Haalfrin Being Gentle

The next moment, the previously pristine baron's manor has transformed into a bloody hell. Unconscious or dead servants are draped disgracefully all over the floor and furniture, the guards' corpses litter the ground, and their blood is splattered all over the walls and floor like some macabre painting a demon drew for fun.

Given the plethora of bandits he's killed over these months, yet the little room he has to store weapons, Haalfrin only has a few weapons to give to his Wills.

… As a result of Haalfrin's weapon shortage, scores of kitchen knives are impaled in the walls and lodged in the guard's skulls, as all the bandit Wills in Haalfrin's soul had flown to the kitchen and armed themselves.

Further into the eerily silent mansion, there are only two voices to be heard; one is the voice of the baron himself, squealing like a stuck pig, and the other is Hanalee freaking out at Haalfrin, shouting, "Put him down! We can't do this! This is reckless!"

Haalfrin completely ignores her while he fills up a tub with magic, then boils the water with a spell. Borin's arms are both broken and his mouth is gagged, so he can't cast any spells right now.

Helpless and screaming in fear, Borin is hoisted up by the back of his neck, and his head is shoved into the boiling water.

Hanalee grimaces in fear as she sees her comrade ruthlessly boil the man's skin off his face – completely ignoring the man's frantic screams gurgling up from beneath the water, along with his flailing limbs.

Just as Borin is about to drown, Haalfrin pulls his head back out of the water. The baron coughs out some water and screams out, "I'll tell you everything!"

Haalfrin cruelly stomps on the man's leg, forcing him to the ground and breaking a bone at the same time. "I haven't given you permission to speak yet!" Haalfrin growls as he plunges the baron's face into the boiling water again.

After Haalfrin nearly kills the baron several times out of anger, the baron himself is about to pass out from despair. Being in such agony, he doesn't even have the heart to think of a lie, like he was originally planning on doing.

…Once the baron's will is completely broken, Haalfrin finally yanks the baron out of the tub and flops the man onto the ground. He splats on the floor like a soggy sop of bread.

Stomping his boot onto the baron's head, Haalfrin growls, "I know you've been into smuggling this whole time. I couldn't care less before. I mean, I used to dabble in that as well, back when I was younger. Now slave trading, old boy... When did you get brave enough to do such a thing while I'm still here?"

The baron is weeping in despair and pain right now, and he nearly passes out again when Haalfrin kicks him in the ribs. Haalfrin then forces a healing potion down his throat, and the man is back to full health… minus the broken bones.

Now that the baron can speak clearly again, Haalfrin addresses him, "Now, little piggy. You're going to squeal for me - I mean - tell me everything you know... right now."

Haalfrin holds up his hand and motions to Hanalee behind him. She doesn't react immediately as she's still pretty shaken after seeing how brutal Haalfrin can really be.

"Write down everything the baron says," Haalfrin orders.

While Hanalee is taking down all the pertinent information, Haalfrin sits back and analyzes what he just did.

In retrospect, he could've used his Death Aura to intimidate the coward into submission… "but if I had to be honest with myself, I'd say I just wanted to hurt this man… It's been a LONG time since I've felt straightforward malice in my heart."

One of the things the baron confesses is that there are 5 2nd gate mages in this criminal syndicate. The baron also knows a bit of their personal information, but not much.

Kirst, Gruda, Falkri, Halban, and Rist are the 5 chairmen of the Algori Syndicate. Apparently, Alagori is a mix between the Names Alasta and Gorima – the two kingdoms' border this syndicate straddles.

Among the 5 "equal shareholders", only 3 of them are 2nd gate mages – Kirst, Falkri, and Halban. (The other 2 2nd Gate mages are agents kept in the neighboring country, so they're out of the equation for now.)

Gruda is an old crone who doesn't participate in battle anymore. Halban is a middle-aged man with a lot of combat experience. Falkri prefers assassination. Rist is pretty average as a fighter, and Krist is the boss, as well as the strongest fighter here.

