Chapter 562: I’d Rather Believe

"My daughter! They have my daughter!" The man shouted desperately.

The moment those words came out, the other tied-up prisoners looked like they had just been stabbed through the chest, all of them doubling over in pain as more and more tears fell from their eyes.

As for the surrounding guards and bread factory workers, it was like thunder had just cracked in their ears.

"No way..." Jake muttered, his face turning slightly pale at the implications of this man’s words and the reactions of the other ’arsonists’.

There were 8 ’arsonists’ here, and 2 or 3 more who had gotten away. If all of them weren’t actually criminals, but instead had been coerced into doing this by some hidden actors who had taken their families hostage...

"Be careful, Young Lady Eris, it could be a trick," Commander Basil warned, though even in his opinion that seemed unlikely.

His Soul Sense was still locked onto these 8 prisoners, and while it was impossible for someone at his level to perfectly read another person’s emotional state from the fluctuations in their aura, the despair which was oozing off of this apparent father was as obvious as the heat from the summer sun.

"I know," contrary to Commander Basil’s expectations, Eris didn’t get upset with him and instead actually agreed with his assessment, however, "But I’d rather believe him and be wrong, than not and wind up regretting it."

It was a rather naïve perspective, but one that the old Spirit Initiate could appreciate having grown up and trained under the tutelage of Marquess Balfour who always expounded a similar mentality.

"Please believe me!" The un-gaged man begged, "They said... they said they would kill her if I didn’t do this, or if I told anyone!"

Raising her brow, Eris quickly asked, "Then why expose yourself to me now? Why expose yourself at all?"

The man’s jaw flapped a bit, hesitating for a moment, but then, seemingly resolving himself, he lowered his head and muttered, "I... I used to work in a... in a similar role as those people, so I know how they think."

It was basically an admission that he too had once been part of the criminal underground, the ruthless kind that preyed on innocent people.

Understanding this, Eris’ opinion of this man plummeted. She was still willing to listen to his story, and if it was true that his family was being held hostage, she would certainly feel sympathy for them; however, the pity she felt for this man personally had significantly decreased.

With a frown on her face, Eris motioned for the man to continue, "They... they never expected us to succeed, and the hostages they took are now just a liability, so once they confirm we failed, they’ll... they’ll..."

When they heard this, the other 7 tied-up prisoners slumped over helplessly.

None of them was a fool, they knew that people who kidnapped children to force their parents to attack well-guarded businesses of some of the most powerful people in Misty City couldn’t be taken at their word, but what else were they supposed to do?

If they resisted, they and their loved ones would die.

If they tried to seek help, they might live, but their loved ones would certainly die.

If they followed these heinous people’s instructions, there was a chance, albeit a minute one, that both they and their family might survive.

Given 3 terrible choices, these people naturally took the least bad option.

At least this way they would have some hope.

Besides, none of them were fans of the kingdom, the government, or the Balfour Family to begin with.

They were the dregs of society, living in poverty, surviving in the cracks where the sun didn’t shine. Many of them were similar to the man who had chosen to speak up, former criminals, which definitely put them at odds with the authority figures in Misty City who they believed cared nothing for their lives.

Sure, things in the southern residential district had gotten better recently, but where was that help all those years ago when they needed it most?

Why had it taken so long for the high and mighty Balfour Family to do something about their suffering?

Perhaps it was just bad luck or accidents which landed these people in their past dilemmas, and that wasn’t their fault, but once they found themselves in such positions, getting out of them was no easy task.

Hardship bred anger, anger bred resentment, resentment led them to lash out, and once those who were looking for pawns they could exploit noticed this, their fates were sealed.

All that, however, was irrelevant right now.

What mattered in this moment was that if nothing was done, innocents would die while the true masterminds of this attack would get away.

The question was, what could be done?

Glancing around at the people with her, Eris was now somewhat regretting sending away most of her bodyguards to warn others or help stem the rising chaos.

Commander Basil was strong, but he was just one man and the enemy’s strength was unknown. It would be a huge risk to try to seek out this hidden enemy and rescue the hostages, if they indeed existed.

Eris couldn’t discount the possibility that this was all a plot targeting her specifically, hoping to lure a valuable member of the Balfour Family into an ambush where they could then take her hostage.

For a moment, the young girl hesitated, but her hesitance didn’t last long.

"Do you know where your daughter, where all the hostages are being held?" Eris asked pointedly.

"You’re willing to help?" The man asked back, light returning to his nearly dead eyes.

"I am," Eris declared firmly, her eyes then narrowing as she glared at the man kneeling before her, "But if you’re deceiving me..."

Here, Eris stalled-out.

She wasn’t used to threatening people, obviously, so she was having a bit of a hard time thinking of what to say here.

Fortunately for her, silence happened to be an appropriate threat in-and-of-itself, one that the man vigorously nodded to, "I swear I’m telling the truth! And yes, I know where they’re keeping the hostages."

"How do you know that?" Commander Basil stepped in, finding it suspicious that this disposable piece actually knew such sensitive information.

"I told you I used to... to be one of those people," the man slumped, clenching his fists and rubbing his wrists where the ropes had previously been biting into his skin, "With how many... how many hostages they took, there’s only a few places they could be keeping them, so I quietly went around checking..."

It sounded fishy, but it was still plausible, so Commander Basil didn’t really know what to make of it.

Eris, on the other hand, felt it was good enough for her and decided on the spot, "Lead the way."

Getting to his feet, the man started moving towards the door of the factory.

"What about the others here?" Jake asked.

Pursing her lips, Eris looked over the other 7 prisoners and shook her head, "Keep them here until the City Guard arrive."

"Got it," Jake nodded, not thinking it would be a problem.

"Also," Eris added, "Send someone to the Guild to let them know where we’re heading."

Eris was bold and brave, but she wasn’t foolish. Her plan was to locate the kidnapped hostages and assess the situation from afar with the help of Commander Basil.

If it was just a small group of thugs in the Body Tempering and Vein Opening Realm, they could charge in and subdue them all, but if there were stronger Practitioners lying in wait, then they would need to wait for reinforcements.