"I am the Mayor of Rishi City, Bartolomeo Pham," a man with light-brown hair, who looked like a bodybuilder, said with a smile. "Now before I begin the interrogation, may I know your names first?"
"Lux Von Kaizer," Lux replied.
"Gaap," Gaap answered.
Bartolomeo nodded in acknowledgment. When he received a report from one of the City Guards that two Highlanders had appeared, he set aside everything he was working on in order to meet them as soon as possible.
This was his first time seeing Highlanders and, similar to Lux and Gaap, he was surprised that they didn't look any different from the people living in Agartha.
Aside from Bartolomeo, there were two other people who were also standing behind him.
Lux and Gaap knew in an instant that the people that came with Bartolomeo were Saints.
"Since you look the oldest between the two of you, I'll ask you a few questions, Gaap," Bartolomeo said with a smile. "First question. How did you manage to arrive at this place?"
Gaap, who was seated beside Lux, suddenly frowned after hearing this question. The Halfling then gazed at the Catkin that was looking back at him with a smile.
(A/N: If you are not familiar with Beastkins, they are the Cat Girls, Fox Girls, and Bunny Girls you see in anime. I'll just refer to one of the Saints as Catkin because he is a Cat Boy. Kekeke.)
(E/N: If he's cute/handsome, he's mine.)
"Your ability is good, but sadly, it won't work on me," Gaap replied.
The Catkin arched an eyebrow after hearing the Halfling's words. He didn't expect that a Grade-A Apostle would be able to negate his Truth Seeker ability, which would force most people to tell the truth in his presence.
"Are all the Apostles in the Surface World like you?" the Catkin asked. "You are quite formidable for your Rank."
Gaap only smiled and didn't bother to answer the Catkin's question.
'Lux, I am telling you now that it's impossible for you to lie in front of these people,' Gaap warned the Half-Elf through their Guild Chat. 'Once a question is asked, you will automatically answer it once that Catkin looks in your direction. I am able to resist it, but I don't know if you can.
'If you think that you are going to spill your inner secrets, focus on something profound that will allow you to answer in half-truths.'
'Understood, Master,' Lux replied as he steeled himself for his turn in the interrogation.
Bartolomeo smiled before shifting his gaze to Lux. Since the Halfling was able to resist the Saint's ability, it was useless to ask him another question.
"I'll ask you the same question," Bartolomeo stated. "How did you manage to arrive at this place?"
"We flew here," Lux automatically replied before he could even think of an answer inside his head.
The Half-Elf's eyes widened in shock because he didn't expect that this was what his Master meant when the Halfling said that he would automatically answer the questions that they ask him.
"You flew?" Bartolomeo smirked. "Let me change the question then. How did you manage to arrive in our lands?"
"K-Key," Lux stuttered as he forcefully tried to seal his lips from answering.
"Key? What key."
"The Key of Agartha."
Bartolomeo frowned after hearing Lux's answer. He then glanced at the Catkin behind him to confirm if the Half-Elf was telling the truth.
"He's not lying," the Catkin replied as if there was no need to confirm whether Lux was lying or not. "What is this key that you are talking about?"
"The Key of Agartha."
"Show it to me."
Lux's hand trembled before summoning the Key of Agartha from his Storage Ring as if it was a puppet that was being manipulated by a Puppet Master.
Gaap, who saw this, narrowed his gaze as he shifted his attention to the woman that was standing beside the Catkin, who was the second Saint that was behind Bartolomeo.
'One has the power to compel the truth, and the other has the power to compel action,' Gaap thought. 'These two are certainly trouble.'
Lux held the Key of Agartha for Bartolomeo and the two Saints to see.
When the Mayor of Rishi City reached out his hand in order to grab the key, a bolt of red lightning shot out from it, making the Mayor immediately pull back his hand while wincing in pain.
The two Saints, who saw this, moved a little closer to take a good look at the key in Lux's hand.
The Key of Agartha was a bronze key and had the runes of the Kingdom of Agartha transcribed on its body.
"So you used this key to get here, right?" the Catkin asked.
"Yes," Lux replied automatically.
"How did you get it?"
"I got it after clearing a dungeon."
The Catkin then glanced at the woman beside him, as if asking her for confirmation if she wanted to ask the red-headed teenager a question.
The woman had long blonde hair and gray eyes and could be said to be an exceptional beauty.
However, after being exposed to his Grandmaster, Hereswith, Lux's standards of beauty had been raised so high that even the beautiful Saintess in front of him paled in comparison.
"What is your purpose for coming here to Agartha?" the woman asked.
"I came here to find Aurora," Lux replied. "She seems to be imprisoned in a very dark place, and I am here to take her back to the Surface World."
"Aurora? You mean THAT Aurora?" Bartolomeo momentarily forgot the pain he was feeling as he gazed at Lux in surprise. "How did you even know about her? Is she well-known in the Surface World as well?"
"I don't know if it was a dream or an illusion, but I did meet her, so I came here to see her," Lux replied. "Do you know her?"
After answering Bartolomeo's question, the Half-Elf finally regained his own ability to talk and asked Bartolomeo a question of his own.
Bartolomeo snorted after Lux asked him a question.
"So you are one of those men who were lured in by her beauty, and wished to save her like a Prince Charming, eh?" Bartolomeo smirked. "For your own good, It will be best if you return to the Surface World and forget about her.
"Nothing good happens when you associate with the Misfortune's Beloved. Trust me, I know. My son was one of those helpless men and women who thought that they would be able to overcome her curse due to the love they felt after seeing her once.
"Now, they live in the Azmarin Monastery along with the other cursed people, whose luck turned bad after merely being around her for a minute.
"They have to cleanse themselves for a decade before Misfortune's Curse could be lifted from their bodies. You might be a Half-Elf, and your lifespan is longer than most. However, spending 10 years in seclusion is not worth it."
Lux blinked in confusion because he didn't expect that the reason for why Aurora was all alone in the darkness was due to her curse.
Even so, the Half-Elf's determination to take the lonely, and pitiful girl from the place where she was locked up was firm.
"Can you tell me more about her?" Lux asked. "I want to know more about Aurora."
Bartolomeo eyed the Half-Elf as if he was crazy.
However, after being reminded of his pitiful son who had been inside the Monastery for five years, he decided to humor Lux and told him a tale that spanned nearly two decades ago.
