Demon King's Castle.
Gloomy clouds hung over the dark castle, and a barren forest of withered trees surrounded the Demon King's Castle. Numerous undead and decaying corpses were buried within, forming a dense defensive line of death energy.
"I never thought that one day I would enter the Demon King's Castle in such a state."
Mino looked at the shackles on his hands, the strength in his body feeling as if it had been drained.
Even the holy sword in the corner was dim at this moment.
"Are you getting used to your stay, Hero?" A sweet voice, tender as a flower bud, drifted over. Claytina walked in, trailing her long rose skirt, leaving behind damp petals on the ground that emitted a rich floral fragrance. At this time, the roses in her hair were no longer bright red but had turned into a graceful and luxurious pale purple, giving off a feeling of peace and tranquility.
"If you need anything, just tell the guarding Demons, and we will try our best to satisfy your requests," Claytina covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
"We are very lenient with prisoners."
"Your cell is already better than I imagined," Mino sat up straight, a look of daze flashing in his eyes.
The cells in the Demon King's Castle actually had soft big beds! Goose feather pillows! And even separate bathrooms and bathtubs!
This was infinitely better than the conditions he had on the Border, where he would just find a patch of grass and sleep wrapped in a blanket!
Mino twisted his head forcefully, reigniting the determination in his eyes. No, this was a trap by the Demon King's Castle to corrode his spirit! He absolutely could not give up!
"What do you want to interrogate? The army's deployment? The Kingdom's secret weapons? The research content of the Round Tower? Hmph, give up! No matter how painful the torture, you won't get a single piece of information from my mouth?!"
"I swear in the name of Brave Mino!"
"Really?" Claytina blinked her eyes, "I don't believe it."
"However, since you're so curious, I'll reveal it... What we want is information about Second Prince of Ku'er," she said, opening her mouth.
"Otta?" Mino was startled, then a smile gradually appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Despicable Demon Clan, you wouldn't not know, right? Prince Otta and I once formed a deep friendship in the training camp. At that time, he hadn't revealed his Royal Family identity, and our friendship was built step by step through life-and-death assistance!"
"You want me to reveal Human intelligence, how ridiculous! Asking me to reveal information about His Highness Otta, who is like a close friend to me, is even more of a pipe dream!!!"
Mino tilted his head back and spoke with conviction.
"So that's how it is," Claytina couldn't help but clap her hands and applaud.
"However, we won't give up easily. The political transition in the Kuer Kingdom is stable, but that Prince is still young. Once a major event occurs that affects his state of mind, the entire Kingdom's political power will be shaken. That will be a good opportunity for us Demon Clan."
"Therefore, I need to interrogate from your mouth the most important things in Second Prince of Ku'er's heart."
Mino narrowed his eyes, gaining a deeper understanding of the Demon Clan's cunning and difficulty to deal with.
However, it didn't matter.
[Ding—Interrogation task has been generated]
[Phase 1 Task: Endure the interrogation by the Demon Lord's First Secretary, Claytina, for at least 30 minutes]
[Reward: Remove hidden injuries left from combat in the body]
The Interrogation Becomes Stronger System. With it, he would no longer just fight against these Demons as a Hero, but also as a steadfast interrogated subject, equipped with the strongest system!
There were no Human priests in the Demon King's Castle to heal injuries, so the treatment of wounds was relatively rough.
This reward was just right to allow his body to recover physically and accumulate the capital needed to escape the Demon King's Castle.
The only problem was how to survive 30 minutes under the terrifying interrogation of the Demon King's Castle... Mino turned his head to look at Claytina, a sense of vigilance rising in his heart.
Claytina smiled lightly, the roses in her hair seeming to bloom even more brilliantly.
"What will you use against me? A red-hot branding iron? Spikes driven into my flesh and blood? Or excruciatingly painful poison?" Mino closed his eyes.
"None of those."
A very pleasant fragrance condensed from the void. Claytina took out a uniquely shaped small jar, poured out some viscous, transparent liquid from it, and rubbed and spread it in her hands. Soon, her fair hands were filled with an unprecedentedly rich aroma.
Claytina separated her hands, pulling out strands of smooth, shiny fine threads that stretched out with a sparkling luster under the light.
