"It's definitely not good news," Rocky said. "The magician you invited doesn't seem to be cooperating with your work very well."

"You know about the Commissioner's plan?" Although Moss said this, he didn't seem particularly surprised. The young mage, who was under 17 years old, had just returned to the capital and caught everyone's attention. He was not someone to trifle with. "What did Sinas do?"

"He controlled Fulanya and had her tell me about the Commissioner's plan," Rocky said. "Then he probably planned to have Bardolph accuse me during the trial. By then, no matter how much I defended myself, it would be too late. The Empire won't give me five more days."

"Doesn't he know what this means for the Empire?" Moss's smile disappeared and he frowned. "What's in it for him?"

"Perhaps you don't know? My teacher cut off his hands," Rocky said. "For a magician, that's equivalent to losing over 90% of his magical power."

"What a fool... creating trouble out of nothing," Moss complained. "Alright, what do you plan to do?"

"I want to meet him first," Rocky said. "I've already figured out a plan, but let's start with diplomacy for now. It can be considered a show of respect for a magician."

"Alright."

Rocky, Alice, and Moss left the office together and headed towards the inner fortress.

Sinas and Bardolph were indeed in the fortress. It was not the time to expose Prince's guard Bardolph, so the spell that controlled him had to be cast inside the fortress. This was the best place to hide the prisoners, as no one would expect a search to be conducted inside the Commissioner's office—it was an unexpected blind spot... And when the five days were up, the Commissioner would publicly escort Bardolph to the trial scene.

The fortress was not a dungeon, so there were no special prison cells. There were only interrogation rooms underground. Currently, the Commissioner's attention was focused on the assassination of Prince Skayat, so the investigation into other cases had slackened. Therefore, most of the interrogation rooms were empty and appeared particularly desolate - that was part of the plan... Not all employees of the Commissioner knew the truth, as no one wanted a small officer to accidentally see the key figures of the case in the fortress.

Bardolph's interrogation room was located in the innermost area of the interrogation zone, where the Commissioner had set up strict guard. The guards stationed there probably didn't even know what they were guarding.

With Moss leading the way, Rocky and Alice had no obstruction and arrived outside the interrogation room. The closed iron door had a sign hanging on it, stating a baseless name, followed by "robber". Generally, this would be enough to dispel anyone's curiosity.

Moss opened the door. There was no light in the interrogation room. The pitch-black room only echoed Bardolph's heavy panting. It was extremely painful to be subjected to the mental control of a mage. Every chant from the mage was torturous for him, more painful than death. It felt like his skull was being split open and his nerves were being slowly peeled away from his brain. The mage constantly administered various drugs to him, just to barely endure the excruciating pain from the depths of his soul without dying from it.

Sinas had obviously already sensed someone's arrival. He stopped casting and spoke calmly, with a trace of hidden weariness. It was apparent that even if a mage wanted to control a normal person's mind, it wasn't an easy task. The brain was the most mysterious part of the human body, and the power of magic had difficulty progressing within it, especially with Sinas's hands being severed. "Why are you here? The spell is currently at its crucial stage."

Moss took a lantern off the wall and illuminated the room.

The room wasn't large. The furnishings should have included a desk and chair for the interrogator, as well as an iron chair with leather restraints specially designed for the prisoner. However, there was currently only the iron chair. The first thing Rocky saw was Bardolph, the prince's attendant who was about to be blamed. He wasn't restrained with any handcuffs or shackles because they were unnecessary. He looked like he was in his thirties, in the prime of his life for an ordinary person. However, there were already numerous white hairs mixed in with his black hair, clearly indicating the torment he had endured in the past two days. He leaned against the back of the chair, panting heavily. His voice sounded like a faulty bellows. He was completely shirtless, and his muscular body showed that he used to be an excellent guard. But now, he withered on the chair, without a single injury, yet motionless like a corpse.Then Rocky finally saw Sindas. The former powerful sorcerer stood next to Badov with his black hair, black eyes, and thin lips pressed tightly beneath his hawk-like nose. His gaze calmly observed the newcomer. He did not have arms, as the sleeves of his robe had been torn to the shoulders. His metal palm, gleaming with a metallic sheen, rested on the edge of Badov's chair. Rocky knew it was an alchemical creation, a steel arm assembled by an alchemy master, probably powered by the sorcerer's mana. These two arms were stronger and more solid than normal human arms, lacking only sensitivity.

However, in the realm of magic, it was different. No matter how ingenious the alchemical creation was, it could never replace the human body. To cast spells, a sorcerer had to draw mana from the magic source in their heart and transmit it to the outside world through the internal magic circuit in their body, causing the elements to resonate and complete the magic. The arms were the most complex part of the magic circuit in the human body, which was why sorcerers used their hands to cast spells instead of their feet. The pair of steel arms did not have the necessary magic circuit for spellcasting, making it an insurmountable obstacle for a sorcerer. Just like losing one's sight, no matter how keen their other senses were, they could never replace the eyes.

