CHAPTER 40
Asilia was startled and looked at him. Despite not having the Emperor’s permission, he had barged into the audience chamber.
There was only one person in this empire who could act that way.
Envy Tashion.
When Asilia showed signs of tension, Envy waved his hand dismissively.
“Having a big shot like Adrian de Monic fall into Revila’s hands is definitely a huge gain.”
“…”
“But I don’t understand why someone like him would want to come to Revila.”
Envy said that as he dragged a nearby chair and sat down.
Though his behavior was extremely rude, no one blamed him for it.
Envy handed over some documents — notes from Adrian’s interrogation.
“What he said when he first came to Revila matches exactly with what he’s said until now. Even though you knew he betrayed you, you still accepted him here.”
In other words, Envy was suspicious of Adrian’s claim that he willingly wanted to come to Revila.
That was why Asilia was ordered to personally go and interrogate him.
The goal was to hear him say he didn’t want to come to a place like Revila.
“If, after all this suffering, he still wants to come to Revila, then maybe we really should grant him asylum.”
In the end, since they didn’t know what Adrian was planning, they wanted to keep torturing him until he revealed his true intentions.
“I understand.”
“Even if you lose an arm, it’s fine — just keep him alive. He wants to come here after all. Once the interrogation is over, we can persuade him and put him to work.”
“Yes.”
Asilia immediately showed proper respect to Envy.
Zande seemed like he wanted to talk with Asilia a little longer, but he didn’t show it openly in front of Envy.
“Well, I’ll be leaving now.”
Asilia withdrew, and Envy turned his head to look at Zande.
“Did you notice anything strange?”
To Envy’s question, Zande shook his head.
The fierce vitality he had shown while talking with Asilia was gone. As soon as she disappeared, the Emperor was just an old man.
“Tashion, isn’t it about time we let that kid rest? Hmm?”
“Rest? Who, Restantis?”
Zande nodded.
“Wasn’t the trip to Moria supposed to be a test? At this point, it seems he’s passed it…”
Zande’s question was far too polite to be directed at a subordinate.
At that, Envy lightly tapped Zande’s shoulder, as if to tell him to move aside. Zande sluggishly got up and stepped away from the throne.
Envy sat down naturally in his place.
“We don’t know yet. Whether he really passed or not. What if Restantis and that guy from Moria are plotting some trick?”
“Asilia has already submitted the same report several times. Not a word was different… Can’t we just accept it? He’s my daughter’s man after all…”
Envy made an annoyed face at Zande’s words, and Zande looked away as if intimidated.
“I’ll handle it.”
With Envy’s words, Zande fell silent. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he spoke.
“After this task and the next, he should be able to rest immediately.”
“…!”
“So contact those kids in Hippolios. Tell them we need more mana stones.”
After saying that, Envy stood and pulled back the curtain behind the chair.
A large mana stone was faintly glowing, stained black.
“We’ll need more victims too. Look for more traitors.”
Leaving those words, Envy closed the curtain again and left the audience chamber. Zande quietly lowered his gaze, but muttered while watching Envy’s retreating back.
“Damn bastard.”
His voice held a chilling hostility.
Asilia checked the documents and headed straight for the underground prison.
The place where Adrian was held was the main palace prison of Revila, the hardest to escape from.
“So it wasn’t a baseless rumor that he utterly hates Sir Monic.”
Descending the winding stairs, she found a completely empty prison with only one door firmly shut.
“You’re here!”
“Did you get the message?”
“Yes! Lord Tashion said the rest of the interrogation will be completed by Lord Restantis!”
Asilia nodded and handed over the documents she had received.
“I’ll handle the rest. Those who couldn’t rest should take a break now.”
“R-Really?”
“Is there a problem?”
“But… I heard Adrian de Monic is a very strong general from Moria. Even alone in there…”
Asilia’s face crumpled. After a long sigh, she raised her eyebrows and replied,
“I suppose the one standing before you isn’t a strong general.”
“N-No! That was a slip of the tongue!”
“Go.”
“Yes!”
Asilia opened the prison door, leaving the knight climbing the stairs behind.
And she couldn’t help but frown.
“Are you breathing?”
As soon as she asked, Adrian, who had been hanging his head low, let out a hollow laugh.
“Somehow, I haven’t died yet.”
His heavily sunken voice revealed his poor condition.
His entire body was covered in blood, and his clothes were torn with no intact spots.
“You’ve been made into a bloody mess.”
“I heard Revila’s torture methods are the best in the world… I have to admit that. It hurts like hell but I didn’t pass out.”
“That’s thanks to your strong willpower.”
Adrian gave a bitter laugh.
But for Asilia, all she could do was sigh.
If they tortured him any more in this state, he might really die.
“The upper-ups think you sneaked into Revila to steal something.”
“…Ha. They don’t believe even if I tell the truth.”
“…It’s not really the truth. So we have to find another way. This torture is only pointless.”
The Envy she had seen in the audience chamber wanted to turn Adrian into a Revila knight.
Cretus said there were no knights in Revila who hadn’t been brainwashed. So they would probably try to brainwash Adrian too.
“They might try to break your mind to brainwash you.”
According to Renoir, Asilia was brainwashed on the day she was knighted.
Before the knighting ceremony, there was always a grueling training pushing one to the limit.
Judging from that, the torture Adrian endured was clearly meant to break his mind.
“Do they brainwash exiles too?”
“They will if they become knights of Revila. All knights of Revila are brainwashed, so you can’t escape either.”
Adrian grumbled about having resisted for nothing.
But aside from that, Adrian likely had no strength left to endure anymore.
“So what now? More beating?”
“…Are you good at screaming?”
“…Huh?”
Asilia only pretended to torture inside the prison.
She would hit the wall or pound the floor as if hitting something, and Adrian would scream accordingly.
She also dirtied his face and visible spots so anyone else who came in would think he looked haggard.
She left scabs on his wounds and messed up his hair even more.
“Can I pull out some hair?”
“W-Why would you do that?”
“People under heavy stress from torture sometimes lose hair.”
“Haa…”
Asilia put makeup on Adrian to make him look painful, and forced him to make the most pitiful face possible.
And the most important thing was his eyes.
“Pretend you have no will at all. That’s the most important.”
“Like this?”
“No, those just look sleepy. Make your eyes look like you have no dreams, no hope, no future.”
At Asilia’s explanation, Adrian gave a face like “what on earth is that?”
Then, when she said, “Think of it like the saddest thing in the world just happened one after another,” he seemed to understand.
Two days later.
Envy showed a satisfied expression as he faced Adrian.
“As expected of Lord Restantis. I’m very pleased.”
“You flatter me. But there wasn’t anything notably different from previous reports.”
“Alright, alright. That’s fine.”
Envy left with a satisfied look.
