Chapter 249: Interrogation Chapter 249: Interrogation —2 hours later, at Leo’s territory— "Are they not coming?" Leo asked, his gaze fixed on the open sky as if expecting a shadow to descend at any moment. Lily frowned, following his line of sight. "They should be... wait, let me text them." She pulled out her phone and quickly messaged Aina, asking if they were still on their way. After Lily had told the girls to meet them at the territory, Leo’s group had wasted no time escaping their presence, making up excuses about urgent academy matters. None of them wanted to risk being influenced by that mind interference skill again. Lily had already exchanged contacts with Aina and shared the territory’s coordinates, giving them a 2-hour window to arrive. Barely seconds later, her phone buzzed. >We’ll be there in a minute. Leo nodded slightly toward Leon as he activated [Lion’s Heart] on everyone present. Surprisingly, this time there was no physical contact—no hand placed on a shoulder, no reassuring pat. His eyes simply glowed faintly, and a warm, steady pressure washed over them. Their thoughts sharpened, their minds clearing as their mental fortitude strengthened. For Leo himself, however, the effect was minimal. Miho noticed the different method immediately and narrowed her eyes at Leon. Leon ignored her gaze completely, feigning ignorance as if nothing had happened. Soon enough, a large bird appeared in the sky, its massive wings cutting through the clouds as it descended. Three figures could be seen riding on its back, waving their hands enthusiastically. Lily returned the gesture with a friendly wave of her own. As they landed, Leo noticed the bird rider staring around the territory with wide, unconcealed amazement. But the moment his eyes met Leo’s, he coughed lightly, quickly averting his gaze before taking off again. "Wow! Miss Lily, this place is so good!" Aina exclaimed, spinning around as she took in the surroundings. "So dense... the mana density here is incredibly high!" Mira added, her voice filled with awe. "I would love to be a part of this territory!" "It even has an advantageous geographical location," Aina continued, gesturing toward the elevated ground as she pointed out its defensive benefits. "Mister! Now that I think about it... we don’t actually know your name," Slyva said shyly, her tone soft and her expression demure. That single line immediately grated on Lily’s nerves. They didn’t even get the chance to continue their praise. Vines suddenly erupted from the ground, snapping upward like living serpents. They wrapped tightly around the girls’ limbs and torsos, slamming them to the ground and pinning them in place. "W-what?!" Aina cried out, utterly flabbergasted. "I-I’m sorry, Miss Lily! I won’t—!" They didn’t get the chance to finish. Lily stepped forward, pulling out a necklace. Its crystal centrepiece was visibly shattered, dull fragments catching the light. She held it up in front of their eyes. "Do you know what this is?" "W-we don’t understand..." Slyva stammered. "Have we offended you—" "Shut up," Lily snapped, her expression rigid, her voice cold. "And answer only what I ask." "This necklace was given to me by Leo. Do you know what it does?" "W-what...?" Slyva asked weakly. "It protects—or rather, protected—me from mental attacks." Lily’s eyes hardened. "And do you know when it was damaged? Yes. The day we first met." It felt as if the ground beneath the girls’ feet had collapsed, stripping them bare. Their carefully hidden secret lay exposed. "I-I... we..." None of them could find the words to respond. Even though Leon had been the main reason the necklace shattered, he had been given a pass due to special circumstances. These girls, however, would not receive the same leniency—not only because they had attempted to extract information, but also because Lily had been deceived by their innocent appearances. "Not only that," Lily continued, her voice rising, "Leo suddenly felt sleepy. Then, the moment I came out of the shed, Miho was also feeling the same way. What were you planning? What’s your goal?" The questions came relentlessly, one after another. Bound as they were, the pressure was overwhelming. "And about your ’clumsy’ behavior," Lily went on, her eyes sharp, "deliberately wearing short clothes, combined with that stupid attempt to increase your allure... the only man there was Leo." She leaned closer, every word heavy with menace. "What. Do. You. Want. From. Him?" Her tone and body language were terrifying. Tears welled up in the girls’ eyes, but none of them could answer. They were so shaken that they didn’t even attempt to use their mental interference skills. Instead, they could only desperately wonder where everything had gone wrong. Seeing no response, Lily sharply turned toward Leo. "Leo, I want some time to properly interrogate them. Let’s meet at the same place in half an hour." With that, she turned and walked toward the secret room. The ground beneath the girls shifted on its own, dragging them away. Leo raised an eyebrow. After confirming something with Howl, a faint look of pleasant surprise crossed his face. Apparently, Lily could now communicate mentally with Leo’s beasts, much like he did—though not as clearly, it was still at a decent level. And like the good kids they were, the beasts obeyed their mom without hesitation. "Leon," Leo added casually, "if her ’interrogation’ isn’t over in half an hour, go and renew their mental protection." Leon nodded absent-mindedly, already imagining what Lily might do to those innocent-looking girls. Then the words fully sank in. "Wait!" Leon exclaimed. "Are you asking me to go to their slaugh—interrogation room?" Leo simply nodded before walking off to handle some work, leaving Leon behind, grumbling and spiraling into crisis. Half an hour later, everyone gathered once more. The sight of the girls made it clear—they had witnessed the worst nightmare of their lives. Physically, they appeared fine, their bodies unharmed. Mentally, however, it was another matter entirely. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎 They lay collapsed on the ground, clothes slightly soiled but still decent, eyes unfocused and hollow. One could only imagine what Lily had done inside that room. Wow... looks like her habit of sitting around and reading those torture books in the library really paid off, Leo thought. "So?" Leo asked aloud. "What did you find out?" Lily frowned. "They claim they were tasked with gathering information on us," she said. "Mainly because I was said to have an 8-star talent..." She paused before continuing. "And also to find out how, with your 6-star soul talent, you managed to reach Peak 2-star." Leon, standing beside them, froze, his expression a mix of confusion and shock. Lily has an 8-star talent?! And what kind of idiot thinks this bastard is only Peak 2-star? They must be out of their mind... But then another thought struck him. Wait. He has soul talent? Then how the fuck does he have 4 tamed beasts? And a 6-star talent? Leon scoffed. I’ve never heard of a soul talent user taming beasts... let alone ancient savage beasts... Leon’s mind was a complete mess after Lily’s revelation. It was simply impossible.