Loki felt his mouth go dry.
“Thank you.”
After accepting the tea brought by the attendant, he stretched a little and looked at the female knight sitting directly across from him.
They were no longer in the dungeon, but in Christine’s private lounge, located in a corner of the castle. Outside the window, a garden full of various plants could be seen, the tree walls blocking out the city’s noise.
The interior was rather plain, with no unnecessary decorations, making it clear that the room’s owner had a strong utilitarian streak.
Christine’s delicate brows were tightly knit.
She had kept this expression for over a minute now, like a meticulously sculpted plaster statue.
This interrogation could be considered half a success. With a triple dose of truth serum, even if that woman had been a pig, she would’ve grunted out everything she knew.
Unfortunately, before they could extract more information, that woman burned out her own brain.
Loki had expected this outcome. After all, he himself had once been a senior member of the Hand of Truth, and knew all too well the methods the organization used to prevent betrayal and leaks.
The only reason Loki could “defect” and still remain unharmed was because, at the time, he was simply too powerful—
And, thanks to his identity as a Soulless, enchantments, suggestions, or hypnosis would at most make him feel a little sleepy.
“At the very least, before her brain burned out, we got a list of the remaining Hand of Truth members and their collaborators.”
Loki said.
He still felt as if a strange, burnt odor lingered on his clothes, so he kept patting them from time to time.
“We have some initiative now… Isn’t that something to be happy about? What have you been brooding over since just now?”
Christine didn’t answer immediately.
She slowly shifted her deep brown gaze, letting her eyes linger on Loki’s face for a moment before speaking unhurriedly.
“These matters are of no real importance.”
“No—no real importance?”
The unexpected answer made Loki’s expression twitch.
Did this woman know what she was saying? Those desecrators were planning to perform sacrificial rituals in Caezania to please their so-called masters.
If they succeeded even once, the consequences would be catastrophic.
The Lords of the Sea of Souls were not as easy to deal with as those worshipped by the Holy Church. Some of them were just waiting for a chance to extend their tentacles into the mortal world and expand their domains.
Logically, Christine should be taking immediate action, sending those desecrators to the afterlife one by one.
That’s what she always used to do.
“Eliminating the remnants of the Hand of Truth is only a matter of time. Compared to that, you are more important.”
For once, the cold-faced female knight wore an amused expression.
“Your performance in the dungeon just now was much more proactive than usual.”
Loki’s heart skipped a beat.
“Ah, maybe. After all, I was afraid—”
“I’m not doubting your intentions, Loki. I just feel like you wanted me to… overlook something.”
Loki swallowed.
Besides the critical information, that wretched woman had revealed some things about Loki’s past that he had never told Christine. For once, he’d raised the whip and lashed her face until it spun.
Damn it, running her mouth even at death’s door.
Now, Loki didn’t even have a chance to complain.
Obviously, the female knight’s curiosity had been piqued. Her meddlesome nature was in full effect again.
For five years she’d never cared about his dark past… So why was today different?
If he refused her now, the female knight probably wouldn’t hesitate to use the same interrogation methods on him that she’d used on that woman.
“She said you stole numerous artifacts. What does that mean?”
“This…”
“I know that when you worked for the Hand of Truth, you stole quite a few treasures from various powers.”
Christine began to toy with her slender, calloused fingers.
“But I never knew that what you stole were… artifacts? No wonder the Church members looked like they’d swallowed a fly when they found out about our contract.”
“…Ah, well, I had no choice back then. Look, haven’t I washed my hands of all that and turned over a new leaf? I’m trying to atone for my past deeds, aren’t I?”
Loki was sweating buckets.
It was like meeting a blind date who happened to be a friend of an old classmate, and the first thing they said was, “Ah, you’re the one they said brought a flying○cup to school to drink water out of…” That kind of horrifying black history.
“More importantly, the safety of Caezania—”
“What about those artifacts?”
Christine kept a firm grip on the conversation.
“The ruins of the Hand of Truth’s headquarters didn’t turn up anything that could be called an artifact—not even a fragment. Where did you—you all—hide them?”
“Christine.”
Loki sighed.
“That’s not something you should guess at lightly. People could die.”
“I’ve actually found it strange for a while now. Logically, desecrators should avoid people like you at all costs, not rush at you one after another, desperate to kill you.”
Christine propped her chin on her hand.
“Unless you’ve angered their masters… It’s strange. What did you do that made the Lords of the Sea of Souls see you as a thorn in their side?”
Seeing Loki’s expression change, a barely noticeable smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
“Well? Aren’t you going to answer? Don’t worry, the contract between us is eternal—unless one of us dies first.”
Loki knew what Christine was getting at.
“Just say it straight: ‘I can protect you.’”—that was probably her meaning.
If there was anyone in this world Loki could trust, it was Christine.
Though their acquaintance was only five years old, they were bound by contract. No matter what happened, neither could betray the other.
“Anything you tell me, I’ll keep secret.”
“All right. But after you hear it, don’t hit me.”
Loki shrugged and confessed.
“To tell you the truth, every artifact I ever… got my hands on, I broke.”
Christine was briefly stunned.
“What do you mean?”
Feeling the female knight’s burning gaze, Loki pulled a ring from his pocket and carefully placed it on the tea table, as if it were a piece of tofu that would crumble at the slightest touch.
It was an ordinary, cheap accessory, the kind you’d find at any street stall. Made of iron, aside from the marks of age, there was nothing special about it.
Even so, Loki always carried it with him—along with other items.
“What’s this?”
“Something that used to be an artifact. After that ritual, all that’s left is a faint residue. Every artifact I ever obtained ended up like this.”
Artifacts were items blessed by the Lords.
Their effects were strange and varied, but all represented certain rules, and each contained the will of a Lord. If several were gathered together and used in a ritual, they could open a passage to the Sea of Souls, bringing a Lord’s domain into the mortal world.
The leader of the Hand of Truth was conducting such a ritual when Loki intervened, causing it to fail. The passage to the Sea of Souls collapsed, dragging the leader in and killing him.
To put it simply, Loki’s actions were like lighting a bundle of firecrackers in a cesspit, stirring up the Sea of Souls so much that even the Lords were startled awake.
Only someone like him, a Soulless, would dare to do such a thing. Anyone else would have been obliterated the instant those beings glanced their way.
However, Christine’s next words made Loki tense up.
“Wait, I think… I’ve seen this ring somewhere before.”