The Kingmaker System
Chapter 186 - 185. My Successor (2)

Chapter 186: 185. My Successor (2)

Roan’s face turned comical when he heard me call Drac, my successor.

"You mean, you’re going to hand over all of your assets and everything here to him?"

"He’s not necessarily the inheritor of all my wealth and assets, Roan. He... has something more vital of mine that’s why he’s my successor."

Roan gave me a suspicious look and I could imagine what would be going in his head.

"Is he your..."

"No, he’s not my biological son or anything of sorts." I clarified before he could voice that ridiculous question.

"Then what does he have?"

"Bloodline."

"And he isn’t your son?"

"Not quite."

"Are you listening to yourself?"

I sighed and shook my head, as it was hard to explain unless he knew that I was a Dragon and this wasn’t the right time to tell him the truth. Besides, I was on a time limit, I had to finish this work soon and then rush over to the mountain range that acted as the boundary between Sestia and Denril.

The carriage reached the royal palace and I showed them the permission that I got with the help of Lord Clive to meet the prisoner who was scheduled for the death sentence. I got out of the carriage and walked towards the dungeons with the guards around staring at me.

"You’re eye-catching even with your face concealed." Roan commented as he walked behind me.

"Considering what I did at the court even those who couldn’t attend must know me."

"Do you think he will confess?" Roan changed the subject and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Maybe, maybe not. But I’m not leaving without answers."

"Will you torture him if he doesn’t answer?" Roan asked.

"Yes," I answered without any hesitation making Roan chuckle.

"I’d love to see that,"

"There won’t be any blood though,"

"Hah?"

We showed the guards who were outside the dungeons the permission before the knight on duty bowed and volunteered to lead me inside.

Roan and I walked behind him as he led us down the dark and dry corridor. The walls and the floor were made out of stone and the place was lit up by the burning torches placed at the calculated intervals.

We crossed the first floor cells before he led us down the stony staircase and I could feel the damp air pressing down on me from the sides. It was quite hot down here along with the less air supply and I could smell the stench of rotting flesh and other stuff.

"Please refrain from provoking the prisoner and also, please maintain safe distance from those who are in the other cells..."

The knight was going on and on with his instructions to fill the silence as we went deeper and deeper down the staircase until we reached at the very end.

The knight glanced once back at us as if to see if we were following him before he started walking further ahead.

We followed him quietly watching the prisoners who were down there, some of them after noticing us pleaded us to help them, some cried for food and water, some asked if we could arrange to meet their loved ones.

It was quite gruesome to see them begging and wailing as their skeletal arms reached out to me from the gaps in between the bars. The knight didn’t say anything until he stopped in front of one particular cell and then turned to look at us.

"Open the door, I wish to go inside and speak with him." I said.

"But..."

"It’s fine, he’s scheduled to die anyways," I said and the knight reluctantly unlocked the cell door before I ducked from the rather low opening and walked inside.

Roan stayed out and the knight after giving us one glance said, "You have 15 minutes so, please hurry, My Lord."

"All right," I replied as I fixed my gaze on the man who was curled up on the hard bed in his jail cell.

I heard the knight’s footsteps recede before I called Peter’s name. The man didn’t stir so, I called again, he still didn’t respond making me sigh.

"Get up, I don’t have all day." I spoke as I swung my foot kicking the side of his bed.

I didn’t adjust my strength and ended up cracking the concrete bed making the man on it get startled and jump up.

"Wha-Wha-What do want from me now?!" He shouted making me tilt my head slightly.

His face had grown gaunt and pale in just a week of staying in the prison, his clothes were reduced to the garbs and his eyes which usually held the ire fueled by pride were now nothing but dying embers.

"Now, you’re awake." I spoke crossing my arms at my chest.

"What do you want from me? You’ve already put me here and I’m going to die in less than a week, what do you-"

"Who helped you in smuggling the rogues out of Frosthail?" I demanded interrupting him.

"This again... I’m tired of telling everyone that it was my own work." He sighed looking down.

"Is that so? Then how did you do it?"

"The rogues were smuggled in the guise of products from Frosthail!" He stated.

The tone of his voice suggested that he had repeated this same thing again and again to multiple people and also practiced so that he wouldn’t seem like he was lying.

"You’re lying."

"I’m not!"

"I know there’s someone who is involved in this and you’re not telling me his name, I want that person’s name."

"There’s no one else!"

I sighed deeply, "I don’t have time, Peter. Tell me while I’m asking you nicely."

"And I’m telling you there’s no one!" He almost shouted and I activated my Dragon’s Presence.

Peter gasped and clutched his chest as he sank to his knees with his face going ashy. He wheezed and reached out to me with a trembling appendage while I stared down at him coldly.

"I... I’ll... speak... stop!"

I removed the force from him and he breathed loudly inhaling and exhaling desperately as I stood in front of him.

"So, who is it?"

"I... I don’t know..."

I activated my Dragon’s Presence again making him shout as he felt the pressure again, "Wait, I really don’t know his name!"

I stopped and let him continue, "He-He told me that he... That he would... He would help me earn more money an-and I could gain more profits than I ever did before."

"Go on."

"I was shocked at first when he said that he had a way to tame those rogues beasts, bu-but he showed me that he-he could do it... So I agreed, you... refused to aid with the slave trading business so, I thought this could become the new venture for me. The... first ever man who could sell the tamed beasts... I could have earned a huge sum of money, more than I could earn by selling those slaves."

"How did he tame those beasts?" I asked and Peter shook his head.

"I don’t know, I just know that he would talk to those beasts in some foreign language and those beasts would listen to him like loyal dogs."

"What kind of foreign language?" I asked and he shook his head again.

"I don’t know, I didn’t understand a word of it. But it would have been a great business if I hadn’t lost those people who were abducted." He gave me a pointed look as I was the reason why he’d lost the deal.

"Is that why you released those beasts?" I asked.

"I didn’t release them," he said, "They were being reared at Respel under the watchful eyes of my trusted... subordinates."

The same ones who threw him to the dogs when the odds were against him.

"But... one day theose beasts just grew more erratic and then broke out of their restraints and ran away wreaking havoc all over."

"So, it wasn’t a plan."

"No!"

"Did you mention about your business to Her Majesty?" I asked and his eyes went wide.

"What?!"

"I know she was trying to save you, that’s why Baron Oberon was made a scapegoat." I said and he clicked his tongue.

"Don’t expect an answer."

I sighed and assured him, "Not a word from this cell will go out,"

He looked up at me before he turned his head away.

"If you know everything then, you must also know that she has a share in every business that the Esmertia family and the branched families run."

Why am I not surprised?

"Did you explain to her about this business of yours?" I asked.

He nodded, "And she permitted it?"

"It was fine as long as we had profits."

I let out a bitter chuckle as I was yet again faced with the unempatheic greed of someone which almost led to the great destruction.

"And just because you ended up becoming a rotten rope she tossed you away." I spoke making him clench his fists.

"Coming back to the man who suggested you this business, what else did he say to you?"

"... He said that this business would profit me greatly."

"It wouldn’t have been for free, right? What did he ask in exchange?" I asked and Peter avoided my eyes.

"I don’t have all day, Peter. If you waste my time, I’ll use my power over and over until your bones are turned into dust."

"All right, fine! I’ll tell you!" He shouted as I threatened him.

He pursed his lips and looked at me, "H-He said that I... I should... I should... provide him 100 people."

"What?!"