Afterward, Rest personally excavated a moat spanning more than half of the fortress’s perimeter.
Utilizing earth magic, he caused sharp spikes to sprout from the floor of the trench to make it treacherous to traverse before diverting water to fill the expanse. He also assisted with repairs to the fortress itself, using stone magic to fill breaches and adding defensive overhangs to the tops of the ramparts to discourage scaling.
"...This must be it."
In a way, this too was part of his duties.
Rest headed to the dungeon in the fortress’s basement to see the Ogrekin boy captured during the raid. As expected, the cells were dark and damp, thick with the heavy stench of mold. He felt the urge to turn tail and leave the moment he stepped inside, but he suppressed the impulse and pressed on into the depths.
Most of the cells were empty, but a guard stood in front of one near the back.
"Well now, Count Clover. I see you've arrived."
"Yeah. Is it all right to talk now?"
"Yes. We've just concluded today's interrogation. Please, go right in."
The guard opened the iron door. Rest hesitated for a heartbeat before stepping inside.
"Ugh..."
He instantly regretted his decision.
A lone boy sat in the corner of the cell. It was the same boy who had once tried to take Rest's life, now bound hand and foot by heavy iron shackles. He was clearly fresh from a brutal interrogation; his body was a map of bruises and cuts, and his face was painfully swollen.
"This is awful... No..."
(This is war. We’re on a battlefield. We’re all in the business of killing one another. This level of interrogation might just be the reality of things...)
History showed that interrogations and torture were often conducted with utter disregard for human rights. While the boy was battered, there were no injuries that appeared permanent. Relative to the alternatives, he might have even been considered lucky.
"......"
The boy looked up, fixing Rest with a hollow stare. His eyes held more emptiness and despair than actual hatred or resentment.
"...You look like you're hurting. Are you all right?"
"......"
Naturally, the boy did not answer. Rest frowned and activated his magic.
"Heal."
A pale light washed over the boy. His wounds vanished, leaving his skin unblemished once more, though the grime remained.
"...Why did you do that? Why heal me?"
The boy, who had been silent until now, spoke for the first time. Rest shrugged and sat down cross-legged a short distance away.
"It's hard to hold a conversation when you're in that state. To be honest, I didn't like looking at it."
"...I have nothing to talk about," the boy said bluntly.
Rest had expected as much, but getting him to speak at all was progress.
"Don't be like that. What I really want to talk about is the Sorcerer."
"......"
"I heard a Sorcerer was the one who gathered you all and ordered the attack. Is that true?"
"......It’s true."
Rest expected another wall of silence, but the boy gave in with surprising ease.
"When you say Sorcerer, you mean a mage, right? Is he one of your people?"
"No! As if we would ever count such a man among our kin!" the boy shouted, his voice filled with a sudden, sharp venom. Anger and hatred finally flickered in his eyes.
(Given that reaction, the Sorcerer isn't an ally of the Foreign Tribes. Then who exactly is he?)
"I want you to tell me more about him."
"......"
The boy suddenly clammed up again. He ground his teeth, his face contorting in an expression of pure agony. There was clearly a weight behind his silence.
"Try talking to me. I might be able to help you in some way."
"...Even though you’re a human? Even though you’re the enemy?"
"That’s true. I’m a human, and I’m the enemy. But if there’s a mutual benefit, maybe we can find a way to cooperate?"
"......"
The boy fell silent once again. It was as Rest expected; truthfully, he hadn't counted on the boy being cooperative. This was a "just in case" interrogation. He felt that if he could get even one piece of information, he’d be lucky.
"Hostages."
"Eh...?"
After a long silence, the boy finally spoke. The word caught Rest completely off guard.
"The Sorcerer took hostages. My sister... and the princesses of the other tribes. That's why he made us attack the humans. Because of the Sorcerer."
"......!"
Rest’s eyes widened. The information revealed by the boy changed everything. There was a mastermind behind the Foreign Tribes' invasion, pulling the strings from the shadows.