Reincarnated with the Country System-Chapter 185: Flashback/Interrogation/Hope

"Kill her!"

"Burn her!"

The crowd has gathered in the main square of the city.

The faces of the people are filled with anger and fear.

The torches are burning, their light casting long shadows on the wooden platform, where a woman stands—tied behind, tightly tied to a thick wooden pole.

It creates a terrible atmosphere.

The bishop steps forward, raises his hand, and calms the crowd.

He spoke dramatically.

"This woman has left the path of righteousness! She has embraced darkness, abandoned the light, and given her soul to demons. Her sin is grave, her forgiveness is impossible. Fire will burn and purify her, and through this fire she will be judged!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

A pile of wood had been piled around the stake, and oil had been poured on it to make the fire burn faster. One of the men stood with a torch in his hand, awaiting the final order.

The bishop waved his hand and commanded. "Fire."

The torch was placed on the pile of wood. In an instant the fire was alight, first smoke, then a blaze. The heat grew, the light of the fire cast a terrible shadow on the people's eyes.

The crowd began to shout—"Burn the witch!"

The woman's body began to burn in the fire.

No, no—stop, stop—stop this!

But it wasn't the woman's scream.

It was someone else's scream.

A skinny boy screamed and crawled forward. Tears were in his eyes.

But his voice didn't reach the crowd. All they could hear was the crackling of the fire and their own cheers. They were enjoying the sight of the woman burning. There was a kind of joy in their eyes that the boy couldn't understand.

"Let go of my mother!" the boy cried out.

Tears in his eyes, helplessness on his face. It was as if his whole world had collapsed. He was so weak. He didn't even have the strength to walk—he could do nothing but lie on the ground and scream. Although there were many people present, they looked at him as if he were an insect. Whose presence meant nothing to anyone.

He kept shouting, "Let go of my mother! She is innocent!"

No one paid him any attention.

The crowd's cheers grew louder. The fire had now engulfed the entire stage. The woman's screams could now be heard, but they were drowned out by the cheers of the crowd.

The boy lay on the ground, a reflection of fire in his eyes.

The woman was burned to a crisp.

The crowd slowly began to disperse. Smiles of satisfaction on their faces. They had finished their work.

But the boy was still lying on the ground. The shadow of fire in his eyes.

Only the smell of fire.

Only smoke.

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Only silence.

♦♦♦

The room was cold, lit by a lantern hanging overhead.

The stone walls were bare, only the iron chains were attached to the walls.

Caspian slowly opened his eyes.

He looked around him.

"What The—

Caspian was leaning against a chair, his hands and feet bound with iron chains.

His royal robes had been removed, and a simple, worn prisoner's shirt had been put on. His long, black hair was dishevelled, and there was a scar on the side of his face—

Caspian was trying to figure out where he was now. The last memory he had was of the battlefield.

"Ara~Ara~ You're awake then"

Caspian hears a woman's voice.

A six-foot-tall woman stood before him. She was dressed in a black coat, her black leather gloves tight on her hands. Behind her, two imperial guards stood silently, assault rifles in their hands.

The silence in the room was oppressive.

The woman stepped forward, her boots clicking on the stone floor.

She pulled up a chair and sat down, placing a small wooden box on the table between them.

She tapped the box lightly and then spoke.

"King Caspian," she said. "Do you know where you are?"

Caspian exhaled sharply through his nose, his pride still intact despite his condition.

"A prison, obviously."

The Woman nodded lightly. "Exactly. But not just any prison. This is the Imperial Black Site, deep in Bernard territory. No one knows you're here. No one will come to save you. And yes— Whoops. I forgot to introduce myself— I'm Rinehart. An officer in Bernard's Imperial Intelligence."

Caspian smiled, though there was no laughter in it. "And now what? You're going to torture me? Try to break me?"

Rinehart shook her head. "No, Caspian. We don't need to break you. You're already broken. Your kingdom has fallen. Your army has surrendered. Your own brother, Prince Eric, has taken your throne and declared the Bernard Empire his greatest ally."

Caspian's jaw tightened, and his fingers clenched into fists despite the chains.

"My brother is a traitor," he spat. "He's a Bastard. A weak fool."

Rinehart smiled faintly. "Maybe. But he rules Latvia now. And you? —You're nothing. Just a prisoner. The last vestige of a failed regime."

Caspian remained silent, his face darkening with anger.

Rinehart opened the wooden box in front of her, inside which lay metal tools—knives, pliers, and syringes filled with an unknown liquid. She picked up a thin knife and twirled it between her fingers.

"Tell me, Caspian. Your biggest secret."

Caspian laughed. "Do you think I'll tell you?"

