Extra's Revenge: Reincarnated As A Slave-Chapter 120: Closing In

The silence in the room was absolute.

Every conspirator sat frozen, their minds racing through possibilities—all of them ending in disaster.

Category S Guards weren’t regular law enforcement. They were the Nether Realm’s elite investigators, operating with authority that sometimes exceeded even Noble privilege when matters of realm security were involved.

Lady Meridian recovered first, her political instincts overriding her fear.

"Special Investigators. This is... unexpected. I wasn’t aware the Category S Guards had any interest in the Dark Commerce District’s internal affairs."

"We don’t," Selene replied pleasantly, settling more comfortably into her chair. "Normally. The Houses can scheme and plot against each other all you want—that’s not our concern. Politics, economics, territorial disputes... all beneath our jurisdiction."

Marcus stepped further into the room, his massive frame making the lavish chamber feel smaller.

"But assassinations using resources gotten from a suspicious source? That catches our attention."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

Thane moved to the table’s opposite side, completing the encirclement. "We’re investigating a series of incidents—the destruction of the Desgarron Noble Family, the explosion at Duke Kahn’s Coliseum, and most recently, attacks here in Elkrim that used the same resources and methods."

"We’re not here to shut down your conspiracy," Selene said, her tone almost conversational. "Honestly, your plot against the Red House is crude but functional. It would probably work if you weren’t dealing with complications you didn’t anticipate."

Aldric’s expression remained carefully neutral, but any perceptive person would have recognized the calculation happening behind his eyes.

"Then... why are you here?"

"Because someone attacked two of your targets using professional assassins equipped with items we suspect to belong to an active investigation," Selene explained. "And based on your conversation—which we heard quite clearly, by the way—none of you ordered those attacks." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

She leaned forward, her pleasant demeanor sharpening into something predatory.

"Which means whoever is behind the assassinations is the same person or persons we’ve been tracking since the Desgarron incident. And that makes them our concern, not yours."

The Desgarron Incident!

Who among these people did not know of it?

Practically overnight, an entire Noble Household fell, and a Duke’s Coliseum was destroyed.

Undead rampaged the street, and chaos ran amok.

To think the ones who were charged with investigating such a horrific incident had somehow made their way to Elkrim.

Lord Venn found his voice, his usual smooth composure cracking slightly.

"You want our cooperation..."

"Precisely," Selene confirmed. "You want to find out who interfered with your plan. We want to find out who’s using stolen Noble resources for targeted killings. Our interests align perfectly."

Before anyone could say anything, another voice echoed.

"You can’t back out either." It was Marcus, and although he was smiling, it was not a pleasant expression. "If you refuse to cooperate, we will classify this entire room as a potential conspiracy linked to the Desgarron destruction. We arrest everyone present, seize all assets pending investigation, and shut down every operation connected to anyone here."

"Your Houses would survive... eventually. After months of investigation, frozen accounts, interrupted operations, and complete exposure of all your activities. Including the ones you’re very careful to keep hidden from legitimate authorities." Thane added with a smirk.

The threat was clear—cooperation or destruction. Not death, necessarily, but professional and financial ruin that would take years to recover from.

"What do you need from us?" Kael asked, his ambition warring with his survival instinct.

"Information first, cooperation second," Selene said. "We’ll conduct individual interrogations with each person present. We need to verify that none of you are connected to the incident in question and that you’re not secretly working with whoever orchestrated these assassinations."

"And if we’re clean?" Helena asked nervously.

"Then we work together to find who actually ordered the attacks on Helt and Elara," Selene replied. "You provide intelligence from your networks, we provide investigative resources and authority. We flush out the real culprit, and you get clarity on who’s interfering with your plans. Everyone benefits."

Meridian exchanged glances with Venn, some silent communication passing between them.

Finally, she nodded.

"We’ll cooperate. But we need assurances that the information we provide won’t be used against our legitimate operations."

"Your ’legitimate’ operations," Selene said with clear irony, "aren’t our concern unless they connect to our investigation. We’re Special Investigators, not regular Guards. We hunt specific targets, not general criminality."

She stood, gesturing to Marcus and Thane.

"We’ll conduct interrogations separately. One at a time, in private. My colleagues will set up appropriate facilities while I remain here to ensure no one decides to leave prematurely."

The conspirators shifted uncomfortably but didn’t protest. They understood the reality.

Cooperation was their only viable option.

*********

The interrogations took hours.

Marcus and Thane established separate chambers using mystical techniques that created isolated spaces—privacy wards far beyond what the conspirators could penetrate, combined with truth-verification Artifacts that made lying difficult though not impossible for skilled individuals.

By the time all interrogations concluded, dawn was approaching, and the Special Investigators had compiled extensive data. Without any further reason to remain, they promised to keep in touch and left the facility.

Then...

Selene, Marcus, and Thane appeared in a secure location away from the Blue Lotus establishment, reviewing their findings with professional detachment.

