Sins Paradise: Domination System

Marny took us to a simple room inside, asking us to sit around a modest wooden table. The tavern girl looked at Cecil as if she had gone crazy.

"So, anything to explain before I answer your previous question?" She leaned her head against her hand, "I know you're not someone who would be that reckless. You survived by scamming people. So… I take it you have influenced her to do this, Mr. Lover?"

"Marny…!" Cecil growled in a low tone and seemingly got pissed by her friend accusing me. However, I stopped her as I knew her friend was just worried and didn't know about me yet.

"Stop it, Cecil," I said in a calm tone, turning to the tavern girl. "Marny, is it? Yes, it was me who invited Cecil to visit the Assassin's Den. But there is a clear reason for that."

"What? Suicide?" She scoffed, grinning with a mocking expression. "That's the only reason I can think of."

"No." I shook my head, pulling my hood down.

Oh, how funny was her surprised expression when she saw my face. Her jaw dropped, and she almost fell as her hand slipped her face. Fortunately, she was able to hold onto the table.

Cecil was giggling beside me at her friend's reaction.

"I am there to destroy Assassin's Den." I continued with a soft smile.

"Y-You…!" Marny pointed her finger at me, looking at Cecil to seek an explanation. "Your lover is the fucking Paladin?!"

"Yes." Cecil nodded with a proud smile.

"Did he know about–"

"What did I do before?" The minotaur girl interjected with a question. "The answer is also yes. We met on my ship. Crane betrayed me, and he killed that bastard. I fell in love and followed him. That's the gist of the story."

'Fell in love, eh?' I thought as I smiled at Cecil. She pretended not to notice my gaze and stared at her friend. 'I think the best way to put it is to fall into pleasure and then fall in love with me slowly.'

"…"

Marny looked dumbfounded as she slowly lowered her hand and sat back on the chair, sighing. She looked at me and rubbed her eyes before letting out another sigh.

After calming herself down, she asked, "I guess you're the real Paladin? Not just someone with a similar face, eye color, and hair color?"

"You can think however you want," I answered her without changing my expression; my tone was neutral and calm. "But for convenience's sake, as I wanted your answer about which noble took control of Assassin's Den, I will answer honestly. Yes, I am the Castitas Church's Paladin."

Saying so, I activated my Paladin crest and showed it to Marny. The golden crest only appeared for a second, but that was enough to prove my authenticity.

"You're real," Marny muttered in a daze, blinking repeatedly. She looked at Cecil with jealousy, "You fucking score a real gem."

"I know, but answer our previous question. It's something urgent." Cecil crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them up. "Who is the noble behind Assassin's Den? Also, tell me everything you know about it."

"Haa… You're so impatient." Marny sighed and crossed her legs. "You know the rules. Money first, information last."

"Well, can't you do it for the good of this country?"

"No can do." The tavern girl shut it down immediately.

"Then, for a friend?"

"My friend always gives me tips when they buy my information."

"Tsk!"

Clicking her tongue, Cecil turned to me. "Sorry, Arthur. It seems we still need to pay."

"No, money isn't a problem>" I answered and looked at Marny. "How much?"

"Hmm, as you're a first-time customer and a VIP at that, I will give you a discount." A business smile appeared on her face as she leaned against the table, "How about 5000 Golds?"

"5000?!" Cecil shouted loudly, slamming the table with her hands. A loud sound rang in the room, and the table broke down from her strength. "That's a robbery!"

"That's 30 more for the table." Marny looked at Cecil in protest. "And it's not robbery. I know you're only interested in the sea and never care about what happens on the mainland. But information about Assassin's Den is a big secret. I was honestly surprised that you managed to track them to this city."

"That's–"

"That's fair," I interjected Cecil before she said anything more. I took out a new wooden table, which was sturdier than the previous one, and cleaned the wrecked one on the ground.

Once again, Marny's expression morphed into surprise as she smiled wryly.

"5000 Golds, is it? I hope this came with a silencing fee about my presence here." I said seriously, narrowing my eyes in a threatening manner toward the tavern girl.

From our conversation earlier, it was clear she put importance on her safety and money. In fact, she was only rude to Cecil, her friend, and was never rude to me.

"O-Of course. I-I will also answer one question for free." Marny stuttered under my gaze, appearing to be afraid.

The rumors about me obliterating students in the Annual Tournament seemed to spread already. And because we were also in Port City, people around here surely also heard about me dealing with Scylla and returned the sea to normal.

No one doubted my ability anymore, making it easier to get something like this.

"Great. Start with who the noble controlling the Assassin's Den is and its exact location. Also, I will use that free question to ask you about Mr. C's appearance, location, behavior, or anything you know about him."

Taking a deep breath, Marny composed herself. She cleared her throat with a cough and said, "Alright."

"We will start with the location, as it seems to be the most important thing for you." The tavern girl said in a low voice, "It's a few hundred meters to the south from the entrance of this city. There would be a ruined fortress often used by hunters to stay the night after they were hunting in the forest.

"Behind that fortress was an empty box. There would be a single [Teleportation Gem] that led to the Assassin's Den hidden underneath the secret compartment. That's the emergency entrance for assassins who lost their [Teleportation Gem] after getting revived.

"Then, about your question. Actually, it's related to the information about the noble controlling the Assassin's Den. Have you heard about Viscount Steelwill?"

"Viscount Steelwill? No, I've never heard of them." I shook my head. I hadn't remembered all the nobles yet. That was Beatrice's task, not mine. I would only remember those hostile to me.

"Well, that's not a problem. He has a territory southeast of this city, near a mountainous area rich in minerals. That guy is greedy, pursuing profit over everything. The main product of his territory is steel and iron, which will be turned into weapons. Also, they hate the Hardbrick family." Marny explained.

A greedy noble, huh?

"So the Viscount Steelwill is the noble controlling the Assassin's Den?"

"Yes." The tavern girl nodded, "And the second-born son from a mistress was the so-called Mr. C, an informant for the Viscount as well as the person who would assign missions to the other assassins in the Den."