Chapter 120: Early Round Check
The shoreline gradually fell silent as the slaves understood that the monsters were not going to harm them.
The Soul Guardians stood motionless around them when a new command reached them through the Soul Network.
’Interrogate the last one.’ Edgar’s words echoed in their minds all at once.
The Human Soul Guardian immediately stepped forward.
The surviving guard, whose arms and legs trembled uncontrollably, stared at the skeleton with bloodshot eyes.
"W-Wait..."
The skeleton didn’t respond. Instead, it slowly crouched before him.
Using one bony finger, it began writing across the wet sand.
The guard stared blankly at the words.
"Who is behind the human trafficking?"
His face instantly lost all color.
"H-How..."
His eyes darted toward the surrounding skeletons before returning to the writing.
"Y-You understand people?"
The Human Soul Guardian remained completely silent.
The sword resting in its hand slowly lifted a few inches. The terrified soldier hurriedly nodded.
"I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!" He swallowed nervously. "It’s... it’s Lord Elwood Whitmore."
Far away inside the warehouse, Edgar quietly memorized the unfamiliar name.
The guard continued speaking without being asked twice.
"Lord Whitmore is the overseer of this entire southern region. He inherited the title after his father died, and he... he took over everything."
The skeleton calmly wrote another question.
"Slavery is legal?"
The guard hurriedly shook his head.
"No! It’s completely illegal. If the Royal Family officially discovers it, everyone involved will lose their heads."
His breathing became hurried. "But our lord accepted the slavers under his protection. He turned the entire operation into a noble-funded business."
The man’s voice gradually became smaller. "And we... transport the merchandise."
Edgar’s expression slowly turned colder as he rubbed his eyes.
’So, it’s just some fuck who turned an illegal thing into a business.’
A legitimate noble had turned slavery into his own enterprise. The Human Soul Guardian wrote once more.
"Does the Royal Family know?"
The soldier stared at the words before slowly shaking his head.
"I... I honestly don’t know. There is a chance that they do know, but we’re far too low to hear those kinds of things."
The skeleton erased the words before writing again.
"Who are these people?"
The guard looked toward the crying prisoners nearby. "They’re from different places. Most came from small clans nearly five hundred kilometres away."
He pointed weakly toward several families.
"Sometimes, when we find a small clan without powerful backing... we take everyone to keep word from leaking."
His lips trembled as he understood he was digging his own grave. "The slaves are always transported far away, so nobody can ever trace them back."
The skeleton continued writing. "Where is this shipment going?"
"Brighen City." The answer came immediately. "There are buyers already waiting, and prices there are much higher."
Edgar silently remembered the name while, in front of the soldier, another question appeared in the sand.
"How do you travel safely?"
The guard answered almost automatically.
"We carry Unbroken Fire." He pointed weakly toward the ship. "There are several items that can be used to create a makeshift Unbroken Fire."
"And..." He hesitated. Part of his mind wanted to keep the information as a bargaining chip, but ultimately he told everything.
"There are monster-repellent artifacts inside the ship that keep most Nightmares away from the water."
The interrogation finally ended.
Inside the warehouse, Edgar slowly exhaled through his mouth.
He had learned everything he needed, and his eyes became calm once more.
A single command quietly entered the Soul Network.
’Kill him.’
...
The Human Soul Guardian slowly raised its sword.
The guard immediately understood what was about to happen.
"N-No... I told you everything!" He dropped lower, covering his head. "I have children! I’ll never do it again!"
The skeleton remained perfectly still. It had no emotions to begin with.
The man’s face twisted in desperation. Suddenly, his hand scooped up a handful of loose sand.
"Die!"
He threw it directly toward the Soul Guardian’s face.
The sand struck empty eye sockets filled with pale azure flames. The terrified man froze when the monster didn’t even flinch.
"N-No..."
A silver flash crossed the shoreline, too quick to notice.
Slash!
His head rolled silently across the wet sand before coming to rest near the riverbank.
His body remained kneeling for a brief moment, then slowly collapsed.
The Human Soul Guardian calmly lowered its sword.
Only a while later, Edgar’s order came through the Soul Network.
’Keep them safe for tonight.’
---
Back in the warehouse, Edgar slowly opened his eyes and blinked softly.
He knew his work wasn’t done, but he still needed to get some rest.
The constant use of the Soul Network could make him dizzy and bring on headaches.
Hera, who was sitting by his side with a concerned look, asked,
"Are you alright?"
Edgar turned toward the girl and smiled gently. "...I am fine, just a little headache."
"You are working way too much." Hera scolded. "You really should get some rest."
"Well, I would have gotten plenty if not for a certain girl crawling into my little bed." He said amusedly.
Edgar didn’t know why, but he couldn’t help himself from making that remark.
Hera opened her mouth before closing it. She stood up with a loud humph.
"Why don’t you throw the girl away then?" she asked sarcastically. "Why touch her inappropriately all night?"
Edgar was too stunned to say anything for a while.
Finally, he asked, "...I really do that?"
Hera turned around with a small smile on her face. "Just kidding."
"....."
As if she had gotten a victory over him, she happily hopped out of the warehouse.
Edgar rubbed his temples before letting out a sigh. "...At least she isn’t a depressing piece of work."
He exhaled sharply and stood up to walk out of the warehouse as well.
Though his mind was still stuck on those people at the bank of the Han River.
’....What should I do with them?’
Edgar wondered to himself.
’Would it be a good idea to let them come here, or should I start a different subsidiary Fortress with them?’
He debated the topic for quite a while.