" What's your name?" One of the three elders began the interrogation.
" Noah Carter." Noah replied without hesitation. By now he already began to piece together what really was going on. It seemed like the unknown enemy was just as much surprising for them as it was for him.
" What's your real name!?" The second elder shouted, they all believe his peculiar name was a cover.
" Noah Carter." the last elder rushed toward him and punched him on the face. Mera heart trembled seeing him bleed but she had promised not to interfere with their actions. Before her feelings, she had to consider the safety of her people as Cheif of the village.
" Did you sneak in here on purpose? Are you working for the Seracin Army?" Flame emperor was next to ask questions.
Alastair told everyone and even reminisced about their first meeting in that dreaded cave. They found hard to defeat beast, Henwen, that pig headed monster but just as they were about to perish Noah displayed peculiar powers.
Seracin Kingdom used those ferocious beasts to disrupt their nation and him arriving inside that cave mysteriously was also suspicious.
Did he really let those people die just so he could gain his trust? Him acting like he had amnesia could also be part of his plan. He had already talked to others about his strange questions which was probably a ruse to gather more info on their tiny village.
The sorcerer knew better than anyone how valuable this village was, Sablethorns and merchants went to great length to coorporate, even going as far as to put their differences aside just to pillage this village!
Everyone collectively agreed that the unknown army's appearance must be related to him. How else would they explain the emergence of similarities of their weapons?
" No, where is Alastair? Ask him, he should be abke to explain everything." Hearing her father's name out of his mouth infuriated Mera.
Seeing their complicated and disgusted expression, Noah finally realize something must have happened to him. He frantically asked for his whereabouts when Mera stood up to explain," His group was ambushed by some unknown forces. If not for him, he might have already perished."
" Aren't you capable of healing magic?"
" It's not a all purpose cure. When someone comes instantly closed to death, no matter how much treatment they get. It is left to fate of that person survives or not, for now he is unconscious. We don't..." Mera swallowed her next few words not wanting to bring any bad luck.
Noah was shocked to say the least. He begged and pleaded with them that he had nothing to do with the ambush but no one believed him.
Seeing that no one was budging, he asked to let others go. It was his last wish that Mera go and help Tang since she was injured. He didn't really care what happens to him, he wanted those brave kids to live.
After that, the interrogation went no where. Noah knew they wouldn't believe him if he told him where he came from but at the same time he also didn't know how to explain the existence of gunpower in enemy's hands.
No one had heard or even seen these long sticks capable of fast projectile that even threatened master sorcerer if they were caught offguard.
Not to mention the dreaded canon that cut through people's armour like paper. If Alastair hadn't protected other hunters by shielding them, the casualties could be much more severe.
The third elder kept pressing him for answers repeatedly hitting him but Noah shit down completely. His whole face was battered and bruised, even one of his eyes were swollen enough to disrupt his vision regardless of it, he refused to speak.
As a special force veteran, resisting interrogation was a must have skill. In case one was on the brink of breaking, they must find anyway to eliminate themselves so that enemy wouldn't be able to gather any information.
These punches were lightwork compared to what he experienced in training, thinking that these people didn't even know how to torture made him smile a little before he passed out from injuries.
He had been fighting for whole day and was already injured, now his brain shut down to preserve whatever energy he had.
Seeing him collapse on the ground like a potato sack, the elder immediately came to check if he was breathing. He wanted information not his life.
" Should I wake him up? I can use my fire, he wouldn't be able to resist-"
" Leave him be. We will continue this tomorrow morning. For now, I should check my father and other injured individuals." Mera stood up preparing to leave.
Since they didn't have any jails in this village, this bunker type meeting room would become his cage. With his weapons gone and him restrained with thick ropes, he wouldn't be able to escape no matter how hard he tried!
" Are you going to trust his words?" One of the elder asked.
" That's right. We let them to him, what if he already corrupted their mind. Those naive children aren't aware of dangers of oursode world." Another one added.
" So what? Are you going to kill your own people?" Mera exclaimed loudly slapping the table to silence them.
" If you have any better idea, I am all ears. If not, I will treat those kids and lock them for few days. Without their weapons, even if they wanted to they couldn't do anything." Mera look them in the eye with a cold expression.
Right now, she knew she couldn't allow anyone to shake her authority. These elders whom she treated like her second parents, were suppressed by her aura.
Flame emperor also supported Mera's decision. There was no reason for them to subject those kids to his fate, if anything goes wrong he along with his two pupils would be able to subdue them.
While the commotion inside the village lasted well into the night, a similar thing was happening inside the base at the end of the mountain.