Chapter 75: The Truth Hidden in a Heartbeat
Chapter 75: The Truth Hidden in a Heartbeat
The interrogation chamber was silent.
Cold stone walls swallowed every sound, while the enchanted lamps cast long shadows across the room.
Kael Voss remained bound to the reinforced steel chair, thick enchanted chains restraining every limb. His head hung low, though his eyes never left the young noble standing before him.
Andras stood a few steps away, his expression calm.
There was no anger in his violet eyes.
Only quiet curiosity.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Andras broke the silence.
"I’ll admit..."
"You’ve disappointed me."
Kael remained silent.
"I expected a little more from professional assassins."
Andras slowly walked around the chair.
"You couldn’t even force me to put away my pipe."
His voice remained calm, almost conversational.
"One of your companions relied entirely on brute strength."
"The other believed hiding made him untouchable."
He gave a small shrug.
"I killed them both."
"You watched."
"You couldn’t stop it."
Kael’s jaw tightened, but he refused to answer.
"I wonder..."
"Do you regret surviving?"
Silence.
Andras stopped beside him.
"I have only one question."
Kael slowly raised his head.
Andras looked directly into his eyes.
"Did the order come from House Ravenhart?"
For the briefest instant...
Kael’s heartbeat surged.
Just once.
A single involuntary beat.
Almost imperceptible.
But Echo Resonance caught it perfectly.
A faint smile appeared on Andras’s face.
"So that’s it."
Kael’s pupils contracted.
How...?
Before he could compose himself, Andras continued.
"Thank you, Mr. Kael Voss."
"Thirty-two years old."
"Fourth Circle Mage."
"Owner of the B-Rank talent, Shadow Veil."
His smile widened slightly.
"You’ve answered everything."
Kael stared at him in horror.
"...Impossible."
"I never spoke."
"No."
"You didn’t."
Andras tapped the side of his temple.
"But your heartbeat did."
The assassin’s face turned pale.
For the first time in his career...
Fear surfaced in his eyes.
"What... are you?"
Andras drew his sword in one smooth motion.
A flash of cold steel crossed the chamber.
Kael’s eyes widened.
"H-How—"
His words ended there.
A clean arc.
A single strike.
His head separated from his body before it could hit the floor.
Silence returned to the chamber.
Andras calmly wiped the blood from the blade with a clean cloth before returning it to its sheath.
"You served your purpose."
He glanced at the lifeless corpse.
"I expected this interrogation to be... more interesting."
He had anticipated hours of psychological pressure.
Perhaps even physical torture.
Instead...
It had ended within minutes.
The System.
Echo Resonance.
And his knowledge of the original story had made the truth almost effortless to uncover.
There had never been many noble families with a reason to target him.
The commoners who resented Andras Darkmoor lacked both the influence and the means to hire trained assassins.
Among the nobles...
Only one person had displayed open hostility.
Romeo Ravenhart.
Andras had merely spoken the name.
Kael’s heartbeat had confirmed everything.
"So..."
"My judgement was correct after all."
He spoke inwardly.
"System."
"Devour his talent."
A familiar mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
[Ding!]
[Beginning Devouring...]
[Devouring Talent: Shadow Veil (B-Rank)...]
[Devouring Complete.]
[The Host has acquired the talent: Shadow Veil (B-Rank).]
A faint smile appeared on Andras’s face.
Another useful ability.
Without another thought, he dismissed the translucent screen and turned towards the exit.
The heavy iron door creaked open.
Several Darkmoor guards immediately straightened.
One of them stepped forward respectfully.
"Young Master."
"The interrogation tools you requested are almost ready."
Andras shook his head.
"There’s no need."
"The interrogation is over."
The guard blinked.
"...Already?"
"The assassin is dead."
For a brief moment, the soldiers exchanged stunned glances.
It had been barely five minutes since Andras had entered the chamber.
Five minutes...
To uncover the mastermind behind the assassination.
Five minutes...
To finish the interrogation.
The veteran soldiers had witnessed countless interrogations over the years.
Some lasted for days.
Others stretched on for weeks.
Never...
Had one ended so quickly.
Without another word, Andras walked past them.
His footsteps echoed through the corridor until they gradually faded into silence.
Behind him, the guards remained rooted to the spot, unable to hide the disbelief in their eyes.
As Andras walked through the underground corridor, the echoes of his footsteps gradually faded into the silence.
Before long, he noticed a familiar figure approaching from the opposite direction.
Evelyne.
She was walking far faster than her usual graceful pace, her silver hair swaying behind her. The moment her eyes found Andras, the worry she had been desperately suppressing surfaced upon her beautiful face.
"Andras!"
She hurried toward him.
"I heard from the knights that someone attempted to assassinate you."
Her silver eyes rapidly searched his body, checking for injuries.
"Are you hurt?"
Andras met her anxious gaze and gave a reassuring smile.
"I’m fine, Mother."
"You don’t need to worry."
For a brief moment, Evelyne simply looked at him.
Only after hearing those words did the tension leave her shoulders.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips.
"...Thank goodness."
Relief washed over her delicate features.
"I’m glad you’re safe."
The warmth in her expression lasted only a moment.
Then it vanished.
Her silver eyes grew cold, and the gentle Duchess of House Darkmoor was replaced by the woman who ruled one of the Empire’s greatest noble houses.
"I also heard that one of the assassins was captured alive."
Her voice became calm, but an unmistakable chill lingered beneath it.
"You intended to interrogate him."
She looked directly into Andras’s eyes.
"Where is he?"
Andras answered without hesitation.
"Dead."
Evelyne raised an eyebrow.
"...Already?"
"He served his purpose."
"I obtained the information I needed."
A faint silence followed.
Evelyne studied her son’s calm expression for several seconds before giving a small nod.
"I see."
She didn’t ask how the interrogation had ended so quickly.
Nor did she question why the assassin had died.
If Andras believed it was necessary, she trusted his judgement.
"Did you discover who was responsible?"
Andras’s violet eyes grew colder.
"Yes."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I know exactly who sent them."