บท 5: Chapter 5: The Fool Who Thinks He’s Clever
When Lynn regained consciousness, he found himself engulfed in darkness.
The rough texture against his skin indicated that his head was probably covered with a burlap sack to block his vision.
At the moment, Lynn felt he was lying on his back on a platform, occasionally sensing the jolting of a carriage beneath him.
His hands were handcuffed behind his back, rendering him immobile.
Despite this, Lynn managed to lightly rest his right index finger on his left wrist by using his body as cover.
Simultaneously, distant bell sounds faintly emerged from the streets nearby, gradually left behind by the speeding carriage.
The bell tolled a total of ten times.
In contrast, the inside of the carriage was very quiet, as if he were the only one there.
But he was well aware that someone named Morris, who had the ability to manipulate shadows, was likely lurking in a corner watching him.
As for Aphia... oh no, Aphia, whereabouts were unknown.
Of course, Lynn was rather pleased with this.
It gave him a chance to think through his next moves on the way.
However, there was something he found particularly strange.
Ever since his encounter with Morris and the others, the system had disappeared, failing to emit any more notification sounds or warnings.
Though he did not know the reason, Lynn was somewhat relieved.
Finally, there would be some peace.
With this in mind, Lynn recalled his conversation with Morris.
"Who exactly is 'that lady' referring to?"
What did they want with him?
He had no answers to the first question at the moment.
But for the second question, Lynn had some ideas.
It was most likely due to the Bartleion surname.
But now, having been banished to Orn City as a criminal of his family, stripped of his past privileges, he was almost reduced to nothingness.
Even in Lynn's memories, his former self had contemplated suicide several times.
He genuinely did not know what use he could still serve now.
Thus, amid continuous thought, this unknown journey quickly reached its conclusion.
The speed of the carriage gradually decreased.
A slight inertia brought the somewhat absent-minded Lynn back to reality.
Before long, accompanied by the sound of the door opening, chilly air flooded into the carriage.
At the same time, a hoarse, elderly woman's voice rang out not far away, "Mr. Lynn, it's time to get off."
While speaking, someone approached and helped him up from his seat.
Lynn did not intend to resist because even if he could unlock the handcuffs, he couldn't overpower that lady's subordinates.
Moreover, having a vague idea of the other party's intentions, he felt somewhat resigned.
—Until he met the man who claimed to be an interrogator, that was his thought.
...
Is this... underground?
Although his eyes were covered, relying on his sense of direction, Lynn realized he was being taken into some underground facility.
This underground facility was deep, and it took about five to six minutes walking down the stairs continuously and winding along a circuitous path before Lynn felt he was pushed onto a chair.
Subsequently, the headcover was roughly pulled off.
However, the handcuffs remained, locking his hands tightly behind him.
The moment his vision was restored, the intense light caused him to squint, and he then realized he was now in a relatively tidy room.
Only a bare cement surface and a desk in front surrounded the area.
A moment later, the prison door was pushed open.
A blond man with an indifferent expression walked in, pulled out the chair opposite the desk, and sat down in front of Lynn.
He placed a stack of papers and a pen on the desk.
Without any preamble or small talk, the blond man straightforwardly asked, "Are you Lynn Bartleion?"
Lynn gave him a once-over.
The man in front of him appeared to be in his twenties or thirties, tall and handsome with blond hair that shone dazzlingly under the light.
One could tell at first glance that this fellow was extremely proud.
Dealing with such people was actually very simple.
Consequently, Lynn responded with a cold smirk, "Indeed, I am."
Then he deliberately acted arrogantly and propped his legs on top of the desk with the soles of his boots facing the other man.
"Since you've captured me, you should be aware of my background."
"Perhaps in your view, the Bartleion family is miles away from here, and Orn City is beyond their reach... If you think so, then you are gravely mistaken."
"Baron Augusta was a close friend of my father. If you don't want to face repercussions later, you'd better release me now."
The Augusta Family was quite renowned in Orn City, their influence intricate and deep-rooted, making them akin to a local powerhouse.
Hearing this, the blond man finally spoke up, "You claim your father and Baron Augusta were close?"
"Of course."
"But I wasn't aware of this relationship," the blond man stated expressionlessly, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rhein Augusta, and I am the eldest son of the family."
"..."
Lynn hastily took his legs off the table, revealing a shocked expression.
He hadn't expected that the one who had kidnapped him belonged to the Augusta Family.
Seeing his reaction, Rhein, the man called by that name, felt even more disdain, "To be honest, having to come here for an interrogation in the middle of the night is truly bothersome. It would be much better if we could show some understanding toward each other."
"But you seem to not understand the situation you're in."
"From what you said earlier, you must think you're quite clever."
"Unfortunately," Rhein suddenly stood up and walked towards the door, "the thing I hate the most in my life are those fools who only know half truths yet consider themselves clever."
A moment later, two men resembling guards walked in, clenching their fists and smiling sinisterly.
...
"Rhein, Princess did not request that you torture him harshly, you are overstepping your authority!"
Outside the prison, Morris's figure suddenly emerged from the shadows on the wall, looking sternly at the blond man.
Rhein glanced at him, "The Princess just finished dealing with a rebellion by the Creationist School and is currently resting at the estate, she will come here later."
"As her clerk, in her absence, I have the authority to handle this."
Hearing this, Morris shook his head, "Well then, I won't say much, but you should be aware of something."
"The guy in the cell is very smart, and he hides within him a craziness to the extreme, you must be cautious."
"He's nothing but a brainless fool." Rhein scoffed disdainfully, "If he were truly clever, how would he have been branded a 'disgrace to the nobility' and banished to this frontier city?"
"It's you and Aphia who are truly foolish, even failing at such a task. When the Princess arrives, apologize to her yourself."
"Enough."
Morris snorted coldly, then disappeared into the shadows.
Watching his vanishing figure, Rhein's eyes openly displayed a trace of contempt.
He and his Augusta Family had sworn loyalty to the Princess after she arrived in Orn City.
While Morris and Aphia had been following her for much longer.
For those lowly characters, as dirty as mud, Rhein had advised the Princess more than once to eliminate such waste from the group; the Augusta Family's support alone would suffice.
Unfortunately, it seemed the Princess was one to honor old loyalties and had not taken his advice.
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