Chapter 151: Listen to My Explanation
"Listen to yourself! What kind of talk is that?"
Haxor's brow was knit in a deep scowl. "If the Verden Ambassador is absent from the investigation into the Rombach massacre, will it not compromise the credibility of the findings?"
"Since when has an investigation ever convinced everyone?"
Arthur spoke with a touch of exasperation at the man's idealism. "Even if you lay every shred of evidence out on the table, the Verdeners aren't going to admit a thing."
"Mr. Dayne makes a fair point, though I assure you, few men can keep a secret once they've met the Shadowblades."
The clerk standing to Haxor's right let out a soft chuckle. She stepped forward, offering her hand to Arthur. "Candice. Shadowblade. You seem to possess an unusual amount of confidence in our organization."
Arthur noted that Haxor didn't look the least bit surprised when Candice spoke—it was likely he had known his colleague's true identity all along.
He took her hand briefly, realizing she was actually quite young. Her features weren't plain; she had simply gone to great lengths to appear unremarkable.
"Heh. The last time I dealt with a conspiracy like this, I handed it off to the Blue Stripes. Call it a habit of thought."
Arthur was telling the truth. Dealing with a mastermind like Corve was headache enough. Interrogations were best left to the professionals; he was perfectly content to just cut down anyone foolish enough to get in his way.
Candice withdrew her hand with crisp efficiency, a professional—though not insincere—smile playing on her lips. "I appreciate the trust. I won't let you down. As of now, this man is officially in my custody."
With that, Candice twisted the Ambassador's arm behind his back and began to lead him out.
"You're really taking him to a Shadowblade cell just like that?"
"That girl's got some fire in her!"
Borch was staring intently at Candice's retreating figure, a faint glint of appreciation in his eyes.
Arthur nodded subconsciously. He had expected her to call for a squad of soldiers to escort the prisoner. He hadn't realized that beneath her well-tailored clothes, she possessed such raw physical strength.
"If justice is not sought through just means, how can we expect a just result?" Haxor sighed, shaking his head as he followed them out into the night.
"That fellow is a bit of a stickler," Borch yawned, finally issuing a dismissal. "It's late. We should conserve our strength." He mimicked Haxor's tone, swaying his head. "If a worker is not in his best state, how can he produce the best results?"
The Great Lazy Dragon strikes again...
Arthur wanted to retort, but the voices of Saskia and the others were already drifting up from downstairs. Mousesack leaned on his oak staff and stood up, addressing Arthur.
"I have a rough idea of how to efficiently purge the foreign magic from a subject's mind. However, to be certain, I'll need more subjects for testing."
"That won't be a problem. Once the investigation gets underway, we're bound to find plenty of them," Arthur said. He wasn't worried about complications. In high-profile international investigations like this, the "answers" were usually written long before the "test" began. The real challenge was managing the power struggle between factions to ensure the facts aligned with the desired outcome.
It was foreseeable that as the investigation neared its end, many victims—whether they liked it or not—would "voluntarily" receive Mousesack's help. And once the spell to rapidly purge the mind-control was perfected, that would be the signal for the truth to surface.
"Haah... and I need more sleep before I can figure out how to translate my draconic vision into a spell for you humans," Borch yawned, flopping toward the bed like a wet rag.
But a second later, he felt himself go weightless. Arthur had hauled him back up by the collar.
"What are you doing?" Borch grumbled.
"What you just said," Arthur commanded. "Repeat it!"
Arthur hauled Borch back up, completely unfazed by the dragon's sour tone.
"...I need more sleep..."
"Not that sentence, the one after!"
"That I need to develop a spell humans can use?"
"Not that either!" Arthur slapped his thigh in excitement. "You just used a specific term: Magic Vision. What is that?"
Borch shoved Arthur away, hissing through his teeth in pain. "If you're so excited, slap your own damn leg!"
Arthur, needing a favor from the dragon, immediately changed tactics. He offered a wide, pleading smile and began to massage Borch's leg. "Don't be like that. Calm down and tell me—what's this Magic Vision all about?"
As he was kneading the muscle, he suddenly felt Borch's body go rigid. The atmosphere in the room turned deathly silent.
Arthur turned his head. There stood Maria and Saskia, hand in hand, staring at the scene from the doorway with looks of utter bewilderment.
"...It's not what it looks like..."
The moment Borch spoke, Arthur felt his heart drop into his stomach.
Saskia immediately yanked her hand free from Maria's grip and sprinted between the two men. She threw her arms out, shielding Borch. "Leave my father alone! His scales aren't worth anything!"
Arthur wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow, feeling his reputation teetering on a very narrow ledge. "I have no intention of skinning your father. I just wanted to study the Draconic Magic Vision..."
"Oh, that? I can help you with that."
Saskia shoved Borch aside and sat down on the edge of the bed with casual ease. She opened her eyes wide, and right before Arthur's gaze, her pupils shifted into brilliant, golden vertical slits.
Vrummm—
Perhaps it was because the young dragon had deliberately amplified the magical fluctuations, or perhaps it was simply because they were so close. Whatever the cause, the moment Arthur locked eyes with those golden slits, his scalp began to prickle and itch with an unbearable intensity. It felt as if he were about to be struck by lightning at any second.
"Are you observing the magic within my mind?" Arthur couldn't help but ask.
"I am," Saskia replied. But a heartbeat later, the prickling on his scalp vanished, replaced by a stinging itch centered on his chest.
"Now you're looking at the magic in my chest?"
This time, the sensation vanished entirely. Saskia's eyes returned to their normal shape, and she circled Arthur, looking him up and down with genuine surprise. "You can actually perceive where I'm directing my focus? No wonder you sensed my hostility earlier."
Arthur nodded. "My sensitivity to magic is quite high. Could you manifest the Magic Vision once more? I'm very close to grasping its underlying logic."
Saskia, however, suddenly turned uncooperative. "This vision carries a heavy burden. That's enough for today."
Arthur looked puzzled. "Borch said it was effortless when he used it. Why is it so—"
"I'm still a fledgling!" Saskia snapped. "I can't be compared to a fully grown dragon like my father!"
But even as she spoke, Arthur received a telepathic signal from her:
[Now is not the time for magic! Haven't you noticed? Sister Maria's gaze has been... peculiar ever since she walked in!]