Chapter 60.

Adrian blinked at the thought even as Motoyasu glared and started to answer. He had become quite jaded if he anticipated torturing people in the future. Then again, he was expecting to have Aultcray here sooner or later and that would be a much more difficult conversation.

"...that's spirit enchantment," Motoyasu finished, looking exhausted, a side effect of Adrian boosting the SP drain after the Spear Hero tried to wriggle out of the bindings to activate his skill.

"Thank you," he said, keeping his tone light, "I have only one major question left." Adrian ignored the hope that shone on both Malty and Motoyasu's face. How naive to hope that this would end well. They needed a lot more power for that. "tell me about the Spirit Tortoise and the other beasts like it."

For once, Motoyasu looked stunned, "How-how do you know about that?" he asked, his voice rising, before realization struck, "you lied! You said you didn't know anything but you lied!"

It took Adrian a moment to realize that Motoyasu was talking about their meeting the day after being summoned. He had expected them to know that he had been lying. After all, the three of them had known something about the world even if Naofumi had only gotten a book. Adrian had realized that he should have pretended to have limited information. It would have helped brush aside scenarios where he knew more than he should have.

Adrian didn't entertain the deviation and activated the seal on Malty again.

He felt no guilt about doing so. This was the woman who had accused him of rape. The Spirit Tortoise was a major threat. Adrian would not be caught off guard about it. He had ignored extradimensional Vassal Wielders, assuming that he would have to deal with them later, but the Book Hero had shown up and killed or captured his daughter and Naofumi. Being passive about future threats, assuming that they would not manifest if he left them to be was stupid. He had no idea what triggered that beast or why. It would be stupid to assume that it could not activate early. Even worse there were hinted to be others, he remembered Naofumi thinking about a dragon or something. A set of four...or perhaps five monsters.

"Answer my questions," he said, "tell me about the tortoise and the other beasts."

"Fine," he said, after Malty's pain stopped, "the Spirit Tortoise is a monster that can destroy the world. Only Heroes can stop it. It's a special event boss that can be fought early at level 80 or level 100 if it's fully awakened…"

The deluge of information was a surprise. Motoyasu spilt everything with only minor prodding needed. He told Adrian how to awaken the beast, what types of moves it had, where it was located and even that it could give some epic drops like the Potion of Yggdrasil that could heal any wound or illness without exception.

But the problem was that he knew nothing about how to keep it sealed or what activated it or what its objectives were. Adrian asked the man directly. His response was not encouraging.

"...I don't know," he admitted, "but the Tortoise is pretty weak you know. A raiding party can take it down easy. It's good pretty decent defence but its attacks are shit."

"And the others?" he asked, thinking back to the mountain destroying attack in the light novel, and realizing that Motoyasu was either lying or had been fed false information...it was worrying. Adrian had assumed that Motoyasu was just a fool but if the games they had played were outright wrong, then there was something very odd going on here. Not just with the world but with the summoning itself.

Motoyasu swallowed, thirsty and probably very tired, and said, "After that is the Phoenix which can be split into two birds and regenerate, the White Tiger that can hit with some epic debuffs and the Dragon which is pretty much the inverse of the Tortoise, all attack and no defence. But you need to be pretty high level to fight them. Like level 160 for the Dragon..."

"Continue," he said, his tone flat and Motoyasu did so after Adrian simply glanced at Malty who looked...broken. The vulnerability on her face was not something he was used to seeing. Especially given that he had feared her before. The threat of her deciding to ruin him or having her father deal with him had kept him up at night.

"...the Phoenix can drain MP and resurrect those it can kill but it's pretty weak defensively so you can kill it pretty easily…" said Motoyasu, his tone dead. Adrian remembered everything that the man was telling him. Keeping the location, the moveset and the drops in mind even as he saw the same pattern of lacking information emerge.

No data whatsoever on the condition for awakening or method of sealing.

Adrian didn't give Motoyasu a warning. He projected a sword behind the man who was still rambling about the dragon, speaking about how he had gotten the last attack bonus on the boss, and stabbed it into the man. Motoyasu looked stunned but that soon faded as sleep took him thanks to the sword's effect.

Adrian triggered the prison and infused his mana and SP to observe the process. Making sure that Motoyasu was bound, safe and well contained within his pod before turning his attention to Malty who was staring at the sinking Motoyasu with despair. Adrian then did the same to the other two girls. They weren't his concern for the moment. He'd deal with them afterwards.

"Malty," he said, addressing her for the first time and watched her jump, removed by pain, "please tell me about the precise reason why I have been accused of rape by Melromarc and I do mean everything about it."

"...please," she begged, as soon as she realized that she could speak without pain flaring up, "please let me go-"

Adrian laughed after he actually felt bad for her. She paused in her attempts to soften him up and stared. Something he only noted thanks to his blindsight because he was laughing too hard. This woman was incredible. Somehow she had actually managed to make him feel a little bad after she had accused him of rape or at least been complicit in setting him up.

He stopped and glared at the woman. The plants around her tightened their grip and she winced as bruises began to form on her limbs.

"Malty," he said, his voice losing the calm he had held onto, "answer my questions."

"It was my Father-" she said, before pain crippled her, this time because she was lying.

"Don't lie to me." he said, wondering why she thought she could get away with it, "it will only cause more pain." Adrian flared the seal and watched her scream for another long ten seconds. Finding it difficult to look at her suffering without the distraction of Motoyasu. He shoved the worthless emotions away. He needed answers.

