken words carried a hint of sarcasm, which the man caught onto.
“d*mn it…”
He clutched his head and cursed softly, whether at the Northern Army or himself, choked emotion lacing his tone.
After a long moment, he raised his head again.
“I want to request something of you.”
His eyes were slightly red, staring at me with a dead look. “Don’t let me d*e in a place like this, okay? At least give me a proper trial; dying on the guillotine is fine by me. I won’t complain. Even in defeat, I’m still a dignified Commander of the Knights.”
It felt as though he was begging me.
But—
“Whether you live or d*e, where you d*e, is not determined by your will,” I said flatly.
His expression froze for a moment.
Then, he instantly became furious: “Nonsense! Even if you gain the throne, you’re still just a bunch of barbaric savages from the North! You have no faith in your hearts—”
“Say what you want.”
I was unfazed by his attitude, still maintaining a calm tone and indifferent expression. “After all, it was you who was duped by the Church, leading the Fourth Knights to d*ath, not me… And by the way, we believe in the Moon, not your old beliefs.”
“I wasn’t duped! I’m not some brainwashed fool!!!”
That statement seemed to step on his tail. The Commander shook the iron bars, echoing with a loud clank, as he shouted in outrage: “d*mn it! Don’t look at me like that! I came here of my own accord! I believe everything the Pope does is correct! You’re just a bunch of dogs of Saint George, a pack of cowardly scoundrels! What do you know? No one can control me but myself—!”
I continued to pityingly observe him.
“Ahhhh! Get out! What are you doing here?! To laugh at my misfortune!? To mock the Church!? Do you think you’ve won!? You damned fool! Since you know everything, why don’t you go check the Holy Wall? Why don’t you go solve the problem!? Who bestowed that power upon you? If not for that power, how could you defeat me!? By what right do you mock me—”
But I hadn’t said a single word yet.
I pursed my lips.
From across the cell, I could practically feel his spittle nearly hitting my face.
“Stop shouting.”
I dug at my ears, my gaze icy. “Or do you think that by yelling here, you can regain your lost knightly dignity?”
As soon as I said that, the Commander indeed fell silent.
Ignoring his murderous, gritted-teeth expression, I continued, “Since you know who I am, you must also know what I’ve done. During the Woodward Forest incident, the ‘evil god’s body’ you spoke of, I killed it. Hmm… I heard there was quite a grand burial in the Holy City for me. What did Angel say to you then? That I perished with the demon?”
“Unfortunately, or perhaps it’s good news for the Church, I’m still alive. And since then, I’ve come to learn about things even more dreadful—the so-called fate plan you all talk about, I only gradually understood then… You get what I’m saying, right?”
I paused, not waiting for his response.
“I didn’t voluntarily join that wretched fate plan. Like those innocent civilians, we were all forced into it. Whether by deceit or temptation, I succeeded as a test subject. But who gave you the right to assume that I’d steadfastly sacrifice myself for a goal that no one even knows what it is, wrapped in countless lies little more than an elaborate façade? Why should I throw my life away for something like that? Do you think that’s acceptable under knightly honor?”
“So, what do you want…”
Faced with my counter-question, the Commander lowered his head.
“Everything about the Church, the fate plan, the disaster you mentioned, what’s up with the Holy Wall, what’s the Mother Deity’s deal, what is Angel doing now, and what’s the situation over at Saint George… tell me everything you know, every last detail,” I stated.
“…Saint George?”
The Commander seemed taken aback, his gaze shifting back to me. “Aren’t you working for him?”
“He doesn’t have that capability.”
I shook my head. “You seem to have misunderstood. I don’t work for anyone. If anything, I was born in Winter City, my father is Duke Skarlick; when it comes to the North-South Royal War, you barged in directly, nearly getting my father killed at the hands of that nun. I work with the Northern Army—taking down you lot was merely incidental.”
“Merely incidental…”
Those harsh words seemed to anger him again.
However, this time, he suppressed his emotions, not raging like before. Instead, he wore a disdainful smirk as he locked eyes with me: “You’ve killed so many of my brothers. By what right can you stand there boldly, demanding I tell you everything you wish to know?”
“By the right I hold over your life.”
I held his gaze, unflinching: “By the right that I might genuinely solve the problems that concern you. After all, I don’t want the Empire to descend into ruin either.”
