We bound all of them and put them in cells, using the shackles to block their mana. The hooded man had not gone blind from the pepper rounds, fortunately, though his face was badly bruised where the shots had landed.
The store's hidden modification feature continued to impress me. A standard firearm cannot cycle between pepper rounds, metal shot, and normal bullets. Mine could. The system was quietly adjusting my equipment to function in this world without drawing the wrong kind of attention.
We swept the entire base from corner to corner. I pocketed every monster core I came across. The princess stayed with me while Rivena searched alongside Veyra. Veyra was cooperating without being asked, which told me she was keeping the possibility of our earlier conversation open.
[FIRST QUEST COMPLETED. RECEIVED 250 COINS AND 50 BOND POINTS.]
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: CONTRACT MAKING]
Skill: Contract Making
Type: Authority / Binding
Description: Allows the user to create magically enforced contracts between two or more parties. Once signed, the contract becomes binding under the system's authority. All participants must follow the stated conditions, rewards, and penalties without exception.
"What are you staring at?" the princess said.
"Nothing. Just thinking."
"What was that weapon you used? I have never seen anything like it."
"It is called a gun. I carry it mainly for defense. The rounds are made of compressed pepper that burst on impact. If it catches someone in the eyes, they are blind for fifteen to thirty minutes."
"Show me."
I swapped the magazine to standard rounds and handed it to her, stepping behind her and raising her hand into position.
"This is the trigger. Pull it back and it fires."
She shot twice before handing it back.
"Can it kill someone?"
"Not the one I carry. It can injure badly, but it is not built to kill."
"Where would someone find one that does?"
"Nowhere. This one was made by me and only exists in my hands. Even if you took it, you could not replicate it."
[THE PRINCESS'S TRUST IN YOU HAS INCREASED. YOU HAVE GAINED 10 BOND POINTS.]
I smiled. "What will you do about your brother? He is royalty. Will the court simply let him walk free?"
"Most likely. The royal court will use the pastor or Joseph as a scapegoat and he will go unpunished. But if my father returns before the judgement is passed, the outcome changes."
"I am thinking of something. Can you trust me one more time?"
She smiled. "I trust you. But you need to show results."
"On that note, can I keep the S-rank monster core?"
"Consider it your reward for today."
While the princess made arrangements to transport the prisoners to the mansion, where they would be held until someone from the capital arrived, I asked Veyra to come with me to the cells.
Valthor's comment about Kierra had been sitting in the back of my mind since he said it. My tolerance for that kind of talk is generally high. But there are lines.
I entered the cell holding the pastor, Joseph, and the hooded man and started with Joseph.
"Well, Joseph. How are you finding your new accommodation?"
"Release us immediately!" The anger in his voice was real, but so was the fear underneath it.
I looked at my right wrist, slid the slave bracelet off, and threw it into his face. "This piece of trash does not work."
The shock that crossed his face was total. "Impossible. I tested it on Maren myself. Four years. She was completely obedient. Four years and it never failed."
This piece of filth.
"Maren called you brother. Is she actually your sister?"
"Yes. My only family."
"Then explain to me how you enslaved your own blood and abused her for four years to chase a legacy."
"You are the one who knows nothing. I did what was necessary to revive my family. If you had not interfered, her downfall would have become the foundation of our resurrection."
There was not a trace of remorse in him.
"Tell me how to free her from the enslavement."
Silence.
"You are not leaving this room until you answer me. Unless you would prefer I help you along."
He smiled, slow and unpleasant. "Why do you care so much for her? Did she sleep with you?"
I had heard enough. I grabbed his leg, pulled him flat onto the floor, and used Anatomical Insight to locate the densest cluster of nerves across his abdomen. Then I pulled out the taser and aimed it precisely.
"Last chance, Joseph."
"You cannot touch me. I am royalty under Arkenfall law."
I fired.
The sound he made was not a word.
I stopped after five seconds. "Speak."
He did not. I fired again.
This continued until he answered.
The pastor needed no convincing at all. The moment he understood what was happening in the next cell, he gave up everything he knew without being asked. The hooded man said nothing regardless of what I tried. I left him alone.
What they gave me filled in the gaps. The church in this city had no officially appointed pastor. The position had been vacant for years. He had stepped into the role as a disguise, using the building to run an intelligence network and a black market simultaneously. Valthor had provided cover and protection to keep the facade intact. The head nun at the church was also involved.
As for Joseph and Maren, they were both royalty of the fallen house of Duskmere, destroyed by the current king of Arkenfall, Aldric, for the family's involvement in dark arts and organized criminal activity. The two siblings had been spared on the grounds that they had no direct involvement in the family's operations. Joseph had taken it upon himself to change that, pouring everything into rebuilding the family name and reviving its lost arts.
Now for Valthor.
I walked into his cell and looked around with something close to appreciation.
"Well, Valthor. How are you finding your new house? I suggest you get comfortable with these walls. They will be your only company for quite some time."
"We will see about that."
"Yes." I reached into my pocket and held up the slave bracelet. "Joseph was quite generous with his knowledge once properly motivated. Let us see how a man who trades in other people's freedom handles wearing it himself."