Second World

Linda just stared at John in silence.

"Okay, then," John said. He lifted the Mind Breaker to put it on her head.

"Wait! No need to use that thing! He is at World Throne," Linda exclaimed.

"Hm…," John looked at the Mind Breaker. He wasn't expecting such a reaction from his mother.

"What is he doing there?" John asked. "He should already know that we will be coming for him. He couldn't be hoping to face our armies with only his puny guild army now, could he?"

"I don't know. I didn't plan for us to lose this war," Linda answered. "With the arrival of Azzarilth's brood, we should still be able to turn the battle around in our favor."

"But Master decided to bail once he got the divine treasures," John uttered.

"…" Linda was silent at that statement.

"He bailed on you, didn't he?" John said. "He should have known you were captured once he lost contact with you, but he didn't care. That is the lord you are serving. He doesn't care about his underling. You are only precious to him if you are useful. Once your service is no longer needed, you are no longer important. That is the person you give your loyalty to. Tell me, mother. Is it worth it?"

"Gloat all you want. The winner will always have the right."

"You are not wrong. Let me ask you again. What does Master plan at World Throne?"

"I've told you that I don't know!" Linda exclaimed. "He simply said that if anything goes sideways, he still has a countermeasure at the guild headquarters. When I asked him what kind of countermeasure, he didn't tell me. He doesn't truly trust anyone, even me."

"… Okay, I believe you. Let me ask you a different question. What happens to Goddess of Joy's divine heritage Master stole from the Council of Charites?"

"He crafted another Godkiller using that divine heritage," Linda answered.

"Godkiller?" John massaged his chin. "I expected him to use it for an unknown secret, but I guess I was wrong. What does he need a Godkiller for? The Gods have all gone into seclusion after that incident with Hope. Also, he could only kill one God using that. Does he prepare the Godkiller to defend against Fear? Fear must have held a grudge against him. I mean, Fear got trashed by Hope because of him."

"Maybe. I don't know. He never told me what that Godkiller is for. He just said it is for a contingency. Against which God, he didn't say. As I said, he never truly trusts me."

"I see," John remarked. He brought the Mind Breaker to Linda's head.

"Hold on! I've already told you everything I know!" Linda exclaimed as she flinched away.

"I believe you, but I also know you are hiding something. Otherwise, you won't be so scared of this," John said. He summoned his dirt golems to hold Linda and stop her from struggling.

"You can't do this to me!" Linda yelled.

"I can't? Watch me," John said and put the Mind Breaker on her head.

Once he did, the legendary artifact did its magic. She quieted down at once. She just stared forward with a blank look.

"Hehe. I don't think I will ever get tired of using this artifact," John chuckled. "All right. First question. Are you telling the truth of all the things we spoke about just now?"

"Yes," Linda answered flatly without changing her expression.

"You might not know what Master is planning at World Throne, but do you have any idea or suspicion on how he plans to defend himself there?"

"No, I have no idea. I believed the defense at Dritzuut is our last chance to win this war."

"Hm…," John thought about asking for the details of World Throne's defenses. The number of guild soldiers, traps, and defensive structures at the headquarters. Linda might not know Master's secret plan but she should be aware of those details. However, the mind breaker's duration was only one minute. Getting all the details might need several sessions of interrogation. Before asking for those details, he was interested in knowing about another matter.

"Why are you afraid when I want to use this mind breaker on you? What secret are you hiding?" John asked.

"I'm afraid that you will find out the real reason I joined Master's side."

Linda's answer caused John to lift his brows in surprise.

"What is your real reason for joining Master?" John asked.

"I joined Master to save your brother," Linda answered.

This answer caused his brows to lift higher.

"I don't have a brother," John said.

"You do. You just don't know about him. I was pregnant when I left your father, your sister, and you. I didn't know at the time. I just found out after I left."

"I must say that was some poetic justice. You left so you could be freed from familial responsibilities, only to find that you had another one in your belly. I am surprised you didn't abort that poor child."

"I almost did, but I ended up giving birth to him and brought him up all by myself."

"Lucky him then. What is his name?" John asked.

"Jonn," Linda answered.

"I must applaud your creativity in choosing a name," John remarked. "What does he have to do with Master?"

"Jonn was gone one day. Master showed up and told me that he had Jonn. If I am to see Jonn again, I must help him."

"So, he targeted you?" John asked.

"He knew of my expertise as the military advisor to the government. He wanted to make use of it," Linda answered.

"You should have told me this. I could have helped you rescue him."

"To rescue him, we need to know where he is first. During my service to Master, I search for him in secret. I've searched every hideout the World Maker and its allies had, but I can't find him."

"Maybe because he doesn't have him. When the world turned, everyone was sent to a random tutorial space. He could have turned up somewhere. You should have made use of the Missing Outworlders Coordination Center. That organization is very good at finding missing people."

"I have. They also can't find any clue of Jonn's whereabouts."

"Hm… Then perhaps…," John stopped speaking because the mind breaker ran out of duration.

"What did I tell you?" Linda asked after she regained consciousness.