I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 249: Pearl and Revenge (3)

"Baron, they won’t open their mouths at all."

Criminal organizations like the Yakuza, Triads, and Mafia are famous for their strict adherence to loyalty despite being criminals.

Even when committing murder, blackmail, or fraud, they claim they’re different from lowly thugs, and they never betray their own comrades.

In return, the boss of the organization takes responsibility for the family of those imprisoned, and when they’re released, they are given a lump sum—sometimes thousands, or even millions of dollars.

It seems these guys are the real deal when it comes to criminal loyalty.

"Have we tried all possible forms of torture?"

At my question, the mercenary clicked his tongue.

"We’ve pulled out their fingernails, toenails, teeth, stabbed them with knives, and even burned them. But still, they show no sign of opening their mouths. They’re tough bastards."

When a man who’s been through all sorts of hardships speaks like that, it’s clear these guys are no ordinary hardened criminals.

If this interrogation ends here, we won’t be able to punish those who dared to touch my territory and massacre my people.

No matter what method it takes, they have to open their mouths.

‘Pirates and criminals, yet they have the loyalty and ruthlessness of a true scum, so much so that it’s infuriating.’

Anyone hearing about this might think we're the villains in this situation, fighting for a noble cause while they give their lives and families for the greater good.

"It seems their silence is due to fear?"

"Not out of loyalty or devotion to their employer, but out of fear?"

I don’t know who hired these bastards to raid the seaweed farm, but they’ve certainly hired someone with real skill.

These guys are trained so well that the fear of betraying their organization outweighs the suffering they endure from torture.

These kinds of men will never speak, even if you tear their limbs off and slice their flesh while they’re still alive.

The employer is definitely someone cruel and vile.

A figure so vile that it’s no wonder they’re infamous in our industry.

"They aren’t going to talk through torture."

The mercenary who had been conducting the interrogation was covered in blood, meaning I can only imagine the extent of the torture they’d endured.

Yet, even with all that, they still haven’t shown any sign of speaking?

Even though these criminals are like a Yakuza-style gang, using ordinary methods won’t get us anywhere.

"I suppose I’ll have to take matters into my own hands."

The mercenary tried to stop me.

"They’re the type who wouldn’t even speak with normal methods. Even men like us, seasoned in interrogation, have our hands tied."

For criminals with clear charges, torture is usually the most effective method.

However, not everything in this world can be solved with just one method.

If torture isn’t working, we can always try something a little different.

"There’s nothing impossible in this world. Especially when it comes to making scum like that speak—there are plenty of ways beyond just torture."

This is the truth.

After all, it’s not for nothing that global intelligence agencies like the CIA and NSA have excluded torture from their official methods.

"Open the door to their cell."

**

The storage room where the criminals were kept reeked of blood.

Their bodies were all cut up, and to prevent them from bleeding out, there were signs they’d been cauterized with hot irons.

If Chloe or the other wives had seen this, they would’ve thrown up instantly.

Of course, I feel no sympathy for these men; they’ve committed crimes that deserve death.

"Are you the bastards who dared to steal the Rothschild Barony’s technology and massacre my people? You’ve got some nerve. Do you have a death wish, or are you hoping that you’ll die twisted if you don’t speak?"

One of the criminals spat at me.

"I heard you seduced the granddaughter of Duke Visconti. You look like a pervert who enjoys having your face slapped by men. Anyway, I’m going to die, so before I go, let me ask one thing. How does it feel to sleep with a man?"

These criminals, who claimed to be loyal to their employer, sure have quite the tongue.

Any other noble would’ve lost their temper and immediately drawn a sword to cut off their head after hearing that.

They could easily make it to the national team in any online game just by talking like that.

Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.

"After all the torture, you’re still so cocky. I’ll ask again—do you really have no intention of revealing who’s behind all this?"

"I’d rather go to hell than break the blood oath I made with my comrades."

He glared at me as if he were about to kill me.

The mercenaries were about to beat him, but I stopped them with a raised hand.

"Clean these two up and give them clean clothes. They must be hungry, so feed them well with meat and wine."

The mercenary who had been interrogating them asked, confused.

"Did I hear you correctly?"

