Chapter 500: Interrogation
Of course, Heron only thought these things to himself; he had no intention of telling Suville. Earlier, he’d called Viss up and shared a series of speculations, all to give Viss some mental preparation—to use this opportunity to get closer to Matthew Merlin, and ideally, to make contact with the Sky Rank powerhouse backing him.
As for Suville...
Once the attack on the Blazeforge Orc Tribe is over, he’ll be sent back to the Black Tower. He can’t be allowed to remain in the Blazeforge Realm any longer. If he refuses to behave and still wants to go after the Merlin Family or Matthew Merlin, he’ll just have to stay obediently in the Sanctuary...
Thinking of this, Heron was already feeling irritable. He shot Suville an impatient glance and added, "If you provoke that Matthew Merlin, not even the Black Tower can protect you..."
He wasn’t exaggerating. In his eyes, someone as clueless as Suville, if he kept provoking Matthew Merlin, might very well anger that mysterious Sky Rank powerhouse, bringing trouble to the Black Tower. If that happened, Heron—who always put the Black Tower’s interests first—wouldn’t hesitate to hand Suville over and let the Sky Rank mage deal with him as he pleased.
"I’m sorry, Lord Heron, I... I..."
Suville was nearly scared to tears. It was the first time he’d seen Lord Heron so stern. But what puzzled him was that last sentence—if he provoked Matthew Merlin, not even the Black Tower could protect him?
How is that possible...
Matthew Merlin is ridiculously strong, and he has the Merlin Family backing him. But to the Black Tower, the Merlin Family isn’t really much. Even the Sanctuary powerhouse like Oran Merlin wouldn’t dare act against him lightly.
Of course, he wouldn’t dare question Heron to his face.
"Remember, if you dare provoke Matthew Merlin again, you’ll be sent back to the Sanctuary and you’ll stay there obediently!" Heron took a deep breath, issued his warning, then waved his hand to signal Suville to leave.
"Alright, alright... You can rest assured."
Face to face with Heron, under that invisible pressure, Suville was nearly drained, nodding like a pecking chick before finally leaving the study.
......
By the time Leon returned to Inferno Fortress, it was already noon. The dark red sun hanging in the sky was relentlessly pouring down its scorching rays.
Passing through layers of guards, Leon entered the council chamber. In the spacious, brightly lit hall, only three people were present: Thorne Merlin, Edgar Merlin, and Uriel Merlin.
"Matthew Merlin, let me ask you—what exactly did you do at the Black Tower’s Darkmoon Fortress today?" Thorne Merlin’s face was dark, his gaze sharp as he swept his eyes over Leon.
He’d received a report early in the morning about Matthew Merlin—apparently, Matthew Merlin had gone to the Black Tower’s Darkmoon Fortress and only just returned.
That was the entire morning—Matthew Merlin had stayed at Darkmoon Fortress the whole time. What exactly was he doing?
Thorne Merlin couldn’t help but grow suspicious...
After all, the Merlin Family and the Black Tower have had little contact. The Merlin Family controls Inferno Fortress, which is right next to the Black Tower’s Darkmoon Fortress. For a hundred years, they’ve been constantly on guard against each other. He just couldn’t think of any reason for Matthew Merlin to seek out the Black Tower...
If Matthew Merlin leaked Inferno Fortress’s information to the Black Tower, that would be a disaster. Though he didn’t believe Matthew Merlin would dare do such a thing, it was better to be safe than sorry.
That’s why, as soon as the young mage returned, he questioned him as if interrogating a criminal.
Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin, who had been quietly sitting to the side, broke out in a cold sweat as Thorne Merlin spoke up. Damn, is he just looking for trouble? What’s wrong with having private dealings with the Black Tower, or just paying a visit? Does he really expect you to report every person you met and every bowl of food you ate before he’s satisfied?
But at this moment, the two of them couldn’t say a word, wary of Thorne Merlin’s status. After all, Thorne Merlin was the commander of the Blazeforge Legion, so they had to keep up appearances.
Soon after, Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin saw the young mage indeed furrow his brows.
This is bad...
"Lord Thorne, you’re the commander of the Blazeforge Legion, and so am I. I don’t think you have the authority to meddle in my affairs, hehe..." Leon touched his nose and glanced indifferently at Thorne Merlin.
"Do you think you’re still just a stray descendant of the family?" Thorne Merlin’s eyes were full of disdain, his tone cold: "Your current position is the Merlin Family’s commander in the Blazeforge Realm. Every move you make has a huge impact. You’d better explain your purpose for going to Darkmoon Fortress, who you met, what you talked about—lay it all out and clear yourself of suspicion."
"Lord Thorne, isn’t this a bit much...?"
