It was a lanky man wearing a count's robes. He was clearly indoors, but he was wearing a tall top hat, a monocle over his right eye and a carefully groomed mustache above his lips. He held a gentleman's cane in his hand, brimming with the aura of nobility and the sense of incongruity.
"Mister Angora Faust. Please forgive us for inviting you here in a rather rude manner. I sincerely apologize for that."
The man courteously bowed at Angora in the Valla Empire's noble etiquette, before nonchalantly putting his gentleman's cane behind the door and hanging his top hat on a hanger.
Angora narrowed his eyes.
His father had groomed his eldest brother to be his successor, which was why he did not spend much time on Angora. In his limited trips to the imperial capital, Angora had only seen a handful of nobles, but he was certain that the person before him was not one of the nobles he remembered.
He looked as if he had just returned from outside, but Angora was certain that he was putting on an act.
After all, even though he had a blindfold on his face when he was carried over, he could still sense the changes in brightness. From these changes, he could tell that this parlor was actually quite far from the entrance. As a great noble, even if he had just returned home, there would definitely be maids taking away his hat and gentleman's rod during the long walk. There was no need for him to bring them into this room at all.
This kind of pretense was meaningless, but if one were to guess in a worse direction, either there was some kind of mechanism on his top hat and gentleman's stick, or this behavior itself was some kind of strange ritual …
"That's quite rough. If you can help me untie this damn rope, I'll consider your apology."
"Oh, that won't do, Mister Faust. After all, who knows if you would suddenly vanish before me if I untie you. " The man continued with a rather pretentious tone, as if he did not hear Angora's sarcasm. "But don't worry. You would definitely receive the best treatment as a noble of the Empire, and I'm sure you wouldn't mind staying here for a while."
"I thought it would be Mister Nart who showed up here."
Seeing that the man did not seem to be in a hurry to get information from him and seemed to be planning to temper his temper, Angora kept his cool and began to test him.
"Mr. Nalt has been sentenced to death for deceiving His Majesty. Oh, what a tragedy." The man's tone was sorrowful, but his attitude was cold. "I believe Mister Nutter didn't do it on purpose, but those who lie to His Majesty will be punished accordingly. Don't you agree, Mister Faust?"
Tsk, is this a warning?
Angora was a little annoyed that he had been stabbed in the back. He did not think that the other party would use his words to change the topic. As expected of a great noble, these people's hearts were always dirty when they played with words.
In comparison, the idiotic players who said whatever was on their minds were easier to get along with … Alright, there were also some players who liked to be sarcastic on the forum. However, since the forum had a real-name system, it was no big deal if you provoked them. It was simple and direct.
Wait a minute. Could it be that I've been interacting with gamers for too long that my social skills have deteriorated?
Although he had a thousand thoughts running through his mind, he did not show it on his face. Instead, he continued thinking about how he could get useful information.
"Then why not let His Majesty speak to me directly? The Faust family has been loyal for generations, and my grandfather had taken a blade for the late emperor and shed blood for the Empire. I want to see His Majesty! "
"I will inform His Majesty of your request, but before I receive permission, please continue to stay here. After all, not only are demons running amok in this world, even those evil cultists that everyone wants to kill dare to show their faces openly … It's better to be cautious in such a dangerous situation."
With a warm smile on his face, the other party continued.
Angora was even more annoyed now. There was no doubt that the 'cultists' the man was referring to was indirectly scolding the Players of the Church of Games, which meant that the kidnapping had been ordered by the imperial family.
It seems that the Valla Empire had taken notice of the Church of Games.
Still, that was normal. It had only been a dozen years since the fall of Tierra, and there would certainly be people who remembered that bizarre form of religion. Therefore, it would be easy to match it if the Church of Games was dug up.
It was fortunate that Princess Leah and the other Tierra survivors had not been exposed, or the new emperor of Valla would not have sent someone to kidnap Angora, but to eradicate the Church of Games.
… Although the Valla Empire's army might not be able to defeat the Players after suffering heavy casualties not long ago, the Players were still alive.
Even if he was cursing inwardly, Angora did his best to act nonchalant and nodded. "That's how it should be."
"It's good that you understand." The man showed a 'pleased' expression then. "Well, let's start with the most basic question … how did you know that the man just now wasn't the mastermind?"
"Because his presence doesn't match this building, and he reeks of blood. I don't think a noble who hasn't been on the battlefield for a long time would have such a strong scent," Angora answered nonchalantly.
Aside from that, the way he wore his clothes wasn't right, and the calluses on his hands indicated that he was using a heavy weapon instead of a ceremonial staff or sword that nobles usually used, and his gait was weird because he was on guard against enemies that could appear at any moment …
Still, there was no reason for Angora to show off his talents, which was why there was no need to mention those things.
"I see. Looks like he needs to train harder." The middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction, seemingly satisfied with Angora's cooperation. "Well, let's talk about something more important."
He stared at Angora and asked with a straight face, "Is the Church of Games that appeared recently the same one from Tierra? Have you given up on your original faith and converted to the God of Games? "
"I remember that the Empire has no intention of interfering with nobles' faith, so I don't have to tell you about my personal deity, do I? As for the other point … I'm sorry, I don't know. "
Angora wasn't sure how much the man knew, but considering that most extortion was a joke to the Players and that they were very secretive, he decided to take a gamble.
That was when the man suddenly walked up to him and stuck out his tongue to lick Angora's face as he tried to avoid it.
"What are you doing?!" Angora exclaimed in shock and anger.
"Ah …" The man licked his lips again and grinned at Angora. "This is the taste of a lie. You're lying!"
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