Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 68

“Chief Instructor, as you know, with the daughter gone, the special task force leader will start to make waves,” Yan stated, aware that Lia was not the task force leader’s daughter, though the Chief Instructor was not privy to this fact. Regardless, the outcome was the same since an exceptional specimen from a top-secret project had been spirited away. ‘The task force leader will turn the empire upside down to find Lia if need be.’

The Chief Instructor nodded lightly. “I’m aware. But why? You’re not worried, are you?”

“Please assign the child under my care.”

The Chief Instructor’s eyebrows twitched. “…What?”

However, he quickly composed himself and asked with a smile, “There must be a reason my disciple is making such an unreasonable request.”

He looked at Yan with cold eyes that didn’t match his smiling face. “If you’ve brought up such an absurd suggestion for no good reason, my trust in you might waver a bit. I hope you have a convincing reason.”

Yan steadied his breath, facing the Chief Instructor. “You won’t manage the child directly, will you? That’s the first reason.”

Though Yan didn’t continue, the Chief Instructor immediately grasped the implication. “You don’t trust the instructors under me?”

“Yes.”

The Chief Instructor burst into laughter at Yan’s firm response.

“Why?” The Chief Instructor’s voice was thick with laughter, which Yan knew was not out of amusement but irritation and annoyance. The Chief Instructor felt his capabilities were being doubted.

“Now, every word must be chosen carefully,” Yan thought.

“As you know, I’ve been directly attacked by an instructor within the training center,” Yan reminded.

“Ah, when you were deemed a Level 5?”

“Yes. I didn’t think you would issue such an order.”

They were spies planted by the revolutionary army. They might be connected to the Chief Instructor but were not direct subordinates.

“Right. Why would I try to kill you?”

“That’s the first piece of evidence. They tried to harm me out of personal vendetta, even knowing I could be of use to you.”

“Hmm.”

Tap, tap.

The Chief Instructor tapped his chin, pondering before speaking. “That’s not enough. It’s easier for me to deal with things when they’re within my sight.”

Yan confidently presented his second reason. “Secondly, this place is accessible to the special task force leader at any time.”

“So, an investigation here is likely?”

“Yes.”

“You think I wouldn’t have considered that?”

“You might have created a secret room unknown to the task force leader, but it’s still inside the training center. A place the task force leader can access anytime. So, I thought…”

“What did you think?”

“If I personally take care of the child, we can avoid the task force leader’s scrutiny. After all, identities are abundant here; covering up one isn’t difficult, is it?”

“Ha!” The Chief Instructor laughed out loud.

“You’ve thought this through, haven’t you? But…”

He asked slyly, “Why should I trust you?”

Yan’s face hardened. ‘He still doubts me.’

Or suspects that he could collude with the task force leader.

If things continued this way, he would be dragged along helplessly.

“Do you still not trust me?”

The Chief Instructor’s eyes widened at Yan’s emotionally charged question.

“Unexpected. Do you have a reason to go to such lengths for her?”

“I promised to protect her.”

“A promise?”

The Chief Instructor snickered. “I wouldn’t have expected 974 to engage in such lukewarm actions… Wait a minute.”

The Chief Instructor, who had been mocking Yan, squinted at him.

As time passed, the Chief Instructor’s expression began to change to one of incredulity.

“Pfft, pff!”

He covered his mouth to hide his laughter, but a deflating sound leaked out.

Yan watched the Chief Instructor blankly, unable to understand the sudden change in behavior.

One thing was clear.

‘It seems like a strange misunderstanding, but… it seems to have gone over well?’

The negotiation, which had been at an impasse, seemed to be wrapping up surprisingly well.

* * *

The Grand Inquisitor led Lia into the torture chamber within his office.

He glanced quizzically at Yan, who stood silently in the office.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

“Ah, yes.”

The Grand Inquisitor closed the door only after Yan entered the torture chamber.

The walls inside the chamber were smeared with blood, and the floor was slick with pools of it.

In the center of the torture chamber, a man was bound to a chair.

‘He’s dead.’

The man had been subjected to such brutal torture that his body was left without a single unmarred spot.

Torture tools, sharp as awls, had pierced the man’s hands and armrests, and blood dripped down from them.

Beside the chair, on a metal shelf, pliers and wrenches were neatly arranged by size, and syringes and a very small sword hung on one side.

Yan realized their purpose immediately.

‘These are for torture.’

They were all tools perfectly suited for extracting nails or mutilating the body.

In other words, this was a chamber designed to extract information through torture.

The Grand Inquisitor carelessly pulled the corpse-like man from the chair and flung him onto the floor, then cast a fleeting glance at Lia.

Yan bit his lip at the sight.

“Grand Inquisitor.”

The Grand Inquisitor raised his hand to silence Yan’s words.

“I know what you’re about to say, but if this lady doesn’t engage in any unnecessary defiance, I’ll release her gently.”

Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly at those words.

For someone brought to the torture chamber, the tone wasn’t as sharp as expected.

‘Why is he acting so docile today?’

The Grand Inquisitor is someone who revels in tormenting others.

In a word, a madman.

Yet today, he’s unusually lenient.

Very much so.

‘No, perhaps he’s like this because he’s already seen blood.’

The corpse flung on the floor was rife with signs of severe torture.

“Lady, would you take a seat here?”