"Everyone’s clean," Marcus summarized, his tone mixing satisfaction and frustration. "Clean of connection to our investigation, anyway. They’re all guilty as hell of conspiracy against the Red House, but that’s not our problem."

"The Dark Commerce District isn’t our jurisdiction," Selene agreed. "The Houses can destroy each other for all we care. Our mandate is to protect the realm from internal threats like Aether infiltration and destabilization of major Noble lines."

Thane manipulated a mystical projection showing their compiled intelligence. "But we gained valuable information. The attacks on Helt and Elara weren’t ordered by any party in that conspiracy, which means—"

"Which means an external actor," Selene finished. "Someone is using the existing conspiracy as cover for their own operations. Someone with access to Desgarron resources and knowledge of the Red House’s internal dynamics."

"The other three Houses," Marcus suggested. "White Tulip, Purple Orchid, or Golden Sunflower. They all have means and potential motive."

Selene studied the projection thoughtfully.

"White Tulip competes directly with Red House in information brokering. If they’re making a move, eliminating opposition to a weakening alliance would serve their interests. Purple Orchid is unlikely—weapon sales aren’t affected by House politics. But maybe that’s why they could be the ones. Golden Sunflower has been suspiciously quiet, which could indicate preparation for major action."

"We need to investigate all three," Thane concluded. "Same methodology—determine their involvement in the conspiracy, trace their resources, verify alibis for key incidents."

Marcus pulled up a different data set. "There’s another angle worth exploring. The interrogations revealed something interesting about the timeline."

He highlighted specific dates.

"The Red House’s troubles intensified significantly after Modred Helt joined as an Advisor. The attacks on him and Elara, the explosion at his shop, the sudden escalation of the conspiracy—all clustered around his emergence."

"You think he’s connected?" Selene asked skeptically. "He was the target of an assassination attempt. His business was destroyed."

"Or staged to appear that way," Thane countered. "We confirmed he’s alive through the Advisors’ testimony, but supposedly dead according to public records. Someone with his resources could orchestrate their own ’death’ to gain operational freedom."

Selene considered this carefully. "What’s his background?"

Marcus accessed the compiled data. "Modred Helt, elderly merchant who established a scroll business in Elkrim about six weeks ago. Legitimate documentation, verified business transactions, no obvious red flags. But..."

"But?" Selene prompted.

"But the timing is suspicious. He appears in Elkrim roughly three weeks after the Desgarron destruction. Establishes a business dealing in magical scrolls—exactly the kind of merchandise that would let him move stolen goods. Gains access to the Red House quickly—too quickly for a newcomer with no criminal connections."

"And survives an assassination attempt that should have killed him," Thane added. "Then immediately gets promoted to overseeing the Red House’s most valuable assets. It’s... too convenient."

Selene frowned, weighing possibilities. "Could be a coincidence. His identity checks out as legitimate, and he doesn’t have the power base to orchestrate everything we’re investigating. Besides, it doesn’t make sense that he would affect the black market to this extent. One person, even a capable one, couldn’t have done all of that."

"Unless he’s working with others," Marcus suggested. "Part of a larger conspiracy we haven’t uncovered yet."

"Or unless he’s been underestimated," Thane said quietly.

"Hmm?"

"The Desgarron destruction showed sophistication and planning. Turning the House’s own security against them and destroying evidence systematically requires someone intelligent, patient, and willing to operate from positions that look weak."

"You make a good point." Selene stood, pacing as she organized her thoughts. "Here’s what we do. Priority one: investigate the other three Houses thoroughly. They have the resources and potential motives to be involved. We interrogate their leadership, trace their operations, verify their alibis."

"Priority two?" Marcus asked.

"Subtle surveillance of the Red House’s remaining loyal Advisors, particularly Modred Helt and Elara. Not aggressive—we don’t want to alert them if they’re innocent. But we monitor their activities, track their movements, and see if anything suspicious emerges."

"And if we find evidence connecting Helt to the Desgarron incident?" Thane asked.

Selene’s expression hardened immediately.

"Then we arrest him and everyone connected to him, and we extract every piece of information about the conspiracy through whatever means necessary. But we need solid evidence first, not just suspicious timing."

She pulled up the investigation timeline, marking new objectives. "The other Houses are our primary focus. White Tulip first—they compete directly with Red House and have the most obvious motive. Then Golden Sunflower, since their quietness is suspicious. Purple Orchid last since their involvement seems least likely."

"What about the Aether connection?" Marcus reminded her. "The Order that attacked the Desgarron House had backing from someone in the Aether Realm. That’s a realm security issue, not just criminal conspiracy."

"Which is why we’re being thorough," Selene agreed. "If one of these Houses is working with Aether forces, it’s a threat that goes beyond the Dark Commerce District. We need to identify and neutralize it before it escalates."

Thane deactivated the projection. "When do we start?"

"Immediately," Selene decided. "The longer our target operates freely, the more damage they can do. We’ve already lost weeks tracking them from the Desgarron incident to here. We can’t afford more delays."