"Hero, please lie on the bed with your back facing me. Yes, just like that."
Mino had no choice but to cooperate. With his holy power sealed, Claytina could manipulate him like a doll with her magic. So, under his puzzled gaze, Claytina smiled mischievously and spoke with a confident, tender voice.
"I'm going to use the rose essential oil I just refined to corrode your skin, penetrate your flesh and bones, and make your whole body feel like it's melting."
"In that state, you'll tell me anything I ask..."
Mino's mouth fell open.
The interrogation in the Demon King's Castle seemed to be a tiny bit high-end...
You call this interrogation?
Isn't this clearly a spa?!
"For a Hero with such strong willpower like you, ordinary torture is useless! We would never use such crude interrogation methods to insult you."
Sensing Mino's confusion, Claytina couldn't help but sit up, frowning, and genuinely described it like a naive young girl.
Mino's mouth twitched, "How about you try insulting me first?"
Such an easy task reward, taking it felt wrong!!!
"Silence," Claytina ordered, regaining the composure of the Demon Lord's Secretary.
Mino's head was completely fixed, and then he felt a slight coolness. The cloth on his back was lifted.
He could feel Claytina, whose hands were wet, pouring more warm essential oil onto his back.
A warm current flowed throughout his body, followed by the soft touch of fingertips contacting his skin, and then palms.
The force started from his shoulders and slowly slid down to his waist and back. The force was even and deep. Mino could feel his tense muscles gradually relaxing under Claytina's kneading. Every nerve was stretching and releasing fatigue he had never noticed before.
"Hiss—!!!" Mino couldn't help but gasp.
It's essential oil! She used high-grade rose essential oil!
Mino suddenly remembered that the characteristic of Shadow Demons was their ability to extract the purest energy from various materials that directly affected the nerves.
At this moment, the fragrance of roses combined with the intensely stimulating effect, the feeling of penetration from the skin was particularly strong, making one lose oneself.
Mino's eyes widened.
No, no good!
In this situation, if Claytina interrupted the "interrogation" process, his body would probably feel like ants were crawling on it, uncontrollably giving rise to instinctive needs.
This was a neurological interrogation! He couldn't resist it at all.
The warm kneading continued, and the enticing aroma of roses constantly filled his nostrils. For a moment, Mino couldn't even tell where the fragrance was coming from.
The warm current flowed through his body, bringing deep relaxation. Mino had no more energy to think about anything; his entire brain was in a state of blankness.
Mino's pupils gradually unfocused.
I, I'm going to lose consciousness...
A long time passed—
"It's over," Claytina's complex voice sounded in his ear.
Mino slowly regained consciousness, opened his eyes, and sat up from the bed, feeling unprecedentedly refreshed.
Wait, did I confess?!
In that state just now, anything was possible...
Mino was startled and turned his head to look at the expression of the Demon Clan behind him.
He saw Claytina touching one side of her cheek, looking somewhat depressed, but she still said admiringly:
"As expected of the strongest Hero among Humans, you actually endured the entire interrogation process."
"Ah?" Mino blinked.
"I asked you several questions during the interrogation, but as expected of a Hero, you were like a rock, completely unmoved."
Mino let out another "Ah" and realized.
He wasn't unmoved at all; he was so comfortable he lost consciousness! And since his back was facing Claytina, she couldn't see his expression at all.
Mino lowered his head and could feel that the hidden injuries on his body had all recovered.
If the power within him hadn't been sealed, he could once again engage in a life-and-death struggle with the Demon Lord's officials.
That was close... I almost gave myself away for free.
Mino felt a slight sense of relief. Fortunately, the other party hadn't noticed his zero resistance to spas at all. Looking at the frustrated expression on the face of this Rose Shadow Demon, this resourceful First Secretary, the corner of Mino's mouth gradually lifted.
It's this expression... This is the expression I wanted to see!
His smile continued to widen.
[Ding—Phase 2 Task]
[Phase 2 Task: Claytina's interrogation was extremely effective. As the interrogated subject, please confess at least one piece of important information about Second Prince of Ku'er]
The upward curve of his mouth suddenly froze on his face.