Chapter 1505: The Truth of Adoption
“Stop! Stop!” Jayad shouted, and several soldiers immediately halted. After all, MacDuff had taught him survival skills and given him a home during his childhood. If Jayad hadn’t attacked him last time, he wouldn’t have laid a hand on him.
“Yes, Master. Take your time asking, we won’t disturb you.” The soldiers chuckled as they sheathed their whips and withdrew, even ushering out the other prisoners nearby before leaving.
“Heh, heh…” MacDuff gasped in pain, yet managed a strained smile, gritting his teeth. “Master? So you’ve made a name for yourself with that armor, Jayad!”
“MacDuff, I’m here to ask you just one thing. What are Jayad’s and my backgrounds? Did you adopt both of us separately?” I cut straight to the chase. Given the answer I longed for, I had deliberately hinted at it in my question.
“Haha, so that’s why you two suddenly came back to find me. Well, if I tell you, what’s in it for me?” MacDuff asked with a sinister smile.
“What do you want?” I asked. Although I wasn’t short on money now, I doubted giving it to a prisoner would be of any use.
“It’s very simple. Set me free, let me out, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know!” MacDuff shouted hysterically. He just wanted to escape his current state of forced labor.
“Very regrettable. With our abilities, we cannot grant you freedom. But you don’t need to worry too much. You haven’t committed any serious crimes. After this monster invasion, with your contributions from hard labor, they’ll probably release you,” I replied.
“I don’t care! Who knows if I’ll even survive the monsters’ attacks? You can’t imagine how terrifying they are. I’ll die! Even if I’m lucky enough to survive, there’s no guarantee they’ll let me go!” MacDuff slammed the floor in frustration.
I felt I had seen far more monsters than him, even the Beast Lords. I had encountered true terror much more than MacDuff; he just perceived everything as terrifying due to his own weakness.
“What do you mean? That look in your eyes! You weren’t like this before! Parul, even you dare to look down on me now!” MacDuff suddenly roared.
Oh dear, I lost control of my expression for a moment and provoked him. He probably still viewed me as the frail Parul from six months ago, who was sickly under his care and dared not resist his beatings.
It’s truly pathetic. I almost pity him. A thug is still a thug, with no self-awareness or progress, just arrogant.
“You’re looking at me like that again! You bastard!” MacDuff tried to throw a punch, but Older Brother Jayad moved in front of him in a flash.
MacDuff was instantly doused with cold water, his aggression evaporating. He didn’t dare to strike, even knowing it was Jayad inside the armor. It was an instinctive reaction. Although MacDuff didn’t know Jayad’s current status, he clearly understood that people in armor were important figures, not to be trifled with. A punch like that would bring him endless trouble in the future.
Moreover, he clearly remembered how easily Jayad had subdued him before, leading to his imprisonment. He wasn’t a match for Jayad then, and he certainly wasn’t now.
“If you can’t let me go, I won’t tell you anything!” MacDuff sat down defiantly, adopting a stubborn attitude. He was like a drowning man clinging to the last straw, unwilling to let go. He knew that if he missed this opportunity, he wouldn’t be released from prison early.
To be honest, his request wasn’t difficult. It wouldn’t even require asking the Knight Captain; Older Brother Jayad could simply take him out under the guise of an interrogation. The soldiers wouldn’t pay much attention to a prisoner.
Just as I was pondering that agreeing to his terms might be acceptable, Older Brother Jayad suddenly grabbed him. MacDuff, flustered, clasped Jayad’s arm and cried out, “What do you want? Let go of me!”
“There’s no need for such trouble,” Older Brother Jayad turned to me, his arm unyielding even to MacDuff’s full strength as he was lifted into the air.
“You! If you don’t let go, I’ll never speak. You won’t get anything out of me, even if you beat me to death!” MacDuff remained surprisingly resolute.
“I told you, there’s no need. MacDuff, please don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. You just need to take a nap,” Jayad said.
MacDuff reluctantly lowered his arm, his eyelids slowly closing. Under Older Brother Jayad’s mental suppression, he fell asleep. An almost transparent tentacle extended from Older Brother Jayad’s arm and moved towards MacDuff’s head. Once inserted into his brain, Older Brother Jayad could directly read his memories.
“Wait!” I suddenly called out to Older Brother Jayad. He turned around, a look of doubt on his face, the tentacle freezing mid-air. I was afraid of what I might see, but I needed to know my origins. So I said, “Use Hastur’s Song to make him tell the truth. I want to hear him speak the truth himself.”
“That’s simple,” Older Brother Jayad lowered MacDuff and began humming softly. MacDuff’s ferocious expression slowly softened into one of peace.
“Tell us, about when you adopted us,” Older Brother Jayad asked.
“You weren’t adopted by me, but by my boss. It’s said that you two were put in a basket and abandoned at the doorstep. But when you were about four or five years old, my boss died in a conflict, and I became the new guardian,” MacDuff said.
“So that’s how it was. I do recall having another parent when I was very young. He was very good to the children,” Older Brother Jayad said, reminiscing calmly. He wasn’t particularly interested in this matter, only accompanying me. MacDuff’s story didn’t exceed his expectations; abandoning children was too common. Even now, when we walked the streets, we occasionally saw pathetic children left by the roadside.
But within me, a storm raged. Jayad and I were adopted together, even placed in the same basket. This could only mean that we were very likely biological siblings.
“Parul, is there anything else you want to know?” Older Brother Jayad asked. MacDuff was now an open book.
“No, thank you,” I shook my head. I had learned the truth of my origins and didn’t wish to know anything more.
