Chapter 359: Interrogation (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 359: Interrogation (1)
The Wailing Witch, Lyranne Vivian, slowly descended from the sky and started shrieking the minute her feet touched the ground. "Necrapeto! Have you lost it? Why did you just let him go?!"
The man whose bones had just started to grow flesh scowled at the sound of that hysterical voice. "I'm still older than you, you know..."
"Ha! Is it really the time to argue about that? Let's hear it. Why did you just let those bastards get away? If our captain finds out about this, you're not getting off the hook!" Vivian's fuse was short as she shouted at him and jabbed her index finger at a spot across the field, where a magic circle that had lost its light sat on the ground.
The man responded to this with annoyance. "Ha, why should I get in trouble? It's already unreasonable to ask a necromancer to engage in close combat, and you saw what happened."
The woman flinched as she was faced with a more thoughtful counterargument than expected. But it seemed her main issue was something else. "...But you didn't even use the Staff of the Netherworld!" Vivian regrouped and brought Corpse Collector's core equipment into the fray.
"Why should I have used that?" the man asked in obvious disbelief.
"Because if you used it, Lighthouse Keeper wouldn't have been cornered!"
She wasn't wrong. If he had used the Staff of the Netherworld, which was high-ranking even among double-digit Numbers Items, it was true he could have forced the enemy to flee the battlefield.
"If I used that, either he or I would have had to die. But you wanted me to use that on someone I have zero information on when I had a 100 percent chance of survival if I just left him alone?"
"But you also have your new ability."
"And if it becomes common knowledge, the palace will prepare countermeasures for it. Who will that benefit? If I'm forced to rely on that ability in a dangerous situation, are you going to be the one to save me? Huh? Please keep your nose out of my business. I know for a fact that the reason why you didn't use magic isn't much different from why I didn't use Staff of the Netherworld."
When the man began to argue in earnest, Vivian could only listen in silence. Everything he was saying was true. She hadn't tried too hard to stop that monster for the same reason: because there was insufficient information. Since she had used a spell and had it rebounded back on her in kind, she had been hesitant to use an even stronger spell.
"Ugh, so annoying..."
In the end, all of them were responsible for their defeat. Even though they worked together as a single unit, the fact of the matter was that no one here was noble enough to sacrifice themselves for someone else. They all cared more about their own gains and losses than any threat to their comrades.
While Vivian pursed her lips in an attempt to rein in her anger, Blood Knight returned and joined the group. "...Is everyone okay?" The old man whose arm got blown off looked the most miserable of the three.
Vivian didn't seem to care, though, and quickly redirected her ire at him. "We would have been if you fought properly, Grandpa. Instead of stopping that monster, you should have aimed for our other opponents in the rear!" Lyranne wasn't saying this to find fault in him—she genuinely believed every word. "It's not like you could have stopped him anyway, so why do something so useless...?"
If he had spent that time targeting the rest of their enemies instead, things would have gone differently. After all, that monster had spent the fight shielding his comrades from various attacks with his body before breaking off from their formation.
"Killing Blood Spirit, a member of the Seven Powerful, would have been a good enough achievement on its own. Not to mention the Golden Wizard. Not only was she one of our targets for this ambush, but the teleportation spell would have been voided the moment that woman died." Blood Knight had made a bad call.
Necrapeto, who was watching this dressing down play out from the sidelines, sounded genuinely impressed as he exclaimed, "Wow, you... you're going to blame Gramps right now? You're even bigger trash than I thought. I can't believe you would say that to the person who was trying to protect us."
"What, I can't even speak my mind? It's not like I'm wrong."
"Well, that's true. Pshehe." The man nodded and glanced at Blood Knight.
He had suddenly fallen prey to the wolves, but surprisingly the old knight made no excuses. He simply grumbled in his usual dry, scratchy voice, "Call the captain, quick. Tell them that we lost the Golden Wizard."
"Why can't you do it, Grandpa?"
