BXBX NOVEL Chapter 366 - He's The Fake One!
"So, it's time for some interrogation. Who have questions here?" I asked if there's anyone who want to ask the fake Dominic something first.
"You think just because you put the collar around my neck, you will make me speak? I won't tell you anything!" the fake Dominic shouted.
Hmm… it seems that he's convinced that we can't make him talk. He won't be able to kill himself, but we need to get him to talk.
Let's see… among the gases from the trees in the mysterious forest, I can use the white calm one and the green happy one. Neither of them can get anyone to speak the truth. Should I use torture? But he might still refuse to speak.
Well, if he lies, Albert will know and we can simply conclude that the real answer is the opposite of his words. I guess we'll just ask him normally.
"Where is the real Dominic!?" Francesco asked first while I'm still wondering how to interrogate the fake Dominic.
"I'll tell you that. There's no reason for us to keep him alive after we got everything we want to know from him. That's my answer. Probably, it's the only truth that will come out of my mouth no matter what you do," the fake Dominic said.
"You!"
Francesco is angry hearing his brother was killed. The others also have the same angry expression. But Harold still looks calm. Well, that's only on the outside. I can see his heart is beating fast hearing that his son was killed.
"Francesco, calm down," Harold said.
"But father!"
"We need to get as many information as we can from him," Harold said.
As for me, I'm checking his body. How could someone be swapped for a while and no one noticed it? What kind of disguise he's wearing?
"It hurts! It hurts!" the fake Dominic screamed in pain as I pulled his hair. I'm just checking if it's his real hair. The same hair and the same color as the real Dominic. This guy has the same red hair as the royalty from Arturo.
"His hairstyle and color are the same as the real one?" I asked.
"…yes," Fabio is the one answering.
"Harold, you don't have any illegitimate children, right?" I asked Harold, to which Carmen looked at Harold angrily.
"I don't. I always make sure to only make children with women I have wed," Harold said.
"Then, I guess it's true that everyone has at least one doppelganger that look similar to you in the world. It's not from magic, right?" I asked the fake Dominic.
"It's real! My hair, my face, my body, they are real!" the fake Dominic shouted. Seems like even after all he said, he can't endure pain and spoke the truth easily. I guess torture can work.
"Hmm… Carmen, go and get Luna to another room," I said to Carmen.
Telling her to take Luna, Carmen and everyone else realized that I'm about to torture the fake.
Let's see if he can handle this.
I grabbed his left index finger and broke it totally. Not bend it to the wrong side, but I just grip it really hard that the bones are broken to pieces.
"AAAARGH!!"
"Well, that's one. You still have nineteen left including your toes. You should tell us everything so I can grant you death you wish for," I said.
"I'll tell you nothing!"
Maybe this is also a good target practice for my air magic. I haven't tried the other leaf colors yet.
I imagine the blue colored leaf and the effect that will happen to those who smelled the tree. It's the one that make people feel depressed.
I think it worked a little, but not to the point where the other side is depressed like Victoria showed me back then.
I broke all the fingers in his left hand while the depressing gas is on, then I changed it to a happy one while saying something to him.
"If you choose to answer honestly, I can grant you death. I told you about this before, right?" I said.
"Huff… huff… re-really? Can I die if I speak the truth?" the fake Dominic asked.
"Yes. Well, that depend on your answers," I said.
It worked! So, I can combine two or more types of gases to make him speak the truth!
The fake Dominic looked as if there's a light at the end of the tunnel.
Albert and the others looked at me in fear, but I don't care.
"Well, anyone has questions for him?" I asked again.
"How did you swap with Dominic and where?" Harold is the first one to ask.
"…back before you were swapped. I also managed to influence the real Dominic's mother to join the cult. You were swapped because of my help. I drugged you and let other people enter the castle," the fake Dominic answered.
"You! You killed Dominic a long time ago!?" Francesco asked in anger. There's a trace of tears on his cheek. Well, he just found out that his brother died a long time ago today.
"Yes. At first, we wanted to find someone to swap the crown prince Fabio, but since there's no one among us that look like him, we swapped Dominic instead. And then we swapped the king. The rest is as you know it," the fake said.
Francesco dropped on all four after hearing that and cries. It's no time to be sad, so let's ignore him.
"How long has the cult planned to capture my kingdom?" Harold asked while ignoring his own son's cry of agony.
"I don't know when it really started, but I joined the plan about five years ago."
Well, knowing how long the cult has been, I think it might be much longer than that. But still, why is the cult so silent for a long time and started to act now? If only they would act in… let's say a hundred years later, then I won't have to be so busy today and let the people of the future take care of it.
"Is there anyone else who have been swapped?" Harold asked.
The fake Dominic then reported every single members of the family that has been swapped, or those who have joined the cult that he knows.
"…those are the ones that I know of. There might be some other," Dominic said.
"…this is getting more and more difficult. How will we stop them from taking my kingdom?" Harold sighed.
What else do we need to ask? So far, Albert didn't inform us of any lies from the fake Dominic. If there are other questions we need to know about the cult, we can just ask Celestine or Veronica.
"Sonia, ask Toni if there's any questions he wants to ask to the fake Dominic," Albert said to Sonia after calling her.
The three were surprised to see a ghost suddenly appears.
"She's the kind ghost that helped us to communicate with others even if we're far apart," I told them simply.
"Oh, so that's how you can gather here," the fake Dominic said.
"That's not all. Most of it were thanks to me," I said. It might be a little shameless for me to say it like that, but it's the truth.
"…who are you anyway?" the fake Dominic asked.
"Someone very important. Next is… what is your plan in coming here? I don't believe that you're here just because Francesco told you to," I asked.
"…I'm here to kill Bernard if I have the chance. He has gained too much power in a short term in the battle for the throne."
Well, that's to be expected.
Then, Sonia returned. She has a question from Toni.
"Toni told me to ask him if he knows someone who will participate in the tournament. Since he's acting as a prince, he might receive more information than the others," Sonia said.
"Well… just two people have been decided. Both are expert level mages. I was also asked if I want to go, but my role as Francesco's brother is more important than the stupid tournament."
"Then, what is the cult's plan during the tournament?" It was Albert who asked.
"…Making sure that all kingdoms completely fall," the fake Dominic said.
After that, Albert and the others have more questions to ask the fake Dominic. About the identities of the two people who have been guaranteed to participate as well.
After Sonia told Toni about it, she returns bringing us some news. It turns out one of the two are among the recently hired elite guards of the king. And it's someone he's trying to investigate at the moment. Whenever Toni goes out of his room, it was him who would accompany Toni. He seems to be proud of his lightning element, so he must be an expert level in his lightning element.
Damn, that's the most destructive element and he made it to expert level? He's dangerous.
"That's all I know. Now, please kill me!" the fake Dominic begged me.
"Harold, I'll let you take care of this guy. Albert, shall we return?"
"Yeah. There's nothing else for us to do here. Harold… take care, okay?"
"…you too, Albert. And Roy as well."
I left the fake Dominic to Harold, and then returned with Albert back to Melk.. After telling the others there, I brought Albert to the capital together with Mustache while I stayed behind in Melk.