Chapter 310: Interrogation in the Shadows
Alex watched as the first mercenary tried to wobbly push herself up. Without losing his composure, he stepped forward and planted his boot firmly onto her back, pinning her down against the damp earth.
"I don’t want to hurt you, so stay still," said Alex. "Don’t force my hand."
The second woman, taking advantage of the distraction, slid along the side and lunged for his neck with a concealed dagger. Alex reacted on pure instinct: he intercepted her mid-air, grabbed her arm and executed a perfect judo throw, slamming her onto the ground like a sack of potatoes. The impact against the exposed roots echoed through the clearing, knocking the wind out of her.
The one beneath his foot saw her window and tried to push up again, but Alex pivoted his hips and landed a kick to her abdomen, knocking every breath out of her lungs with a gasp.
"See? There’s no need to play tough," said Alex, adjusting his gloves as he looked down at them. "I don’t want to hurt you, but if you force me, I will end you without hesitation."
While Alexander held a degree of appreciation for the gentler sex, he had zero tolerance or mercy for human-trafficking bitches who intended to trade him like livestock.
Seeing them groaning in pain on the grass, he began searching their pouches and gear. Like any proper kidnappers, they carried rolls of heavy-duty rope. Alex took the ropes and with quick moves, bound their hands and feet, leaving them immobilized against the base of a tree.
Once they were secured, Alex crouched down in front of them.
"Before we proceed, I want to know a few things about you," said Alex, locking a cold glare onto them. "First, what skills do you have? Second, who do you work for? Third, I want to know how many partners you have in the city. And lastly, I want to know where you were planning to sell me."
The three women glared at him with disdain and mockery, spitting onto the dirt as if looking at an idiot. To them, the mere thought of surrendering such secrets to their prey was absurd.
Alex, upon seeing their defiance, didn’t feel offended in the slightest; he just chuckled a bit.
Looks like all of you think I can’t do much more to you than just kill you, thought Alex to himself.
"If you’re going to kill us, just do it. What are you playing at?" said the leader, spitting to the side. "You won’t get a word out of us."
"Do all three of you feel the same way?" asked Alex, scanning his gaze across each of them.
All three glared at him with deep disdain silent.
"Well, I guess I have no choice," said Alex, shrugging.
He untied them from the tree but rearranged the ropes to bind them in a line, forcing them to trek back through the forest. The lead woman was tied by the neck like a dog as Alex held the end of the rope, pulling them along the trail.
Upon arriving back at the city gates, the guards were stunned to see Alex leading the three bound women. One of the female guards hurried over with her hand on her weapon’s hilt to ask what had happened.
"They tried to murder and kidnap me," said Alex calmly. "According to the laws of your kingdom, how should I handle them?"
"Will you permit me to verify?" asked the guard, sternly eyeing the prisoners.
Alex offered her the rope, but the guard raised her hand.
"Don’t worry, you don’t need to hand them over just yet," said the guard. "If they are found guilty, they will be officially handed over to you as your slaves or property to compensate for the crime."
The guard stepped up to the women and pulled back the leather bracers on their wrists. Marked clearly on their skin was a tattoo: a serpent coiled around a flower.
"I see... they belong to the Wild Rose gang," said the guard, scowling. "They have numerous charges against them, and a lot of people are looking for them. Allow me to inform the city captain; she will provide you with an explanation."
Without wasting a second, the guard took off at full sprint toward the command post.
Alex hadn’t expected this city to have such efficiency. In less than two minutes, Kiara was already on the scene, marching over with strides. Her gaze upon the three prisoners was so cold and razor-sharp that she looked ready to skin them alive on the spot. Around them, several female members of the Adventurers Guild had also gathered to witness the commotion; among them were a few of the Silver-rank women who were still sore from Alex brushing them off earlier, now openly laughing at the kidnappers’ misfortune.
A tall woman with an imposing posture, wearing elegant yet functional attire, parted through the crowd and stopped right in front of Alex.
"Good afternoon, my name is Lysandra and I am the mayor of this town," said the woman, bowing her head slightly in respect. "We have verified the records. They belong to the group known as the Wild Rose, and we have three active arrest warrants against all three of them. Because of this, their status as free women will be revoked immediately and they will be punished accordingly. As the direct victim, you hold the right to choose their sentence."
The three prisoners kept their heads held high, their eyes filled with haughty defiance. They knew well what was coming for them, and they weren’t afraid in the slightest. They had been trained as assassins, so torture was nothing new to them; death at the hands of the law frightened them even less, knowing the authorities would grant them a swift execution.
"So I can choose any punishment?" said Alex, flashing a cold smile as his eyes scanned over the three prisoners.
Despite all their training and callousness, the three women couldn’t help but furrow their brows, feeling a subtle chill and a flicker of fear under his intense glare.