I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 832

Chapter 45: Stabilizing the Troops’ Spirits

The cult’s attack shook the morale of the people, who had just begun to settle down. Witnessing those fanatic cultists transformed into grotesque dragon-like monsters left an indelible scar in any normal person’s heart. Not to mention, they had truly infiltrated the fortress this time, resulting in significant casualties.

However, once the turmoil settled, the red-haired princess in military attire reappeared, personally pushing a group of captured cultists onto the pyre. Watching the wicked cultists turn to ash in the flames transformed the refugees’ fear into wild joy.

“Everyone, don’t worry! The cultists came at me, but their conspiracy has failed. Those who conspired with the dragon clan to endanger the kingdom’s safety will face the same fate as you see right now!”

The princess waved her sleeves, raising her pristine coat with majesty, making even the raging fire seem dim in comparison.

After following Roy for emergency measures and tidying her hair while changing into a new outfit, Charlotte now radiated confidence, enhancing the ridiculousness of the blood-soaked cultists.

Yet, this situation was truly dangerous.

Charlotte knew well that the fortress could react promptly thanks to the clergy detecting the cultists’ flaws during the search and the mages’ aerial spells.

The Gryphon Knights had decent reconnaissance abilities from the air, but they couldn’t identify every refugee flooding in.

Without the reinforcements Roy brought, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Feeling relieved, Charlotte subtly glanced at the young boy beside her before turning back to the crowd, proudly declaring, “Everyone, the fate awaiting these cultists tonight will be the same as that of the dragon clan in the future!”

“You have seen it; my sworn knight and I have proven that the great wyrms are not invincible!”

“Before the Lion King, the dragon clan is merely flying lizards! I promise to drive the dragon kin out of our kingdom and make these invaders pay!”

The long-held fear of the dragon clan in the people’s hearts finally turned to ashes under the princess’s fiery resolve.

“Long live Princess!”

“Long live the Sworn Knight!”

“The dragon clan shall fall, long live the kingdom!”

【Warning! Progress detected in the reverse fate node! Every choice you make will alter destiny. Please choose wisely! Keep it up!】

【Current Reverse Fate Node: Lionheart】

【Empress Serpent Reverse Fate Progress】: 65%

【Reward】: Reverse Fate Point +1, Reputation +5000

【Divinity】: 3.5%

Meanwhile, Roy also welcomed the benefits of progress in the reverse fate node.

A progress of 5% wasn’t much, indicating that the war determining Charlotte’s and the kingdom’s fate was far from over.

However, the 0.5% divinity was incredibly valuable.

Reputation points are akin to divinity; though still far off, each step toward a higher rank is challenging.

——————

The cult’s attack did not demoralize the soldiers but rather ignited the fighting spirit of the entire fortress, drastically different from the despondency before Charlotte’s arrival.

However, for the higher-ups in the fortress, it wasn’t time to rest just yet.

Roy, Charlotte, and Naz arrived together at the dungeon to meet the real beneficiary of this battle.

The leader of the Cult of the Dark Dragon, Claudie.

At this moment, Claudie was no longer menacing. A terrifying, charred sword scar ran from his shoulder down to his chest, deep enough to see bone, with blood mixed with shattered internal organs flowing unceasingly.

He seemed like a dying lizard.

Yet, even so, there was still an unyielding fierceness in his eyes.

“Has he said anything?” Naz asked the two who had previously interrogated Claudie.

Those were the mage and clergy skilled in interrogation.

The mage sweatily replied, “Sorry, Your Highness, this guy hasn’t uttered a word. If we push him further, he might not hold out.”

“And his consciousness has been too deeply tainted; the Holy Light can’t suppress his power, so it will snuff out his life instead,” the young nun shook her head slightly.

“Ha! Even if I die, I won’t betray the great dragon clan, not a single word for you!”

Cultists are notoriously stubborn, making it tough to pry information out of them.

Roy and the others’ expressions darkened.

The red mage responsible for hunting cultists and the clergy skilled in using Holy Light to purify dark god taints were already experts in interrogation, but if even they failed, then things would be troublesome.

“Let’s just go hard. Beat him until he spills, or drag him off to feed to a Gryphon and see if he’s still so cocky!” Charlotte cracked her knuckles, a bit annoyed.

“No, these guys really aren’t afraid of death. Plus, in his condition, he won’t last long before breaking,” Naz paused, then smiled wryly, “Trust me, I’ve tried.”

Roy couldn’t help but feel a thrill inside.

What can I say? They really are one big crazy family when it comes down to it!

Of course, these cultists weren’t exactly deserving of sympathy either. For their cult leader, the life count in his hands must be in the thousands, so torturing him was barely excessive.

But right now, the important thing was the information in his head. If he died, it would be a great loss.

“In that case, how about I give it a try?”

“You interrogate?” Naz blinked in surprise.

Charlotte raised her chin smugly, boasting, “Hmph, don’t underestimate him; my sworn knight is capable of anything!”

Roy stepped into the cell.

Claudie was already bound by the mithril shackles drenched in holy water and had additional explosive runes placed upon him.

Even at Sequence 5, he had completely lost his ability to resist against the imprisonment techniques honed over many years by the Mage Association and the Holy Light Church.

Facing the black-haired young man once again, Claudie’s eyes quivered but then coldly mocked, “Congratulations, filthy False King blood.”

“I don’t know how you stole the noble dragon’s blood, but even you can’t make me submit!”

【Charm】 and 【Bard’s Illusory Song】 both have hypnotic effects, but their duration is quite limited. Moreover, the fanaticism of these believers is generally steadfast; simply relying on these two abilities may not yield enough information.

If he fails, the effectiveness of those two abilities would decrease significantly.

As Roy pondered, he suddenly heard a long-lost feminine voice in his mind.

“Wow, that’s impressive! You actually caught a live cultist?”

“Yeah, now I’m thinking about how to interrogate this guy. Mother, how did you do it back in the day?”

Roy remembered his diary had mentioned this, and now he could directly inquire, so he was too lazy to recall all the details.

“You calling me old makes it sound like I’m ancient…” Loren grumbled, amused. “The Cult of the Dark Dragon is just a bunch of bullies; if you radiate enough pressure, they’ll cave in quickly.”

“Um…”

Roy was a bit dumbfounded.

How strong is strong enough? Claudie already had Sequence 5 strength; how could he possibly submit without being Sequence 4?

The Blade of the First King and Angelic Aria could emit a temporarily high-tier aura of Sequence 4, but he couldn’t use his trump card just for interrogating this guy, right?

“What are you mulling over? Don’t you happen to have what counters him?”

“Huh?”

Loren’s teasing laughter echoed lightly: “The pressure from the Dragon King’s Dragon Might, if you unleash that with full force, even a true pureblood dragon will kneel before you and call you daddy!”