Yuder watched them in silence.
If they truly believed death was better, they wouldn't speak like this. Those who took on dangerous missions, prepared to face death if captured, typically carried poison or signed an oath that would trigger instant death upon capture.
'Those who carry neither poison nor sign oaths sure do talk big,'
He had his own methods for dealing with such people. For those too afraid to end their own lives, the best tactic was to instill fear by playing on their imagination.
As Yuder moved to draw his sword without a word, Nahan, who had been quietly observing, placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait. Let me handle this."
"And what exactly will you do?"
"You're trying to make them compliant, aren't you? That's my area of expertise. Plus, I've got my own personal score to settle with them."
Nahan's gaze briefly flicked to the boy hiding behind him and then to the prisoners bound before them. The emphasis he placed on the word "imagination" reminded Yuder of Nahan's power.
'Using illusion powers for interrogation?'
Suddenly intrigued, Yuder nodded and stepped aside.
"Fine."
"I promise I'll be quicker."
As Nahan stepped forward, taking Yuder's place, the Warden's scarred face twisted in a mixture of fear and revulsion.
"You… What are you?"
"I'm an ally. And I'm here to avenge my brother."
"Brother? You mean that mute kid?"
The Warden's eyes darted nervously toward the boy hiding behind Nahan.
'Mute?'
Yuder had assumed the boy was simply terrified, his silence a product of fear. But could it be that he truly couldn't speak? As Yuder glanced at him again, the boy flinched and quickly averted his gaze.
'Hmm, I didn't mean to scare him...'
Just as Yuder was about to say something to the boy, a sudden outburst came from behind him.
"Ah, I get it now. You lot are here to rescue those locked-up bastards, aren't you? Yeah, I've heard rumors about madmen like you lately...ugh!"
Before he could finish his sentence, the Warden let out a scream and collapsed to the side, as if struck by an invisible force. The faces of the others bound with him twisted in fear at the same time.
"Warden…?"
"Wait! Stop! Don't come any closer! What is this? What's happening? No! No, no!"
The Warden thrashed and shrieked at the empty air, his wide eyes darting around in terror. He seemed oblivious to anyone trying to speak to him.
'What's going on? There's nothing there.'
Yuder, confused, looked at the empty space where the Warden's attention was fixed. Then his eyes moved to Nahan, who stood calmly observing the Warden's panicked state. Nahan's lips curled into a faint, cruel smile, and from the faint ripple of energy emanating from his fingertips, Yuder knew he was using his illusion powers.
The Warden's screams echoed without pause, his sanity quickly slipping away. Gradually, any trace of composure vanished from his face.
In the end, he soiled himself, trembling uncontrollably, unable to muster any coherent words. He twitched, muttering nonsense into the void, drenched in the stench of urine. His appearance was the very image of madness.
"Please, please... make it stop. I made a mistake. Uh.. I…Ugh..aaaah!"
The grotesque display gripped everyone in the room with terror. Even those who had faced Yuder and Nahan with defiant resolve moments earlier were now panting in fear, unable to meet their gaze.
The most profound fear often stems not from personal experience but from witnessing someone else's suffering and imagining it might happen to you. Yuder recognized that Nahan understood this deeply and wielded it with precision.
'I wonder what they were doing before this. But I can guess.'
Yuder's gaze lingered on Nahan's eyes, cold and calculating behind his smile. What sort of illusion was Nahan showing the Warden? Though Yuder had no real desire to know, the timing—right when the Warden had begun to speak—bothered him.
'But there's something else bothering me more right now...'
Yuder discreetly glanced at his hand. Between the slightly exposed sleeves of his crossed arms, he noticed his wrist turning a faint shade of violet. Dark spots were creeping up his skin, extending above the edge of his black glove.
'I hadn't thought too much about using my power, but I didn't expect this.'
Until now, the spots had never been painful, but now there was a persistent needle-like tingling sensation running from just above his elbow to his hand. Flexing his fist did nothing to relieve it.
'I can't remove my clothes to check how far it's spread... but if the pain matches the spread of the spots, it's likely reached just above my elbow.'
