Locked in a dimly lit cell, in Marcus's dungeon.
The robbed man, his face now revealed, was badly bruised and swollen. His limbs were tightly tied to a chair, with his head leaning forward.
He opened his eyes slowly.
At first, his entire body felt numb, but a second later, his brain was assaulted by pain.
He winced sharply and took a deep breath, attempting to soothe his pain.
Where am I, why am I tied up and beaten badly?
It took him a few seconds to recall what had happened.
Eventually, clarity shone in his bloodied eyes. And with it came a strong sense of danger.
"I already told those heartless bastards that I'll talk. Why did they continue beating me up until I passed out?" He mumbled, forcing himself to ignore the pain in his jaws that came with speaking.
Are they even after what I know? What if I had died?
As the thought surfaced, so did the memory of seeing Eddy's corpse.
Chills ran down his spine.
"I thought everyone said that the young lord of Agard is a good-for-nothing weakling. If it wasn't for this baseless rumor… no, I was the one who was too lax. How could I dare to believe that a Sirdi is weak, shit!"
He winced again, spitting to the side.
The man greatly regretted underestimating Marcus in his territory.
Under the illumination of a dim fire, the man was able to see that what he spat out was a mixture of blood and saliva.
Right then, the sound of a metal door being unlocked snapped him out of his thoughts.
Three individuals stepped into the room. Two of them were wearing battle armor, while the other was dressed in a simple white shirt and brown leather trousers.
The young lord. He thought.
"You're finally awake after passing out for two days," Marcus said dryly as another guard stepped into the room carrying a chair.
He placed it in front of Marcus and left the room.
"Are you ready to talk now?" Marcus asked.
"I already said that I was ready to speak last time, but nobody listened to me." He began complaining but was soon interrupted by Marcus's fingers snapping.
This snap conjured a flame that hovered beside Marcus's head, illuminating his face better. But at the same time, it made the man fearful of the young lord.
"A Mage." He whispered.
"It's hard to believe the words of a cultist, so my men only did what they felt was right."
"I'm not a cultist."
"And yet you carry Talismans and drugs that have traces of the Dark Order. Perhaps they haven't beaten you enough."
The man froze as the fear of being tortured overwhelmed him.
He was saying the truth, he wasn't a cultist. But at the same time, Marcus was also telling the truth.
His Talismans and drugs were products of the Dark Order.
Seeing as the man remained silent, Marcus nodded.
"So here is how this is going to go. I'll ask the questions, and you will answer. If I feel like you're lying or being avoidant, I'll burn you alive."
At that moment, the flame moved forward, stopping a few inches away from the man's face.
The heat warmed his swollen injuries, making him feel uncomfortable.
He gulped audibly, before nodding.
"Good. Now, why are you in Agard?"
"I…" the man started, but paused when he noticed the flame inch closer to his face. This made him think deeper about his answer.
"Eddy has been a long-time customer of mine, and he requested that I supply him with my goods while he was in Agard."
"Goods, as in pills?"
"Yes..."
One of the guards glared at the man as though he was going to chop off his head.
"...Milord." The man quickly added.
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why did Eddy need your pills?"
Marcus was trying to connect the dots here. He still felt some guilt after ordering his men to take the young man's life.
He felt that clarity would make the feeling go away, hence, this question.
"Because he wanted to be stronger than everyone else."
"Last chance. From now on, please refrain from giving me such obvious and superficial answers. Once again, why?"
The man paused once again, thinking about his response. This young lord scared him more than he wanted to admit.
"He was a troubled child who had always sought his parents' approval since he was capable of reasoning." He answered, somewhat fearful that Marcus would be displeased by his response.
Much to his pleasure, Marcus didn't say anything, only waiting for him to continue.
"I met with Eddy when he was sixteen, about four to five years ago. Before I had met him, there were many rumors about the Lawfy residence. Five sons and three daughters, the Marquis only takes pride in those who could prove their worth, and the rest were left to fend for themselves.
"Despite being one of the five sons, Eddy, compared to his siblings, was weak. Although he was far above average, the standards set by his father were high. Because he is also the son of a maid, Eddy was subject to harsher bullying and punishments."
At the age of five, because he was unable to awaken his Blood Force then, his father threw him into a jungle and forced the small child to spend three nights alone there. On the fourth day, Eddy was already on the verge of death, bitten by venomous insects and starving to death."
He paused again, thinking that was enough to appease Marcus's curiosity, however, he was met with the same expression.
"Most of his life, he has pursued his father's approval and recognition. Around the time I met him, Dollies became a thing–"
"Dollies? The pills?" Marcus interjected.
The man nodded.
"When it first came out, it was a popular drug that one could use in times of need. Its main selling point was that it could give the user a short burst of power, at the expense of exhaustion after the pill's effect has worn off. But then… There was another side effect."
"The Nefarious Sprites, right?"
"Yes, Milord. No one was certain of the true origin of Dollies until the advent of the Nefarious Sprites. The Dark Order moved in silence while distributing this product. But it wasn't a surprising thing as the Dark cult is known to meddle in business like this. One doesn't have to be a part of the cult to partake, they have always been open to sell to everyone and anyone."
As though he was trying to absolve himself of something, the man emphasized the last few words.
Marcus nodded without showing any emotions on his face, leaving the man to drown in his imagination.
"Taking Dollies in small doses over a stretch of time is safe. One would be able to dodge this side effect. However, if it is consumed continuously in a short while their negative effects will be hard to curb."
"Despite knowing this, Eddy Lawfy continued to take more," Marcus said.
"Before coming to Agard, he said something to me about his father signing a deal with some foreigners. In exchange for something, he would pledge his children to their cause. Even though this sounds like the Marquis was selling his children, it is actually the other way around. His children will be able to achieve greater powers that don't exist in our world, or so he said.
This was his last chance to prove himself to his father. By doing well in this expedition, and curating some positive fame to his name, Eddy would have been able to return home with some honor and glory… unfortunately, he became too obsessed and frequently ordered more. And now, he's…"
The man looked into Marcus's eyes, trying to discern his thoughts once again, however, he failed.
"So he wasn't a part of the Dark Order?"
"As far as I am aware."
Marcus paused as he organized his thoughts.
This matches well with what that tomboy told me. It seems that I have taken an innocent life.
He closed his eyes before inhaling deeply.
What is done is already done.
Silence filled the cell for almost a minute before the young lord spoke again.
"What do you know about the Faceless Order?"