Online Game: I Started with Max Charisma and Caught the Goddess's Eye - Chapter 493 493: Lucas’s Suspicion
Luca and his companions were quickly led to their new quarters, located at the very center of the Black Forest camp. Compared to the damp, moldy wooden huts they had stayed in before, this place was undeniably much better.
“Are you satisfied with this place? If everything’s fine, then go ahead and get some rest. I need to head back and report to my superiors.” The soldier who had brought them there asked with a friendly smile.
Luca nodded heavily.
“I’m very satisfied. My companions are as well.”
“That’s good to hear. I’ll make sure to inform Captain Lucas about your new lodging, so there’s no need for you to seek him out specially.”
With that said, the soldier turned around and left without another word.
While Luca was speaking with the soldier, his companions had been looking around their new living quarters with curiosity and excitement.
“This is practically a luxury villa! Who would’ve thought there’d be such a lavish building inside the Black Forest camp?”
“Yeah, we totally have Cole to thank for this.”
“I’m calling dibs on the top floor! It’s the farthest from the ground, so it’s bound to be the driest.”
“I think we should leave the best rooms for Cole and Captain Lucas. It doesn’t feel right for us to take them first.”
“I don’t care — whoever grabs it first, it’s theirs!”
As his companions chattered noisily and excitedly, Luca cut in calmly.
“Pick your rooms quickly. When Captain Lucas returns tomorrow afternoon, we might be assigned a new mission right away.”
At his reminder, everyone instantly became more serious and hurried off to claim their rooms. They deliberately reserved the two best rooms for Luca and Lucas.
Once everyone had chosen, Luca stepped into the room specially set aside for him.
“Do you think I was too reckless? That I shouldn’t have exposed my strength like that?” He murmured to himself, staring up at the ceiling with a trace of helplessness.
“You had your reasons, but yes, I do think you were a bit reckless,” Sophia’s voice echoed softly in his mind.
Luca turned onto his side, gazing out the window. From here, he had a clear view of the busiest area in the Black Forest camp.
He watched as countless soldiers moved back and forth, talking amongst themselves. He could easily imagine that many of them were discussing his earlier display of power.
“I know it’s risky,” he whispered, almost as if to reassure himself, “but it’s a risk I have to take. I need to draw the Crimson King’s attention as quickly as possible. We can’t afford to be trapped in this Black Forest camp for too long.”
Sophia remained silent.
She seemed to have been persuaded by Luca—or perhaps she simply felt that, since things had already happened, there was no point in saying anything more.
With that, Luca slowly closed his eyes.
He really was exhausted.
Almost at the same time, deep beneath the Black Forest camp, in the secret underground fortress, the high-ranking officers of the camp were conducting an interrogation on the assassin Luca had captured.
Every face in the chamber was heavy with tension, because the interrogation was going nowhere.
The assassin seemed absolutely determined not to reveal a single shred of information.
The temporary commander of the Black Forest camp, the bloody knight Anwar, grew increasingly grim.
“Useless trash!”
He suddenly barked out in fury.
Everyone in the chamber instantly turned their gaze toward him.
“We’ve been interrogating him for this long, and we still haven’t extracted a single useful piece of intelligence! It seems I should just send these so-called interrogators straight to the front lines. Serving as cannon fodder is probably the only thing they’re good for!”
Not a single person dared to refute him.
In truth, everyone present was already deeply dissatisfied with the interrogators. They all knew how critical the Black Forest camp was.
The fact that the camp had been infiltrated at all was a grave matter.
Anwar had already reported this to the Crimson King, who was still engaged in battle at the front lines. It wouldn’t be long before new orders arrived from him.
And if, by the time those orders came, they still hadn’t managed to extract any useful information, every single one of them would suffer the Crimson King’s wrath.
“Commander,” a young woman dressed in a mage’s robe stepped forward, addressing Anwar, “perhaps we should consider using… special methods of interrogation?”
She had been temporarily conscripted into the Crimson King’s army.
Before this, she had merely been a powerful, independent fire mage with no affiliation to any faction. She had agreed to join the Crimson King’s forces only to obtain the powerful staff he had promised her.
“Special methods?” Anwar frowned deeply, his voice low and cold. “And what exactly do you mean by that?”
“Ordinary interrogation won’t break through his mental defenses,” the young mage said firmly. “We should directly invade his mind. That way, everything locked inside his thoughts will become ours to know.”
The fire mage spoke with a faint smile on her lips.
“You’re a fire mage. Are you telling me that fire mages have the ability to invade other people’s minds? Or are you suggesting that we bring in someone else to carry out this… special method?”
The bloody knight Anwar asked slowly, his tone measured but heavy with interest.
The smile on the fire mage’s face deepened.