His mind drifted to Kishiar's warning. The Commander had said that the elbow marked the limit for effective treatment. Even with the red gem Kishiar had given him,properly kept in his pocket, designed to slow the spread, the spots had progressed.
'When it reached my elbow, the pain started. I wonder what will happen if it spreads further.'
While curiosity tugged at him, Yuder wasn't eager to find out more. He took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his fist once again.
'I should minimize my power usage from now on.'
As Yuder examined his arm, Nahan continued ruthlessly applying his illusion to the others. The sight of captives scattered around—some bashing their heads against the ground, others breaking their own fingers while crying and groaning—was nothing short of hellish.
"That's enough," Yuder finally said. "I only need one of them conscious to answer my questions."
"It's not enough yet," Nahan murmured, standing before a man who was sobbing as he tore at his own hair.
"You volunteered to help. If you want to play, do it elsewhere. I'm busy."
"Cold-hearted, aren't you? Fine."
With a casual gesture, Nahan directed his power toward a man collapsed at his feet, banging his head against the ground and pleading for mercy. Yuder belatedly realized that this man was the Warden.
Though only a brief moment had passed, the Warden looked as if he had aged decades. His skin, drenched in sweat, was now wrinkled with exhaustion, his eyes bulging as if on the brink of madness. His hair had gone half-white, giving him the appearance of a man far older than he was.
"Now," Nahan said coldly, "answer this man's question."
"Mercy... mercy..."
'This is serious,'
He had experienced countless tortures in his past life and had taken many lives. But this... This was the first time he had witnessed something that could so swiftly and utterly break a person's mind.
Until now, Yuder had regarded illusionary powers as less threatening, but for the first time, a cautious respect for their potential began to settle in his mind.
The Warden's condition was nothing short of pitiful.
"Apeto family's Warden. Can you hear me?" Yuder's voice was as rigid and cold as ever.
The Warden's trembling eyes finally focused on him, just barely.
"Ah... Apeto..."
"Yes. You are the Warden of the Apeto family, correct? Answer me."
"Y-yes... yes."
The Warden nodded hastily, his head bobbing like a puppet on strings.
"Your name. What is your name?"
"Ah, ah, Alban. My name is Alban."
"Good, Alban. Now, what were you doing here?"
The Warden, who had once been defiant and threatening, had lost every trace of bravado. Grateful for Yuder's questioning, he sobbed like a child and began spilling everything.
'As I thought, it's not much different from what I deduced after talking to Devran,'
The Warden explained that they had been dispatched from the east to expand the Apeto family's influence. But two years ago, they also started abducting Awakeners—individuals with special abilities who were being ostracized in nearby regions—along with mercenary Awakeners sent from the main house.
After torturing the captives enough to break their spirits, they made them sign an oath to work for the Apeto family and then sent them to the main house. Their job ended there.
"And what happens to the Awakeners sent to the main house?" Yuder asked.
"They... I'm not sure... but I heard they're... researched."
"Researched?"
"Th-the priests... They stay there and conduct research. There are many people in the main house connected to the temple... The Apeto family has traditionally sent many children to the Sun God temple... So, the temple... we contact them once a week... and visit... once a month... even now..."
As the Warden rambled on, including parts Yuder hadn't asked about, Yuder focused on the words 'priests' and 'research.'
"Did you hear what kind of research they're conducting?"
"Th-that..." The Warden's face twisted in pain as he struggled to breathe. "I-I don't know... but..."
"Speak."
Nahan, standing beside him, coldly commanded. The Warden stiffened for a moment, but then, trembling with fear, opened his mouth. Tears streamed down his face, his eyes rolling wildly as if he were losing his sanity.
"Aah... They're trying to make them... give birth... Research...!"
"Give birth?"
"A special, special child... Aaah!"
At that moment, the Warden let out a piercing scream. This time, it wasn't because of Nahan's illusions. Blood gushed from his eyes, nose, and ears, and in an instant, he collapsed lifeless to the ground.
A heavy silence followed as they stared at the body.
'I thought he hadn't sworn an oath of secrecy, but it seems he had,' Yuder thought, gazing coldly at the Warden's corpse.
'Research to create a special child? What could that mean?'
"...Wake the next person. We need to ask again."