Codename: Traitor

The enchanting atmosphere vanished without a trace at the sound of a knock. Hals frowned and rose, walking to the door. Through it, the Soul Flame in his eyes saw a fiercely burning Soul Force and a somewhat dimmed one.

Hals thought for a moment, then bowed to Bibi Dong, opened the door, and stepped outside. He stood in the hallway and closed the door behind him.

"My lord." Shi Jisheng bowed respectfully.

No one could see the expression beneath Hals's hood, but his voice sounded cold.

"Where is she?"

At Hals's question, Shi Jisheng quickly gestured for the Enforcers to bring up Niya, who was bound tightly.

Hals looked at the girl before him, limp and disheveled, and the flames in his eyes burned even brighter.

His right hand, covered in faint scars and countless Runes, ruthlessly seized the girl by the hair and forced her to lift her head. Shi Jisheng glanced at Hals's hand, then quickly lowered his own head and looked away.

Ignoring Shi Jisheng's furtive movement, Hals stared into Niya's eyes with his own flame-filled ones. He could see a hint of resentment in the girl's eyes.

"Heh heh heh." A hoarse sound rose from his throat. Beneath his hood, Hals's lips curled into a wide grin. "Niya, very good. I actually noticed you a long time ago."

He casually released her hair, and the girl's head drooped heavily again.

"Do you know? I suggested to my master back then that we kill you in advance, but she stopped me. Do you know what she said?"

Niya made no reply, and Hals didn't mind.

"She said you were just a little girl blinded by power, and that your heart was still good. She said she would compete with you fairly, in person. But she never expected you to do something like this. Still, I don't believe you would have launched an attack so decisively on your own. So, can you tell me who really came up with the plan?"

Hals turned to look at the girl. Niya kept her head lowered and remained silent.

After a long while, Hals suddenly laughed. "It doesn't matter. I haven't met someone this interesting in a long time. I have plenty of ways to make you tell me what I want to know."

Niya finally reacted. She struggled to raise her head, her handsome features twisted in rage, her eyes blazing with fury. She spat at Hals.

"Ptooey! The victor is king, and the loser is a criminal. Since I've fallen into your hands, do whatever you want with me. Kill me or dismember me—I have nothing to say."

Hals touched the spot where she had spat on him, his expression darkening. "Very good. Let's see if you're still so tough in a little while."

Just as Hals was about to signal for Shi Jisheng to take Niya to his room, Jiabulin, who had been squeezed out of the crowd from the beginning, forced his way in.

"Lord Hals, I want to see the Holy Maiden." Jiabulin panted, speaking in a rush.

Hals, halfway through turning away, heard him and turned back.

"Jiabulin, whatever you need to say, you can tell me. My master is tired and won't see anyone." Recognizing him, Hals softened his tone a little.

"I... I have something urgent to discuss with the Holy Maiden. It'll only take a moment." Hals had been a source of fear for a long time, and Jiabulin's voice grew timid as he spoke to him.

"I said—" Hals spun around and stared at Jiabulin. "My master is resting. Tell me."

"But..." Jiabulin was anxious.

"There's no but—" Hals had just begun to rebuke him when he noticed the door behind him open.

He turned and saw that Bibi Dong had somehow gotten out of bed and come to the doorway.

"Master." Hals bowed.

"Mm." Bibi Dong nodded. She looked at the crowd gathered outside, then at Niya, who seemed as good as dead, and Jiabulin standing beside her.

After a moment's hesitation, Bibi Dong said, "Go ahead and tell me what it is, Jiabulin."

"Yes, Holy Maiden." Jiabulin looked gratefully at Bibi Dong and quickly explained what he was asking for.

After listening for a while, Bibi Dong considered the matter. She looked at the disheveled girl, pondered briefly, then spoke.

"I can grant your request and spare her life, but she must be imprisoned. She can escape the death penalty, but not punishment." Bibi Dong's expression was calm. When she turned to Hals, however, her face softened a little. "What do you think, Hals?"

"I will follow your wishes, master."

"Very well. Then there's nothing more to discuss. I'm still injured, so I'll go back and rest. If anything comes up, speak to Hals. He has my full authority. With so many people crammed in here, the air has grown stuffy." As she spoke, she turned and went back inside, closing the door behind her.

Outside, Hals bowed his head, as did all the Enforcers.

At the sound of the door closing, Hals lifted his head and turned toward his room. "Everyone else, go back. Shi Jisheng, bring the prisoner with you."