Blood Knight answered with a cold look, and Vivian eventually lowered her head. Not only had they lost their target, but Lighthouse Keeper, who was a valuable resource within Orcules, had been defeated. What's more, they had to sit back and watch as the enemy used teleportation to escape because if they made a move, they might have been the ones to end up dead next. How could they tell their captain that?
While everyone was hesitating, Corpse Collector urged her to do it. "I get how you feel, but you should contact him first. There's more information we need to relay, even besides Golden Wizard."
"...Are you talking about that monstrous bastard?"
"That too, but..." The man trailed off, then continued. "Anyway, just relay this: I don't know how she got here, but... we found Amelia Rainwales."
***
[Arua Raven has cast the rank-four spatial spell Multi Teleportation.]
When the light from the active magic circle faded, the first thing I could see was iron bars.
"Stand down. We're in the right place."
"...What are you talking about?"
"This is an installation inside every warship. When transportation type abilities are activated, it always directs the caster here as a protective measure against intruders."
Ah, I see. But teleport guidance? I think I've heard about this somewhere before...
"I am Arua Raven, vice captain of the Third Magic Corps. This is my ID. We have returned with teleportation magic from a battle with the criminals of Orcules." Raven revealed her identity to the soldier stationed outside the cage, and soon after her identity was verified, the cage opened.
Clunk!
What the—why are you leaving us in here?
"...What is the meaning of this?"
Raven avoided my eyes—and my question—and said to the soldier, "These people will be kept here for the time being, so keep a close eye on them."
"Yes ma'am."
Uh... I didn't expect this plot development.
Just as my mind was going blank, Erwen lunged at the bars and shook them. "I'll kill you!"
It was hard to say she was just losing control as usual, because I felt like I was losing my control too. For some reason, this reminded me of the guild's dungeon, and it made me want to destroy those bars immediately.
"Killing Blood Spirit, a member of the Seven Powerful, would have been a good enough achievement on its own. Not to mention the Golden Wizard. Not only was she one of our targets for this ambush, but the teleportation spell would have been voided the moment that woman died." Blood Knight had made a bad call.
Necrapeto, who was watching this dressing down play out from the sidelines, sounded genuinely impressed as he exclaimed, "Wow, you... you're going to blame Gramps right now? You're even bigger trash than I thought. I can't believe you would say that to the person who was trying to protect us."
"What, I can't even speak my mind? It's not like I'm wrong."
"Well, that's true. Pshehe." The man nodded and glanced at Blood Knight.
He had suddenly fallen prey to the wolves, but surprisingly the old knight made no excuses. He simply grumbled in his usual dry, scratchy voice, "Call the captain, quick. Tell them that we lost the Golden Wizard."
"Why can't you do it, Grandpa?"
Blood Knight answered with a cold look, and Vivian eventually lowered her head. Not only had they lost their target, but Lighthouse Keeper, who was a valuable resource within Orcules, had been defeated. What's more, they had to sit back and watch as the enemy used teleportation to escape because if they made a move, they might have been the ones to end up dead next. How could they tell their captain that?
While everyone was hesitating, Corpse Collector urged her to do it. "I get how you feel, but you should contact him first. There's more information we need to relay, even besides Golden Wizard."
"...Are you talking about that monstrous bastard?"
"That too, but..." The man trailed off, then continued. "Anyway, just relay this: I don't know how she got here, but... we found Amelia Rainwales."
***
[Arua Raven has cast the rank-four spatial spell Multi Teleportation.]
When the light from the active magic circle faded, the first thing I could see was iron bars.
"Stand down. We're in the right place."
"...What are you talking about?"
"This is an installation inside every warship. When transportation type abilities are activated, it always directs the caster here as a protective measure against intruders."
Ah, I see. But teleport guidance? I think I've heard about this somewhere before...
"I am Arua Raven, vice captain of the Third Magic Corps. This is my ID. We have returned with teleportation magic from a battle with the criminals of Orcules." Raven revealed her identity to the soldier stationed outside the cage, and soon after her identity was verified, the cage opened.