Therefore, Sindas now only used a small amount of residual magic circuit in his shoulders to cast spells, which indirectly demonstrated the power of a sorcerer.

"Respected Sorcerer Sindas Nidell." Rocky politely smiled and nodded. Seeing Sindas, he finally relaxed. Sindas had reached the level of a sorcerer before the age of thirty, which was truly astonishing natural talent. But talent aside, this guy's arms were severed to the root, and his remaining magic power might not be much more powerful than Rocky's. He only possessed the knowledge of a sorcerer, but could not be compared to a real sorcerer.

"I am Rocky Dolaville Oxias, sorry for the intrusion." Rocky said.

"It's you." Sindas also smiled, showing no hatred towards Rocky. "Baidimuto's disciple, I have heard your name before. Truly talented. When I was your age, I was still squatting in my teacher's magic tower reading books."

"You are too humble. A sorcerer who can obtain the title before the age of thirty is a rarity. Such an achievement can be recorded in history." Rocky said.

Becoming a sorcerer shortly after becoming a sorcerer apprentice and then having both hands cut off was probably even rarer. Rocky silently added the latter part in his heart.

"I am busy, let's not waste any more pleasantries. What brings you here to find me?" Sindas asked.

Mos looked at Rocky, gesturing with his eyes for him to decide what to do.

Rocky nodded slightly. "We are not here to find you. I am looking for Mr. Badov, who you are currently casting a spell on."

"Looking for him?" Sindas glanced at the guard slouched in the chair. "What do you need him for? You shouldn't need him until three days later."

"After continuously using mind control for these past few days, you must be tired, right?" Rocky's smile gradually faded, his right hand behind his back ready to cast a spell at any time. After all, the opponent was a sorcerer, even if he lost his hands, he shouldn't underestimate him. "I have recently learned mind control as well. Why not hand Badov to me and let me finish your remaining work?"

Sindas heard Rocky's implication and knew that this blue-haired youth had seen through his plan. But what of it... he sneered, "You are not a sorcerer. Except for sorcerers, no one in this world can enter the mental realm. Your joke is not amusing. If you cannot complete the mental control on Badov, it will be your own loss."

"If you complete the mental control on Badov, it will be my loss." Rocky no longer wanted to waste time with him. He stepped forward, "Hand over Badov."

Sindas looked at him, "People from the Merlin succession are always like this, looking down on everything. I am a sorcerer, and you are just an inheritor of magic, only studying magic for five years. Yet you dare to command me?"

"Your career as a sorcerer is already more than halfway over." Rocky said coldly, "A sorcerer without hands is like an eagle without wings. Otherwise, why would a sorcerer need any scheming to kill me?""I can't kill you," Xin Sas growled, placing his steel fingers on Bado's neck. "But I can kill him!"

Rocky suddenly felt a twinge of pity for the mage. He was pitiful, unable to see the reality, and had reached a point of desperation where threats were necessary to deal with him... Rocky's pity lasted only a moment. He had anticipated all of Xin Sas's reactions and formulated corresponding solutions in advance. Rocky put on a smile, "Mr. Morse, please use your position as a police chief to summon Xin Sas's disciples to Fang Castle."

"I understand," Morse sighed. He hadn't expected the mage to be so naive, causing trouble in the Empire's carefully laid out plan was like challenging the entire country.

"You..." Xin Sas was stunned.

"A while ago, I was attacked by an inherited mage. As a result, I conducted a little investigation on the inherited mages in the capital," Rocky said. "Your disciple, Naki Tingley, became your student a year ago. Although she is an inherited mage, she has only just begun. I doubt she has enough self-defense ability, does she?"

"You despicable brat!" Xin Sas couldn't pretend to remain calm any longer. He was suddenly infuriated. Rocky was actually using his disciple as leverage!

"You see, it wouldn't matter if you died. But if your disciple dies, your lineage will end here," Rocky said. "The inheritance of magic is precious, and the loss of each lineage is a great tragedy. If not for absolute necessity, I really don't want to do something so cruel... Lord Xin Sas, please make a rational decision."

Xin Sas took a step back, his expression vicious, as if he was preparing to go all-out. For a moment, even Morse thought he might be about to cast a spell. But Rocky wasn't worried. Although this mage's mind was clouded with hatred, he wasn't a fool. If he killed Bado here, the Empire would never let him go. As for Rocky, he might not necessarily suffer for it. This young intermediate priest had proven himself to be a cunning survivor in the face of a genocide.

After a silent standoff for more than ten seconds, Xin Sas took another step back, leaving Bado's chair and moving to the side. "You win, you've won again," he said softly. "The invincible Merlin succession."

Rocky walked over to check on Bado's condition and signaled to Alice to drag him away. Before leaving the interrogation room, he turned to look at the disoriented mage. "You can't let go of your hatred, so you can't have revenge."