"I-I'll talk!" a man with a scar on his face shouted. "Spare me!"
"Look at you—screaming like a girl." Lyall sneered. "Were you hoping that someone would hear you? Sorry to disappoint you, but no one is coming. But since you annoy me, I'll beat you up a bit more."
"Sto—aargh!"
"No more!"
"I apologize!"
"Ahhh!"
"N-No more. Please!"
The man crumpled on the ground, with blood seeping from the corner of his lips.
A second later, Lyall's foot stepped on the back of the man's hand, further pinning him to the ground.
"Listen—I'll give you only one chance, okay?" Lyall said. "If you lie, I'll smash your head like a watermelon."
Lyall then unceremoniously flipped the man's body using her foot, making him look at her.
Tears and snot were already running down the man's face, making even Conall, who was already used to his sister's antics, shake his head helplessly.
"First, you tell me who your leader is," Lyall asked.
"I-It's Lord Godfrey," the scar-faced man replied. "I serve Lord Godfrey."
"And where does he live?" Lyall inquired.
"The biggest Manor on the 13th Street in the Second Level of the City," the scar-faced man replied.
"So you're also a member of the Blood Fangs?" Lyall crossed her arms over her chest. "What kind of activity does your cult do?"
"H-How did you kno—argh!"
"The one asking questions here is me. You will only answer. Do anything else, and you will get hurt. Understand?"
"F-Forgive me! Have mercy!"
Nicole, who was using a type of magic that let her tell lies from truth, gave Lyall a nod.
Although this magic wasn't perfect, and only relied on the heartbeat and body language of the person, most interrogators still used it because it was better than nothing.
Of course, torture was also an option, which was why Lyall decided to beat the man first before asking questions.
Her strategy was simple.
The only way to make someone with a tight lip talk was to punch them repeatedly until they started talking.
Lyall and Nicole both questioned the man before knocking him out completely.
After that, Lyall tossed the man aside, making him fall onto another man whom they had interrogated earlier.
Nicole then pointed her wand at the man's head, and a silver thread flew out of it before dispersing into particles of light.
"That spell sure is handy," Lyall commented. "Too bad, it can only take out memories that happened half an hour ago."
"Let's go," Nicole replied. "Now I'm starting to understand how big their organization is and how they operate."
"They all give the same answers, so it might be true," Conall commented. "But let's capture one more. If their answers are the same, then we can return to the Airship and wait for everyone to return."
Nicole and Lyall nodded in agreement.
The three then left the deserted alley, leaving the two unconscious men to have a nice nap.
'I just hope that nothing bad happens to Ethan and Hecate,' Nicole thought as she led the way to capture the third person she had cast a tracking spell on.
Although she was a bit worried about Ethan fighting against a Demigod with Hecate, she was a little assured by his promise to contact her through the bracelet he had given her as a gift.
While the First Team was busy interrogating people, Ethan and Hecate stood beside the lake and looked up at the starry sky.
The two of them were chatting casually and talking about random things about the academy.
They could sense the presence of a few people who were hiding in the darkness and paying close attention to them.
Fortunately, none of them seemed to have the intention of making contact with them, and frankly, Ethan preferred it that way.
An hour later, the two of them heard bats screeching, making the two of them exchange a knowing glance with each other.
Both of them pretended like they hadn't heard anything and continued to chat.
But three minutes later, they heard the sound of footsteps headed in their direction.
"Although there is no moon tonight, the stars are exceptionally beautiful." A devilishly handsome man with short blonde hair and blue eyes that glowed faintly in the darkness walked in their direction.
"But their beauty falls short when compared to you, Lady Ethel. If I were given a choice, I'd rather look at your face for eternity, than the stars in the sky."
Ethan and Hecate almost cringed after hearing Godfrey's pick-up lines.
Fortunately, they were able to control their expression and eyed the approaching man with calm expressions on their faces.
"I'm sure you say that to all the ladies, Lord Godfrey," Ethel replied.
"Just call me Godfrey, Lady Ethel," Godfrey replied. "Mentioning my title makes us sound distant."
"But we truly aren't close." Ethel arched an eyebrow.
"For now." Godfrey smiled. "But I'm sure I will be able to close that distance if you give me the chance."
'As if he'll give you a chance,' Hecate thought before putting herself between Ethan and the Vampire Lord. "Don't step any closer, Lord Godfrey. My Mistress doesn't like it when people get too close to her."
"Oh, is that so?" Godfrey stopped two meters away from Hecate, who was standing in front of Ethan. "My apologies. I hope you are not offended, My Lady."
"I'm not," Ethel stated. "So what brings you here this late at night, Lord Godfrey?"
A sigh escaped the Vampire Lord's lips. He had already asked the young beauty to stop adding the word Lord to his name, but it seemed that it wouldn't be happening anytime soon.
"I usually go on late-night strolls around this area," Godrey answered. "Seeing you here to admire this beautiful scenery must be fate."
"Perhaps." Ethel smiled faintly.
"Why do you seem guarded against me, My Lady?" Godfery inquired. "Did I offend you earlier when you were having a tour with Prince Isaac?"
"No," Ethel replied. "But he did say something quite peculiar about you."
"And that is?" Godfrey arched an eyebrow.
When Ethel was about to leave the city, he decided to stay in the restaurant, so he didn't know what they talked about along the way.
"He said you're much older than you appear to be," Ethel said. "He added that maybe you are using some kind of magic to hide your true age."
A chuckle escaped Godfrey's lips before he snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, a wave of power spread in their surroundings, causing Hecate to almost take a fighting stance.
However, Ethan placed his hand over her shoulder, stopping her completely.
"There are many pests around, and I don't want them overhearing our discussion," Godfrey stated. "Please give me a few minutes to clear up the trash."
Snapping his fingers a second time, countless bats attacked the observers who were looking at them from a distance, forcing them to retreat.
Although Ethan and Hecate couldn't hear the screams that were coming from the trees around them, due to Godfrey setting up a soundproof barrier, they could tell that something was happening to the people who had followed them from the Airship.
A few minutes later, a faint smile appeared on Godfrey's face.
"The pests are no longer around," Godfrey said. "Now then, what were you saying to me earlier, Lady Ethel? Something about my age?"
Ethan didn't know if he had stepped on a landmine or not.
But he thought that this was a good opportunity to get to know the Vampire Lord, who was looking at him with an amused smile on his devilishly handsome face. seaʀᴄh thё NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.