Some of the more personal information the baron blurts out is that Gruda never had a family, Falkri and Halban are womanizers who spend all their free time hooking up with women, and Rist is only interested in booze.

Kirst, on the other hand, has apparently been offered women many times by the baron, but he always turns him down with the same excuse. "I got a girl back home, so I don't sleep around."

As Hanalee is writing this down, she wonders aloud, "What's the point in finding out about their personal lives like this?"

"Because," Haalfrin answers, "I might need to know who has loved ones I can hold hostage if the need arrives. Frankly, people tend to make mistakes when their loved ones are in danger…"

"…" Hanalee has no words for this.

After Haalfrin's questionable statement, he turns his attention back to the prone Baron Borin. "Now, baron," Haalfrin orders, "It's time to officially come clean."

"But I just did!" the man protests.

"No, no," Haalfrin corrects him, "I'm saying that you need to write and sign a few confession letters yourself. It should say something like, 'My poor soul is burdened with sin, and my delicate feelings can't take it anymore. I've decided to come clean with the law."

Haalfrin feels a little bit of his Kareen Raider self come out as he grins evilly down at the baron, "…And as for your letter to Kirst and your other friends, you're also going to add in your confession letter something like, 'I've also gotten Haalfrin to protect me, so don't even think about trying to assassinate me. Otherwise, I'll let slip your private information out to the royal family." - something like that.

Realizing he's about to be forced to make himself a target for these underhanded criminals, the baron squirms about unwillingly on the floor.

Haalfrin manages to motivate him to finish the letters as instructed by reassuring him, "Hanalee is right about one thing; it'd be troublesome to kill you. Don't worry. I'll protect you from Kirst and his gang… if you cooperate."

The baron looks at Haalfrin and asks, "How do I know you're not going to kill me once I do what you want?"

"Easy," Haalfrin offers, "I'm a reasonable man. I know that once you tip off the syndicate, you'll have no more choice but to depend on me. To betray me when an angry organization is trying to kill you AND when I have evidence against you in my hands… Isn't having a baron in my pocket more useful than a dead baron?"

Borin looks down and thinks this makes a lot of sense.

And so, the baron climbs up onto his feet on weary limbs, and he drags himself over to his desk. Complying with Haalfrin and trusting his promise is his only route to escape death by now, so he knows he has to do it.

As Borin is meticulously writing his letter to the syndicate, Haalfrin looks over his shoulder and criticizes it. "Start the letter over! It doesn't feel genuine enough. You have to give a good reason to the bandits about why you had a change of heart."

Haalfrin looks up in contemplation for a moment. "Hmm… On top of some more sappy emotions… How about you found out you were terminally ill, and you wanted to free your conscience before you pass away… Yeah, that's a realistic reason to suddenly have a change in heart."

Borin takes this suggestion, and he studiously finishes his 3 letters – one for the criminal friends, one for the royal court, and one for Haalfrin's own safekeeping.

As Haalfrin turns to leave, the baron is left shaking on the ground, calling out, "But… Kirst will come for me! What about your promise!?"

Haalfrin pauses in his footsteps, and he turns back around. With a friendly look on his face, he consoles the man, "Don't worry! They'll never kill you! I promise."

Then, without hesitation, Haalfrin draws his sword and then beheads the man.

"!!!" ~ Hanalee

Haalfrin notices Hanalee's look of horror on her face, and he shrugs, "What? I didn't lie."

"But you just tortured THEN murdered a noble! We're going to be executed for this!"

The young mage laughs lightly at this. "And? Once these letters are delivered, Kirst and his men will be blamed for murdering the baron, as the royal courts will have clear evidence of their ties together, as well as a clear motive for the criminals murdering the baron. We're perfectly clear. If anything, I can just claim to have failed to protect the baron."

Hanalee sighs and chooses to give up. This hill is not one she's willing to die on, so she chooses to keep her mouth shut.