Chapter 359 - Interrogation (1)

Lilanne Vivian, the Screaming Witch.

She descended slowly, then shouted the moment her feet touched the ground.

“Necrapethor! Are you insane? Why did you just let them go?!”

At her hysterical tone, the man whose bones had only just begun regrowing flesh frowned.

“I am older than you, you know...”

“Ha! Is this really the time to worry about that? Just tell me why you let those bastards go! The commander won't let you get away with this when he finds out!”

Vivian shrieked irritably, pointing a finger at the spot where only a faded, lightless magic circle remained.

The man replied in annoyance.

“Hah, why should I be the one getting scolded? Asking a necromancer to fight at close quarters is unreasonable to begin with. Besides, you just stood there watching too, Vivian, didn't you?”

His response was sharper than she had expected, making her flinch despite her tirade. But apparently there was one point she couldn't let go.

“... But you didn't even use the Call of the Underworld!”

Vivian seized on that key piece of the Corpse Collector's equipment.

However...

“Why should I use it?”

The man merely looked incredulous.

“Because if you had, the Lighthouse Keeper wouldn't have been taken!”

She wasn't wrong. Had he used the Staff of the Underworld, one of the higher-ranked double-digit Numbered items, he could indeed have removed that man charging like a tank from the battlefield.

But...

“If I use it, one of us has to die before the other can return. And you want me to use that on someone we know nothing about? When I'm guaranteed to survive if I simply leave him alone?”

“... You had that new ability you acquired, too.”

“If word of that gets out, the royal family will prepare a countermeasure against me in advance. Who exactly does that benefit? If I'm ever in danger and have to rely on that ability, will you save me when what happened today comes back to bite me? Will you, Vivian?”

“...”

“Please, don't overstep. Your reasons for not casting any spells couldn't have been much different from mine.”

Once he began arguing in earnest, Vivian had no choice but to clamp her mouth shut. Every word hit the mark.

In truth, she had stopped trying to hold that monstrous bastard back for the very same reason: a lack of information. After having her spell reflected straight back at her, she had been reluctant to use anything more powerful.

“Ugh, this is so annoying...”

Ultimately, all of them bore responsibility for the defeat. They might belong to the same organization and work together, but that didn't change their nature.

No one here was noble enough to sacrifice themselves for someone else. Their own gains and losses mattered more to them than a comrade's peril.

“... Is everyone all right?”

As Vivian chewed her lip, struggling to contain her anger, the Blood Knight returned to the group. The old man, one arm gone, looked the most wretched of the three.

But...

“We would be, if you'd done your job, Grandpa.”

Vivian turned on him instead, seemingly indifferent to his condition.

“...?”

“Instead of trying to stop that monstrous fucker, you should have gone after their rear line too!”

She wasn't merely finding fault. She genuinely believed what she was saying.

“Why waste your time when you couldn't even stop him anyway...?”

If he had attacked the enemy instead of trying to stop that man, things would have been different now. Hadn't that monster finally left their formation for the first time, after protecting his companions by taking all manner of attacks with his own body?

“Killing the Blood Spirit Marquis, one of the Seven Powers, would have been an accomplishment in itself. And the Mage of Gold goes without saying. Not only was she one of the targets of this ambush, but killing her would have neutralized the teleportation spell.”

The Blood Knight had made the wrong call.

Listening to her blunt remarks, the man let out an exclamation of genuine admiration.

“Wow, you... You're blaming the old man now? You're a far shittier woman than I thought. Saying that to someone who tried to protect us.”

“... What, can't I talk to myself? I'm not wrong.”

“Well, that is true. Heehee.”

The man nodded and glanced at the Blood Knight. In an instant, the elderly knight had become prey for the jackals, yet surprisingly, he offered no excuses.

He merely muttered in a flat voice.

“Hurry, contact, the commander. Tell him, the Mage of Gold, escaped.”

“... Can't you do it, Grandpa?”

The Blood Knight answered Vivian's question with an icy stare, and she finally lowered her head.

They had lost their target. As if that weren't enough, the Lighthouse Keeper, considered a valuable asset even within Orculus, had been taken down. And they had simply watched the enemy teleport away.

Because stepping in had seemed likely to cost them personally.

“...”

How was she supposed to tell him that?

While she hesitated, the Corpse Collector urged her on.

“I understand how you feel, but contact him first. Aside from the Mage of Gold, there's something we absolutely must report.”

“... You mean that monstrous bastard?”

“That too, but...”

The man's voice trailed off before he continued.

“Anyway, just tell him. I don't know why she was here, but...”

“...”

“Tell him we've found Amelia Reinweils.”

* * *

「Allua Raven has cast the rank-four spatial spell [Mass Teleportation].」

When the light pouring from the activated magic circle faded, the first thing I saw was iron bars.

“Stay still. We haven't come to the wrong place.”

“... What do you mean?”

“Every warship has this facility. As a precaution against intruders, any spatial transportation ability is automatically redirected here.”

Oh, so they had something like that installed.

But redirecting teleportation? That effect sounded awfully familiar...

“I'm Allua Raven, deputy commander of the Third Magic Corps. Here's my identification. We returned by teleportation while fighting the criminals of Orculus.”

Raven identified herself to the soldier waiting outside the bars, and shortly after he verified her identity, the cage opened.

But...

CLANG!

What the hell? Why had she stepped out alone and shut it?

“... What are you doing?”

I was too rattled to remember my manners. Avoiding my eyes, Raven spoke to the soldier.

“They'll be staying here for a while. Keep a close watch on them.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Uh... I hadn't even considered this turn of events.

As my mind went blank, Erwin lunged at the bars beside me and shook them.

“... I'll kill you!!”

