Chapter 15 Revelation
People in Bideford and the surrounding fiefs are talking about the assassination attempt on the count's youngest son. Many people are wondering why someone would assassinate the youngest son. Usually, people will go for the successor first.
This incident has caused a lot of discussion among people in Bideford. Everybody starts to make their speculation. The most important thing that was discussed is who's behind it.
Some people said it was the big boss in the parchment industry who did it. Everybody knows Riz is responsible for the decline in parchment usage.
Others suggest it is an old grudge some noble toward the Ryntum.
Since the attempt happened in the square, a lot of merchants saw the incident first-hand and told it in their hometowns. The news only takes less than a week to reach the capital. It shocked a lot of influential people in the capital.
The incident even reached the king.
"Wendell, did you hear the news?", asked Nicholas I to his prime minister.
"Yes, your majesty. I have heard it"
"It is hard to say that this incident just coincidentally happens just as we're in the middle of preparation against the northern nation".
"I will investigate this matter"
"Report to me immediately if you find out something".
....
As for the Ryntum family, Josephine and Reina were shocked to hear the news. They never thought that someone would do it in an open place like that.
"Did that woman plan this?", Josephine is thinking for a while. "No, there is no way. That woman isn't brave enough to do something like this. Perhaps it's her father, that old man is an old fox".
She knows the Count's personality well. Her father is a noble under Count Gyalcakes. The count never moves unless he is confident.
On Maria's side,
*smash* *smash*, Maria is throwing a lot of stuff in her room. She is enraged and slightly panicked.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it. He never told me about this." Maria has been pacing around back and forth in her room. She never thought her father would take such a drastic measure. If they find out about it, all of Maria's bad deeds will also come to light.
....
Every noble who has visited the Ryntum mansion knows that it has four floors. However, nobody knew that there was another floor underground. On the outside, Ryntum's mansion looks like a lovely mansion on top of the hill, overseeing the entire town.
However, things are not as simple as that, the hill was chosen with the intention to build a lot of underground rooms and passages.
Things like this aren't rare. It is a common practice for the nobles to have one or two secret places like this.
After all, everyone has one or two things they want to hide from others.
Richard right now is on his way to the underground floor. After making sure Charlotte's injuries are properly treated. He brought Riz to this floor to see the interrogation process.
This is the first time he brought one of his children to this floor.
This floor has various rooms for many purposes that can't be disclosed to the public. The captured assassin was brought to one of the rooms located on this floor, the torture room.
As they descend, they gradually hear a scream. From the hallway, they can see the light escape from one of the rooms indicating that it's occupied.
The smell in this room is not particularly pleasing.
"Ewww..., what kind of place is this?", Riz asks the moment he enters the windowless room.
The room was only lit by a few candles. It is worse than what you see in horror movies. It is 'horror', 'dreadful', 'bloody' and 'fear' all in one place.
"Torture room", Richard gives a short reply.
He knocks on the wall to confirm his suspicion, "Sure enough it's made with a thick wall. I guess this is why I never heard any screams or sounds from the aboveground."
There, a lot of tools can be seen such as the breaking wheel, the iron chair, the iron maiden and the rack.
These various ingenious tools make Riz amazed at human creativity and innovation.
There Riz sees the assassin in the middle of the room. His body is full of blood and injuries proving he's been tortured for days.
Riz looks at the assassin indifferently. He doesn't have the slightest pity or mercy towards him.
He almost laughed when seeing the assassin in such a sorry state but decided to hold back his laugh.
'I will look like a complete psycho if I laugh now.'
However, his action couldn't escape Richard's eyes. Richard who worries that Riz cannot handle this brutal scene sees that his son is actually holding his laugh.
He sighed and muttered, "He resembles his mother in this regard".
Richard shifted his attention and asked the torturer. "Has he talked? It has already been five days",
"My apologies, milord. We have tried many methods but he still didn't open his mouth. We are very careful not to accidentally kill him".
"It looks like he has a strong mind and resolve.", commented Richard.
"If that is the case, let's attack his mind", Riz suggested.
"Attack his mind? How?"
"We cut off one or more of his senses. We isolate him and block his sight and hearing. Don't let him see and hear anything and leave him alone for a few days", Riz excitedly explains.
Riz suggest a psychological torture technique that is aimed at sensory deprivation and isolation he heard a lot of this technique in the past. He just felt a little bit upset that he can't completely recreate the method with the current technologies.
The people in the torture room are dumbfounded by this idea. They have been in this job for years yet it never occurs to their mind that they could torture people in a bloodless way.
"Since we have tried all the methods we know, let's try Riz's method for now. If it is not successful, we will think of another way.", Richard agreed with Riz's suggestion. He needs results right now or all the nobles in the kingdom will think Ryntum is a joke.
The torturer there quickly follows Riz's suggestion even though they are doubtful.
....
After a few days, the assassin confesses everything. He didn't want to experience something like that anymore. In the time when he was isolated, he could feel that his sane mind slowly faded away. He feels anxious and hallucinates a lot. His mind has so many bizarre thoughts.
The torturers who heard this felt absurd. Simply block his sense and he gives up retaliating?
Riz is too lazy to explain it to them so he asked them to try it by themselves.
The first to try is the head knight, William. There is no arrogance coming from his mouth after experiencing it.
The same goes for other knights. They just realize just how weak their psychology is.
He said that he was sent by the president of the Republic of Cerdeauxia to help Count Gyalcakes eliminate the last royal blood of the Cerdeaux Dynasty. The president is afraid that Riz would come to Cerdeauxia and claim the throne.
Hearing this, Richard knows what Count Gyalcakes wants to try to achieve. He wants to put Robert as a count and control him.
"This greedy old man, he's been running around everywhere for the sake of power. It will be troublesome if news about Riz's lineage reaches the royal family".
"What are we going to do now, milord?", asks Edward
"You go and detain Maria first and ask Robert to return. It's time to strike them".
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