Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 172: A Scene That Wrenched Her Heart

Inside the interrogation room, Lynn sat slouched in a chair, half-asleep.

Ever since the Enforcers had dragged him out of Shirina’s mansion last night, he had been locked in this prison, confined to the interrogation room.

No one had come to question him all night, as if Lynn Bartleon had been completely forgotten.

This only piqued Lynn’s curiosity.

He wondered what methods they would use to interrogate him.

That said, they didn’t have much time.

His capture this time was merely an attempt by some hidden puppet masters to weaken Yveste’s forces.

But such petty schemes were too insignificant to be taken seriously.

After all, he wasn’t the Grafting Butcher, Borchumann, nor had he committed any of those murders.

A quick investigation would easily reveal the truth.

More importantly, even if they wanted to pin the blame on him, it wouldn’t work.

The Grafting Butcher, Borchumann, was still wreaking havoc in the capital.

If they tried to close the case hastily, the next time another murder occurred, the outrage from the public and the nobles would drown them.

Not to mention, Her Highness was exerting pressure from the outside.

So, these people wouldn’t dare to push things too far.

Although the Enforcers had received orders to arrest him hastily, if they failed to prove his guilt within the given timeframe, they would have no choice but to release him.

Having understood this from the beginning, Lynn had followed them to this wretched place without fear.

Of course, the primary reason was to prevent the storyline deviation from worsening further.

With that thought, Lynn placed his shackled hands on the table, his fingers tapping lightly against its surface.

Tap. Tap. Tap…

The monotonous sound echoed in the empty interrogation room.

Judging by the time, it should be about right now.

Before long, just as he expected, the door to the interrogation room, shut tightly all night, suddenly swung open.

A rush of fresh air streamed in, slightly reinvigorating Lynn’s spirits.

He looked up to see a blond youth in military uniform, flanked by several soldiers and Enforcer members, standing at the doorway.

Lynn squinted slightly.

He hadn’t expected him to be the one interrogating him.

After all, the Enforcers and the military belonged to entirely different systems.

Logically, this wasn’t his jurisdiction.

Curious, Lynn sat up a little straighter, propping his chin with interest as he met Xiya’s gaze.

“The interrogation will be left to me. You all wait outside,” Xiya instructed the people behind him.

With the Enforcers’ approval, the door was slowly shut again, leaving only the blond youth, who stood calmly before Lynn, looking down at him with an air of superiority.

Xiya Asolant.

That’s right—this blond youth was none other than the admired Hero of Tiya and the original protagonist of the novel.

The atmosphere grew a little heavy.

After a moment, Xiya pulled out a chair and sat across from him in a soldier’s upright posture.

“I didn’t expect that our first official meeting would happen under such circumstances.”

“Neither did I. I didn’t think you’d be the one to interrogate me,” Lynn replied.

Xiya glanced at him, a flash of coldness in his eyes.

Clearly, seeing Lynn had immediately brought back memories of that incident at the teleportation array, stirring an inexplicable irritation in his heart.

Ever since that day, Tiya had started acting strangely.

Then there was last night’s banquet—she had received an invitation but hadn’t shown up.

Not only that, when he later went to see her, she had turned him away in an unusually cold manner.

Such behavior was unprecedented.

Naturally, this fueled some unpleasant suspicions in Xiya’s mind.

While he didn’t believe Tiya would do something like cheat, he was certain that since Lynn appeared in his life, things around him had started going awry.

That was why Xiya had volunteered to interrogate this man in person.

“You seem calm,” Xiya said flatly.

“Of course. I didn’t kill anyone.” Lynn smiled faintly. “Surely, Captain, you’re here to clear my name?”

Xiya didn’t respond, his face blank.

Internally, however, he sneered.

This guy was completely oblivious to the fact that he was already on the brink of death.

Still, Xiya didn’t let his thoughts show, maintaining a professional demeanor as he replied, “Whether you killed anyone or not will be determined after I’m done questioning you.”

With that, he pulled a stack of photographs from his pocket, spreading them across the table like playing cards.

Lynn glanced down, raising an eyebrow.

