When Tassa regained consciousness, he felt a throbbing pain at the back of his neck.
Damn it, these women really hit hard. He opened his eyes and tried to move, finding his hands tied tightly behind his back and his feet spread apart and bound to two chair legs.
"He's awake," a woman's voice said near him.
"Your name?" Someone walked in front of him and lifted his chin. "I suggest you don't lie, or tomorrow you'll be a floating corpse in the moat."
Tassa blinked. The woman in front of him wore a veil and was completely covered in a robe, clearly not wanting him to see her face.
"Tassa," he answered truthfully, while quietly observing his surroundings.
It was a narrow room filled with dusty plaster statues, some finished and some clearly only half-carved. The accumulated dust had turned the plaster grayish-brown, as if the place had been abandoned for a long time. There were no windows in the room, so he couldn't see the sky or guess the time. The only source of light came from an oil lamp on the wall.
"From Fallen Dragon Ridge to Silverlight City, so tireless," the woman said coldly. "What do you want from us?"
"It's not me who wants you, it's the Mutual Aid Society that wants you."
"What is the Mutual Aid Society?"
"A witch organization like yours. I was commissioned by them to spread the word."
"Nonsense," she said sharply. "I don't know where you heard that name, but the Mutual Aid Society is far away in Seawind County in the East Territory. Do you think we'll believe you just by using a name at random?" The woman drew a bishou from her waist—Tassa realized it was the one he had been using before. "I'm giving you one last chance. Don't test my patience!"
"I'm telling the truth!" he said in a suppressed voice, as if wanting to shout but not daring to, all in one breath. "They originally planned to go to the Endless Mountains to find the Holy Mountain. Now they have not only found the Holy Mountain but also settled down in Border Town. The Symptoms of Demonic Devouring have also disappeared, so they want to rescue more witches. I swear I'm not lying!"
"Then why did they come to you?"
"Because I helped them. When a member of the Mutual Aid Society was besieged by the Church's Judgment Army, I helped her distract the pursuers. Their mentor is called Hakala, and there are also Wendy and Scroll. They asked me to come!"
The masked woman was silent for a moment after listening, then inserted the bishou into her waist and walked behind him. Soon, Tassa heard the two of them whispering.
Fledglings, he thought to himself. These two are quite accurate with their underhanded tactics, but their interrogation skills are completely those of novices.
The worst thing about interrogation is giving only one chance to choose. If you don't get the answer, you easily force the interrogator into a dead end—to kill or not to kill? If you kill, you lose the possibility of obtaining information. If you don't kill, it's equivalent to failing to carry out your own threat. This will seriously damage the interrogator's authority, and the effectiveness of the next threat will also be greatly reduced.
If he were interrogating, he would definitely start by torturing the fingers—cutting off one finger for every lie. That way, even if there was a misjudgment, it wouldn't be a big problem. The threat of always doing what you say will quickly collapse the enemy's mind. People who haven't received professional training can hardly withstand such an interrogation.
He pretended to be frightened and poured out his heart, which made the other party suspicious and at the same time revealed that they had no ability to discern whether he was lying.
And the information about Hakala, the Holy Mountain, and the Mutual Aid Society was all true and reliable, which would further strengthen the persuasiveness of his intelligence.
Before long, the masked woman reappeared in front of him. "When did they arrive in the West Territory?"
"Two or three months before the Month of Demons. After winter ended, they returned to the town and claimed to have found the Holy Mountain."
"How many… are there of them?"
"Forty or so? I'm not too sure. Apart from Hakala, the other witches hardly ever appear," Tassa decided to add a little more bargaining chip. "Have you heard of the Snake Demon Hakala? Her ability is to summon magical snakes. There is one called 'Nothingness' that can quickly eliminate any toxins. I've seen it with my own eyes. It's very magical."
"You're not afraid of witches?" the woman's tone seemed a little puzzled.
"Why should I be afraid? The witches of the Mutual Aid Society are all… beautiful. They're not evil beasts with bared fangs and claws, and they haven't harmed ordinary people. If I were afraid, I wouldn't have run so far to help them spread the word."
"If someone went to Border Town, how would they contact them?"
"Some of them can sense magic. When a witch arrives there, they will naturally be found by them."
"Ghost Shadow, what do you think?" the masked woman looked up behind him.
"I don't know," the witch called Ghost Shadow hesitated. "Why don't we wait for Sister to come back before making a decision? She will definitely know what to do."
"…Alright." She nodded, found a relatively clean chair, and sat down in front of Tassa.
"Who is Sister?"
"The Pathfinder," the masked woman's attitude had softened a lot compared to before, probably because the sentence about not being afraid of witches had touched her deeply. "She will lead us away from here."
"Leave? Go where?"
The other party shook her head, not answering.
"You're not a Silverlight City witch, are you?" Tassa continued to ask. "Your accent doesn't sound like it's from the royal capital. Silverlight City is very close to the royal capital, so the residents here take pride in imitating the royal capital's accent."
She hesitated for a moment. "I… come from the Southern Territory."
Witches from all over the kingdom are gathered here, and they will soon be taken away by the Pathfinder… Tassa thought to himself, there's no doubt that this is another witch organization. They are recruiting companions, just like the Mutual Aid Society did before. But where exactly are they planning to go?
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the room.
"Sister is back!" Ghost Shadow cheered. As the wooden door creaked open, Tassa also held his breath.
"Is he the one who has been spreading the word through underground channels?" the newcomer's voice was mature and steady. "Did you find out anything?"
"What he said seems to be true." The masked woman told her about the interrogation and her own views. "If he hadn't had deep contact with the Mutual Aid Society, he couldn't have known so much."
"Hmm, that's true," she brushed past Tassa and stood in front of him. Unlike the masked woman, she had no concealment on her face. Her long black hair was almost waist-length, and her appearance seemed to be around twenty-five or six years old. What was most striking was her pupils—Tassa noticed that the outer circle of her pupils was actually golden. Even when standing in the backlight, he could clearly see her star-like eyes.
Tassa considered himself to have seen many witches by the side of His Highness, but this woman's appearance was still among the top tier. There was a scar on her left eye that ran through her brow bone and extended down to her cheek. This scar not only did not detract from her beauty, but also added a touch of sternness to her. From the first moment he saw her, Tassa felt that this woman was a complete warrior.
"If the Mutual Aid Society really found the Holy Mountain, they shouldn't have sent someone to spread such news." She shook her head. "This will only alert the Church. If they don't leave Border Town early, I'm afraid they'll be in great trouble."
"Then… what should we do?" Ghost Shadow asked.
"The ship will arrive at midnight tonight, and there are other witches on board, so you must leave." She said without hesitation. "I will escort you onto the ship. As for the Mutual Aid Society…" The black-haired woman glanced at Tassa, who was tied to the chair. "Please help me say hello to Tilly. Tell her that I will arrive a few days later, and maybe I can bring her more companions."
"You're going to Border Town with him?" Ghost Shadow said in surprise. "But what if this is a scam…"
"Then he will only kill himself," she smiled slightly, her words full of confidence.