I Already Know My Magic Power Is Ridiculously High! Now I Just Need a Cute Wife... - Episode 23

I incapacitated Barbato.

With the thick meteor ray, I burned off Barbato’s left leg and left arm, so he won’t be able to move anymore.

Barbato had a higher combat sense than I expected.

Considering that he managed to withstand my guaranteed kill combo twice, taking him down here is a big deal.

(As expected, I should probably get some information out of him before delivering the final blow.)

Since we were lucky enough to capture him alive, it would be a waste to deal with him here without getting any information.

I crouch down on the spot, grab Barbato’s hair, and lift him up.

When I peered into Barbato’s eyes, to my surprise, I noticed that his fighting spirit had not yet been lost.

“Fugu, ugh”

“Barbato, you can’t do anything anymore. If you don’t want to die, tell me everything you know about this operation.”

Of course, there is no option to spare Barbato, which is the beauty of persuasion.

“Spit! Damn it, you Ortenos scum…!”

Barbato spat on my face.

Barbato’s saliva drips down my cheek.

To insult me without any magic, you’re quite tough.

I raised Barbato’s rating by one level, which had been plummeting.

“Barbato, you’ve already lost. If you talk, you won’t have to go through anything terrifying.”

“Who do you think will talk… I won’t give in to Ortenos…”

“Then there’s no helping it.”

I didn’t really want to do it in front of the military officers, but since Barbato doesn’t seem likely to talk, I guess I’ll have to persuade him in a somewhat forceful manner.

“Barbato, you can’t concentrate your magic right now.”

“Huh?!”

“Right now, you’re in the same state as ‘Stardust.’ What do you think would happen if you were to absorb my magic?”

“What do you mean by ‘what will happen’? Hah! No way, you can’t be serious!”

With a wicked grin, it seems that Barbato has understood my intentions.

I roughly knead the magic power, let out a small amount, and flow it into Barbato.

Right now, Barbato doesn’t need that much magical power.

“Ugh, wh-what is this! Ugh!”

Barbato stared at his right hand and noticed something unusual.

Right now, the discomfort of hearing the sound of a fork scraping against a ceramic plate is beginning to invade Barbato’s mind.

“Ha, stop, stop it! Ah, my head, my head is going crazy!”

“Who is the mastermind behind this operation?”

I thought that this operation was not planned by Barbato.

There are two reasons: first, it doesn’t seem like Barbato’s personality would allow for such meticulous planning.

Next, the fact that the Hoshiros Marquisate has no benefit in cooperating with Barbato.

As long as there is a conflict between Barbato and the Naia royal family, if we support Barbato as king, we will only end up making both the Ortenos and the Naia royal family our enemies.

“Oooh! Ooooh! No way! Ugh, stop, stop, I-I get it! It’s my fault! Hah, aghhhhhh!”

Since Barbato is still resisting, I’ll be a bit more persuasive.

The man’s filthy death throes echoed through the air.

(This is bad, it’s hard to find the right balance.)

Since I have a lot of magical power, tasks that require such delicate manipulation of magic are completely unsuitable for me.

Even now, I’m pushing the limits, squeezing out drops from a faucet that seems like it would gush out with just a slight turn of the lever, so if I make even the slightest mistake, I could end up killing Barbato.

“Tell me, who exactly was it that connected you with the Hoshiros Marquis family?”

“……Hii! Ugh, damn it, damn it all……!”

Barbato trembled as he pointed at a single warrior.

I see, that military officer, huh?

I’m pretty sure that was the military officer who tried to come to help when Barbato fell earlier.

(Is that guy really the mastermind? No…)

A mere military officer shouldn’t be able to operate a Stella-class ship alone.

There is a possibility that there is someone else behind that military officer.

Alright, I guess I’ll have to capture him too and persuade him.

“Good job answering, Barbato. Now, let’s ask you one more question.”

“Why! You said you wouldn’t do anything if we talked!”

“Huh? I never said you could only ask one question.”

“Ughhh!”

It seems that even though they are being glared at by Barbato, they no longer have the energy to resist.

It must have been that persuasive power through magic was that meaningful.

“Who are the perpetrators of this operation? Three Hoshiros Stella-class and Barbato, are there any other Stella-class?”

“……They’re not here, just the four of us.”

Is it just the four of us?

So, the Stella-class starships that have been chasing us all this time are a different group from Barbato?

“Barbato, you didn’t come near Pekion Village by chance, did you? That was a move that seemed like you knew we would be coming here in advance.”

“……”

“I’ll take your silence as agreement. We’ve been making rapid progress with our preparations, and there have been no delays in our march. That means there must be a traitor or spy in Ortenatris who has been passing information to you.”

“Hahaha… Indeed!”

I think the possibility of being a spy is low.

The checkpoints in Ortenatris are strict, and there are “magic tools” installed on the outer walls that can detect the intrusion of those with magical powers into the city, making it nearly impossible to enter without being found.

“Who the hell told you our information?”

In response to my question, Barbato opened his mouth with an eerie smile―――