The Inquisitor slowly stood up, took a deep breath, and saluted in front of the Duke.
"Sir, I requested a Mind Read, but instead of complying, this warrior attacked me," the Inquisitor said.
The Duke furrowed his brows and looked at Shang. "A Mind Read is standard procedure for anyone coming from an enemy Kingdom. Why did you refuse?"
Shang only snorted in disrespect.
The Duke narrowed his eyes.
It was like Shang wasn't respecting the Duke at all.
"I killed the strongest Mage present on the enemy encampment, killed three more Early True Mages, destroyed three Mage Towers, donated two of those Towers to the Skythunder Kingdom, answered his questions under a Truth Verification Spell for six hours, but instead of showing me any kind of respect, you treat me like shit and want to dig around in my brain?"
"After ten years, I finally managed to come home, I give the Skythunder Kingdom some presents, but instead of being treated with respect, I get treated like a piece of shit and a traitor."
At that point, the Duke interrupted Shang. "A Mind Read is still standard procedure."
"Fuck your standard procedure!" Shang shouted.
Silence.
The Duke only narrowed his eyes threateningly.
Shang's right eye narrowed as his grin widened maliciously.
Then, he lifted his sword and readied it.
The Mages almost couldn't believe what they were seeing.
This warrior wasn't showing any respect to the Duke at all!
Did he have a death wish?!
"You do know that I have enough justification to kill you on the spot, right?" the Duke asked threateningly.
Shang only smirked, pointed his left arm towards the Duke, and taunted him to come at him.
The atmosphere turned tense, and Shang could feel the insane pressure coming from the Duke.
But on the other side, the Duke also felt a bit nervous.
Something was telling him that attacking Shang was a very bad idea.
Logic told him that he should be able to turn Shang into dust in an instant, but his instincts were telling him that Shang had the power to threaten his life if it came down to it.
Of course, Shang didn't have that power.
However, if he sacrificed an arm...
For nearly five seconds, the two only looked at each other.
The Duke had expected that he could make an appearance and the unrest would be resolved.
However, this warrior was proving impossible to reason with.
The Duke wanted to kill Shang, but his instincts were against that decision.
A High Mage's instinct had been honed by years of battle, experience, and research, and it was very reliable.
The Duke didn't like it at all, but he came to a decision.
"Put your sword away," the Duke said coldly. "I will call the Chief Inquisitor, and she will make the call."
Shang looked at the Duke for another second before putting his sword to the side.
"Fine," he said.
At that moment, the Mages around them released another sigh of relief.
Something like this was far beyond their ability to manage or control.
When the Duke saw that Shang had put his sword to the side, he summoned a Communication Crystal and contacted the Chief Inquisitor.
It took about ten minutes until the Chief Inquisitor appeared.
The Chief Inquisitor was an older woman with grey hair and grey eyes, but one could see an unfathomable amount of wisdom and power in her emotionless eyes.
'She isn't a truly powerful Peak True Mage, but she's definitely stronger than the average,' Shang thought when he saw her.
The Chief Inquisitor threw a look at Shang, but her expression didn't change.
After that, she walked over to the Inquisitor and wordlessly put a hand on his head.
It was normal for Inquisitors to have their minds read by the Chief Inquisitor. The Inquisitors were the judges of traitors, and having a traitorous Inquisitor would be devastating. Because of that, their minds regularly got read by the Chief Inquisitor.
The Chief Inquisitor's eyes opened after a couple of seconds.
Then, she looked at Shang and back at the Inquisitor.
"The rules and laws keep the Kingdom safe and in order," the Chief Inquisitor spoke slowly.
"But while we do have the power and authority to request a Mind Read from everyone, we must keep in mind that what is natural for us might be a devastating event for someone else."
"A Mind Read is not without consequences, and we must have a good reason to request one."
"In this case, this was not the case."
The Inquisitor only lowered his head in respect as he listened to the Chief Inquisitor.
Then, the Chief Inquisitor looked emotionlessly at Shang.
"Human cooperation is the basis of our survival, Shang," she said, obviously having found out Shang's name via the Mind Read. "While I do agree that the Mind Read was excessive, you had the power to refuse without trying to kill one of my Inquisitors."
Shang's right eye focused on the Chief Inquisitor. "And if I didn't have that power, I would have to eat the abuse up like a pathetic weakling."
Then, Shang's eye narrowed. "If that's your philosophy, your Inquisitor should also eat my abuse up like a pathetic weakling."
Silence.
The Duke furrowed his brows.
However, the Chief Inquisitor's expression didn't change.
"It is your choice whether to accept my advice or not," she calmly said. Then, she looked at the Duke. "There is no good reason to perform a Mind Read. I do not think he is a traitor."
The Duke nodded. "Thank you, Melanie."
The Chief Inquisitor performed a polite bow, turned around, and left.
Then, the Duke turned to Shang with a cold expression.
"You may stay in the Skythunder Kingdom. Everything you have done, including your damage done to the Grandmountain Kingdom, the things you have donated to the Skythunder Kingdom, and how you have conducted yourself in this base, will be reported to the Council."
"Leave the base in the next ten minutes after gathering all your things. This is a military encampment, and you are not part of the military."
Shang relaxed and nodded. "I will do so."
The Duke didn't react to Shang's word. He only turned around and left.
After the Duke left, Shang shot another sneer at the Inquisitor before leaving.
He had everything that he needed, and he walked out of the encampment just half a minute later.
The Mages were unsure what they should think about this incident.
Shang had shown disrespect to the Inquisitors and even the Duke. Just his mere presence had put them in danger, and worst of all, he was a physi.
But on the other hand, Shang had done an incredible service to the Skythunder Kingdom.
They didn't like Shang, and they didn't want to be near him, but they couldn't deny his power and worth.
As Shang left the encampment, his arrogant façade slowly vanished as a calm but cold expression appeared on his face.
However, there was just the slightest bit of excitement visible in his eye.
When Duke Whirlwind had given Shang instructions on how to deal with the interrogation, this situation had also come up, and Shang had acted according to Duke Whirlwind's suggestions...
More or less.
"Shang, you have to prove your power and worth to the Skythunder Kingdom," Duke Whirlwind had said. "But you also have to show that they can't just push you around. You have that level of power now."
"Remember, even though most people don't see the impact, you must remember that the ruler of this Kingdom is King Skythunder, not the Council."
"The Kingdom might appear like an extension of the castle, but in its deepest core, it is still ruled by King Skythunder."
"People believe that following orders is the best way to live prosperously and peacefully in the Skythunder Kingdom, but that's only true for the 99% at the bottom."
"You are part of the top one percent, and you have to show that you won't allow anyone to push you around."
"If the Inquisitor requests a Mind Read after the interrogation, remember this."
"Become angry, refuse, and don't budge under any circumstance."
"Show your power and make everyone around you realize that they are not the ones in control. You are!"
After that, Duke Whirlwind talked about the details of what Shang should do.
At the moment, Shang only scratched his cheek.
'I was supposed to shout at the Inquisitor and refuse until the Chief Inquisitor was forced to come.'
'I mean, that's what happened.'
'However, I think Duke Whirlwind had something else in mind.'
'But it worked, right?'