"Lo—" Jiabulin opened his mouth, but didn't finish. Hals hadn't even looked at him; he simply turned and walked away.

In a moment, the people outside dispersed, leaving only Jiabulin standing there in a daze, wondering if he had done something wrong.

This was Shi Jisheng's first time in Hals's room. He had wondered how luxurious an elder's quarters might be, but he hadn't expected to find nothing inside but a bare bed and an oil lamp.

Hals waved a hand, and the door closed by itself. A Blood-colored Soul Ring flashed behind him, so quickly that Shi Jisheng thought he'd imagined it.

Hals did nothing, yet Frost Force gathered in the room and formed a cross.

"Bind her to it."

The green flames in Hals's eyes grew brighter in the darkness.

Watching Shi Jisheng tie Niya up, Hals spoke calmly.

"Shi Jisheng, do you know why I had you bring her here?"

Shi Jisheng quickly finished binding Niya, turned around, and knelt before Hals. "This subordinate does not know."

"You don't know? Heh heh heh." Hals chuckled strangely. "If you didn't know, would you call yourself my subordinate?"

A bead of sweat, the size of a bean, rolled down Shi Jisheng's forehead.

Hals didn't look at the kneeling Shi Jisheng. He busied himself using Frost Force and Soul Force to conjure one torture device after another.

"You handled this matter very well. I'll reward you for it afterward."

"Thank you, my lord." Shi Jisheng kept his head lowered, looking at the floor.

"My master is kind by nature. She doesn't pay much attention to the deception and scheming between people. She's never suffered a setback, so she doesn't think much of it. I'm different. But that's a good thing. If I can, I hope she never loses that innocence and kindness." Hals tested the sharpness of a little knife he had conjured with his finger. "So I need someone to secretly build up a force for my master, and clear away the obstacles in her path."

"Yes, my lord. This subordinate will do everything in his power to help you build up your forces." Shi Jisheng looked excited, his body trembling slightly.

"For my master, not for me."

"Yes!"

Hals didn't continue the subject. He raised his left hand, and a speck of green light floated out of the Lantern at his waist and landed in the oil lamp, kindling it. A tuft of Green Flame danced in the lamp.

Hals looked at Niya, who had been roused by the Soul Essence in the air.

"My master told me to spare your life, so you're lucky. You won't die. But you're also unlucky—you'll suffer endless torment. So don't be in a hurry to give up those names. Enjoy this a little longer."

Hals picked up a small knife, his tone tinged with excitement and his voice hoarse. "Do you know? These torture devices contain Soul Force. It will make your soul endure pain that's even harder to bear. There's also a substance in the air called Soul Essence. It will keep you conscious and sharpen your senses."

As he spoke, Hals suddenly plunged the little knife into her.

"Ahhhhh!"

Niya's shrill screams filled the room, but never reached Bibi Dong's room, just one wall away.

Who knew how much time had passed? Bloodied torture devices lay scattered across the floor. Niya had been tortured until her throat was hoarse, and she could no longer scream.

Seeing this, Hals stopped what he was doing and walked up to Niya. He asked softly,

"Do you know why you ended up in this state?"

"I know. Because I tried to harm the Holy Maiden." Niya murmured weakly, her voice hoarse.

"No, no." Hals shook his head, the flames in his eyes flickering with an odd light. "You're being tortured because of Jiabulin. He chose to betray you. He could have let you go, and I wouldn't have killed him. But he betrayed you for the sake of his own future. Do you know what you should do?"

A little light returned to Niya's eyes.

"Take revenge!"

"No, no, you're wrong again. What you should do isn't take revenge, but betray." Hals whispered hoarsely, coaxing her.

"Betray?"

"Exactly. Betray. Someone betrayed you, so you can betray him too. Then you'll both be the same."

"Yes, yes, I'll betray them. I'll make them pay too!" At last, flames rekindled in Niya's eyes—a fire called revenge.

"Very good." Hals smiled more happily than he ever had before. "Then tell me the names of your co-conspirators first. Have a taste of betrayal."

"Yes, yes, my lord."

"Shi Jisheng." Hals turned to leave.

"Here, my lord." Shi Jisheng, who had been standing silently to the side, stepped forward.

"Record the names she gives you, then take people to capture them one by one."

"Yes, my lord." Shi Jisheng replied respectfully.

Hals was about to open the door when Niya's voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"My lord, can I betray you too?"

Hals paused slightly, the corner of his mouth curling beneath his hood in amusement.

"Of course, if you can manage it..."