Chapter 850: Chapter 131 - Running A Company Is Hard, But So Does Being A Father (5)
Now then... shall we begin the interrogation?
I crouched in front of her, my fingers slowly reaching for the knot of the gag. The rough fabric had been digging into the corners of her mouth for hours, maybe more, and when I pulled it free, there was an audible snap of tension releasing. She immediately sucked in a sharp breath, her chest rising and falling as if she’d been starved of air. The sound of her breathing filled the silence between us, heavy and uneven, almost desperate.
"Now then... why don’t you start by telling me your name?"
Her eyes met mine with a cold, sharp glare. Not a single word left her lips.
"Well, I guess you’re not going to say anything, huh?" I leaned back slightly, my voice calm, almost casual, though my gaze stayed fixed on her. "That’s fine, I suppose."
I narrowed my eyes.
The change in the air was instant.
She stiffened, the faint tremor in her shoulders betraying her as my aura bled into the space between us. The temperature seemed to drop, the invisible weight of my presence pressing down on her like a heavy chain wrapped around her chest. I could feel her will waver under it.
This must have been the first time she’d ever felt something like this.
"I’m not the kind of person who enjoys threatening others," I said slowly, my tone even but carrying an edge that cut through the air. "I hate it, in fact... probably because I know I’d despise it happening to me. But you’ve left me with no choice. You infiltrated a major company—one where dozens of women work every single day to feed their families. And you could have put every single one of them at risk."
I tilted my head slightly, letting my voice drop lower. "So now I need to know exactly why you’re here. If you won’t talk willingly, I’ll find a way to make you."
She straightened her back and glared harder, though her voice quivered faintly when she said, "Y-You can’t get anything out of me."
I almost smiled. She still had enough backbone to throw my aura right back at me. Feisty. I liked that.
"I see... is that so?" I murmured, drawing the pause out just long enough to make her uneasy. I tapped my chin like I was genuinely debating something. "You know... I don’t know if I should be telling you this, but—there was another thief who tried sneaking in here before. Luckily, we caught her too. I don’t suppose you know her, do you?"
Her eyes flickered for a brief second.
"The Arachnid Sisters," I said flatly. "One of—if not the—most powerful thief groups in the underworld."
Her eyes went wide. Too wide. It was almost comical, the way shock spread over her face.
The truth was, most people in her position would never expect someone like me to know that name. The underworld didn’t just hand out information like that—it was buried deep, hidden behind layers of blood and trust. You could spend years around it and still know nothing.
But me? I made it my business to know.
"I-It’s impossible! My big sisters would never be caught by you people!" she spat, trying to cling to her pride.
"Oh really?" I tilted my head slightly, a smirk tugging at my lips. "Sorry to disappoint you, but your sister wasn’t exactly difficult to catch. Here, with the Shadows watching, slipping up once is all it takes. You know that better than anyone—after all, you were useless against Bernadette, weren’t you?"
Her jaw clenched, teeth grinding.
Truth was, I hadn’t caught her sister at all. I was bluffing. Sure, we’d had our fair share of thieves trying to slip into Leonamon, but most of them were laughably unprepared. They were dealt with almost instantly.
This one, though... she wasn’t like the others.
She was skilled—no doubt about it. Even without knowing her name, I could tell from the way she moved. The Arachnid Sisters had a signature style—deadly precision, movement as fluid as shadow, and their weapons of choice... strings. Thin, near-invisible threads that could slice, bind, or kill with the elegance of a spider’s web. That’s where their name came from.
They were thieves, yes, but also assassins. Dangerous ones. The kind of people who could vanish without a trace after taking what they wanted.
I’d thought about hiring them once. But in the end, I already had assassins far more loyal—and just as lethal.
"If you’re willing to tell me who hired you," I said after a moment, my voice softer but heavier, "I can let this slide. Hell, I’ll even give you a chance to meet your sister."
She looked straight at me, her hands curling into fists. "T-The Arachnid Sisters swore we’d never reveal our employers, no matter the danger. I won’t break that oath, no matter how much you threaten me!"
"Point taken," I said simply.
That was the mark of a true mercenary—loyalty to the job, above all else.
"What should we do, Master? Shall I kill her?" Bernadette’s voice was calm, but her grip on her blade tightened just enough to catch the light.
"Well, she still has her uses. So put the blade down for now," I told her.
An assassin from the Empire was worth far more alive than dead. Information from there was scarce—and she might just be the thread that unraveled something bigger.
I left her there, locking the door behind me. She’d stay a prisoner... for now.
"Since I’m already here... I guess I should visit her," I muttered.
The one I was about to see was a different story altogether. She had once been an ally... and then, a traitor. She’d earned her cell here just as much as the thief had.
When I reached her, the air felt heavier. She looked different than the last time I saw her, though her smile was just as sharp as ever.
"Oh, you’re here," she said, tilting her head. "It’s been a while, hasn’t it?" Her voice had that teasing lilt to it, but there was something else underneath—something tired. "I didn’t think you’d visit me again in this prison. Honestly, I was starting to think you might never come back. Even though I’m old now... I can still get lonely, you know?"
It was Marie.