Chapter 80
“I am innocent, Your Highness! I knew nothing about the living dragon’s bones, and as you know, stabbing you was truly a mistake!”
“Simply claiming ignorance won’t resolve this matter, Antonio.”
Though Antonio, bound at his hands and feet, strained his neck as he proclaimed his innocence, Hendrick, who had already accepted the living dragon’s bones as evidence, remained coldly unmoved.
“We confirmed that ten bones were carved out from Elena’s corpse. And as Aira Chandler claimed, such items haven’t been circulating in the black market for quite some time.”
The torches flickered ominously, burning through the damp, humid air characteristic of the underground. From behind the special prison bars that nullified dragon magic, Sian quietly observed the interrogation process, her silhouette casting dark shadows in the red torchlight.
“The only way for you to reduce your punishment even slightly is to confess what you’ve done and seek clemency. The missing Dragon King’s bones, the dagger used in the stabbing—given the circumstances, the punishment for the Dragon King’s assassination will fall entirely on you.”
Hendrick didn’t seem to be threatening or trying to provoke fear. His calm, utterly cold voice, devoid of any inflection, instead dramatically heightened Antonio’s terror as he lay bound and helpless.
“Only the royal family knows the maze-like path to the Dragon King’s nest, and I don’t believe you could have carved out bones while the Dragon King was alive. There must be an accomplice who revealed the maze’s path and assisted in killing the Dragon King.”
Hendrick sat in a chair quite far from the soldiers surrounding Antonio. Carl stood beside him, observing in the capacity of a witness.
There must surely be a separate place for interrogations. Nevertheless, Sian knew that conducting the interrogation beyond her detention area was a consideration for her benefit.
“…There’s no one, no one at all. How many times must I say it before you’ll believe me? How could I, who was chosen by the dragon and received His Majesty’s grace to enjoy so much, ever think of harming Elena?”
Though they hadn’t expected him to confess readily, Hendrick rubbed his temple at Antonio’s parrot-like responses, which were exactly as anticipated.
“Assassinating the Dragon King is equivalent to assassinating His Majesty. You’ll be torn limb from limb, and everyone associated with you will be exterminated.”
“Everything is merely the claim of that black dragon’s master! Your Highness, how can you trust the words of that ruthless black dragon’s master more than mine!”
“The black dragon’s master merely submitted evidence. I believe in revealed evidence rather than words.”
Hendrick spoke coldly, lowering his eyes before fixing Antonio with a direct stare. His ordinarily sea-colored eyes suddenly flashed golden, gleaming sharply.
“—!”
In the vast underground space without windows where air shouldn’t stir, Antonio’s hair whipped about. Purple energy swirled and enveloped Antonio’s body. Recognizing what it was, Antonio writhed in terror. It was Nathan’s magic.
The magic constraining Antonio was sharp enough for even the nearby soldiers to feel it disturbing the air. The purple energy seemed to brush under Antonio’s chin, and blood soon seeped out.
“Since you appear unwilling to confess voluntarily, I’ll give you some time to reconsider. If you continue to claim innocence despite clear evidence, we’ll have no choice but to use harsher methods.”
His still-even tone made it feel all the more merciless. The dragon magic Hendrick wielded became like blades, grazing Antonio’s shoulders, arms, and legs.
Unlike the magic that cut his skin, the purple energy that touched Antonio’s body merely tore his clothes slightly. Nevertheless, Antonio started as if his limbs had been severed.
“Next time, your limbs will be severed, Antonio.”
It was a terrifying threat, made more so by its composure. Looking at Hendrick’s unwavering expression with trembling eyes, Antonio realized he was serious. With a frightened gasp, Antonio drew in a deep breath.
“Your Highness, Your Highness! Please spare me! I only provided that person with status and a little help!”
The purple energy swirling fiercely around Antonio suddenly stopped moving.
“That person?”
“Revenant! I don’t know their family name! One day, they approached me, saying they would give me power and authority when I was being looked down upon for my commoner origins!”
Hendrick and Carl, who already knew the true identity of the woman who had settled in as his wife, accepted Antonio’s confession without surprise, having only needed his admission.
“That person carried a single-edged sword shrouded in black energy. I had no choice, with their threats and that strange sword that dragons couldn’t resist…”
“So you’re saying you were threatened into marrying a dragon hunter.”
Hendrick calmly asked. Finally realizing that he had known all the facts, Antonio gaped at Hendrick with his mouth hanging open. His terrified eyes trembled like they’d encountered a storm.
“You… you knew?”
“You’ve only just noticed?”
Hendrick twisted his lips in a sardonic smile.
“Through the dragon hunter Revenant, you already knew that Carl’s fiancée was the master of the black dragon. Conversely, did you not think Carl would also know her identity?”
Hendrick snorted. Antonio, too frightened to think straight, had apparently only heard about Sian’s identity from Revenant, without learning anything about her relationship with Carl.
“I had some hopes, but you’re nothing more than a stupid scarecrow, even more so than I thought.”
“Your Highness… Your Highness, then why are you doing this to me? I only entered into a false marriage to give her status to stay in the capital, the Dragon King’s assassination and the fabricated story about Brita being attacked were all that person’s doing! There’s no reason I should suffer like this…!”
“Even if you didn’t directly assassinate the Dragon King, your guilt as an accomplice is already clear. The story you’ve revealed with your own mouth today will be the cornerstone for catching that woman.”
“Please, just spare my life! I’ll lure that woman and make her kneel before Your Highness for judgment…!”
Antonio cried out as if ready to lick Hendrick’s feet. But Hendrick looked at him with disgust, as if watching a worthless rat searching for an escape.
“Send soldiers to Carter’s mansion and capture Mrs. Carter, the dragon hunter Revenant.”
Hendrick ordered the captain of the guards standing behind him.
“I’m different from a dragon hunter who only knows deceit. I don’t need to use you as bait.”
Antonio, who had hoped to find a way to survive by offering himself as bait to lure Revenant, gritted his teeth and trembled in fear at Hendrick’s words.
…This is truly pathetic beyond words.
Carl sighed at how easily the situation was being resolved and looked down the corridor of the underground prison. In a corner of the corridor where red torches flickered ominously, beyond the iron bars, Sian watched the entire interrogation with folded arms, as if it were someone else’s affair.
Though he couldn’t be certain due to the darkness, Carl furrowed his brow slightly at the feeling that their eyes had met. The real problem wasn’t with the dragon hunter.
Should I drag her out by force…? Carl stared at Sian’s figure, sitting quietly in the prison, contemplating as if she had given up.
Unless the ominous prejudice against black dragons was broken, Sian’s words from when she knew nothing were exactly right.
Like morning and night existing in the same world but unable to coexist. People didn’t want a strange world where the sun and moon hung together.
It would have been better if she hadn’t revealed it. Carl swallowed a slight resentment toward Sian, who had boldly revealed her identity at the noble assembly without saying anything to him.
“Well then, we’ll resume the interrogation together after capturing Revenant. Lock him up.”
As Carl was lost in thought while staring beyond the underground corridor, Hendrick spoke as he rose from his seat. The purple magic swirling around Antonio vanished instantly as if it had never existed.
