So news at the end
~~~
Upon hearing Simon's words, Harvey Hayden stepped forward and used Whip of Pain to begin the interrogation. Before long, they learned that the thieves had accomplices, or rather a mastermind, back in Backlund.
However, the thieves had not seen the mastermind's face. They only knew that he appeared to be male, always wearing a hood and a mask, so no facial or hair features could be discerned.
Simon asked, "How did you manage to sneak into my ho without being detected?"
With Harvey Hayden standing nearby, the thieves felt imnse pressure, as though a whip that could deliver endless pain was poised to strike if they dared lie.
"There was no need to sneak in!" one of the thieves blurted. "When we entered the count's estate, we didn't encounter a single person!"
The rcenaries exchanged confused glances. How could that be possible? There was no way the count's estate had no guards on duty at night.
Simon responded coldly, "You're lying."
Harvey Hayden imdiately intensified the pressure, and the Whip of Pain seed on the verge of descending.
The thieves, on the brink of ntal collapse, broke down in tears, insisting that they weren't lying.
Simon furrowed his brow and gestured for Harvey to ease up.
Only then did Harvey Hayden relent and stop pressuring the thieves.
Hobert had already figured it out—it wasn't that the count's estate had no guards, but rather that the mastermind had cleverly evaded or sohow blinded the guards to their presence.
These thieves had been completely used. Even their decision to rob Count Vincent, whose finances were in excellent shape, seed suspicious. No matter how daring, they couldn't have been foolish enough to target soone as well-off as the count.
After the interrogation, Simon smiled at Harvey Hayden and said, "If we can catch the mastermind behind this, I'm willing to offer a reward of 500 pounds."
Harvey Hayden didn't commit outright. "As you've seen, the mastermind seems quite formidable. I can only keep an eye out for any relevant information."
"Alright," Simon quickly replied. "If you can provide any useful leads, I'll pay between 20 to 50 pounds as a reward."
The rcenaries exchanged hopeful glances, but they were well aware that only soone like Harvey Hayden, a mid-sequence Beyonder, stood a chance of completing this task.
The group, now escorting the three thieves, set off on the return journey. Harvey Hayden rode in the carriage with Hobert, who did not have a horse. Before boarding, Harvey said to Vico, "Go inform the forester's family—the ones who gave us water at noon—that the thieves have been caught, and they can rest easy now."
Vico responded with a quick acknowledgnt and rode off to inform the forester's family.
The carriage slowly headed towards the city. Harvey Hayden smiled at Hobert and said, "Every ti I see you, I'm reminded of the days when I fought under Commanders Christian and Rex.
"Back then, I was just a soldier, a witness to their legendary lives.
"With those two leading, the Feysacians beca polite, the Feynapotters suddenly cared about reason, and the Numinous Episcopate vanished from sight."
He sighed. "But unfortunately, both commanders were soon recalled to Loen."
Following this lead, Hobert asked, "Are you still serving under Rex?" He had been waiting for Harvey Hayden to start reminiscing.
Harvey Hayden nodded. "You've probably heard many stories about General Rex, right?"
"Yes, but it seems like their legendary tales ended after they returned to Loen."
"That's because Commander Rex couldn't stand the royal family..." Harvey glanced outside, checking to make sure no other rcenaries were around, then lowered his voice. "Commander Rex despised the royals and their pompous faces, so he chose to leave the army.
"It's said that the royals attempted to capture him, but it's Commander Rex we're talking about—of course, their efforts failed."
"What happened after that?" Hobert asked.
"After that, Commander Rex was truly free. Although both the military and the royals have kept him on their wanted list, he often shows up in Backlund." Harvey Hayden laughed.
"We always suspected that Commander Christian stayed in the army just to be Rex's inside man.
"And whenever he passed on information, he did it so skillfully that no one could ever catch them in the act. Their coordination was always that perfect."
Hobert pressed further. "Do you know anyone who stayed in touch with Rex after he returned to the Northern Continent?"
"Yes, your father!"
"But he never tells about their experiences after they ca back to Backlund. He only talks about their adventures in the Southern Continent."
Harvey Hayden's expression grew a bit somber. "I imagine that for Commander Christian, losing his closest friend made those years unbearable. His mories of the Northern Continent must be too heavy to relive."
After a few seconds of silence, he added, "You could try contacting Dicks. He used to be Commander Rex's personal guard captain. From what I've heard, he stayed with Rex until his death, and only then did he go into business."
"Where can I find him?" Hobert asked eagerly.
"His business is on Nikro Street, No. 1899. Just tell him you're the eldest son of Commander Christian, and he'll drop everything to et you."
Hobert quickly pulled out his notebook and jotted down the address.
Their conversation drifted back to Harvey Hayden's experiences in the Southern Continent, giving Hobert new insights into the region's geography and environnt.
By the ti they returned to Backlund, night had fully fallen.
With Backlund's ever-present fog, the city was engulfed in darkness as soon as the sun set.
Simon led the group back to Count Vincent's estate, where he paid them their wages and had the kitchen prepare dinner for them.
After dinner, Hobert and Harvey Hayden exchanged contact addresses and then each took a hired carriage ho.
Hobert did not imdiately go to Viscount Glaint to report about the ring. The next morning, he made his way to Glaint's estate, and upon seeing him, imdiately asked, "What ti is it?"
Viscount Glaint understood at once. He pulled out his pocket watch and showed it to Hobert—the hands had stopped moving.
They went to the study together, where Hobert briefly recounted how he ca across Glaint's father's ring the previous day.
Glaint was first impressed by Hobert's efficiency, then sneered, "Vincent, always pretending to be my father's best friend."
Finally, with so regret, he said, "I wonder if we'll ever get another chance to steal the ring?"
"Perhaps," Hobert replied. "I'm planning to call a eting of the 'Justice League.' Maybe this small group can attract a few noble heirs who share your interest in the occult. In the future, they might help us seize another opportunity to steal the ring."
~~~
If we hit 100 powerstones, soone plz remind to post bonus chapter in the comnts
patreon/KeyofStars
New fanfic is posted on patreon first, usually about 5 chapters advance for all mbers (free tier included)
One Piece Mysterious Journey continues in June 2025 b/c I have a lot of classes rn
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