The Record of Orc Civilization - Chapter 452: The Interrogation of a Traitor

Luna turned to face Swa, her beautiful brow furrowed in protest. “Swa, I guarantee I can extract this stone without killing the host. We know nothing about this object yet. In my opinion, it is far wiser to separate it first before you begin your interrogation. I heard from Nerphyl that this Hobgoblin possesses abnormal strength, and this gem in his chest is almost certainly the cause,” she countered with clinical logic, though her eyes still sparkled with an obsessive curiosity.

“The Tendril Bars will keep him in place, no matter how violently he struggles. I share your suspicions regarding the source of his power, but I want no foreign variables interfering when the interrogation begins. Leave the gem attached to his chest for now,” Swa replied coldly. He cared little for Luna’s curiosity; his primary directive was to scrape the information from Leon’s mind.

“But—”

“Enough, Luna! This isn’t merely one of your experiments. This concerns Wilwatikta’s greatest secrets. I have no desire to wake up tomorrow morning and find the entire world mobilized to exterminate us.”

Luna fell silent for a moment before finally nodding dejectedly. “Fine. But I want him kept alive after you finish your interrogation. More precisely, I want the stone in his chest intact!” She relented, but not without an ultimatum.

Swa could only offer a bitter smile. “Leave it to me. If another Asura were conducting this, I might not be able to guarantee his life. But I am stepping in personally because you know how my Vivid Dream works.”

Luna nodded and stepped back, granting Swa the space to approach Leon. Swa exhaled a long breath. On the other side, Leon looked slightly relieved to be freed from Luna’s predatory gaze. Swa had rushed to R-18 the moment he received word of the traitor’s capture—the one who had nearly caused Kuja’s death.

Swa hadn’t expected Nerphyl to bring Leon directly to R-18 instead of handing him over to the security forces. Wilwatikta had never truly faced a serious case of internal criminality, so Standard Operating Procedures for handling high-value detainees had yet to be established. This incident made him realize he needed to Mige and draft those protocols as soon as possible.

As the Director of Intelligence, Swa knew Wilwatikta was teetering on the edge of unrest that could spark a civil war. He should have been focused on resolving that, yet the war against the humans could not be neglected. Without his guidance, Goku’s forces would be moving “blind,” which would drastically increase the casualty rate.

Currently, despite fighting with their full might, their war policy was to suppress casualties as strictly as possible. They didn’t engage in direct, open warfare but used guerrilla tactics to bleed the enemy. Fortunately, the Human Alliance was still heavily preoccupied by the war against the Demons, leaving them only able to dispatch the Valya Family to contain Wilwatikta’s irritating guerrilla strikes.

However, the news of a Hobgoblin capable of wielding Demonic power was a clarion bell. Swa knew their allies would soon become their enemies. His mission now was to extract the information Leon held and prevent the Demons from discovering their greatest secret: that they were not a Mana Species, but Monsters.

Swa leaned in until the cold air of an Asura’s breath brushed against Leon’s face, which was slick with black sweat. “Who gave you this toy, Leon?” A long finger with a sharp nail pointed toward the gemstone without touching it.

Leon coughed, spitting a glob of thick blood onto the stone floor. His cracked lips curled into a sneer, revealing a broken yellow fang. He looked directly into Swa’s eyes—a gaze that no longer held fear, but pure, absolute hatred. He clamped his jaw shut. Silence was the only answer he provided.

Swa’s expression did not flicker. He watched Leon intently, without a shred of impatience. Instead, he let out a long sigh and looked at Leon with pity.

“Don’t do this to yourself, Leon. You know who I am?”

Leon remained mute, staring fixedly into Swa’s crimson eyes.

“If you know who I am, you also know what I am capable of.” There was no threat in his tone, only a promise of certainty. Every monster in Wilwatikta knew Swa, whether from history books or rumors of his achievements on the battlefield.

“Listen, Leon. I am not a man with much free time. Every second I am away from the command room, there are troops not receiving accurate intelligence, and that leads to heavy casualties for the kingdom. I know you might not care, considering you were willing to sell Kuja’s movements to the enemy. However, I care deeply about every monster life lost. I took the time to see you not just because I want to know why you betrayed us, but because I need to know the Demons’ plans for our species. You must realize, Leon, the Demons are not your friends. They are enemies intent on our destruction.”

Swa stared deep into Leon’s eyes again. Silence once more enveloped the room. Swa sighed again, preparing to begin the more painful stage of the interrogation. Verbal diplomacy had reached its end; it was time to get serious.

However, before Swa could turn away, Leon’s raspy voice broke through. “Care about monsters? You mean you care about the Asuras?! You never gave a damn how many Hobgoblins or other races died on the battlefield! You only want to make sure no Asura dies! YOU USE US AS BAIT JUST SO THE ASURAS CAN REAP THE REWARDS!”

The outburst caused Leon to cough blood again, but the fire in his eyes only burned hotter.

“Cough… Cough… You think I’d believe your hypocritical words? You think I’m some naive child who doesn’t understand what kind of kingdom you’re building? I LOVE MY COUNTRY AND YOU PEOPLE CRAP ON IT! I LOVE MY RACE AND YOU ARE SPIT ON IT!”

Leon gasped for air. Black blood sprayed from his lips with every word he forced through his throat.

“When I read about how our monster kin were once treated like pests, exterminated at the whim of the Mana Species, that hatred and defiance surged through my veins. I loved this kingdom! Since I was a child, my only dream was to become a powerful Hobgoblin so I could protect it!”

Tears began to track through the soot-blackened skin of his cheeks. “That was why I didn’t fear the Mana Cream Cultivation. Even though it felt like being flayed alive, even though it felt like my organs were being ripped out one by one, I gritted my teeth and endured until I evolved. But what did I find after becoming a Hobgoblin? Not pride, not the joy of protecting the realm, nor the honor of a new life. I found abandonment, indifference, and contempt!”