In the end, they had to wait until morning for Ollen to wake up. It was hard to say if it was due to the beating or because his body was tired of the power he had used the previous night, but he barely could stay conscious. Billy sighed when he saw that. He could also see that trash health was decreasing, so he would probably die without the source of mana from the castle… Without any other choice, Billy used Mind Control on him. It was time to make him spill the beans and tell everything, but Billy had a feeling that he would end up disappointed. That kind of thing never goes as planned.
"You are going to answer all of our questions, do you understand that?" Billy asked.
"Yes…" Ollen replied with his eyes devoid of life like he was half awake.
"Why did you attack and exterminate all the people of that state?" Billy asked.
"To obtain full control over their mines, I also received orders not to take any chances and get rid of those that might get on my way sooner or later…" Olleh replied.
"Orders from whom?" Billy asked.
"My ancestor…" Ollen replied.
"Who is your ancestor?" Billy asked while frowning.
"I don't know…" Ollen replied.
"You followed the orders of someone you don't know?" Billy asked. "Why? Have you never heard of him?"
"Yes, because he helped me achieve many things…" Ollen replied and then began to cough. "I did some research and learned that he was the first king of my family."
Billy looked at the other two wondering if they had heard of anything similar before. They knew about things like possession magic, but they had never heard that such a thing was actually used in that world. Regardless, it was pretty clear that Ollen's ancestor was the one who gave him all that power.
"Why did you kill and enslave my people?" Lucyna asked.
"To prevent them from trying to rebel," Ollen replied.
There were no real feelings beyond that, and that only made Lucyna feel even angrier. All in all, Ollen didn't care much about them to plan their extermination. He only did it to prevent some minor problems.
"What was your goal with all this?" Icarus asked. "Did your ancestor have some sort of goal as well?"
"No, he did all this just for funsies," Billy said and then shrugged.
"My goal was to expand my kingdom and make the name of my family great again," Ollen replied. "My ancestor wanted to help me achieve that."
"Isn't he a sweet guy?" Billy asked. "Regardless, what was that magic that you used to strengthen yourself? Explain how that works alongside the insignias on the weapons of this state."
"It was something taught by my ancestor. By using the those insignias, we would draw the energy of those holding the weapons," Ollen replied. "They wouldn't notice that since the power granted to them was far greater. The mana drained was sent to the place where my ancestor died… A monument in his memory that can work as a catalyst for his powers. However, the whole plan wasn't complete, and he sensed your interference. To hasten the process, some of his blood had to be offered."
"And then you killed your own family…" Billy said and almost crushed Ollen's skull with a single kick. "Piece of shit…"
"Many things truly were happening behind the curtains…" Icarus said. "I don't know if the plan of this spirit can work after he dies since he is his last descendant, but I suppose we can't take any chances. Destroying the dungeons will put a stop to his plans."
The goal wasn't just to help Lucyna but to prevent everything related to that spirit. They couldn't kill a spirit, and they picked a fight with him, so they didn't have much of a choice.
"Explain how does that magic work," Billy said.
"I don't know," Ollen said.
"He is all yours now," Billy said and then sighed. "I suppose we could control this place by letting him live and use Mind Control, but that isn't enough for you, right?"
"Absolutely," Lucyna said and then unsheathed her daggers.
Even if Billy could turn Ollen into a puppet, his ancestor might find a way to free him. It was a dangerous plan. So, it would be better to finish him off. Most likely, the royal blood didn't end there, nobles tend to have affairs and kids outside their marriage, but Billy believed that they won't be a problem if they continue with the plan.
In any case, maybe she was tired of seeing too much blood in just a matter of days, but Lucyna quickly killed Ollen. She also didn't want to waste too much time dealing with someone who would sacrifice their own family for power. In any case, once she cut his throat, she felt troubled because she didn't feel happy as she thought she would be… maybe it was because she saw herself involved in something even bigger…
"What are we going to do now?" Icarus asked.
"We still have to destroy the dungeon, but after the battle last night, I think things will be easier," Billy replied. "The enemies will be confused, and they won't know what to do without their king. Some people will try to take advantage of the chaos to gain some things, but that will only spread the chaos. You two continue with that, and I will get this monument that Ollen mentioned. After that, I will get all the ores and weapons that I can find in the capital."
"The royal family still must have some blood-related survivors with high positions in this state. I want to eliminate them," Lucyna said.
"You can do that once you finish helping him with the dungeons. It isn't like they can escape without leaving traces," Billy said. "They will hire the guards and soldiers to protect them, so they will be easy to find."
