Sometime later, somewhere else…

Krrrkkkkkk…

Will regains consciousness to the sound of a stretching rope, squinting heavily with a terrible headache pounding his head.

「Nnghh?…」

He looks at the blurry green shapes on the ceiling, when one of them moves. It is then when Will realizes that it's not the ceiling, but the floor, and he's simply hanging upside down.

「Captain, looks like he's back.」

One of the blobby green shapes announces with a gently muffled voice obscured by something metallic.

「Finally… You didn't have to hit him that hard… He might be a spy, but he's still just a kid…」

Another voice replies, and one of the green shapes approaches Will. He squats down in front of him, and a gloved hand pushes Will's displaced glasses from his forehead back up to his nose.

「Hmh?…」

Confused, Will narrows his eyes at a metal boar's snout. The man in front of him is covered by a green cloak, obscuring his entire form aside from the metal boar staring at him. The rest of the green-cloaked men are likewise wearing same, exact type of cloak and masks, albeit of different animals. A fox, a badger, there even appears to be a hawk or an eagle, too. Will furrows his brows as his confusion only deepens.

「…You're going to answer some questions for us. Don't try to scream. Nobody will hear you, and I don't want my ears screamed off… Got it?」

The boar-masked man says, slightly hunched in his low squat from the very little Will can see in the small, dark room.

Will turns his gaze up to his feet. They're tied with a rope, which is slung over a horizontal support beam going through the room's stone walls. It's far too dark to see anything else of note.

The gloved hand moves to pull the drool-soaked rag of out Will's mouth, and the boar-masked man discards it off to the side with a dismissive throw.

「Your name… Will Steele, correct?」

The boar man asks with a calm, stern voice that reveals very little about his emotions, other than he's likely experiencing none in particular.

《Is it really a good idea to stay silent, or lie to them? They already know my name somehow…》

Will's face grows serious and his gaze focuses on the man's metal face. He remains silent for a moment.

《…No, it's stupid to assume this is a random kidnapping. They're just verifying things. They probably have something else to prove it with.》

He furrows his brows, thinking for a little longer. The man tilts his head slightly.

「…Yeah, it is.」

Will reluctantly admits, and looks at the rest of the cloaked men.

「Thought so. You're an adventurer registered with the adventurers' guild, and registered with the mages' guild as well?」

The boar nods, then stands up.

《…My guild identification… So that's why.》

「Yeah, I am.」

Will replies, once again glancing at the masked men.

《Are they bandits?… A local gang, maybe? Is this related to the assassination case?… Or something else?… No, they don't look like bandits… Damn it, it's so hard to think like this…》

He narrows his eyes at the peculiar, well-crafted metal masks under the hoods of their green cloaks. He looks up at his feet and his bare torso again.

《…Never mind who they are right now. I need to think of a way out. What do they even want from me? It's pointless to find out who they are if they kill me.》

Will clenches his teeth and struggles against the rope binding his wrists behind his back. His head continues aching.

「I have a couple questions for you… And I suggest you answer them quick. They execute people by hanging them upside down in some places, you know?…」

The boar takes a step back, spreading his arms slightly. When his green cloak parts, Will notices leather armor beneath it, strapped with numerous belts, pouches, and a small crossbow.

「…Here's the first one… Which kingdom are you with?」

The man's voice takes on an unabashedly threatening tone as he looks down at Will's upside-down face.

「…Huh? Where are we?」

Will asks, deeply confused by his question.

「I am the one asking questions here. Answer my fucking question, kid.」

The man growls back, tilting his head a little. Will thinks for a brief moment.

「…I am an adventurer, I serve nobody… But I'm proud to say I'm a Redwing-born citizen, so my loyalty lies with my empress.」

Will explains, carefully picking his words.

The men visibly scoff at his words, shaking their masked heads and exchanging concealed glances.

「Bull-fucking-shit… All this fucking nonsense about Redwing-born citizenry and loyalty to the empress…」

The boar replies, shaking his head as he takes a step towards Will.

「…Let me rephrase the question… Which fucking agency are you with? Whose intelligence service do you work for? Which kingdom's orders are you carrying out?…」

He asks, leaning down towards him with his gloves on his leather armor's thickened kneepads.