The Grand Inquisitor pointed to the chair with a seemingly kind smile.

Contrary to expectations, Lia sat down quietly on the sofa without any particular reaction.

Click. Clack.

As soon as she sat, leather straps sprang to life, binding her arms and legs.

Though restrained by the blood-stained leather belts, Lia didn’t scream; instead, she looked at the Grand Inquisitor as if accustomed to it.

“I’m seated.”

The Grand Inquisitor’s eyes filled with interest at Lia’s novel reaction.

But he didn’t indulge in any unnecessary actions.

He began to ask various questions while checking the report he held.

Yan recalled the conversation they had on the train while observing him.

“Let’s memorize the answers to a few questions that a scary person will ask later.”

“Answers…?”

“Anyway, the questions are going to be obvious.”

“Yes! I’m confident in memorizing!”

Lia’s confidence was not misplaced; her memory was indeed extraordinary.

Yan, too, could predict the kind of interrogation the Grand Inquisitor would conduct.

‘I’ve conducted interrogations myself at least a thousand times. If I can’t predict this, I might as well drown in a puddle.’

Then.

“Tell me about the places you’ve traveled to so far.”

“Uh… I don’t remember well, but there was Simons Territory, and… Gatten Territory? And, and. Bashimon Territory, Soma Territory… That’s all I can recall.”

“Hmm, that roughly matches the movements we’ve tracked.”

The Grand Inquisitor’s questions mostly fell within Yan’s predictions.

Lia responded aptly to the Grand Inquisitor’s inquiries.

After about an hour and a hundred or so questions, the Grand Inquisitor concluded the interrogation.

“Just wait here for a moment.”

“Yes.”

The Grand Inquisitor removed the leather straps binding Lia’s limbs and led Yan out of the grim torture chamber.

“Hmmm.”

He rubbed his forehead and slumped into his chair.

Then he leaned back, making a thoughtful noise as he rested against the chair’s backrest.

“Is she your first love?”

A sudden question, followed by an irritating snicker.

Yan’s face contorted.

“…Yes?”

“Or not?”

Yan’s mind raced.

‘Ah.’

Did this man know about Yan’s affection for Lia and deliberately treat her leniently?

If you add his previous life, he’s nearly fifty years old.

At that age, he wouldn’t fancy a mere fifteen-year-old child.

If he had married early in his previous life, he’d be old enough to have a granddaughter Lia’s age.

But.

“…Yes.”

Now was not the time for such thoughts.

The Grand Inquisitor was dangling a carrot before him.

“But it’s difficult to keep that child close to you. So, I’ve thought of a compromise.”

“Yes.”

“Our quarters are adjacent. How about employing her as a maid?”

“…!”

Yan’s head snapped up, locking eyes with the Grand Inquisitor, who wore a playful smirk.

Yan felt a wave of relief inside.

“Identity is but a trifle here. The servants are mostly orphans snatched from across the continent. Unlike the trainees, they’re not treated as important, so it’s easy to swap out a retired or dead one’s identity with a new face.”

“That’s true.”

“If you need her, I’ll call for you.”

“Of course.”

“Is that satisfactory?”

The Grand Inquisitor chuckled.

He pulled out a thick stack of documents from the desk drawer.

On the very top, the bundle’s identity was revealed.

[New Inmate Profile]

Yan’s eyes widened slightly.

He had stumbled upon an unexpected clue.

With skilled hands, the Grand Inquisitor slid the bundle back in and unfolded the one beneath it.

[Servant Profile]

The profiles of the servants were detailed on each page.

The Grand Inquisitor flipped through them until he found something suitable and studied it slowly.

Then he extracted one of the profiles.

Scratch, scratch.

The Grand Inquisitor erased a name from the profile with his fountain pen and asked,

“What shall we name her?”

“…How about Lia, Lia?”

“Lia? Sounds good.”

Humming indifferently, the Grand Inquisitor wrote ‘Lia’ in the name slot of the profile and stashed it back in the drawer.

“Are you satisfied with this?”

Of course, he was.

It was disappointing not to have completely freed her from the Grand Inquisitor’s clutches, but this was a triumph nonetheless.

“Thank you.”

“Then work even harder from now on.”

The Grand Inquisitor laughed at Yan’s bowing figure, expressing gratitude.

“Ah.”

The still-laughing Grand Inquisitor suddenly looked straight at Yan, as if remembering something.

“Now that I’ve granted your request, you wouldn’t mind doing a job for me, would you?”

Yan’s lips twitched.

He hadn’t expected to be asked for a favor in return.

“What is it?”

Tapping a letter on his desk, the Grand Inquisitor said,

“I need you to make a trip to the East.”

“The East?”

Yan’s gaze shifted to the letter on the desk.

His eyes darkened as he read a particular section.

“Alright. What do you need me to do?”

“Rescue the trainees? Well, if it doesn’t work out, just come back.”

Yan shook his head.

“Why wouldn’t it work? I’ll bring back all the living trainees by the time I arrive.”

“Will you do that?”

Yan nodded.

His eyes were still fixed on the sentence written in the letter.

[I’m counting on you, Grand Inquisitor.

Sent by your brother, Leon Caballan.]

Rescue trainees from the Dragon Soldier Project, which didn’t flinch at the death of dozens, hundreds?

This absurd assignment… was a request from the Crown Prince to the Grand Inquisitor.