“I don’t have the ability to invade someone’s mind myself,” she said softly, “but I do possess a certain… extraordinary item that does. If you let me handle the interrogation of the assassin, I promise you we’ll have a major breakthrough by tomorrow afternoon.”
Anwar fixed his cold, piercing gaze on her, as though trying to read her very soul.
“Very well,” he said at last. “I agree. But understand this — by tomorrow afternoon, you must deliver a major breakthrough. If you fail…” His voice lowered into a growl. “Don’t blame me for what happens next.”
Without waiting for a response, Anwar turned sharply on his heel and strode away.
The fire mage turned her head slightly, glancing back at the others.
“You should leave as well,” she said calmly. “I’ll need complete privacy to carry out the interrogation.”
Her words left no room for argument and effectively dismissed everyone present.
Though several of the officers still harbored doubts, with Anwar’s approval already granted, there was nothing more they could say. One by one, they filed out of the chamber.
Once she was alone, the fire mage reached into her pocket and drew out a small, ornate pocket watch.
A strange, unsettling smile spread across her face as she slowly approached the restrained assassin.
“Very soon,” she whispered in an icy tone, “you’ll spill everything you know.”
At that very moment, elsewhere in the underground fortress, Lucas was sitting in the grand hall along with several other captains who had also recently arrived at the Black Forest camp.
They had been summoned here to receive further orders, but the wait had dragged on for what felt like hours, and everyone was starting to look weary.
Just as Lucas let out a quiet yawn, the massive doors to the hall creaked open.
The bloody knight Anwar strode in with his subordinates, his presence alone commanding immediate attention.
The instant the captains caught sight of him, they all shot to their feet.
“Sit,” Anwar said coldly.
Lucas and the others hastily complied, taking their seats once more.
“Which one of you is Lucas?” Anwar asked as his sharp gaze swept across the room.
Lucas immediately stood up.
“Sir, I’m Lucas.”
There was a faint tremor in his voice. He truly had no idea why the bloody knight Anwar was seeking him out.
Anwar’s cold, piercing gaze swept over Lucas before he spoke.
“Among the soldiers you’ve conscripted, there’s one named Cole. He’s exceptionally powerful. Not long ago, he helped us capture an assassin who had infiltrated the camp.”
Anwar gave a brief summary of what had happened earlier.
Lucas listened carefully, and the more he heard, the heavier the weight of doubt grew in his heart.
He had always known that Cole was strong—exceptionally so—but he had never imagined that Cole would be capable of capturing an assassin skilled enough to infiltrate the heavily guarded Black Forest camp.
What concerned him even more was that it was now obvious Cole had drawn the attention—and even the admiration—of the camp’s high command.
“I want to know,” Anwar said gravely, fixing Lucas with a sharp stare, “do you believe he’s trustworthy? How much do you truly know about his background?”
Lucas straightened his posture and answered with solemn respect.
“Sir, I believe he can be trusted. As for his background, I know it very well. I conscripted him from Riverside City—he’s the apprentice of Andrew, the president of the Adventurers’ Guild there. Andrew and I are old friends, and I don’t believe he would deceive me.”
Everything Lucas said was true, and his tone carried absolute sincerity.
Anwar remained silent for a moment, his expression unreadable, before finally giving a curt nod.
“Good. Then Cole will remain in your squad, and your team composition will not be changed. I happen to have a mission that requires your unit’s attention tomorrow.”
As he spoke, Anwar gestured to one of his subordinates, who stepped forward and handed Lucas a rolled-up map.
“This is a map of an abandoned manor located on the outskirts of the Black Forest camp. There seems to be an evil, powerful presence within the manor. I want your squad to set out tomorrow afternoon and eliminate every last trace of evil lurking inside.”
Lucas unrolled the map and studied it carefully.
The moment he saw it, his expression darkened. He immediately understood how dangerous this mission would be.
The abandoned manor marked on the map was the site of a past incident—a chaotic power leakage.
Which meant the evil lurking within was very likely tied to chaotic forces.
In other words, there was a high chance that he and his squad would encounter powerful chaotic monsters during the operation.
“What is it? Is there a problem?” Anwar asked, his tone sharp and probing.
“N-no, there’s no problem. We’ll complete the mission you’ve assigned to us as quickly as possible.”
Lucas’s hesitation lasted only for a fleeting moment before he hurriedly responded in a firm, resolute tone. The last thing he wanted was to anger the bloody knight Anwar.
“Good. That’s what I want to hear. You may go now. Your only priority is to complete the task I’ve given you as soon as possible. Everything else is none of your concern. Of course, if there’s anything you wish to report to me, you may do so.”
With those words, Anwar gave a casual wave of his hand, signaling that the conversation was over.
Lucas understood immediately—he had to leave at once.