「…Who are you spying for? Is that clear enough for you? Now answer my fucking question.」

The boar man adds, and straightens out while the glint of his glaring eyes reflects through the boar's empty eye sockets.

「Nobody. I told you, I'm an adventurer. Why do you have this idea that I'm spying for anybody? I didn't do much, but I did help with put the empress back on the throne!」

Will replies with an insistent tone while looking at the men standing in front of him. His insistence grows, and he sways a little on the rope as he nods his head down at the boar.

「…You're a mage, huh?」

Staring at Will, the boar-masked man asks after a brief pause.

「…Yeah, I am. I told you I am. Why are you asking me again?」

Lightly confused, he furrows his brows at the cloaked men.

「Oh… I just noticed you've got a pretty nice body…」

「…Wh-? Wha…?」

The boar man shrugs his covered shoulders as he replies, exchanging glances with the other men. Will's mouth opens a little in deeper confusion.

「…Chiseled, I mean. Heh. What, you thought I meant that I like guys?」

The masked man explains with an audible amused huff.

「…Well, I-」

Will averts his gaze as he tries to explain himself.

「I'm just saying, because the mages I see are usually twigs. Little sticks that would break if you look at them wrong. I'm not saying you're a big guy, but…」

The boar idly paces around Will, cutting him off and circling him while looking at his somewhat defined stomach, back, shoulders, and arms.

「…Yeah, well I-」

He nods in response, trying to explain himself again.

「…You don't look like a mage, is what I'm saying. You look like a pretty fit young man who could handle a tussle. Maybe has some experience in the military…」

The boar-masked man cuts him off again, placing himself only a few steps away in front of Will.

「…Which military, is my question. Certainly not the empire's. And you had a sword with you, too…」

He adds, and glances at Will's sword in its sheath, propped up against a wall near a wooden door behind the men.

「That's…」

《…Shit. That is a little hard to explain.》

Will grimaces slightly, turning his gaze aside.

「…Do mages usually fight with swords? You tell me.」

The boar man sarcastically asks, and shrugs his shoulders as his metal face returns to Will's. Will grimaces some more as he thinks.

「…Look, I know it's a little unusual, but-」

「You look like you can take a punch.」

The masked man nonchalantly interrupts Will again.

「…Huh?-」

Tfwap!

「Hurk!…」

Before Will's confusion at the strangely off-hand remark can properly set in, the boar suddenly pulls back his gloved hand and slams his fist into Will's stomach.

Krrrrrrkkkkkk… Kkrrrkkkkkk…

「…Hnnnff!」

Will gasps for air with his glasses once again displaced onto his forehead as he swings back and forth on the rope by his ankles.

…Krrrrkkk… Krrrkkk…

「…Cut the bullshit already, for your own good. Who are you working for?」

After a few swings, the boar-masked man stops Will from swinging further with his palm. The stretched rope gives out a few more strained creaks before turning silent.

「Nobody! I'm an adventu-! Hurk!…」

Tfwap! Krrrrrrkkkkkk…

Before Will can even finish his sentence, the man's fist strikes him in his stomach again. The boar stops him the moment he swings back towards him.

「You're starting to piss me the fuck off, kid. I want you to know this, I'm going easy on you. We haven't even gotten started with any of the tools yet. Do you really want me to do that?」

The masked man says, glaring down at Will while he struggles to breathe with his mouth wide open like a fish on land.

「…Hgghhhhh!… Tools?…」

Will reluctantly asks with his eyes wide open and drool running up his cheek. The boar looks over his shoulder at a fox, and seems to gesture his head towards him.

The fox takes a few steps towards the darkness and reaches for something in the corner of the room at his waist height.

Clink-clink-clink-clink!

The fox-masked man steps back into the feeble light of the singular handheld oil lamp hanging off the hook on one of the walls, and loudly plinks the metal pliers in his hand.

「…I'll let you figure out yourself what the pliers are for. Now answer my fucking question, before I run out of patience… Who are you spying for?」

The boar returns his eyes to Will, and asks again in an incredibly harsh tone.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

「…I'm not spying for anyone. It's the truth! It won't change no matter how many times you punch me!… That's not how truth works!」

《…Who are these guys!? Are they from the government!? They don't look like the Ministry people!… And why are they convinced I'm a spy!?》

Will replies, visibly concerned with a tight-lipped grimace on his face, but unyielding.

