Firearms in a Fantasy World 2

Chapter 228: Interrogation

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

A barbed whip lashed viciously against the prisoner's back.

His clothes were already tattered, revealing the bloodied and mangled flesh beneath.

The cotton stuffing from his clothes had mixed with the torn skin, making it impossible to distinguish between the two, as the blood had soaked his entire back into a horrifying red.

Despite this, the person administering the punishment did not stop, as if the man kneeling on the ground had committed some grave offense against him.

"Useless! Useless! Is this how you repay the Kent family's support?"

Jaius Kent, son of Maltz Kent, was whipping a military officer while cursing angrily, venting his fury.

The officer kneeling on the ground groaned in pain only when he could no longer endure it, but he did not utter a single plea for mercy, knowing that doing so would only bring about even more terrible consequences.

"How could you not keep an eye on just one person? How do you even use your eyes? How does your brain work?"

Jaius continued cursing, the strength of his whipping hand undiminished.

"That's enough, if you keep going, he will actually die."

A deep voice came from behind him. Jaius stopped, turned around, and saw Earl Kent standing behind him.

His father had become increasingly elusive. Jaius's military experience made him very sensitive to someone suddenly appearing behind him. He prided himself on being vigilant, but he hadn't noticed any sound at all just now. When had his father arrived, and how had he managed to stand behind him without being detected?

"Father, I was disciplining this useless man. Hmph, if I were leading troops in the south, this kind of useless person would have been..."

"Enough!"

Earl Kent interrupted his son with a raised hand, directing his gaze at the barely conscious officer. As soon as Jaius stopped, the officer collapsed onto the ground.

"I ask you, did you truly have no knowledge of Henry Fraule's escape?"

The officer took a few breaths and struggled to sit up, his legs still kneeling on the ground.

"My lord... Lord Kent, I truly didn't know."

He replied in a faint voice.

"Before going to bed, I patrolled the dungeon. There was nothing unusual. Viscount Henry had already gone to sleep. But the next morning, he was gone, and the guards said..."

"Enough."

Earl Kent waved his hand, not wanting to hear the same story again, as he had during the previous interrogations.

Henry Fraule had escaped, disappearing without a trace, and none of the guards on duty had noticed anything unusual.

The lock on Henry's cell had been changed by the jailer, who kept the only key with him. There were no signs of forced entry, so it seemed the only possibility was that the jailer had secretly released Henry.

But the bloodied jailer kneeling before him was his own trusted man. He knew this man's background well and the chances of him being connected to Henry were slim to none.

Earl Kent suddenly had a terrifying thought: could Henry Fraule have used some mysterious power to escape? Or could Henry himself be a mage?

Ever since Maltz Kent learned about magic and the existence of the Arcane Society through his contact with Bennett, he began attributing any inexplicable event to mysterious forces.

Earl Kent turned and asked, "Andy, my young friend, do you think this person is telling the truth or lying?"

It was only then that Jaius noticed the little boy named Andy standing behind his father. Like Bennett before him, Andy also came from that mysterious organization. Jaius had been informed of many things by his father.

The young mage standing behind Maltz was trembling slightly, frightened by Jaius's earlier methods of punishment.

Hearing the Earl's question, Andy hastily looked up, saying nervously, "I'm not very skilled at lie detection, but... but I think he might be telling the truth."

"I understand..."

Earl Kent turned to his son, "Jaius, you handle these people as you see fit."

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Jaius's eyes. "Yes, Father."

"These people?"

Andy looked around in confusion, and what he saw made him feel sick.

In the cell next door, there were people lying haphazardly on the ground, their bodies already unrecognizable. Some were as bloodied and mangled as the officer who had just been punished, some had limbs twisted into grotesque shapes, and some had no limbs at all.

These were the dungeon guards. Despite their suffering, there were no groans, perhaps because they no longer had any strength left, or maybe they had become numb to the pain. Only the slight rise and fall of their chests indicated they were still alive.

"Ugh!"

The young mage couldn't hold it in and vomited.

Seeing his reaction, Earl Kent frowned. The Arcane Society—or Bennett—had sent such a naive child to assist him.

Over the past few days, he had come to understand this young mage's personality. Aside from his knowledge of mysterious magic, he was completely like an ordinary child. At first, Earl Kent thought the boy was pretending to act childish to hide his true identity, but later he realized he was mistaken.

Earl Kent felt he was being underestimated. Did the Arcane Society not value him or the Northwest Bay at all? Sending such a child, did they think he was a babysitter?

The only consolation was that Andy was obedient and listened to him. If they had sent a rebellious child, he wouldn't know what to do, considering the boy was a mage and a member of the Arcane Society.

"Andy, my young friend, your mental endurance is too weak. We are here to accomplish great things, and we can't afford to be scared by such scenes."

He patted the young mage on the shoulder.

"But... why treat them like this? It was just one prisoner who escaped. They didn't even neglect their duties, and the prisoner escaped in a way we don't understand."

Andy looked at Earl Kent, fear evident in his eyes. This man was terrifying. How could a normal person do such brutal things? Was it right for him to assist this man?

"No!" The Earl's previously gentle demeanor vanished, startling Andy.

The Earl spoke fiercely, "I only care about results! They were responsible for guarding the dungeon, so they had to ensure the prisoner didn't escape. But now the prisoner has escaped. Any explanation, any excuse is meaningless. They must be punished. Their current state proves they are useless in their positions, and useless people only waste resources."

With that, the Earl walked out.

"Heh heh!" Accompanied by Jaius's chuckle, a cold wind blew, making the young mage shiver.

(End of the Chapter)

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