"I-I swear I didn't know she was connected to a Conqueror!" Martin cried out, his voice trembling with primal fear. His face was pale, his eyes wide with panic, and there was a wild, desperate look in them... as if he were just a few moments away from slipping into madness.
The hours of harsh interrogation had clearly taken their toll on him, both mentally and physically. Blood dripped steadily from his nose, his lips were cracked, and bruises covered much of his face. "Please! You have to believe me!"
Valxir, the supreme commander of the mercenary forces, didn't react with rage or disgust. Instead, he calmly walked over and crouched down to Martin's level, gently placing a gloved hand under the young man's chin and tilting his face up.
"Shhh, shhh… calm down, young master," he said in a disturbingly soothing tone. "There's no need for all this noise and panic. We're all friends here, aren't we?"
