The Broken Halo

Chapter 228: 228: The Last Hurdle

Simon was not surprised when Zebos asked about his cultivation speed since it was truly suspicious and extremely absurd.

In less than a week, he had advanced from a Minor Lesser Demon to a Minor Fiend, and he only had a Supreme Common Bloodline.

For demons like him with Supreme Bloodlines, it would not be surprising if it takes him a year or six months at best to become a Fiend.

But he did it in a week.

Even if there was nothing like the Devourer’s blood essence, the clan would still be suspicious, and questions would still be asked.

And Simon had the perfect response to these suspicions and questions.

“I’ll say it once again, I did not kill Pellin, his wife, his child, and Thorgan. And neither did I devour them since I don’t have the ability to devour.”

Zebos scoffed with a deep frown. “Then how do you explain your rapid cultivation advancement.”

“I’m sure you already know a lot, if not everything about me, but my time in the clan and academy has been nothing but chaos. Especially the academy.”

“My classmates desires my life and desires to put me under their foot. Even my seniors attacked me out of nowhere and nearly blinded me. If not for my quick reflexes and inmate battle instincts, I would only have one eye by now.”

“After that day in the cafeteria, I’m sure you know that they also tried to kill me in their headquarters.”

“Because of the pressure from everybody around me and the constant battles I’ve faced, my growth has been rapid. I’m sure you know how demons of old advanced through battles. The same applies to me.”

“To survive, I need to be ruthless and progress till I can no longer move forward.”

Interrogator Zebos had a thoughtful expression when he heard these words. He obviously knew that one trait of demons was the ability to advance and get stronger with each difficulty.

It was common knowledge, and this common knowledge could be directly applied to Simon’s situation.

’He has actually gone through so much ever since he was brought to the clan. It’s not so surprising that his cultivation speed is abnormal.’

’He grew up in the Wildlands, and I heard that demons who grow up in the Wildlands usually have more desire to survive and live.’

’His chaos flame is more prone to sudden growth.’

Zebos glanced at Simon and observed him.

’I guess the clan should be observing his cultivation speed more carefully from now on. Once there’s any inconsistency in how he advances, then the clan should take action.’

Interrogator Zebos leaned forward slightly, then he asked another question.

“When we were going through your records and merit transaction history, we found some discrepancies and it’s one of the reasons you’re a person of interest.”

Simon already knew where this was going, but he had a calm expression as he nodded.

“I’m listening.”

“We found out that some merits were transferred to your account on your first day in the clan and also on the day we believe Pellin, his family, and Thorgan died.”

“We traced the transfer, and we found out that some slaves actually transferred their merits to you, but those slaves are now dead… much to your convenience.”

Simon blinked innocently, then he shook his head and waved his hand.

“No. No. No. That has nothing to do with me.”

Zebos frowned. “Then how do you explain the transfer of merits to your account from those slaves?”

Simon gave a wry smile. “How do you expect me to know that? Maybe there was an error in the system?”

Zebos’ eyes flashed and he was about to speak, but Simon did not give him the opportunity.

“I actually noticed the sudden increase in my merits, but I thought it was the clan that sent it to me since I still feel like I was cheated by the clan.”

“In case you don’t know, I got first position in all the trials of the clan, but I was only given twenty merits despite everything I did in the trials. I know that it’s more than that, so I thought maybe the clan realized this and tried to compensate me by sending more merits to my account.”

“Maybe the clan decided to take from the accounts of those slaves and transfer it to me. After all, they’re just slaves and I know very well how slaves are treated in the clan. Who cares if a slave dies or has his entire money taken from them?”

Zebos’ became extremely dark and solemn, and he could not come up with a counter for Simon’s argument because he knew the truth.

’Pellin was the reason why he was given just twenty merits despite his accomplishments in the trial. The clan has fired his accomplice in the finance department, and if he uses this logic against us, then it makes sense.’

’The records clearly state that the slaves transferred their merits to him, but what’s to say that somebody with even more authority did not transfer the merits from the slaves to Simon’s account. After all, it’s something that’s very possible.’

Zebos’ expression slowly eased up, but the way he looked at Simon was completely different.

’The records about him having no fear are very true. Normally, a sixteen year old would either be terrified or extremely anxious after getting arrested.’

’It wouldn’t be surprising if he tried to defend himself and made some mistakes in his argument out of fear. But he’s calm, he’s just so calm.’

For the first time since Simon sat before him, Zebos released a deep sigh.

’This case is not an easy one, and it’s a very important one because of both Pellin’s backer and Thorgan.’

’I have to find the culprit and the answers to some of our questions.’

Zebos looked at Simon with slightly narrowed eyes, then he asked another question.

“When was the last time you saw Thorgan?”

’And here comes the last hurdle to overcome in this interrogation.’ Simon thought.