Chapter 1144: Interrogation
Melgor really wanted to remind the sheeple to be more careful with their words in front of Ren Xiaosu in case they suffered any abuse in the future.
However, he had already promised Ren Xiaosu he would keep it a secret, so he couldn’t remind them directly.
Moreover, something Ren Xiaosu said made a lot of sense. Mox, the guard arranged by the Li clan in York County, and all his subordinates were under the direct command of Qian Weining. The previous attacks by the bandits had proven this point.
Therefore, if even the guards of the Li clan were part of the plan, what about Li Chengguo and Liu Ting?
After all, when Vaduz Cathedral was renovated 60 years ago, only the statues of the Berkeley family’s sorcerers were kept. This showed the Berkeley family already had the intention to rebel since that era.
Over the years, the residents of the six counties in the south began to only acknowledge the “G.o.ds” of the Berkeley family. They had long forgotten about the Normans, Tudors, and the other clans.
The Berkeley family had already spent several decades planning the rebellion, so what was planting two spies around Melgor for two years compared to that? ‘Just look! Li Chengguo and Liu Ting already told everyone you were being targeted by a bounty hunter on your way back to the kingdom as soon as they got home.‘
Thinking of this, Melgor suppressed the urge to remind the two sheeple. He just remarked to them, “He’s a steward while you two are servants. You should be more polite with your words and stop making sarcastic barbs all the time.”
The two sheeple immediately went quiet, but they still felt some resentment, especially Liu Ting.
Melgor said earnestly, “This is for your own good, understand?”
“I was only reminding him since he’s always so undisciplined.” Liu Ting muttered, “Besides, Lord Melgor, does he carry himself like a steward should? Other sorcerers’ stewards used to either be knights or were proper gladiators. But what about Ren Xiaosu? He only knows how to hide behind the carriages every time there’s a bandit attack.”
Ren Xiaosu shot a glance at Liu Ting. “Alright then, I’ll rush out and fight next time, but you’ll have to go with me. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for servants to fight alongside their stewards, right?”
Liu Ting flinched. “Actually, it isn’t that bad to stay behind and hide.”
At this moment, Qian Weining’s guards dragged over two men dressed as bandits from outside the wagon fort.
Ren Xiaosu took a look at them and saw they were dragged in from east of the camp. One of them had an arrow impaled in his thigh, while the other had been shot in his abdomen. It looked like they were enemies who had been injured in the chaotic battle and could not escape.
A guard said to Qian Weining, “Sir, we only found two survivors on the battlefield. You can interrogate them.”
“Well done.” Qian Weining’s eyes lit up. “Drag them outside. You, go and get my dagger from the carriage.”
On this night, Qian Weining had too many questions on his mind. Therefore, he needed to interrogate the captives to get some answers.
After a while, the screams of the captives came from beyond the wagon fort. Although Qian Weining and his men had dragged the two men several hundred meters away to interrogate them, their screams pierced the silence of the night.
At this moment, the two captives were hung up by trade caravan guards separately on two trees. Meanwhile, Qian Weining kept slas.h.i.+ng at one of their bodies with his dagger.
“Who sent you people here?” Qian Weining said coldly.
That man was quite resolute as he sneered and spat at Qian Weining’s face. Fortunately, Qian Weining was agile enough to dodge it.
Qian Weining said lividly, “Not bad, you’re rather tough, eh? Let’s see if you can still be as stubborn when I skin you alive.”
The interrogation methods in the Kingdom of Sorcerers were even more brutal than those in the Central Plains. This interrogation went on until dawn, and the two captives were covered in wounds while their breathing thinned.
Qian Weining sneered as he walked up to one of them and whispered, “Who sent you people here?”
The captive was on the verge of death, so he was not particularly clearheaded anymore. He just glanced at Qian Weining without saying anything.
But to his surprise, Qian Weining placed his ear closer and blocked the other captive’s line of sight with his head. He nodded and pretended like he was listening to the captive say something to him.
After a while, Qian Weining instructed his guards, “Alright, take him away to rest.”
Qian Weining walked over to the other captive with a smile and chuckled, “Your companion has admitted you guys are from the Knights of Tudor.”
The captive hanging from the tree suddenly widened his eyes as he looked in disbelief at where his companion was helped off to. However, he could not see that one of the guards had covered his companion’s mouth with his hand.
Qian Weining smiled and said, “I’ve already arranged for him to get some rest. I can guarantee you on my honor as a knight that as long as you speak, you’ll enjoy the same treatment as him. Don’t think too deeply about it. I’m just a little kind, so I’d like to give you a chance. Besides, it’s more believable if I hear it from two people.”
The captive was silent for ten minutes before saying helplessly, “Yes, we’re from the Knights of Tudor.”
Qian Weining’s heart skipped a beat. He was just bluffing the captive when he mentioned the Knights of Tudor. But after the captive admitted to it, Qian Weining still couldn’t help but feel his heart sink.
Could the Tudor family have found out about this trade caravan’s plans? If he were to continue leading the group north, wouldn’t it be no different from suicide?
However, the other party’s confession might not be truthful, so he still had to continue probing.
Qian Weining thought for a moment and said, “What was your goal in coming here? Don’t you know that we have a lot of people? Why did you only bring so few people? Could it be that your superior was intentionally sending you to your deaths?”
When the captive heard this, he thought of something that made him very angry. He spoke in a louder voice, “How would we know there were so many of you? And judging by your skills, you guys must be elite knights too, right?”
When Qian Weining heard this, he somehow found it a little strange. He wondered, “Wait a minute, you don’t know that we’re knights?”
“Of course not!” The man clenched his teeth and said, “You guys are from the Knights of the Inferno, right? If not, how can you possibly move around freely in the six southern counties in such a large group? But I don’t understand something. Melgor is just a fringe sorcerer, so why would he need so many of you to protect him?!”
“Huh?” Qian Weining was stunned. “You were here to kill Melgor?”
The captive was also stunned. “Who did you think we were trying to kill?”
“Har har.” Qian Weining signaled to a guard behind him. “Take him away and kill him.”
Without even needing to judge, Qian Weining was sure the other party was telling the truth.
The captive roared, “You a.s.sured me on your honor as a knight!”
“I promised that you would receive the same treatment as your companion.” Qian Weining sneered, “He’s dead, so you can go accompany him now.”
Before tonight’s battle, Ren Xiaosu already had a rough idea of the kind of person Qian Weining was. After being hit with the “crying” spell, he could still take advantage of the situation and win people’s hearts. He could only be described as a very conniving person.