At this point, even Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin, sitting to the side, couldn’t bear to listen. This was really asking for trouble—he was treating the young mage like a criminal instead of a commander.
He’s really courting disaster...
"And what suspicion do I have, exactly?" Leon narrowed his eyes, looking at Thorne Merlin with a hint of amusement.
"Who knows if you might’ve leaked Inferno Fortress’s military plans to the Black Tower? This is a serious matter—even as commander, you need to explain yourself. If you leaked important information and Inferno Fortress was lost because of it, I couldn’t bear that responsibility." Thorne Merlin took a deep breath and recited his prepared speech.
In truth, Thorne Merlin just wanted to embarrass the young mage and remind him that, even as a commander, he had to listen to Thorne in the Blazeforge Realm.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to pin the suspicion of colluding with the enemy on the young mage.
"Lord Thorne, you shouldn’t throw around accusations like that..."
Immediately, Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin shot Thorne Merlin a strange look. Others might not know, but they were well aware—if it hadn’t been for the young mage’s timely intervention yesterday, uncovering the Blazeforge Orc Shaman at the critical moment, who knows if Inferno Fortress would’ve held out.
As for the young mage being a traitor, Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin wouldn’t believe it even if they were dead.
If the young mage wanted to betray the Merlin Family, it wouldn’t need to be so complicated. With his terrifying strength, he’d already killed more than ten powerful Blazeforge Orc Shamans single-handedly. If he wanted, he could easily take Thorne Merlin out and seize complete control of Inferno Fortress’s military. It wouldn’t be hard for him at all.
Besides, Thorne Merlin’s repeated provocations left Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin feeling helpless.
"And how do you know I’d hand over Inferno Fortress’s military plans to the Black Tower?" Leon frowned—his opponent was truly scheming.
"Of course only you know what you’ve done. If you’re innocent and haven’t betrayed the Merlin Family, then you should be able to explain your purpose for going to Darkmoon Fortress..." Thorne Merlin sneered, obviously setting a trap for the young mage.
"That’s a secret..."
"You... Matthew Merlin, don’t push your luck!" In an instant, Thorne Merlin’s face twisted with rage as he roared, "Do you really think I can’t deal with you? Believe it or not, I’ll report what happened yesterday and your secret trip to the Black Tower to the Ancestral Grounds..."
If it hadn’t been for Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin convincing him yesterday, he would’ve already reported the incident to the Ancestral Grounds, instead of waiting until now. The young mage left Inferno Fortress at a critical moment—hardly a trivial matter. If Inferno Fortress had fallen because of it, even he couldn’t bear that responsibility.
And the young mage went alone to Darkmoon Fortress and stayed the whole morning—that could be a big deal. If the people in the Ancestral Grounds found out, they’d definitely start suspecting him.
That’s why Thorne Merlin felt he had two deadly pieces of leverage over the young mage. The other should just behave and tell him everything, to calm his anger. That would be the smartest choice.
Thorne Merlin was still waiting...
"Heh, Lord Thorne, you must be joking. Reporting to the Ancestral Grounds is your business—what does it matter whether I care or not...?"
Leon’s expression was calm. After speaking, he didn’t spare Thorne Merlin another glance and turned to leave.
"This..."
Watching the young mage’s retreating back, Thorne Merlin was utterly stunned. Crazy, absolutely crazy...
That damn Matthew Merlin actually ignored his threat. Did he really think Thorne wouldn’t dare?
He just couldn’t figure out where that bastard Matthew Merlin got his confidence...
Uriel Merlin and Edgar Merlin exchanged a glance, then—perfectly in sync—got up and walked out, disappearing under Thorne Merlin’s murderous glare.
Now, the council chamber was left with only Thorne Merlin. His eyes were cold, his face grim, and his heart seethed with endless anger.
He truly hated Matthew Merlin...
But after he calmed down, he gradually realized that, even in the Blazeforge Realm, it would be hard to deal with someone as powerful as Matthew Merlin.
Looks like he’d have to report to the Ancestral Grounds...
A sheet of pristine white paper appeared in his hand. With a surge of battle energy, countless golden runes shimmered into view. He quickly wrote a letter, and the paper dissolved into countless rays of light, vanishing into the air. This was the Merlin Family’s unique communication method—blindingly fast. Even if you were in another plane, the message would reach the Merlin Family within a day.
The letter recorded everything that had happened yesterday and today.
Once the Ancestral Grounds received it, they’d surely be furious. In Thorne Merlin’s eyes, either of the two things Matthew Merlin did was outrageous—stripping him of his commander title would be lenient.
Once Matthew Merlin lost his position as commander, everything would be easier. Thorne had countless ways to make Matthew Merlin’s life a living hell. He still remembered vividly what happened over three months ago—he’d sworn then to throw Leon into the Howling River.