A Royal guard entered the room and saw Castiel’s state, “Your highness! Are you alright?”

Castiel, wiping his mouth, “I have killed monsters before, but this feels different.”

The guard saw Castiel looking at Cayman and understood what Castiel meant. “First times are always different, Your Highness. It will pass. Is there anything I can do for you?

Castiel, managing a weak smile, “No, thank you. I just need a moment to collect myself. Take Captain Hale to his bed, he needs rest.”

The Royal Guard bowed, “Highness.”

After the commotion in the inn had subsided, Caz was brought in for questioning, where Castiel and a royal guard interrogated him.

Castiel questioned, “The game is up, Caz. We know you came here to kill me. Who sent you?”

Caz, smirked, “ Your highness, you give me too much credit. I have no idea what you're talking about.”

The Royal Guard punched Caz in the face, “Save the act, assassin. Answer the question.”

Caz, spitted blood, and looked at guard, “Fuck you!”

Castiel narrowed his eyes, We know you are a part of an assassination plot. Who is behind it?

Caz, leaned back, “Assassination? My dear prince, you assume too much. I'm a businessman, not a killer.

The Guard punched him again, “You were here to kill the prince. Your little charade in the morning was about target confirmation. Who hired you?”

Caz, still feigned ignorance, “Your highness, I am just a lowly merchant. I am not a threat to you.”

Caz, remembered about the weapons and armor used by Castiel, Captain Hale and others, “Speaking of threats, those weapons and armors you and your guards used were quite impressive and peculiar. Where did you get them?”

Castiel responded, “You are the one who is under interrogation, not us.”

The Royal Guard, frustrated by Caz's unyielding stance, looked at Castiel, “Your highness, perhaps it's best to send him back to Xander. Spymaster Vandran can make him talk. We need to leave this place as soon as possible.”

Caz's expression changed, a flicker of concern crossing his face. Drakkar Vandran's reputation was notorious even among the underworld. The mere mention of his name had a chilling effect.

Caz tried to save his skin, “Your highness, let's make a deal. You tell me about those impressive weapons and armors, and I'll share something valuable in return.”

Castiel retorted, “Don’t play games with me, I want to know who sent you.”

Caz replied, “I can't tell you that but I can give you information about something much more valuable to you, if only you tell me about those weapons and armors. And trust me dear Prince you want to know this.”

Castiel, frustratingly, pressed his forehead with his hands and decided to tell him about the Armor. They were gonna be standard issue for the Royal Army very soon. So, it will be public knowledge anyway. “They are my creation. Those armors reflet back any damage done to the attacker. I call them Vengeance Guard” Castiel didn’t tell him that these armors can only reflect physical damage for now. Magical damage reflection requires more research, more trial and error in the field. “Now, what is the information?”

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Caz chuckled, taken aback and impressed, "Armors that reflect damage! Well, I'll be! Rumors about you are true then. You are a genius! Haha… And the weapons? You didn’t tell me about the weapons.”

Castiel responded, “You next. Give me the information.”

"What? that wasn't the deal?" Caz replied.

Castiel looked at Caz with annoyance and irritation, "Start talking, now!"

Caz waited a bit and replied, “Alright, alright you have been generous, unlike my friend over here who keeps punching me in the face.” He leaned forward, a sly grin on his face, “After killing you, our next target was… your little brother!”

The mention of his brother struck a nerve deep within Castiel. His eyes flared with anger, and his body tensed, a surge of rage coursing through him. In that moment, the facade of calm and composure shattered, revealing the raw intensity of his emotions. “..... My Brother?”

As the anger burned in his eyes, a fleeting image from Castiel's past on Earth flashed through his mind. Before his reincarnation on Eden, he was an orphan with no family to call his own. But, now he had a loving family, and the only thing he cherished more than his inventions and his thirst for lost knowledge and adventure was his brother, Calvin. The bond between them was unbreakable, a stark contrast to the emptiness he felt in his previous life.

This revelation fueled Castiel's fury, an amalgamation of the pain from his past and the threat against the family he had come to love. In an instant, Castiel's rage manifested in a feral scream and a swift and forceful kick to Caz's chest, “MY BROTHER?” The impact sent Caz sprawling backward. The kick was a visceral response, an outpouring of the anger and protectiveness that had consumed Castiel in that moment.

As Caz fell to the ground, Castiel's eyes burned with an intensity that surpassed the flickering flames of anger. His love for his brother, Calvin, mingled with the anguish of his orphaned past, and the surge of emotions threatened to overwhelm him. It was as if the years of longing for family, the years of isolation on Earth, and the newfound warmth of kinship on Eden had converged into a single, potent force.

With another burst of raw emotion, Castiel lunged at Caz, his movements fueled by a primal instinct to defend what he held dear. He started punching Caz. Each strike, each expression of his anger, resonated with a depth that transcended the immediate threat. It was a clash between a man driven by the love he had discovered in this realm and a foe who sought to exploit that very connection.

The room echoed with the sounds of punches and Castiel's relentless assault spoke of a determination rooted in something far more profound than the present danger. The realization that his brother was the target ignited a fierce protectiveness, blurring the line between reason and instinct. The love that Castiel had found on Eden, the family that had mended his broken past, became a source of strength that fueled his relentless pursuit of justice.

Castiel, fueled by a potent mix of anger and protectiveness, grabbed and raised the guard's sword with the intent to deliver a decisive blow, the air in the room thickened with tension. With anger consuming him, he let out a guttural scream, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" The gleaming blade poised for a deadly descent, a stark contrast to the turmoil in Castiel's eyes.

However, before the blade could complete its deadly arc, Captain Hale intervened with a commanding presence. He stepped in swiftly, his experienced hands catching Castiel's arm mid-motion. The clash of metal against metal reverberated in the room as Hale halted the impending strike.

"Your Highness, please control your anger," Captain Hale implored, his voice a steady anchor in the storm of emotions. "Killing him will not solve anything. We need information, and he's our best chance to get it."

Castiel, still caught in the grip of his overpowering emotions, reluctantly lowered the sword. His chest heaved with each breath, a potent mixture of anger, sorrow, and the realization that vengeance wouldn't bring solace.

In the brief silence that followed, Caz, saved from the brink of Castiel's fury, let out a mocking laugh, a mirthless sound that hung in the air like a bitter echo. Before anyone could react, Captain Hale swiftly retaliated with a powerful kick to Caz's chin, knocking him unconscious. The abrupt end to Caz's laughter marked the onset of a tense calm, the aftermath of a storm averted but not forgotten.

As Castiel, grappling with the tumultuous emotions and the revelation about his past, silently left the room, Captain Hale took charge of the situation. The room echoed with the distant sounds of commotion from the inn's guests, their nerves still unsettled by the recent events.

Captain Hale turned to his guards with a stern expression. "Secure the area, and make sure everything is under control. We don't need any more surprises," he ordered, his authoritative tone cutting through the lingering tension.

He singled out one of the guards. "Send word to the capital. Inform them about the situation and request a detachment of men to collect the prisoner. Make it clear that we need him transported back for proper interrogation. Tell the others to get ready. We'll be leaving as soon as they arrive."

The guard nodded crisply, acknowledging the order. With a swift salute, he left to carry out the command, leaving Captain Hale to contemplate the intricacies of the night's events. The inn, once a haven of peace, now bore the scars of a clandestine conflict that unfolded within its walls.