Rinehart leaned forward. "We've already figured it out, Caspian."

Caspian said nothing, his eyes narrowed.

He smiled. "I see."

Rinehart exhaled, then slowly took a syringe from the box. She held it up, showing the liquid to the light.

"This," she said, "is a special serum created by our Arcane Research Institute. It doesn't cause pain. It doesn't break bones. It just... opens the mind. Makes it easier for us to get answers."

Caspian's smile faded slightly.

Rinehart tapped the syringe on the side of the chair. "One injection and you'll tell me everything. You won't want to, but you can't stop yourself."

Caspian gritted his teeth, his breathing ragged. "Don't you dare. It does not work on me! I'm an A-rank martial artist!"

Caspian tried to break the iron chains that bound his hands and feet. But to his surprise, he couldn't feel his Aura. It was as if all his strength had been drained.

His strength had become that of an ordinary person.

Rinehart laughed, "Do you think we don't know your power? This prison was built just for you. It has many types of Anti Mana devices. So that no one can use Aura and magic here. That means you are helpless here."

Panic appeared on Caspian's face for the first time.

Which brought a satisfied smile to Rinehart's face.

Caspian started to squirm. Two guards came and held him down.

"No! Let me go!" Caspian fought; his former royal dignity now turned into a complete panic.

Rinehart slowly inserted the syringe into Caspian's arm.

Caspian exhaled sharply, his body stiffening as the serum entered his bloodstream. His vision blurred for a moment, his mind suddenly feeling light.

Rinehart sat down next to him. "Now... let's begin."

♦♦♦

13-12-1560 WC

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After the arrival of Bernard Empire's help in the Fam shelters, the situation began to calm down a bit.

However, the construction of settlements for all the people could not yet begin. Because the destruction of the war was too much and many people were displaced from their homes, it will take several years to build the necessary houses for these people.

As the saying goes, "It is easy to destroy something, but difficult to build it." These words, attributed to the ancient philosopher Heraclitus, proved painfully true in the aftermath of the war. The war with Latvia lasted only two months. In those two months, the devastation was so terrible that even with the advanced technology of the Bernard Empire, it would take years to rebuild.

For now, only food and medical services were sent to everyone, which is now the most important thing here. Bernard Empire deployed food trucks and mobile medical units to the most affected areas.

Long lines formed around them, people waiting patiently—sometimes not so patiently—for their turn.

The soldiers were distributing food bags to everyone.

"Everyone please maintain the line otherwise we will not be able to distribute the food properly"

"Everyone maintains the line"

The soldiers were trying to maintain order. Chaos on the food line could quickly turn into a riot, and that was something they didn't want at all.

One by one, soldiers were distributing food bags.

The people in line, many of them thin and tired, were accepting the bags with silent gratitude. Some thanked him, while others just nodded, their eyes vacant but hopeful.

...

Eli stood in the long, winding line for food, his stomach growling.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, trying to ignore the pain in his legs. The line moved slowly, but he didn't complain. He knew everyone here was equally hungry, equally frustrated. Behind him, Mira clutched his arm, her small body trembling slightly.

"Stay close," Eli whispered. Mira shook her head, her fists tightening on her arms. They had eaten very little in the past few weeks. A harsh memory. The food bags being distributed weren't much, but they were enough to keep them alive—for now.

The line slowly moved forward.

Eli had gone to the medical camp early in the morning, hoping to find something—anything—that could help their mother.

However, the camp was overcrowded, and the doctors were overwhelmed. He had waited for hours, only to be told that they were prioritizing the most serious cases. Their mother's laboured breathing and worsening cough were serious but not serious enough to warrant immediate attention.

The Bernard Empire had set up several medical camps here. To ensure medical care for everyone. However, the number of doctors here was far fewer than the number of people living here. So the pressure was high here. Since one doctor had to see many patients.

"Next!" a soldier called, pulling Eli out of his thoughts. He stepped forward, extending his hand as a food bag was handed to him. The weight of the bag was reassuring, even if its contents were meagre.

"Thank you," Eli said quietly, his voice barely audible above the murmur of the crowd. The soldier nodded briefly, already turning to the next person in line.

Eli moved aside, pulling Mira. He quickly opened the bag, his heart sinking when he saw the familiar contents: a small loaf of bread, a slice of dried meat, and a canned vegetable. It was the same as yesterday and the day before that. He handed the bread to Mira, who tore off a small piece and began to eat slowly.

"We'll keep the rest for Mom," Eli said, tying the bag and placing it under his arm. Mira nodded, her mouth full. She didn't argue, though Eli could see the hunger in her eyes. She had always been selfless, even as a child, but now it had become a necessity. They could do nothing but be practical.