Captured Assassin
Angelina seemed to misunderstand the nature of my job. I parleyed and ran small businesses. I’d occasionally smuggle flavouring, make people in the imperial bankrupt and forced people to suicide, but those were part-time jobs. Interrogation wasn’t part of my job description. Plus, I had never interrogated anybody. That was a police officer’s job. I was just your ordinary neighbourhood man.
Interrogation and negotiation were different since the former didn’t necessarily require speaking. The boy that I didn’t classify a man was thrown into a pile of blood as if he was trash after he was bound, leg broken. Although I couldn’t see the look on his face, I could tell how he felt based on his writhing.
Out of nowhere, I felt as though I went back in time. Months ago, when I first arrived in this world, I protected Leah while confounded about the world myself. Subsequently, Veirya dragged me back to the imperial capital and threw me down at Sisi’s feet as if I was a corpse. At the time, I couldn’t even lift my head off the red carpet. I probably resembled the young man in front of me in that I was powerless and toyed with.
I leaned him on a tree branch. Though he had his teeth clamped together, I didn’t think he hated us too much. He didn’t think we’d be cruel. He was merely sad that he failed to complete his mission. Give credit where it’s due: he was a dutiful assassin. I’d be dead if Sisi’s assassin was as dutiful and cautious.
“I won’t beat around the bush. Tell me who sent you and the reason. How much were you paid? Answer my questions, and you may leave.”
I had no patience for an assassination after my life; however, my sympathy and the hope that I’d meet someone nice when I first came to this world calmed my tone down.
Wh-what language… is that? That wasn’t humanity’s language?
It wasn’t similar to the language Sisi’s humans spoke in the slightest. Although I transmigrated here and could understand even the elven language, I couldn’t understand anything he said. Leah clung to my arm, lost for how to proceed. It couldn’t have been the succubi language, then. If I didn’t understand him, he couldn’t have been from any of the places under Sis’s jurisdiction.
I couldn’t rule out the possibility that the mastermind hired assassins from a foreign nation to prevent the assassins from leaking any information. I didn’t know who hired them. Nevertheless, there was one thing I could confirm: the mastermind had connection to a different network of people. In fact, they might even be in contact with foreign militaries. Sisi never forbade bringing weapons in. Else, Sisi would also be a suspect since they didn’t use straight sabres but swords or sabres with a curved edge. Put another way, they imported the weapons from a foreign country.
Who can contact people from foreign countries? If I take Sisi off the list, then only businessmen could. It can’t be Lilia, since she’s at the imperial capital at the moment. She has no opportunities to interact with foreigners. Next on the list would be the businessmen from the South. There’s a war taking place in the South, though. I think I understand why an assassin from a foreign country would come after me now.
If the South’s businessmen sent them, the former must have joined hands with the indigenous people, helping fund their activities and providing their service. I’m Queen Sisi’s favoured vassal and the highest authority for the colony. Their goal is to intimidate. The businessmen are looking to offer something to express their loyalty as they defect. Sisi’s South is in jeopardy. Actually, ‘done for’ is a better description. Still, this is only my inference. I don’t even know if I’m just making this all up,
“Can you understand what I’m saying? You understand me?”
He shut his eyes on me.
I didn’t know if what he said before was even pertinent. I only had experience negotiating and conversing with people who could understand me.
“How can I get him to speak?” I asked myself.
Angelina came over to report, “We’ve cleared the road. We stripped the corpses, beheaded them and then skewered them on wooden stumps. I think it looks nice. In addition, I caught a girl. Let’s sell her to the succubi. I hope she lasts for a while.”
“Don’t touch her, or I’ll kill you!” roared the boy.
Recoiling, I spun back to the boy: “You can understand our language and speak it?”
“No, I think they speak the South’s language. I don’t know how you can understand them,” said Angelina, motioning puzzlement with her brows.
I stepped back and watched the boy struggle.
“How much did the South’s businessmen pay you to die? If I’m correct, they sent you, didn’t they? Unfortunately for you, you’ve fallen for their lies. You’ll never find anyone as hard to assassinate as me in the empire. I have people capable of slaying the Demon King with me. You want to kill me? Buy a brain with your salary. Those businessmen have duped you and your leader.”
“H-how did you know?! H-have we been betrayed?! We’ve been betrayed, haven’t we?! How else would you know?!!”
“Oh, that? There’s no need to be paranoid. Your people were quite loyal. I didn’t actually know anything. I made that all up; I just ran out of ideas to continue. But, hey, you admitted to it.”
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