Soul Retrieval 1
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The black-clad man quickly approached the fountain, his face illuminated by the flames beneath his hood.
The man named Xien continued, "If we don't start such a big fire, the townspeople will quickly discover our actions, and we'll all be exposed to the world. Is that what you want?"
His tone was sharp and biting.
The woman named Carol turned her face away in disgust, not wanting to look at him. "Baldur, hurry up and wrap this up."
The tall black-clad man beside her gave a bitter smile and then stepped in front of the people whose eyes were covered and arms bound.
"Lord Somolet!"
He looked at a slightly overweight man facing him, who had some gray in his hair and was still wearing pajamas.
"Esteemed Lord Somolet, have you considered this carefully? Let me say it again: if you are willing to cooperate with me, I will let you and your family go. Now, can you tell me where that child is hidden?"
The Somolet lord, whose mouth was gagged, could not make a sound, but he shook his head in refusal.
Letting him and his family go? If that were truly the case, why would they set this fire to cover their tracks? These people merely wanted to exploit the last shred of hope within him.
"Well, that's quite unfortunate!"
Baldur waved his hand, and a subordinate immediately stabbed a dagger into a family member behind Somolet.
The stabbed person let out a muffled grunt and quickly lost consciousness.
The sound of the dagger entering flesh and the muffled grunt reached Lord Somolet's ears, making his body tremble, but he showed no other reaction.
"Will you cooperate with us now?"
He shook his head!
Another family member was killed.
"What about now?"
Still shaking his head!
...
In the end, only Lord Somolet was left, trembling and sobbing. Though his mouth was gagged, he still managed to make a whimpering sound.
Baldur clicked his tongue.
"Lord Somolet, I truly did not expect you to be so loyal to the D'Arshi family, even to the point of sacrificing your entire family to keep their secret, even though this secret is not particularly important to the D'Arshi family. Alas!"
He shook his head, seemingly lamenting the fate of the Somolet family.
"But do you think this is worthwhile? Do you think your enormous sacrifice is meaningful? Ha ha!"
"No!"
The tall Baldur stepped forward, effortlessly grabbing Somolet by the collar and lifting him off the ground.
"Your sacrifice is utterly meaningless; you're giving it all for nothing. Even if you keep your mouth shut, we will still find out where that child is."
His tone dripped with mockery. "Even if your mouth doesn't speak, your soul will convey the information to us completely."
Then he leaned in close to Somolet's ear and spoke each word clearly:
"Before magic, there are no secrets!"
Magic?! Even though his eyes were covered, Somolet couldn't help but widen them.
At that moment, screams came from outside the courtyard.
Baldur looked displeased and asked, "What's going on? Didn't we clear out this mansion already?"
A person slowly walked in from the flames. "Some guys broke in from the outside. Don't worry; they've been taken care of."
Then this person clasped their hands in prayer, facing the sky, and loudly proclaimed, "Heavenly Father, taking the lives of these innocent people is a necessary evil; may you forgive us, your guilty lambs."
Xien looked at Carol provocatively. "See! Even with this happening, someone managed to break in. I should make the fire even bigger."
Carol stood still, ignoring him.
Seeing that he hadn't angered her, Xien turned to Baldur and asked, "Boss, should I go out and add more fuel to the fire?"
Baldur shook his head. "No need!"
He tossed Somolet to the feet of the person who had just prayed. "Father, take him to Master Odanel."
Somolet's body rolled twice before coming to a stop at the "Father's" feet.
The "Father" bent down and picked Somolet back up.
"Let's go, sinner."
Baldur instructed the remaining people, "Clean up the courtyard; leave no trace."
...
Near the Somolet mansion, in a hidden basement, Derson Plant watched his mentor quietly sit in the center of a magical array, making the final preparations for casting.
The magical array was composed of many symbols that appeared mysterious to outsiders; they curved and twisted, seeming to have no pattern. However, overall, it could be divided into two symmetrical rectangular sections, each with a blank circular area surrounded by concentric rings of dense symbols in the center.
Derson Plant's mentor, Odanel, sat in one of these circular areas.
He sat cross-legged, hands resting on his knees, breathing at an extremely slow pace, his body motionless except for the rise and fall of his chest and abdomen.
Derson stared at his mentor in the array, expressionless, and said, "This is a rare observational opportunity. Master Odanel doesn't often show his skills in front of others; you should cherish it. Of course, if that group outside gets the intel, we'll have to wait for the next chance."
The person he was speaking to was a young boy whose height barely reached Derson's shoulder.
"Yes, Mr. Plant."
The boy replied, his voice carrying the characteristic raspy quality of a boy going through puberty.
He looked serious, fixated on Master Odanel, even though the latter was just sitting there breathing.
The two remained still, their conversation continuing.
"Mr. Plant."
"Hmm?"
"Why not give a hint to the target for information?"
"The target isn't an ordinary person but a powerful assassin who has served the D'Arshi family for decades. Even if his body isn't as strong as it was in his youth, his willpower must be incredibly strong. For someone like him, suggestions must be made when he's not on guard, and the tasks given must not raise his suspicion. It's nearly impossible to familiarize our people with a killer who remains highly vigilant and extract a secret he would sacrifice his life to keep."
"Then," Andy continued to ask, "why not use brain worms to control him?"
"Brain worms require a long time to erode a person's mind, and we have to complete our task tonight—before the D'Arshi family can react. We simply can't wait. Moreover, brain worms severely damage the target's brain. While the target may be obedient, he could become insane and delirious; in such a case, the information extracted would be difficult to trust."
Derson Plant blinked.
"Thus, my mentor chose this method."
"Soul Retrieval!"
(End of the Chapter)
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