The photos depicted grisly scenes of dismembered corpses, both men and women. All of them had been beheaded and their limbs severed, their remains arranged in patterns associated with the King of Malice, Kushustain. Certain body parts were missing.

“These are members of the military recently killed by the Grafting Butcher, Borchumann,” Xiya explained as he slid one photo forward.

“Joniville, second lieutenant, served in the Special Intelligence Division. Three months ago, he was found dead in his apartment during a vacation. His right forearm was missing, along with a classified operations report.”

“This was Borchumann’s first attack on the military.”

“Take a good look at the details, and tell me—do you recognize the crime scene in this photo?”

“No comment,” Lynn replied without hesitation, shrugging.

At the same time, some ideas began to form in his mind.

Unfazed by his response, Xiya jotted something down in his notebook.

He then slid a second photo forward.

“Ashley Roland, a female recruit in the Special Ops Division. She disappeared mysteriously two months ago from her dormitory. When her body was found, she had been dismembered, this time missing her entire left leg.”

“The perpetrator seems to have an obsession with body parts. From our perspective, there are two possible motives for such gruesome crimes.

“One: to ascend within the ‘Malice’ faith through a trial that spreads widespread terror, becoming an unspeakable figure of dread.

“Two: to ‘complete’ themselves by committing indiscriminate murders, selecting body parts they deem suitable.”

“Lynn Bartleon, in your opinion, which of these motives better fits the Grafting Butcher’s true intent?”

Xiya’s sharp gaze bore into him, as if trying to detect guilt or hesitation in Lynn’s eyes.

So, they were trying to frame him as a demon assassin with a second personality?

Lynn instantly understood their game.

Too bad it wouldn’t work.

“No comment,” he repeated.

Xiya, seemingly unsurprised, continued jotting notes in his notebook.

Then, he slid a third photo across the table.

“Kyle Perea…”

For the next ten minutes, the two engaged in a repetitive cycle of questions and answers.

No matter what Xiya asked, Lynn’s response was always the same: “No comment.”

Finally, after going through all the photos, Xiya closed his notebook.

Judging by the results, he had gained nothing.

And the Enforcers’ allotted interrogation time was almost up.

That reminded Xiya of the real reason he had come here.

“Before we wrap up, I have one personal question,” Xiya said, his eyes suddenly cold.

“Last night… did you meet with Tiya?”

Since Xiya had left early, he hadn’t witnessed Lynn’s appearance at the scene.

It was only afterward that he learned of it, and that realization had sparked his suspicions.

“No comment,” Lynn replied with his ever-infuriating smile.

“...”

Xiya took a deep breath, as though trying to suppress his growing anger.

Maybe the earlier questions hadn’t mattered much to him—mere formalities—but this one hit a nerve.

Under Lynn’s gaze, Xiya slowly stood up.

Because of the unique nature of the Enforcers’ prison, the area was under the suppression of a sealed artifact, rendering all extraordinary abilities unusable. This measure was in place to prevent riots by the most dangerous criminals.

Not even Xiya was exempt from this.

But in some ways, this played to his advantage.

“Phase one of the interrogation is over,” Xiya said, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his muscular arms. “Now it’s time for my personal interrogation session.”

“I rarely get the chance for hand-to-hand combat these days. I’m a bit rusty,” he added. “But don’t worry—I’ll wrap this up before the interrogators from the Three Great Churches arrive.”

In an instant, an overwhelming, draconic force radiated from Xiya’s steel-like fist as it drove toward Lynn’s abdomen with terrifying speed!

The howling wind filled the interrogation room with a deafening roar.

Lynn instinctively raised his hands to block the blow.

After all, he possessed the Heart of the Scorching Flame Dragon—a genuine one. With every beat of his heart, dragon blood coursed through his veins, strengthening his body.

In a way, Lynn’s skillset was highly deceptive.

At first glance, his abilities seemed to lack any straightforward combat power, leaning toward conceptual techniques.

But anyone who underestimated him for that reason would be gravely mistaken.

For the true humanoid dragon was none other than Lynn himself.

Given his current strength, deflecting Xiya’s attack without using any extraordinary abilities was hardly a challenge for Lynn.

