Chapter 601: PAID

Childhood Friend of the ZenithWords: 1947

Crackle—! Crackle—!

The sound of flames roaring filled the air.

Something that once was human was burning in those flames.

Its form had long since vanished.

Ashes. Nothing more than a pile of worthless remains.

I stared at it as I slowly rose to my feet.

Drip…

Drip…

Blood dripped from my fingertips. Naturally, it wasn’t mine. It was merely the aftermath of the interrogation.

Two corpses, already lifeless, were engulfed in flames.

My gaze upon them was chillingly calm, almost indifferent.

Even I was surprised by how cold I felt.

That was exactly the state of my emotions right now.

I turned my head.

At the end of my gaze stood Yuri.

She looked at me with trembling eyes, unable to say a word.

Her eyes were filled with deep fear and faint confusion.

Splat—!

I swung my hand, flinging the blood from my fingers.

Simultaneously, I burned away the remnants scattered on the ground, leaving the space filled with the acrid scent of charred remains.

In the silence that enveloped the room, I asked Yuri a question.

“I’ll ask again.”

“…Yes…?”

“Is there anyone you suspect?”

“…”

The meaning behind my words was layered.

“Do you still think there’s no one?”

I forced a smile. Fortunately, I managed to pull it off.

The interrogation had yielded a decent amount of information.

As expected, the man clung to his life.

Such people always crumble in the face of death.

Their resolve.

Their courage.

Even their barely tethered loyalty.

“Or do you need more convincing?”

“…No.”

Yuri bit her lip and shook her head at my words.

“I still find it hard to believe completely… but I know there’s no denying it now.”

“That’s all I needed.”

I nodded slightly at her response.

It was a cue for her to continue speaking.

The information I’d extracted was roughly this:

The rebellion stemmed from one of the four major tribes of the North Sea, known as the “Blue Wolf.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om