"Honestly, I have no personal grudge against you," Ethan Hayes said with a slight smile. "From my perspective, I actually sympathize with you. Everything you've been through was beyond your control. If the Orca Squad hadn't ostracized you, who knows? Maybe you'd still be an elite member of the Magic Knights."
While he spoke, Ethan closely observed the subtle changes in Rades' expression.
It was late—far too late to be here for a heart-to-heart.
And even if he were here to talk about relationships, it definitely wouldn't be with Rades.
He had only one goal—defection.
If Vangeance continued to hide behind the scenes, then Ethan would never be able to bring out ironclad proof of his betrayal. The man was under surveillance 24/7. If he never made a move himself, then there was no way to catch him red-handed.
But there were other methods. If Vangeance wouldn't step on the trap, then Ethan would throw the mud on him directly.
Even if Rades didn't know who his actual boss was, who could say for sure? If Ethan could coax him into accusing Vangeance, he could stir the pot from there. Whether it was true or not didn't matter. Once a seed of doubt was planted, lies could become truth.
Besides, Vangeance was indeed a traitor.
But first, he had to get Rades on board.
"Truth be told," Ethan continued smoothly, "your boss really does value you. My spies reported unusual activity around the capital—lots of suspicious individuals sneaking in. Looks like a rescue mission. But too bad—many of them have already been captured. And this is the royal dungeon we're talking about. It's not just heavily guarded; there's also a magic barrier stronger than Magic 007. Any disturbance, and both the Wizard King and I will rush here in an instant."
He leaned in slightly, letting his words sink in.
"Your little underlings are useless. Maybe your boss would stand a chance if he came in person... but tell me, does he dare?"
Rades frowned deeply.
As a former member of the Orca Squad, he was very familiar with the power of the Clover Kingdom. If it hadn't been for their leader manipulating things from the shadows, he wouldn't have dared raise a finger against the capital.
Now, with elite forces and the Wizard King gathered in one place, busting out of prison would be as hard as ascending to the heavens.
"Hmph. Even so, at least I'm not one of you hypocrites," Rades scoffed. "I'd rather die at your hands than betray what I believe in!"
"Oh? Dying for someone who 'understands' you? That's real stupid," Ethan laughed coldly.
Then he fixed Rades with a sharp stare.
"You know what you look like right now? A beggar. Someone tosses you a crumb, and you're ready to rip your heart out in gratitude. But have you ever wondered why someone would offer a hand to a beggar? Out of kindness? Please. You really think you matter to them? You're just a meat shield, a fool to take the hit."
"Say that again if you dare!" Rades snapped, his face twisting with anger.
The words had clearly struck a nerve.
Ethan continued casually, "Not afraid to tell you—we know everything about your operation. The Eye of the Midnight Sun. Your leader is Licht, right? And those three-eyed freaks—Vetto, Rhya, and Fana?"
Rades' eyes widened in shock.
How did he know?
They'd been extremely cautious before the invasion of the capital, hiding their identities at all costs.
No one outside the group should've known about them—especially not this Ethan, who spoke their names like he'd memorized a file.
There was only one possibility.
A traitor among them.
"Heh... Looks like you've guessed it," Ethan smirked. "I didn't know all this myself, but others did. You know what I'm capable of, but do you know what your teammates are capable of? I'll give it to you straight—that woman Catherine? Already confessed everything. I'm here tonight because I believe you're not a bad person at heart. The Clover Kingdom wronged you first. If you come clean, I can guarantee your life."
He delivered the lie with calm confidence.
Of course, none of it was true. But Rades didn't know that.
This was a standard interrogation trick—a psychological gambit.
Many with weak resolve would surrender the moment they thought they'd been betrayed.
"No… I don't believe you!" Rades shouted, his voice trembling. "You're lying! Catherine would never betray us!"
Ethan's smile tightened.
Looks like Rades was tougher than expected. Even after hearing all that, he was still clinging to hope.
But...
"Heh. A lie?" Ethan chuckled darkly. "You know, women are a lot easier to deal with than men. That little witch, Catherine—don't know how old she really is, but that cursed beauty magic of hers? Gotta admit, she's both hot and sexy. Even I had a hard time holding back."
As he spoke, Ethan licked his lips and flashed a wicked grin.
"But hey, with so many casualties, someone had to pay the price, right? You know how many people lined up for her after I came here? Over a hundred. She was so out of it, she didn't even know who she was. You really think she kept any secrets after that?"
Monster. Demon.
Rades stared at Ethan like he was something inhuman.
He couldn't read him at all.
To force a woman into submission through such… despicable means? Catherine was probably—
cough cough—he couldn't even finish the thought.
"What's wrong? Don't believe me? Heh. Guards—move him to the first level of the royal prison."
Without another word, Ethan turned and walked away with a composed, collected demeanor.
But the moment he turned the corner, regret hit him like a ton of bricks.
Damn it! Why the hell did I say all that?
Where was he supposed to find Catherine and a hundred men to act out that entire scene?
He'd just completely made it up on the fly!
Still, he knew one thing—unless Rades saw it with his own eyes, that final layer of mental resistance wouldn't crack.
"Gotta come up with something fast..."
Ethan's brain worked overtime as he signaled the guards to stall, stretching a five-minute walk into fifty.
Meanwhile, he used wind magic to quickly zip back to the palace.
Finding a hundred people was no problem. Heck, he could get five hundred if needed.
But "Catherine"?
That was the real problem.
He'd planned to grab a random maid and ask her to act it out.
But for some reason, all the maids today were either too chubby or too short. All the decent-looking ones must've gone home for the holidays or something.
He couldn't find a single suitable substitute.
"Damn it, this whole plan's falling apart!"
Panic crept in.
If the performance didn't go off, Rades would never believe a word he'd said.
And then everything he'd built so far would collapse.
"Wait... what's that?"
Descending from midair, Ethan spotted a tall figure in the distance—stumbling as she walked.
Her hairstyle, figure, and even outfit looked remarkably similar to Catherine's.
As for the face?
Eh, just throw a cloth over it.
Pretty or not didn't matter. Cover her head and act like a—
cough cough—a professional.
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