「Tsk… Alright…」

With his hands on his hips, the boar-masked man clicks his tongue in frustration, nodding his masked, cloak-covered head.

「…Get the bucket here.」

He glances over his shoulder and says to one of the men.

Krrkkkkk!…Splosh-splosh… Krrrrk… Thud.

The bird-masked man drags in a large bucket, which is more like a circular washtub meant for scrubbing clothes clean than a simple handheld bucket. He places it directly underneath Will, which causes him to furrow his brows at the water violently bouncing within. The boar then points somewhere behind Will while looking at another man, who hastily moves there. Will can't turn his head enough to see what he is doing.

Fffffwp…

「Eh?」

Will feels a gentle jerk downward, and quickly looks at his feet as he seems to slide lower ever so slightly.

Thwump!… Sploshh…

「Mnghnmm!?」

Will lets out a panicked, muffled exclamation as his head and shoulders sink into the water beneath him, painfully smacking his already aching head against its bottom.

「Hey, hey!… Lower him, don't just drop him into it!…」

The boar spreads his arms at the man handling Will's rope in the dark. He tugs at the rope, and lifts him back up.

「…Khakh! Khakh!」

Will coughs up some of the water that managed to flow into his throat. When he manages to catch a breath, he realizes his glasses are still in the bucket, sunken at the bottom.

「…Now, Will… I'm going to ask you a question, and I will give you a moment to think hard on the fucking answer you want to give me… Ready?」

The boar-masked man leans forward, resting his hands on his kneepads again, staring at Will's wet and somewhat frightened face.

「I already told you… I'm just an adventurer! And not even by my choice! I'd much rather run a store or something!」

Will continues to insist, though with a worried grimace.

「Well ain't that sad… Hold his head up…」

The boar dismissively replies, then gestures the cloaked men behind him with a nod of his head.

「…Eh?」

Will utters out as two of them move to his side. Both grab his shoulders, and one forces his head up to be horizontal, grasping him by his hair.

「…You must be getting thirsty. Drink.」

The boar-masked man declares, and lifts the bucket-washtub up.

「I'm no- Blbpfpfbfptffttt!」

Sploshploshploshplopshplopsh…

Will tries to reply, but the man tilts the bucket his way, sending a torrent of water towards his face and up his nose and into his mouth before he can close it. He begins feverishly shaking his head, trying to turn it away from the powerful stream, but the man's grasp on his hair gives him very little leeway. Before long, Will is already struggling to hold his breath while the water continues steadily washing over his face.

《I can't breathe! They're going to drown me! They're seriously going to kill me! Those idiots!… They're going to kill me by accident!》

「Pffpftpbbbpfftt!…」

…Splosploshploshploshplosh…

Will clenches his teeth as he tries to make his last breath last, but his lungs begin to burn painfully for more air.

「…Hngh!- Hrrrkhakh! Khakh-khakh-khakh!…」

《I'm actually drowning! I can't breathe!… I'm going to… Pass out…》

…Sploshploshplopshplopshplosh…

Unable to resist the urge to take a breath, Will does so, and immediately regrets it as water tries to race up to his lungs. He begins violently coughing out the very little he breathed in.

…Splosh… Splash.

「…Hnnnnngh! Khakh-khakh!… Hnnnnffff!… Khakk!…」

The flow of water stops as the boar tilts the half-empty washtub away, and Will gasps for air. As soon as he catches a single breath, he coughs it out, and gasps again, then coughs more.

「…Well, Will? Do you feel like talking yet? If you keep giving me the same fucking answer, I'm not going to like it… Who are you working for?」

The boar asks again as he sets the bucket-washtub down on the flooded ground. The two men holding him let go and take a step aside.

Breathing heavily with his eyes wide open, Will simply stares at the metal boar.

「…Well!?」

The man says with his voice raised, echoing in his mask, when he realizes Will might be stalling for time to breathe.

「…I serve her majesty.」

「Which one?」

Will hesitantly replies, and the boar quickly follows up with another question, leaning forward.