Fear dominated her expression but she nodded and then continued, her body shivering. "I...I convinced him that you had raped me and that you made me keep quiet about it until you left by threatening to kill him and rape my sister.."

That...that was almost cartoonishly evil.

Adrian would have to think about this. This completely changed Aultcray's motives. The man wasn't an idiot who thought to control the Sword Hero he was just a father desperate to protect his family.

Though he was still an idiot if he believed that Adrian was so ridiculously malicious.

He was much more dangerous than Adrian had assumed. Desperation did that. It was luck that had allowed him to visit the Capitol, track down Motoyasu and Malty and then capture them. Adrian still needed to get Aultcray but he could no longer assume that the man was arrogant and powerful. Indeed, if Aultcray heard about Malty's disappearance then it was likely that the man with the power of a Vassal Weapon enhanced with years of experience would be ready for him.

He needed more information. How fortunate that he had a wonderful source of information right in front of him.

"Tell me about your father Malty," he said, forcing a calm smile on his face while keeping his tone cold.

To his surprise, Malty looked stunned for a moment before she smiled. "He'll save me," she said, almost to herself, "father will save me. He'll kill you and then take me back home."

Adrian felt a little bad. Her faith in her father was something he understood well. Hadn't Isis looked at him with hope for an answer no matter her concern? Hadn't he looked up to his own father's guidance and protection?

It was a pity that no matter what Aultcray wouldn't be able to save her. Adrian activated the curse seal again. Wondering if there was a safety limit he was going past and watched the fear return.

"Please tell me about your father," he said with a smile that made her flinch. He wondered what she saw.

But there was no pleasure as he learned about the War Hero, the Master strategist, the genius who had bought Siltvelt to its knees. And worst of all the mage who was boosted by a magic boosting weapon. He felt strange...empty. Guilt had faded and determination had replaced it. This was what he needed to do.

He needed a Vassal Weapon more than anything. Without it, any rescue team he sent to find Isis would be stranded without any means of rapidly gaining power. Sure, he wanted to send a small army with them but an army of level 1's or even level '40s meant nothing to the power of the Book Hero and even with Fitoira's help, they would only get to level 40 at best. Assuming that the level cap wasn't earlier than that.

The slaves would have to wait. He didn't want to risk spending a couple of hours there teleporting them back to Raphtalia and risk getting detected by some sensor or the other. Adrian was powerful, but a trap would kill him as long as it was set up well. If there was anyone who could do so, it would likely be Aultcray.

There was a temptation to try and find another Vassal Hero or beg Fitoria for more help but he had only four days before the Wave hit Zeltoble. He needed to be ready by then...or he would not send a party to the rift even if it was the correct one. Adrian wanted Isis back but he didn't want to lose the others. Not when there was a chance that she was already dead.

The only reason he was so willing to take this risk was simple, he mused as he glanced at the silent, terrified Malty.

He had a valuable hostage.

_____________________,

Aultcray cursed the Sword Hero for the hundredth time after he double-checked the numbers. It would cost a truly immense amount of wealth to restore the border. Aultcray had commanded an audit of the treasury but he was fairly certain that he would need to compel the nobility and the Church to pay a part of the price for the border. Something that they would not be happy about. Even worse, they would have to pay the entire price soon rather than over a decade like they had for the now ruined border.

He sighed, glancing at the reports again, observing the words but registering almost none of them. He had dozens of reports from a great many sources piled up on his desk so messily that despite the large size it looked horrible. But that only reflected the horrific nature of the news they carried. Between the declaration of war from Siltvelt, the Waves, the destruction of the eastern border and the immense chaos that existed within his domain he was fairly certain that the next few years would be the most difficult of his lifetime.

A servant placed a small cup of tea. He noted that it was his favourite for stress and nodded at the young lady. She smiled at him politely and then went on to serve the only other Lord in the room, carefully navigating the guards and the various ornamental decorations, before leaving. The room they were in was a fairly large one and it was meant to act as his study. At the moment it was only occupied by himself, his personal guards and Lord Amycus. The young man was a competent follower who was, in fact, something of a hostage at the moment even if the man himself didn't realize it.

They were waiting for the Pope and his followers to arrive. Aultcray would need their support for the coming years. The wars to come would make or break Melromarc and if he failed to remove the dissent that was building up then their victory over the beasts would be impossible.

Aultcray wasn't surprised that those beasts would declare war despite the threat of the Waves of Calamity. Not when their dear Shield Lord had perished. But he had anticipated having some time before Siltvelt had the opportunity to muster their forces. He had hoped to allow the Waves to ravage their nation for a couple of months while using that time to cultivate allies by using the Three Heroes as bargaining tools. He hadn't thought much of the four men who had been summoned but he knew better than anyone what a powerful tool the Legendary Weapons could be. When the summoning had worked after days of effort he had been proud. His plan had been off to a good start. So what if the other nations raged? They had nothing to threaten his beloved nation.

Melromarc should have been the next Faubrey. The next global superpower.

It had taken less than a week for his dream to shatter. First, the Sword Hero had proven himself to be a cowardly, lustful piece of trash. Then, the Bow Hero had been kidnapped by an unknown party and on top of that, the Church had proven their incompetence by killing the Shield months earlier than even his most optimistic plans. Aultcray was glad that the Hero was dead, but he had not wanted the Shield removed so early. Faubrey had the means to check whether or not the Heroes were alive and once they verified that the Shield was dead there had been no delay in Siltvelt's declaration.