"You heard me right. Clean them up, feed them properly. Though the circumstances of us meeting aren’t great, I liked them. I’d almost want to recruit them as my retainers."

Naturally, this is a lie to deceive them.

But the last part was sincere.

If I had subordinates who were so loyal to me, I’d want to take them in as retainers, regardless of their status or abilities.

‘They’d be the perfect candidates for highly sensitive tasks that require confidentiality.’

"After they’ve eaten, we’ll talk again."

I waited leisurely until they finished their meal.

These pieces of trash dared to raid my territory, steal my technology, and murder my people, so I’d like nothing more than to personally dismember them right now.

But I couldn’t let my emotions cloud my judgment. The most important thing was to get the information about who their backer is.

After a long wait, they returned looking much cleaner.

"What are your names?"

At those words, one of the criminals spoke.

"My name is Luca, and this scruffy guy with the beard is Martin."

They’d endured all the torture, been bathed, and fed expensive beef, and their attitudes were finally starting to shift toward cooperation.

This was a good sign for me.

"Alright, then why did you raid the Rothschild Barony, specifically Vio Village, which possesses the seaweed farming technique? Tell me honestly."

"We’re grateful for the expensive beef, but we weren’t born as noblemen like you, living an easy life. We’re not the kind of scum that sells out our comrades. You, on the other hand, lived a lazy life, relying on others."

Although I started with a good position as the second son of the Medici Baron family, I’ve come this far through my own efforts.

Instead of getting angry at their words, I smiled and answered.

"You have great loyalty to your comrades. It’s admirable, really. But your comrades, Luca, Martin, they’ve long since abandoned you."

"Shut your mouth, you noble bastard!"

I could see the slight quiver of emotion in his voice.

If I press just a little more, I’ll likely get a confession.

"I’ve decided to take you two as my retainers. Let’s forget about the tragic things that happened, and I’ll tell you what I’ve been thinking from the perspective of the leader of your organization."

Before World War II, it was common to use torture, threats, and intimidation—methods of "fear"—to interrogate prisoners of war.

However, after WWII, through statistical data and studies, it was proven that these methods were actually inefficient.

From then on, the "good cop, bad cop" method became more popular, where one side pressures the criminal while the other side tries to coax them.

"Now it’s my turn to play the good cop."

The mercenaries performed the bad cop role through torture and threats.

Now it’s my turn to play the good cop for these bastards.

"If I were you, I’d have expected to betray me once I captured you. You’d think that after the terrible torture by the Rothschild Baron, it wouldn’t be surprising for you to talk."

Yakuza members place great importance on loyalty.

That’s why they say "a drink with a superior is like family," and even play stepfather and stepson roles.

From another perspective, emphasizing loyalty to that degree might be because betrayal is common enough that they have to reinforce loyalty with these childish games.

It’s abnormal for these rotten individuals to not betray their comrades.

"So, those who have already betrayed me are beyond saving. Now, I’m going to set an example. The dead are irrelevant, but your families are in the hands of the leader, aren’t they?"

Upon hearing this, cold sweat started running down Martin and Luca’s faces.

"If it were up to me, I’d kill you to set an example."

This is a method commonly used in North Korea.

When someone is certain to be dead after a mission, their family is given a great reward under the title of "revolutionary martyr," and their status is elevated.

However, if someone is captured, it’s highly probable they’ve betrayed their comrades, so their families are sent to the labor camps.

This serves as a lesson to never get caught.

The same goes for scum like these pirates or crime bosses.

"No, no. Do you have a daughter? Or maybe a beautiful wife?"

For the first time, their faces changed.

"It’s unfortunate. Truly unfortunate."

People are creatures of imagination.

So, the key is not saying too much, as silence can be more effective than words.

Tight clothing, barely noticeable clothing, has the same allure as being seductive.

"I’m sure your families have already suffered a great misfortune. I express my condolences."

After hearing that, both Martin and Luca clenched their teeth and began to shed tears.

Was it because they were thinking of their families that they held out without speaking?

Well, once they entered my territory with weapons and killed my people, their fate was sealed.

"Don’t you want revenge? If you join me, I’ll give you the chance for revenge. And we can start a new life."