「…Her highness Cycelia Redwing, empress of the Redwing Empire-」

「Shut the fuck up.」

Will replies with an insistent tone and a greatly concerned grimace as his breathing calms. The man cuts him off.

「What do you want me to say!? I'm not a spy! Am I supposed to make something up!?-」

Will shouts back, glaring at the blurry cloaked men, and the boar which is close enough for him to see without his glasses on.

「I said shut the fuck up…」

The boar interrupts him again as he straightens out.

Thump! Krrrkkk!… Splosh… Splosh…

He gives the washtub a rough kick, sending it sliding over to the side and splashing more water onto the already flooding floor. Will stares at him with a tight-lipped, worried, but defiant face.

「…Tsk… We're doing this whole shit for you, to be nice to you, but you don't even appreciate it. That's fine, I'm done being soft…」

The boar says, shrugging his shoulders with a small tilt of his cloaked head.

「…Fox, get those pliers here, we'll get started on his teeth.」

「Uh-huh…」

He says to the fox-masked man over his shoulder, who nods and returns back to the dark corner where he got the pliers from previously.

「…Huh? What?… Teeth?」

Confused, Will furrows his brows and glances at the green men.

《…Get started how? With what?…》

「Eh?…」

His confusion only grows when the two men at his sides grab him, completely unprompted by the boar. The fox approaches with the pliers in his gloved hand.

Clink-clink-clink…

He spreads and shuts them a few times, creating a grating noise of metal slamming against metal.

《…What does he need those pliers for? What does this have to do with-?》

「Wait…」

Will's eyes widen as realization dawns on him very late. The boar forcefully grabs his hair and forces his mouth open.

「…Wai! Wai wai wai wai wai!」

Will tries to shout, flapping his tongue in his upside-down mouth while his jaw is held by the boar's hand.

「A little too late to change your mind, Will. We gave you plenty of chances… Maybe this will refresh your memory, hm?」

The boar-masked man says in a grim, yet gleefully mocking tone, scoffing at his panic.

Thrashing about, Will's heart begins to race and thump in his bare chest while the upside-down fox draws near with his pliers raised and pointed towards him.

「Wai! Wai!…」

Will tries to plea again, all while attempting to wiggle his head out of the boar man's hold, but his grasp is too secure. Realizing he can't free himself out of it, he looks at his fingers.

Desperate, Will manages to wiggle out enough to bite onto the boar's thumb with all his might. The cloaked man doesn't react much as Will's teeth bite into the glove's leather. However, one of the men behind him quickly takes a step towards him with his fist raised to deliver a punch. The boar momentarily lets go of Will's hair to raise his hand, gesturing the man to stop with its back.

「That's the spirit! Use 'em before you lose 'em!…」

The boar exclaims in a somewhat amused tone, and readjusts his grip on Will's head, forcing his jaw open with his thumb still on his teeth, and placing him in a pseudo-headlock.

「…Do it. Get his upper ones first… That means our lower.」

The boar glances at the fox, who silently nods in reply, and reaches for Will's face with both his free hand and the pliers.

「Wai!-… Heeeeeeep! Heeeeeeep! Somoon heeeeeeeeep! Heeeeeep!」

Will loses faith in his own ability to help himself, and begins to scream in the direction of the wooden door the loudest he can. His voice briefly cracks into embarrassingly higher tones.

「Tsk… I told you not to do that… You'll lose an extra one just for that…」

The boar-masked man shakes his mask in disappointed disapproval, and angles Will's head for better access. The fox reaches with the pliers for one of Will's teeth.

「…We'll do his nails if he doesn't talk after the teeth-」

SLAM!

The boar gets interrupted by the wooden door behind the group slamming open. All of them drop what they're doing and reach underneath their cloaks.

「…I said inform me… Not go through the whole checklist of what counts as torture!… Only the Ministry of Internal can do that! What the fuck are you doing!?」

With his hands in his coat's pocket, Straf lowers his mighty foot out of a kick and enters the room. He spreads his arms, casually addressing the masked men with a frustrated grimace.

「Minister?… We… Uh…」

The boar-masked man exchanges confused and awkward glances with the rest as they relax from their startled, wide-legged combat stances.

「…You didn't want us to question him?」

He asks, turning his metal mask back to Straf…