To ensure the interrogation was effective and accurate, Dan separated the captives into different, distant areas of the forest. He questioned each prisoner individually, away from the others, to see if there were any contradictions in their stories, any lies, or any hidden information. It is a fundamental interrogation technique: isolating captives from one another and comparing their answers afterward.
Naturally, after personally interrogating some of them and obtaining the primary information he needed, he left the remaining prisoners to his sons, Leon and Sato. He wanted them to experience this harsh, difficult, and dark side of life firsthand. He wanted them to test it themselves, not just observe it.
In the beginning, Leon did not perform well. He acted with slightly excessive cruelty during the torture—striking harder than necessary, breaking bones randomly, and severing fingers without a logical progression. This led to the captive collapsing quickly... but not in a useful way. The prisoner broke down physically from the severity of the injuries before giving sufficient information. It was a failure.
Dan looked at Leon calmly, then commanded him in a firm voice: "Kill him. End his suffering." Leon did so, but his hands were trembling slightly. In reality, Leon was internally disturbed. This was his first time doing something like this—torture, interrogation, and direct execution. By nature, he preferred killing an opponent in a heated battle rather than an invisible, helpless person. Therefore, he tried to control himself and his internal turmoil with exaggerated violence toward the warrior, compensating for his fear and hesitation with excessive cruelty. It was a natural reaction, but a wrong one.
Dan noticed this clearly. He understood what was happening in his son's head. However, he did not comment; he simply gave him another prisoner. "Again. Control your strength. Control yourself."
In the next interrogation, Leon improved significantly. He breathed deeply, calmed himself, and remembered what he had seen from his father: progression, precision, and control. He managed to reach a decent result. The prisoner confessed, provided useful information, and then died relatively quickly. It was not perfect, but it was much better than the first attempt. Dan nodded in approval. "Well done."
As for Sato, the result was surprising. Although he was clearly more disturbed and affected than Leon—his face pale, his hands trembling slightly, and his eyes avoiding direct contact with the prisoner at first—he managed to succeed in the interrogation on his very first attempt. He controlled the degree of torture with stunning precision. He started simple, progressed slowly, and stopped once he obtained what he wanted. The prisoner confessed everything, giving information that matched what the others had said, and then his life was ended quickly. It was a completely successful interrogation.
Dan noticed that Sato was very affected; even after finishing, his face remained pale, and he was breathing deeply as if trying not to vomit. Yet, despite all this psychological distress, he acted with complete rationality. He separated his emotions from his actions. He did what had to be done with precision and professionalism. This greatly increased Dan's admiration for his son's character. Sato was truly the most like him among his children—not in strength or speed, but in thinking. Rationality, staying calm under pressure, and the ability to divorce feelings from decisions. This is what a leader needs, and Sato possessed it.
After they finished interrogating all the living prisoners and gathered all possible information, the final part came: disposing of the bodies. Dan ordered his sons to gather all the corpses—all twenty of them—in one place. Then they dug a large, deep pit in the ground. They placed the bodies in it, one by one. Then they buried them, filling the pit with dirt and stones. Dan could not bear the thought of leaving them out in the open to be eaten by predators and birds of prey. Although it would have been acceptable to him from a logical standpoint—they were enemies, they were dead, and it did not matter what happened to their remains—he decided to respect them as humans at the very least by burying them decently. A minimum level of dignity.
After completing the burial, the three gathered together beside the filled pit. Dan looked at his sons standing before him. Both had changed significantly after this harsh experience they had endured. Something in their eyes was different—less innocent, more mature, heavier.
Dan said in a calm but clear voice: "You must understand well: this is what real life is like in both its forms—the good and the bad, the light and the dark." He paused, looking directly at both of them. "Sometimes, you must have the ability to execute evil as well. Not because you love it, but to protect yourself, to protect your family, and to survive." He paused again. "But at the same time, you must keep the side of good in your heart as well. You must remain human." He looked at the pit. "Otherwise, you will become nothing more than a demon. A monster without principles. And that... is worse than death."
Leon and Sato listened to their father's words in complete silence and deep focus. Then both nodded seriously. They understood—not just with their minds, but with their hearts as well.
After a moment of silence, Dan said: "Very well." Then he began to summarize the information they had gathered from the interrogations: "From the information we collected, we now know that this person called Lord Ayato is one of the minor warlords who have taken control of some cities and villages in this region. He has claimed authority over a relatively large area that includes several towns and villages, including the vast wilderness where we reside." He paused, looking specifically at Sato. "And it seems that I have also attracted attention... despite all the caution we take."
He went silent for a moment, then continued with a tone of slight irony: "From what I understood from the multiple interrogations, the reason this area is named the 'Territory of the Sacred Dragons' is that years ago, a strange and frightening phenomenon appeared. A massive, echoing boom, and powerful airwaves in the atmosphere that caused disturbances and vibrations in the areas near this wilderness. This made the people—the peasants, the villagers, and even some warriors—believe that this was the roar of legendary dragons that had settled in this isolated region. And they began to sanctify it, fear it, and avoid approaching."
He looked at his sons. "Do you understand so far?" Both nodded.
Dan continued: "But the real reason the warriors trespassed into this forbidden zone now is to investigate and explore the matter directly. Especially since the 'roars' have decreased significantly in the recent period. They are no longer heard daily as they were before. Therefore, Lord Ayato wanted to understand the reason. Had the dragons left? Had they died? Is the area safe now for seizure? So, he sent his elite to explore."
After hearing this information from several different prisoners—all of whom said exactly the same thing—Dan understood the matter instantly. The reason was perfectly clear.
The echoing sounds that were heard from this area, and the accompanying powerful airwaves, were not the roars of legendary dragons. Rather, they were the product of Dan's training in the Gravity Fist technique! When he was practicing this technique, flying high in the air to avoid destroying the ground, he would strike the air with fists reinforced by concentrated gravity, and those strikes created massive aerial shockwaves. These waves would spread for kilometers, shaking the ground and producing booming sounds like thunder. Thus, the simple people far away believed they were the sounds of mythical creatures.
And the reason these sounds were no longer heard with the same daily frequency? Because Dan, after mastering the Gravity Fist technique years ago, no longer practiced it daily with the same intensity. Instead, he did so every two or three days only, to maintain his mastery of the skill. Therefore, the sounds decreased. And the people noticed.
The matter seemed slightly funny to Dan in a dark way. Although he is very cautious, keen on not attracting any attention, and takes every possible precaution to hide his existence... he had attracted attention anyway. Unintentionally. Through his training. His training in a Taijutsu technique created a legend about sacred dragons. And now, a warlord sends patrols to explore the "Land of the Dragons." The irony of fate.
Dan sighed quietly. "It seems I need to adjust the plan with these new changes." He looked at his sons. "Another lesson for you: no matter how careful you are, you might leave tracks without knowing."
Leon and Sato nodded once more.
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