Chapter 132 132: Escape And Capture [Pt2]



The man woke up slowly. He was not sure where he was but he did remember someone knocking him out and then picking him up. He needed to be careful of his surroundings and make sure he was safe before waking up-

"Oh, so you have woken up already? There is no need for you to hide like that. We can feel the change in your heartbeat as well as breathing pattern."

The blond elf of the group pointed out and the captive opened his eyes to look at her. He instantly recognized her from the group which he had tried to avoid and run away from.

It seemed like somehow the man had ended up returning to where he had run away from. And now he was sweating because of this reason.

'Hmm, seems like a big problem. But wait! Who is carrying me right now? I can see everyone in the group walking behind me.'

The captive man could feel a strong shoulder carrying him but he had no recollection of any such person being in the group.

"Well, now that you are awake, should I put you down? We do need to ask you a lot of questions and depending on your answer, we may or may not let you live."

The captive gulped down his saliva in fear and took a final look at the group. It did not seem like they were lying to him or trying to scare him. It genuinely seemed as if they were making an everyday conversation. And that was the scary part for him.

"Shinzou put him down now. It is time for us to start questioning him."

The man who had been carrying the captive instantly dropped him down and the captive landed on his butt. He caressed it to make it feel better but the pain did not go away. If anything, it seemed to increase.

'Ouch. I am sure I inured some important part of my body during the fall.'

The captive flinched as he stood up. He looked at the group in front of him and his brain flashed with some kind of knowledge.

'Hey, these people sure do look a lot like the people from the guild. Especially the one in the middle. He looks so much like the grandmaster's described appearance that my mind blanked. But surely that is not-'

"It does not seem like this person is interested in answering us, Grandmaster. Should I make it so that he is never able to speak again in his life?"

The man who looked too much like Master Shinzou spoke those words. What was worse? He looked completely serious while he spoke.

And it was at this moment that the captive decided he needed to beg for his life. He could not allow himself to be killed off so easily.

"I-I am sorry. H-Hey, listen to me before you make any decision. I am not a bad or harmful person. I am here from the government's side because government officials were worried about this place. You cannot kill me off."

The captive suddenly spoke up, highlighting his importance in front of everyone else. He looked a little more confident after everyone went quiet when he spoke.

He knew that guild had an on-and-off relationship with the government that caused both sides to avoid each other as much as they could. But they still respected each other and-

"Grandmaster, forget about interrogation. Allow me to kill this man right here and now for sullying our ears with that annoying voice."

Master Shinzou took a 360-degree mood as soon as he heard that the person in front of them was from the government office and not from any information agency.

There was a story here that Keith was missing. And unfortunately, he did not have enough time (or privacy) to ask Clair to clarify for him. He would have to navigate this situation all on his own.

"Everyone, calm down and listen to me. You, (pointing to the prisoner) need to explain who you are in a better manner if you want to live. Master Shinzou, Master Fushi, please stand down for now."

Both masters looked disappointed at Keith's words but they did back down once they heard Keith's orders. But there was still a disinterest in his voice.

The 'so-called' government official gulped in fear as he faced Keith's eyes. He was too scared and regretful for having accepted this mission. But it was not like he had any other choice when this mission had been brought up.

He had been in urgent need of money so he had taken this job. But he did not know he would run into the grandmaster and his minions along the way.

"Hurry up kid. We do not have the whole day to sit here and listen to you speak. We have much more important work to be doing right now."

Shimi stepped forward with her harsh words and bad temperament. She looked beautiful only on the outside while her insides were a mess. And that was when the government agent broke down.

"M-My name is Nufort Adams. You can look up my ID and social security number. S-See, I am harmless."

Nufort tried hard to make himself seem as harmless as he could. He knew that his identity was kind of pathetic so he was hoping that he would be let go once he submitted it for inspection.

Master Shinzou snatched his identity card out of his hands and looked at the card with a blank expression. For a second, nothing happened and no one replied.

But then, Master Shinzou frowned and tore the card apart. Nufort could always get a new one but he did not want to part ways with his only current card.

"H-Hey, what are you doing?"

Nufort asked as he watched his card being destroyed in front of his eyes. 

"If you want us to trust you, then try not to bring up that you are from the government's side. We will trust you, for now. But that does not mean you can be lax and allow yourself to grow lax in your duties. Make sure you carry your weight."

Master Fushi was the one who explained it all. Out of everyone, she was the one most calm and non-judgmental when it came to people. 

So being the pillar of reason, it was clear to see why she had been chosen to explain it all to the man in front of them.

Nufort was sitting in front of them with his jaw hanging on the ground. He could not believe what had just happened but it must not be a dream because he could still feel the pain in his body.

'I-I am alive. I am allowed to live for now.'

Nufort considered himself as lucky that he was allowed to live right now. He was so happy that he allowed his worried expression to fall.

A genuine smile broke out on his face as he looked at the people in front of him. They had been such a big help to him that Nufort could not even explain it all.

"Before you get all sappy on us, remember that we are not doing this because we care about you or anything. It will get a lot more annoying if we killed a government official without notice is all."

Master Shinzou ended the conversation right then and there. But the man he had been talking to did not seem to care much about it. 

Nufort was just happy to be alive and have companions to travel with within this forest. He had not expected to have something like this when he had first started this mission.

He caressed the promising ring on his finger, now suddenly a lot more helpful than before. He would not make his fiancé cry because of his death.

"Oi, hurry up and start walking. And you better also tell us what the government found out about this place. If you left anything out of your report then you will not be allowed to return it. Now, are we clear on this now?"

Master Fushi asked the question and the man stiffened suddenly. The pressure that was being emitted out of nowhere was too much and Nufort was afraid that he would die if he spoke unnecessarily.

It had been no wonder that all his seniors had indeed up running away with horrifying stories about the guild alliance. These people were too scared to be real.

"A-Ah, yes. I do have something I needed to tell you people about this mission. You see, the government was not going to interfere in this situation unnecessarily but then there were too many reports of people missing."

"And then a passing official reposted spotting a Fenrir beast in the making and the government could no longer ignore this situation. According to research, the only thing this all could be leading up to is the creation of an artificial god. That is what the government believes in."