Given the situation, I couldn't chalk this up to her habitual loss of control. I felt about ready to lose mine too.

For some reason, this reminded me of the guild basement. I wanted to smash the bars right now.

But...

“I understand how you feel, but please stay put. You can't force your way out anyway.”

“... What?”

“No. 399, Cage of Silence. Inside it, not only are Abilities sealed, but magic, Divine Power, and Aura can't be used either.”

Hah, no wonder a chill had run down my spine.

After confirming that reciting a command wouldn't activate my skill, I sighed and let go of the bars.

“Here... These are potions. Please treat your wounds.”

Raven passed several bottles through the bars, gave the soldier a few instructions, and left.

The important points were as follows.

Treat us courteously.

But don't open the cage under any circumstances.

And if the enemy reached this place in an emergency, release us so we could deal with them.

“... We've been had. Tersia, stop wasting your strength and come here.”

“What? That woman just locked us in here! How can you possibly—!”

“What else are you going to do, then?”

“...”

“Erwin, she's right. Calm down and come here for now.”

“... All right.”

When I hurriedly pulled myself together and spoke, Erwin relented and came over to me.

“First... I'd better use the potions.”

It looked like natural regeneration would take quite a while, so with Amelia and Erwin's help, I poured potions all over my body to stop the bleeding.

How much time passed after that?

“... Are you all right?”

“... Yeah. I'm used to it by now.”

Honestly, I felt like I was fucking dying. All the Pain Tolerance I had left was the 30 from Bayon's Essence.

But what choice did I have? I had to treat my wounds.

“Excuse me... Could we have some water?”

“Ah... Y-yes, of course!”

At Erwin's request, the soldier hurried off and brought back water. Aside from Raven's instructions to be courteous, Erwin's status apparently made him nervous around her.

“Um... Are you all right?”

Oh, he was just worried about me.

“You seem to be sweating more than you're bleeding...”

“I'm fine. Don't worry.”

It had always been like this whenever I took a potion.

I gulped down the kindhearted soldier's water in one go, then moved right up against the bars opposite the entrance. Our next conversation needed to be private.

“Anyway, now that we're done treating my wounds, let's talk. Both of you, come here. Keep your voices down, too.”

“Aren't you getting your face a little too close?”

“What's the problem? We're trying to have a conversation.”

“... Th-then I'll come closer too...”

“Hmm, I thought fairies had good hearing?”

“Wh-what's that to you?”

“I was merely saying—”

Good grief, what was wrong with these two now?

“Both of you, stop. This isn't the time.”

“Okaaay...”

I hurriedly put an end to it before the conversation went off on another tangent and got down to business. This was the first thing we needed to discuss.

“Why do you think Raven did that?”

Why had she locked us in here?

Even the two bickering women readily agreed on this point.

“She must have realized who you are.”

“Yes, that's the only explanation. She must think you're an evil spirit, Mister... That ungrateful woman. After you saved her life so many times.” Erwin ground her teeth.

Did Bloodlust run through this girl's veins now?

I couldn't say, but worried about the state of her teeth, I voiced the next most likely possibility.

“Emily, what are the chances she recognized you?”

“Well, that's not impossible either. She was on that island too.”

Raven and Amelia knew each other. They had fought together on Parune Island, and Raven knew about Amelia's [Power of the Abyss], [Autoreproduction], and [Asura Kick].

And on top of that, she mainly used daggers?

Even with more than two years gone by and her face covered, Raven would have caught on.

“True... Because of this woman, she might suspect us of being spies for the other side. Hah, I knew this would happen.”

“Wait, knew what would happen?”

“What do you think? That you'd do nothing but hold Mister back.”

“Heh. Bold words from someone who can't even keep her own mind in order.”

“What...?”

Seriously, why was the conversation going this way again?

I hurriedly changed the subject.

“Enough. Emily, are you going to be all right? The Noark side probably recognized you too.”

“That... They probably did. The Blood Knight might not have recognized me, since we barely had any contact, but that bastard the Corpse Collector certainly would have.”

Damn, I felt kind of bad.

She'd said she'd stayed completely out of sight after laundering her identity. Now both the royal family and Noark were her enemies.

“Don't worry too much. I was prepared for this anyway. If it reaches the point where I'd endanger you, I'll leave.”

“So you do have a scrap of conscience left?”

“Unlike you, I have my reason intact.”

Ugh, there they went again.

One wrong move here could spell disaster for all three of us.

Actually, would Erwin be fine even in the worst-case scenario? I could be marked for elimination by the royal family, and Amelia could be branded a Noark spy, but not her.

Even at worst, the fairies would protect her.

“... Then what do we do now?”

At Amelia's question, I gathered my thoughts for a moment before answering.

“Well, for now, all we can do is wait.”

There wasn't much we could do locked in a cage. Our best option was to assess the situation when Raven returned and respond accordingly.

Therefore...

“Mister?”

I ended the conversation and stood up. Then I approached the corpse whose face I had covered with the cloth the soldier had given me along with the water.

I didn't know what would happen next, but... I might as well do what I could.

“... What are you doing?”

“Checking the loot.”

“... What? At a time like this?”

Well, was there anything else I could do?

I shrugged, crouched down, and began looting the corpse in earnest.

'Ten rings, one necklace. Couldn't pick up the staff, since he dropped it when I grabbed him...'

It looked like I'd have to wait until we got out of the cage to open the subspace. Magic devices didn't work inside these bars.

'Wow, how much is all this worth?'

The harder things got, the more important it was to smile at the little things.

I couldn't estimate exactly how much I'd made, but one thing was clear. Selling all of this would more or less pay off our debt.

Of course, the problem was whether I'd get out of here with it all intact.