"You've been stealing for fifty years."
"You grew comfortable. And you… walked into my territory alone. No guards. No protection.
The audacity. The shamelessness."
A pause.
"You truly believed you could walk out of this without consequence."
His gaze hardened.
"But that comes later."
"Your answers will decide how much you suffer."
Silence pressed down.
"First, what happened fifty years ago? How did you discover the goblins?"
A beat.
"Second, what are your ties to the Silver Duke?"
"And the Third Prince."
"Third, where are your operations? Who are you supporting right now?"
His voice lowered.
"Answer truthfully…"
"…and I may choose to be lenient."
"I live in a nearby city," the old man said, his voice unsteady.
"I started sixty years ago… as a merchant. A small business."
He swallowed.
"After I gathered some money, I wanted to expand."
"That's when I decided to come here. The city was close. There was no competition around… and it was safe."
His hands trembled.
"So, after ten years… I moved in."
He lowered his head further.
"The business went well. Very well, actually."
"I built multiple stores here. Expanded into different things…"
A pause.
"But mainly… I focused on selling vegetables."
"And your question about the goblins…" the old man continued, his voice shaking, "I found them by luck. Pure luck."
"At first, they had nothing. No power. No ability."
"They were… nothing more than toys. Beaten. Mocked. Laughed at."
"They couldn't even speak."
"But I kept watching them. Because they were different."
"They didn't look like normal goblins. Not like monsters."
"They weren't hostile."
"They were… submissive."
His voice lowered.
"At the time, I only thought of one thing."
"To use them."
"To make them work for me… for free."
"That was my intention."
He clenched his hands slightly.
"So I approached them. Slowly. Gave them food… small things…"
"Built trust."
Then...
"One day… it changed."
His breathing faltered.
"One of them used power. In front of me."
A pause.
"Just one."
"He looked at me…"
"Like he was waiting."
"For approval."
The old man lowered his head further.
"That's when I moved them."
"To the sewers."
"So I could act more carefully… without attracting attention from the knights."
A breath.
"And after that… everything happened as you already know."
Silence lingered.
Then he continued.
"As for the duke… and the third prince…"
"If you want to expand your business… if you want influence… you need backing."
"From someone stronger."
A faint pause.
"The duke… he used to call me often. To check what I was doing."
"So, I chose him."
"I joined the third prince's faction."
The Vice Captain spoke.
"But isn't that strange?"
"A local merchant… gaining that level of wealth?"
"Why would the duke allow it?"
The old man trembled.
"That's the problem," he said. "They didn't question it."
A pause.
"And that was intentional."
"I never revealed where the money came from."
"I always moved alone."
"I would sneak away… enter through the sewers… collect what I needed… and return."
His voice grew quieter.
"And I made sure to hint… that I had connections."
"To the central bank."
A brief silence.
"For some reason… they believed it."
"I don't know why."
"But they did."
"They thought I was backed by someone… untouchable."
Another pause.
"Or…"
His voice dropped.
"They were afraid."
"That if they touched me… and I died…"
"Their source of money would disappear."
He exhaled shakily.
"So they left me alone."
"They allowed me to operate."
"I barely speak to the prince."
"I rarely meet the duke."
"They are too high above me."
"I don't even have the right to approach them."
Silence followed.
"I also think…" the old man continued, voice unsteady, "one of the reasons they left me alone… was the money."
A pause.
"I gave them too much."
"Enough that they had no choice but to believe me."
His hands trembled.
"To believe I was connected… to the central bank."
"I think… that's why they accepted it."
A brief silence.
"As for my businesses…"
"There are many."
"Across the empire."
"Too many to count precisely."
The Vice Captain spoke.
"Do you have any… on the small continent?"
The old man nodded quickly.
"Yes."
"I know the place."
"And I have a few stores there."
"That's good to hear."
The Vice Captain picked up a glass of water.
He paused.
Then, without hesitation, he let a single drop of blood fall into it.
The liquid rippled faintly as he swirled the glass once.
He extended it forward.
"Take this," he said. "Drink it."
The old man froze.
"I intend to work with you," the Vice Captain continued calmly. "But I cannot trust someone tied to the Third Prince."
A slight pause.
"This will prove your loyalty."
His gaze hardened.
"Of course, you can refuse."
"But if you do not drink it… you will die."
"And if you die…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"I doubt the duke will be kind enough to spare your family."
The old man's hands trembled.
His mind raced.
But there was no choice.
He took the glass.
And drank.
The effect was immediate.
His body locked.
Then...
Pain.
A crushing force seized his chest, as if something invisible had wrapped around his heart and tightened.
He collapsed to the ground.
"W-What is this?!" he screamed, clutching his chest. "What is this?!"
The Vice Captain watched him without moving.
"It's a drop," he said.
"A product of our unit."
A brief pause.
"Developed with the Crown Prince… myself… and the troll."
His voice remained steady.
"It is blood that transforms once it reaches the heart."
The old man writhed on the ground.
"It uses transformation magic," the Vice Captain continued. "It becomes a lock."
"A leash."
"It binds you."
The pressure slowly eased.
The old man's screams weakened into gasps.
"But you don't need to panic," the Vice Captain added.
"Nothing will harm you."
"This is not punishment."
"It is confirmation."
A pause.
"And you have passed."
The old man lay there, breathing heavily, sweat covering his face.
"I won't control your actions," the Vice Captain said. "I won't force your words."
"You will live exactly as you have for the past fifty years."
His tone sharpened slightly.
"It will only activate under two conditions."
"If you reveal its existence…"
"Or if you betray me… or the Crown Prince."
Silence settled.
Then...
"I want you to continue your business as usual."
A pause.
"But there is one task."
The old man slowly lifted his head.
"You will sponsor someone."
"An up-and-coming merchant from the small continent."
The Vice Captain gestured slightly.
"You know the type."
"He specializes in medicine. Apple juice."
A faint pause.
"He produces the best apple juice. Healing potions. Various refinements."
His eyes narrowed.
"I want him to grow."
"Famous."
"Recognized."
"Important enough that even the Third Princess hears his name."
"Important enough that even the First Princess cannot ignore him."
A brief silence.
"That is all."
The old man remained still.
"You will continue supporting the Third Prince," the Vice Captain added. "That does not change."
"But you will also direct significant resources toward this merchant."
"His rise… is your responsibility."
A pause.
"And your profits will increase."
The Vice Captain looked down at him.
"Now."
"Are you willing to cooperate?"
The old man did not speak.
He couldn't.
He simply nodded.
Slowly.
Silently.
Because he understood.
This was not an offer.
It never had been.