NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 256 Hidden Executives Z
Yoko's words were laden with a chilling undertone, sending shivers down the spines of the attackers. The threat of eternal punishment weighed heavily in the air, and they knew that they were at Yoko's mercy.
One of the attackers, a burly man with a scar across his face, attempted to speak despite the gag in his mouth. Yoko gestured for Zero to remove the gag, and he complied, freeing the man's mouth.
"We'll talk," the man said hastily, fear evident in his eyes. "Just please don't do anything to us."
Yoko nodded, her expression remaining stern. "Good choice," she replied. "Now, tell me everything you know about the magic tower, its activities in the city, and anything you think I might find interesting. I’ll go ahead and warn you so please only speak the truth or you’ll suffer unnecessarily."
The attackers, with the exception of the woman, realized that they had no other option, and spilled the information they had. They revealed the tower's clandestine operations in the city, the people involved, and their intentions to assassinate the former Duke Torin while making it look like his people rebelled.
Yoko listened intently, her focus unwavering as the attackers revealed their secrets. The information they shared was invaluable to her but would probably be concerning to Torin. She learned about the magic tower's covert activities in the city, their motives for seeking the assassination of the former Duke, and their back-door dealings with the kingdom of Eoqelon.
"Hmm, so the magic tower intends to assassinate the former Duke Torin?" Yoko repeated, her voice tinged with concern. "And they plan to make it look like his own people rebelled? So they plan to destroy this place."
The burly man with the scar nodded, confirming her understanding. "Yes, that's what they said," he replied. "They believe that eliminating the former duke will create chaos and confusion, making it easier for them to carry out their other plans."
“Other plans? What other plans?” asked Zero as he took off his jacket, revealing a white dress with a black vest.
The woman among the attackers remained silent, but the burly man hesitated before speaking. "We don't know much," he admitted. "Only the magic tower adjudicator would know. We were only sent to protect her. We know nothing, so please release us; we beg you."
Zero rolled up his sleeves as he walked over to the bound woman. “So she’s an adjudicator. Does that mean she is here to investigate and judge the duke?”
The burly man shook his head as he said, “Please, I don’t know her role. We are only low-level guards employed by the tower to protect her.”
Yoko exchanged a knowing look with Zero, understanding that the low-level guards were likely kept in the dark about the adjudicator's true intentions. The situation was becoming more complex by the moment, and Yoko grew in response to this.
"Fine, we won’t kill you for now and will release you as soon as we confirm everything you spoke of was true," Yoko said, no longer interested in the men, so she stared at the silent woman. "So young miss adjudicator I was hoping that you’d save us some time and reveal what you’re here for."
The young woman remained silent as she stared at Yoko and Zero with contempt in her eyes. Zero found this funny and chuckled as he walked over to her, lifted her face to face his, and used his hypnotic eyes to place a simple suggestion that he and Yoko were secret high-level executives of the magic tower.
This adjudicator seemed highly loyal to the magic tower, so rather than waste time unraveling that, it seemed easier to just make her believe they were on the same side. As he did this, Yoko placed the men back to sleep with the lingua she used before.
The young woman’s eyes went dull for a second before regaining their normal shine. She then bowed her head and said, “Magus Zero and Magus Yoko, I deeply apologize for attacking you. I was unaware you were executives. I deserve to die for such a transgression, so allow me to take my life to make amends for these actions.”
“No need. Your sin will be forgiven, but you shall still receive a punishment. Now, report, and we shall decide what punishment you shall receive afterward,” said Zero.
The young woman, now under the influence of Zero's suggestion, complied without hesitation. She recounted everything she knew about the magic tower's plans, their operations in the city, and the true purpose of her mission.
"As an adjudicator, my role is to assess and investigate potential threats to the magic tower," she explained, her voice steady but filled with a mix of fear and loyalty. "I was sent to this city to determine if Duke Torin posed any risks or if he had any alliances that could threaten the tower's interests. Our superiors believed that the former duke still had connections to individuals who sought to challenge the royal family's power, and thus, they saw him as a threat. If the royal family were to fall, the tower would lose their power over Eoqelon."
Yoko and Zero listened intently, taking in every detail of the adjudicator's report. It became clear that the magic tower was driven by a desire to maintain absolute control and eliminate anyone or anything that posed a potential challenge to their authority.
The young woman continued, revealing that the assassination of Duke Torin was only the first step in a larger plan. The tower aimed to create chaos and instability in the city, using it as a smokescreen to carry out more sinister acts across the kingdom and beyond. The specifics of their subsequent actions were known only to higher-ranking members of the tower, and the adjudicator was left in the dark about most of those plans. She did, however, know that they planned to use the citizens in this place as material in a deadly ritual of unknown purpose.
Yoko and Zero exchanged glances, now better understanding the scope of the threat they faced. The situation was more annoying than dangerous. If this plan were to succeed, then they would need to pack up and move to another place, which they wanted to avoid.
Zero then began to spin a tale, "It seems like this mission’s real purpose was to assassinate myself and Yoko, who have hidden ourselves here to conduct a secret experiment. You were used as an unwitting pawn in this endeavor, so we cannot fully blame you; however, you must receive a fitting punishment. Are you ready to receive it?"