For extraordinary individuals, physical strength was the least important aspect of their power.

Compared to others, Xiya’s physical prowess was already among the best.

As a result, Lynn felt a faint thrill rise in his heart, a growing urge to break free and fight this so-called hero of destiny, testing who was truly stronger.

After all, it was a rare opportunity to "ban" the protagonist’s bug-like extraordinary abilities.

However, just as Lynn was about to raise his hand, he froze mid-motion.

Did Xiya just say that the interrogators from the Three Great Churches would be arriving?

That meant... the Silent Church was included?

In an instant, a thin, cold, doll-like figure flashed through Lynn’s mind.

Interesting.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Lynn’s mouth as a dark thought surfaced in his mind.

The next second, the hand that was about to block Xiya’s heavy punch unexpectedly lowered.

It was as if he had given up resisting.

Bang!

With a muffled sound, Lynn’s body flew through the air like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the far corner of the room.

Blood spurted from his mouth.

Seeing this, a trace of satisfaction flickered in Xiya’s eyes.

Finally, he had regained the psychological upper hand over this damned man.

"That’s it? You’re already done? As a human punching bag, you’re really unqualified."

"Now tell me, did you meet with Tiya last night?"

"Cough... No... comment," Lynn wheezed, his voice weak but still carrying an infuriating tone.

"!?"

"If you won’t talk, I’ll beat it out of you!"

In the Enforcers’ Prison

Accompanied by an elderly Enforcer holding a lantern, Tiya walked slowly down the ancient staircase, half a step behind.

The surroundings were damp and gloomy, like an old dungeon, with a faint, unsettling stench of blood in the air.

But at the moment, Tiya, who usually had a severe obsession with cleanliness, didn’t have the mental energy to care about such trivial matters.

"You’re saying the military interrogator left just before I arrived?"

"That’s correct," the elderly Enforcer rasped, his voice hoarse. "Captain Xiya was sent to conduct the interrogation and spent twenty minutes questioning the suspect."

Twenty minutes?!

That was far longer than she had anticipated!

For a moment, Tiya felt the world spin.

She had deliberately applied to the Church for the role of interrogator, hoping to meet that man before her brother Xiya did.

But she was still one step too late.

Could it be that Xiya already knew what had happened last night?!

The mere thought made Tiya’s face pale.

In her mind, she couldn’t help but picture the blond youth’s angry and disappointed gaze, his cold and hurtful words as he walked further and further away from her.

Fortunately, the elderly Enforcer’s next words offered her a sliver of relief.

"However, that guy has a stubborn mouth. He didn’t say anything."

Thank goodness.

Hearing this, Tiya instinctively let out a sigh of relief.

She hadn’t expected that man to refrain from taking this opportunity to provoke Xiya further. Instead, he had kept his mouth shut, which was a bit surprising.

For a moment, Tiya’s resentment and anger toward Lynn diminished significantly.

In that case, she decided to go easy on him during the upcoming interrogation, letting him suffer less.

But... did she really have to use that method to hypnotize him?

Even now, Tiya hadn’t completely prepared herself mentally. Her heart was in turmoil, and without realizing it, she bit her lower lip.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice when the elderly Enforcer stopped walking.

With a slow creak, he opened the door to the interrogation room.

"Like the military, your Silent Church has twenty minutes with him."

"Thank you."

As the door closed behind her, Tiya finally focused her attention on the scene inside the interrogation room.

What she saw made her emerald-green eyes widen in shock.

The black-haired youth, who should have been sitting in the interrogation chair, was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, he lay in the corner, battered and broken, barely clinging to life.

His entire body seemed to be covered in bruises and wounds, his bones sunken in places. Blood poured endlessly from his nose and mouth as if he might die at any moment.

His face was swollen and disfigured, completely unrecognizable, and his consciousness seemed to flicker on the verge of collapse.

The sight was both pitiful and tragic.

Yet even in this state, the youth clung to a shred of awareness, mumbling incoherently through the pain.

“Veya... Cough...

“I didn’t... tell him... anything...”

In an instant, an indescribable emotion surged through Tiya’s chest.

Her face turned pale, and she felt as though her heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.