Chapter 137: 137 Confession

Chapter 137 Confession

Extorting confessions through torture was never Ronin’s preferred course of action, yet he felt no great pang of guilt when employing it against a prisoner whose guilt was already absolute.

Such methods of interrogation easily birthed miscarriages of justice; the crux of the matter lay in constraining men from abusing them.

But the town of Shanlin was still small, nothing more than Ronin’s own personal fiefdom, and for the moment he could hold the reins.

Once his domain expanded and its population swelled, there would be matters beyond his immediate reach; by then, a proper code of laws would naturally be established to ensure the executors of justice remained relatively fair and impartial, making it essential to forbid confessions under torture.

However, those were matters for the days to come.

At least for the present, Ronin needed to pry open the assassin's mouth and extract intelligence of value.

Returning to the warmth of the drawing-room, he found Chahar waiting there.

"My lord, your new bedchamber is ready. The books and belongings from the old chamber have also been moved to the new room."

The old quarters had been left a shambles by the unleashed battle qi, rendered quite unfit for habitation.

"How severe is the structural damage? If the safety of the building is gravely compromised, we shall have to move out and erect another."

The main keep within the inner citadel was not something to be built haphazardly; it was inextricably bound to the lord's prestige.

Imagine if a guest were to arrive at Castle Shanlin and find living quarters no better than a slave's quarters; one could easily foresee Ronin’s subsequent reputation within aristocratic circles.

In truth, the keep Ronin currently occupied was merely ordinary, far from the realm of luxury.

Yet even repairing such a building was a monumental undertaking, requiring Ronin to marshal a vast sum of gold, labor, and resources.

Fortunately, Chahar had taken men to inspect the premises and found the primary structure undamaged, free from any threat of collapse, though the shattered doors, windows, and floorboards would require William or other carpenters to restore them.

This allowed Ronin to breathe a sigh of relief, and he turned to inquire, "Where is Black Tiger?"

Chahar smiled. "Whether from exhaustion after its howling or from fright, it is currently resting in Lady Irene's chambers."

"Remember to provide it with a fine feast tomorrow!"

Ronin laughed. "That I survived today's assassination unscathed is entirely thanks to the little fellow's timely warning."

Chahar was taken aback, not expecting Black Tiger to have played a part in the matter. "Black Tiger is indeed the cub of a Storm Demon Wolf; it truly possesses extraordinary abilities."

"Haha, when it grows a bit larger, its capabilities will be manifold."

The magic core of that maternal Storm Demon Wolf contained three distinct abilities: Haste, Rend, and Concealment.

Storm Demon Wolves typically mastered only wind-attributed magic; once Black Tiger reached maturity, it would likely master Haste and Rend.

As for whether it could master Concealment, that would depend on whether it had inherited the dark attribute of its mother.

The following morning, Ronin arose, washed, ate his breakfast, and engaged in his morning drills exactly as was his custom.

Yet the kitchens and the guards found themselves burdened with two tasks beyond their usual routine—brewing sugar water and seeking out anthills.

Ronin had initially assumed that locating anthills would require some time, but the efficiency of the guards surpassed his expectations; within an hour they had discovered three sites, readied their baskets, and excavated them with shovels.

When the guards stoked the fire within the hidden chamber to raise the temperature, stripped the assassin down to nothing but his undergarments, and poured the warm, sweet water over his flesh, terror surged from the depths of Shadow’s heart, no longer to be contained.

His teeth chattered, his knees shook, and his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

And when the guards brought a massive basket of anthills before him, lifting the cover to reveal the dense, crawling mass of ants within, Shadow’s scalp instantly went numb with horror.

"I'll speak, I'll speak, I'll speak, I confess!"

"Waaa... I beg of you, take these things away, take them all away..."

In truth, the images he had brooded upon throughout the night had already brought his mind to the brink of collapse; that he had endured until now was testament enough to the assassin's psychological fortitude.

Before long, Maken and the others escorted Ronin into the room.

Beholding the weeping specter of the assassin, Ronin could not help but smile faintly. "In truth, we of Shanlin Town treat our captives with considerable mercy. Had you spoken sooner, we would not have had to resort to such measures."

As he spoke, he took a seat upon a nearby chair. "Speak then. Who commissioned you to assassinate me?"

"It was... it was the Chairman who sent me to kill you."

The Chairman?

Ronin’s brow furrowed. "The Chairman of the Skeleton Society? Who is he?"

"I do not know."

Shadow spoke listlessly. "The Chairman always wears a golden mask. I do not know his true identity. When we communicate, he uses only 'Skeleton' as his codename."

The leader of the Skeleton Society wore a mask, presumably because his true identity could not be revealed to the world, perhaps involving certain powerful factions.

"Why did he want me dead?" Ronin continued his inquiry.

To this, Shadow merely shook his head.

"I do not know. Assassination contracts rarely include excessive descriptions. But..."

He hesitated for a moment, as though weighing whether to disclose further details, for it violated his professional ethics.

Thump, thump...

Maken tapped the basket containing the ants with the flat of his longsword; Shadow shuddered violently, his professional ethics thoroughly abandoned.

"But the Chairman told me that once the deed was done, I could go directly to Baron Rayson of the Sien Fief in the marshlands to claim the bounty of one thousand gold coins."

Hearing these words, it was as though a stone had dropped from Ronin’s heart.

Yesterday he had suspected that the assassin might have been dispatched by the Sien Fief, yet he had hesitated upon seeing the emblem of the Skeleton Society, for there were indeed many who wished him dead.

But the truth remained precisely as he had surmised; the shadow of Rayson loomed behind this affair.

Had the man not commissioned it, why else would one seek the bounty from Rayson?

Ronin smiled and said to Maken, "It appears Baron Rayson is truly incensed by me, willing to part with a fortune of a thousand gold coins simply to take my life."

Maken replied, "In his eyes, the dispute between him and your lordship is already irreconcilable. If he can bring about your death, the four barbarian tribes, and perhaps even Shanlin Town, might fall into his grasp."

"Quite so!"

Ronin nodded quietly, then suddenly recalled a matter and asked, "Do you know of Pedro?"

Shadow looked somewhat surprised and nodded. "I do. He was a probationary member of the Skeleton Society. He was killed by you."

"Then do you know who wished to kill Marina and Malik, the siblings of the Green family?"

Shadow hesitated a brief moment before answering, "It was Baron Rayson. His relations with Baron Gorman were exceedingly bitter, so he thought to use us to dispose of Gorman’s son and daughter, forcing him to endure the agony of losing his children once more."

"You know this quite thoroughly?"

"Because I was the one responsible for evaluating Pedro..."

Ronin had asked merely in passing, never expecting such an unforeseen harvest.

It appeared there was an underlying enmity between the Green Fief and the Sien Fief of which he was unaware; it seemed he would have to appoint an intelligence officer in the future, dedicated solely to gathering various reports and news concerning the nobility.

"Very well, I am quite pleased with your candor, Master Shadow."

Ronin gestured for the basket of ants to be removed. "Rest assured, I shall not kill you, but neither shall I set you free."

He stood up and commanded, "Maken, prepare parchment and ink, record everything Master Shadow has just confessed, and have him sign his name and affix his thumbprint."

"Furthermore, Wharton, journey to Huitu Village at once, and have Rydal and Tom come hither."

(End of Chapter)