Ti passed, and it was now a quarter after nine in the afternoon.
"Listen. I need you to answer each one of my questions truthfully. As a mber of the Ten Vanguards, I need to report with the utmost accuracy."
By the ti Cassien awoke, he was tied with rope, strapped to a chair, and forced into a room with only one table lamp that worked properly.
It consisted of three people: one beautiful young woman, and two top-ranked guards protecting the barrier behind them.
It was a small room, one ant for investigations.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The materials were quite old and rusted, but Cassien sensed so mana around, as if a magical circle was being used to hide their specific location.
It didn’t take Cassien long to realize where he was, because the main character had been sent here early on in the story as well.
It was where the royal capital’s justice service team conducted all serious investigations.
"What’s your na?" she asked, her eyes sharp and her expression dark.
Cassien smirked. "Not even a hello? Isn’t it common courtesy to treat your guests nicely?"
The guards stepped forward, but the woman raised an arm.
"Leave it. He’s attempting to act intimidating. Let the boy be."
Cassien laughed. "Untie from these ropes, and I wouldn’t mind fighting the two behind ."
The guards grew increasingly angry, but the woman gave them a serious look, and they backed off.
"You’re quite the intimidator," he said.
"Answer !" she yelled. "What’s your na?"
Cassien looked at her. "Law of equivalent exchange. I’ll tell you mine if you tell yours."
She sighed, then gave in.
"My na’s Victoria Armstrong."
"Nice to et you, Vicky. My na"
"I never said you could call that. Speak to professionally."
Sothing about the man before her was really ticking her off.
"Fine." Cassien exhaled calmly. "Nice to et you, Victoria. My na’s Cassien. Cassien Artfold."
She tapped her jaw, then rembered where the last na ca from.
"A third-degree noble? Interesting..."
She checked sothing off her list.
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"What are your elental affinities?"
"None."
"Be honest with , or you’ll face serious punishnt."
"I’m being honest. I have none." Cassien couldn’t feel any equipnt on him. "I’m guessing you took my pistol and knife? Those were what I used to kill. That’s it."
She checked and marked two more things.
"How many of those bandits did you kill exactly?"
Cassien thought for a mont. "I don’t rember."
The questions continued for a couple of minutes until she finally ca to a halt.
"That’s good enough. You’ll be sent back to the Artfold household via a carriage we’ve provided. Safe travels."
She stood up, walked over to him, and began untying him.
Cassien was finally able to study every one of her features closely.
’Dark purple hair...’
’Big breasts...’
’A tight black royal armored outfit...’
’Dark purple eyes...’
’Thin and quite pale...’
He tried piecing everything together.
"Purple..." he began whispering. "Wait... the purple... no, it went sothing like, ’The Purple Darkness.’"
A knife struck just beside his neck, ready to pierce his skin at any mont.
"Where did you hear that na from?" she asked.
Cassien looked down, and the rope suddenly fell off him, as if the knife had sliced it and stopped just an inch from his neck.
"What could you possibly an? I like naming almost everyone I et based on their appearance. And that was exactly what I gave you."
She sighed, then pulled off the mask of a guard standing beside her. Victoria shoved him forward.
"If you can give people impressively accurate nas based on their appearance, na this guy right here."
Cassien smiled.
The man was older, not old enough to have gray hair, but his light brown hair, mustache, and beard all matched. He had dark black eyes and a muscular, scarred body.
Cassien studied him closely, standing up and examining the edges of his fra.
Victoria glanced at her watch. "Let’s see..."
"I got it." Cassien raised a finger, drawing everyone’s attention.
"It is..."
He held their focus.
"It is..."
"It is..."
"Just say it already!"
"Fine, fine." Cassien smiled. "Brownie with no black."
They stared at him.
While everyone else looked disappointed, Cassien seed proud of what he had just said.
Then Victoria told him to leave, as the carriage outside was ready for his departure.
She also stated that all of his equipnt had been placed inside.
’At least that answer was enough to lower the tension.’
Cassien smirked, thinking about Victoria. She was exactly as the novel described, though more beautiful than he expected.
Her real last na wasn’t Armstrong. It was Platini, a na well respected throughout Htrae itself.
She was only in her First year at Nosguard Academy when she received an offer to join the Ten Vanguards.
The Vanguards were individuals who observed and watched over everything. This ti, she had arrived a little late for so unknown reason, but usually, they were always present.
And only ten people were given that title each year. Sotis, individuals were demoted based on their performance during that ti and replaced, as it caps at ten.
The only reason Cassien even vaguely rembered who Victoria Platini was was that she helped the main cast defeat a third-rate villain and held a crucial role, which was coming up soon, right after the academy trials, where nobles do not participate.
As the carriage was about to move with only two guards, soone outside called for it to stop.
It was Victoria, again.
She opened the curtain, eting Cassien’s gaze.
"Are you going to the royal banquet tomorrow?" She asked, steady.
"Yes," Cassien answered without hesitation. "But I have a question. Where did those groups of bandits co from? How did they know the exact monts when everyone’s guards would be off? They must have received that information from soone more advanced. Those guys were too weak."
Victoria sighed, realizing Cassien had picked up on the hidden detail.
"The Esters."
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