Chapter 95: Threw a punch first

Helos turned her head, her gaze sweeping over Werner, Kyle, and Selina one by one.

After confirming that they were standing far enough away not to be affected by her curse, she nonchalantly walked over to Julius.

With a gentle flick of her cloak, she lowered her head, her voice dropping so low that only the two of them could hear.

“Julius, have you ever learned how to conduct an interrogation before?”

“Eh?”

The boy froze for a moment, his pupils contracting slightly, his face written all over with confusion.

Then, shaking his head, he looked like he’d been struck dizzy by this sudden question: “No, I’ve never learned.”

“Alright, then I’ll teach you on the spot.”

A sly smile crept up at the corners of Helos’s lips beneath her mask, mischief practically spilling from her eyes.

Lowering her voice, she quietly added, “Don’t ask questions, just go up and punch him first.”

“Wha—?!”

Julius almost couldn’t help but raise his voice, quickly covering his mouth in panic.

He stared at the silver-haired girl before him in disbelief, his whole body stiffened in place.

Wasn’t he supposed to be a future righteous Holy Knight? How could he do something like this—

But in the next second, his ribs were sharply poked by the girl.

“Hurry up, stop dawdling.”

Helos urged him as if she were ordering the most ordinary task, “Why are you dragging your feet like a little lady?”

After hesitating again and again, the boy took a deep breath, clenching his fist tightly.

“Sorry about this!”

With a low growl, his fist slammed straight into the robed man’s stomach.

“Thud!”

The sudden blow made the man in black robes widen his eyes instantly, his body doubling over, and only a single scream could escape his lips before he was struck speechless.

The cell fell silent for a moment.

Seeing this, Kyle at the side could barely hold back his expression, desperately suppressing the corners of his mouth from rising.

Selina turned her head away slightly, letting out a faint sigh.

Werner’s gaze, meanwhile, landed on Helos, silent and expressionless.

So this girl really never had good intentions from the start.

After landing the punch, Julius nervously turned to look at Helos, as if asking what he should do next.

“Huh?”

But Helos deliberately snorted, raising her voice in mockery as if afraid the man in black wouldn’t hear, “That’s it? Did you not eat? Your punch is as soft as cotton.”

“Maybe you should go play house instead!”

“Hey, you—!”

Julius’s face flushed bright red in an instant.

“Hurry up, again.”

Helos paid no heed to his protests, waving her hand, “Why are you so lifeless! Does this do justice to your five hundred sol monthly salary?”

Having been provoked so suddenly, the fire in Julius’s chest finally surged forth.

Clenching his teeth, the boy raised his fist again, this time striking down with several times more force than before.

“Thud! Thud! Thud!”

Fist after fist landed, giving the man in black no chance to catch his breath; he was like a sandbag at the archery range, beaten senseless.

“Uagh—!”

“Cough, cough, cough!”

“You—bastard—!”

The black-robed man’s screams and coughs rang out in turn, but Julius seemed not to hear, his fists falling one after another, even heavier than during his usual training.

Even Kyle couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement: “Yo, this kid’s pretty ruthless—Say, do attendants even get a monthly salary these days?”

Selina, arms folded, shot him a glance, a flicker of something inscrutable flashing through her gray eyes:

“What, did that remind you of some bad memories?”

“It’s not that bad.”

As for Werner, his expression remained unchanged, though there seemed to be a hint more appreciation in his eyes.

By the time Julius stopped abruptly, he realized his forehead was slick with cold sweat, his heartbeat racing wildly.

Looking down, he saw that the man in black robes had been beaten bloody from mouth and nose, his gaze glazed over—completely unconscious.

“Oh no, did I go too far?!”

Julius panicked, his face turning pale as he hurriedly turned to Helos.

But the girl showed no sign of worry at all. Instead, she slowly reached out her hand, heading straight for his pouch.

“Hey! What are you doing—?!”

Helos ignored him, deftly pulling out a few vials of potion, the liquid shimmering in the lamp light.

“Relax, I won’t let him die that easily.”

She shook the small bottle in her hand, her tone light and breezy, “These are the potions I gave you earlier, right? A Vitality Potion, and… hmm, a Focus Potion.”

“Wait, you’re giving him that?!”

Julius nearly jumped in shock.

“Of course.”

Helos nodded matter-of-factly, “Otherwise, how else would he wake up and keep receiving his education?”

As she spoke, she had already uncorked the bottle with practiced ease, forcing a small vial of Vitality Potion down the black-robed man’s throat.

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed instinctively, compelled to swallow the liquid.

Soon enough, his half-dead appearance began to fade.

Though still deathly pale, his eyelids started to twitch uncontrollably.

“Cough—cough!”

The black-robed man jerked his head up, gasping for breath as if he’d been dragged back from the edge of death.

His eyes were first dazed, then quickly filled with a mix of rage and terror.

“What did you make me drink?!”

While Helos hummed a little tune, she shoved the Focus Potion into Julius’s hand: “Here, you give him the next one. Stop dawdling.”

“Me?!”

“Mhm, since you’re doing the beating, this little task is yours too.”

Helos’s tone was almost frighteningly casual.

Julius clutched the vial, his throat working up and down several times, but finally, under the girl’s masked “gaze,” he steeled himself and poured the potion down.

After the black-robed man was forced to swallow the second vial, his entire body jolted, pupils suddenly contracting.

A clear look gradually returned to his eyes, and the muddle in his mind was forcibly swept away.

“What is this now?! What are you people trying to do?!”

He growled through gritted teeth, failing to notice the hint of guilt already creeping into his voice.

Watching this, Helos’s smile behind the mask grew deeper.

“What are we doing? Of course, it’s an experiment.”

She gently shook the remaining potion in her hand, “The first step of a Laboratory Experiment is to observe the subject’s reaction.”

She bent down to examine the state of the black-robed man.

Mhm, the potion’s effect is impressive. Even someone who’d passed out in my curse’s range can be forcefully dragged back.

And judging by this guy’s condition, he won’t be passing out again anytime soon.

The girl stood up, nodding in satisfaction.

Her movement made the black-robed man tense up all over, a chill creeping into his heart.

“Not bad, you look energetic.”

She turned to Julius and muttered, “What are you standing around for? Can’t you see that these little injuries don’t even hurt him?”

“Hurry up and continue!”