Clunk!
What the—why are you leaving us in here?
"...What is the meaning of this?"
Raven avoided my eyes—and my question—and said to the soldier, "These people will be kept here for the time being, so keep a close eye on them."
"Yes ma'am."
Uh... I didn't expect this plot development.
Just as my mind was going blank, Erwen lunged at the bars and shook them. "I'll kill you!"
It was hard to say she was just losing control as usual, because I felt like I was losing my control too. For some reason, this reminded me of the guild's dungeon, and it made me want to destroy those bars immediately.
"I get how you feel, but please remain calm. It's impossible to escape that cage by force anyway."
"...What?"
"No. 399: Cage of Silence. Skills are sealed inside it, and you can't use magic, divine power, or an aura, either."
No wonder I felt a chill down my spine. After confirming my skills weren't activating even after I recited a command in my head, I sighed and released the bar I was holding.
"Here... this is a potion. Please heal your wounds." Raven handed a few bottles of potion through the bars and left after giving instructions to the soldier. To summarize the important points: Be courteous. No matter what happens, do not open the cage. If there is an emergency situation or enemy invasion, make sure to release us so that we can fight back.
"...She got us. Tersia, don't waste your breath and come over here."
"What? That woman just locked us in here! How can I—"
"What else can we do?"
I quickly regained my composure and spoke. "Erwen, she's right. Calm down and come here."
"...All right." Erwen abandoned her stubbornness and came over to me.
"It... would be best to use the potions first."
It seemed like it would take me a long time to recover through my natural healing factor alone, so I enlisted Amelia's and Erwen's help to pour the potions all over my body and stop the bleeding.
"Are you okay?"
"...Yeah, I'm used to it now."
To be honest, I felt like I was going to die. The only Pain Resistance I had left now was the +30 attached to the essence of the Bayon. But what could I do? I had to treat the wounds somehow.
"Um... will you give us some water?"
"Ah... A-All right!"
When Erwen made a request to the soldier, he rushed to bring us water. I'm sure part of it had to do with Raven's instructions to treat us courteously, but I figured it must also be hard for people to mistreat Erwen thanks to her status.
"Um... are you okay?" Or maybe he was just worried about me. "You look like you're sweating more than bleeding..."
"I'm okay, don't worry."
This always happened whenever I took a potion. After I gulped down the water brought over by the kind-hearted soldier, I stood near the bars on the opposite side of the cage as the entrance. That was because the conversation we were about to have was confidential.
"Anyway, since we've dealt with first aid, let's talk. Both of you, come here. And lower your voices."
"Don't you think your face is too close, Rainwales?"
"What's the problem? It's just to have a conversation."
"...Th-then I'll get close too..."
"Hmm, I'm sure I heard elves have good hearing?"
"W-What's that got to do with you?"
"I'm just saying—"
Ugh, what was with these guys now? "Stop it, both of you. This is not the time for that."
"Okay, Mister..."
Before we could really get off track, I hurriedly settled their quibbling and got down to business. The first thing on the agenda was this. "Why do you guys think Raven did that?"
Why did Raven lock us up here? Even their bickering selves easily reached a consensus on that point.
"I guess she's figured out your identity."
"Yes, that's the only possible answer, Mister. People know you as an evil spirit now, so she must think the same. Even though you saved her life so many times, that ungrateful..."
Did murderous intent flow through this kid's bloodstream now or what? I didn't know, but I was worried about the condition of Erwen's teeth if she kept grinding them like that, so I brought up the second most likely explanation. "Emily, what are the odds she did it because she figured out your identity?"
"Well, that could make sense too. Since that woman was on that island."
Raven and Amelia were acquainted. They fought together on Farune Island, and Raven also knew that Amelia had the Power of the Abyss, Self-Replication, and Asura's Kick. Using a dagger as her main weapon on top of that? Even if it had been more than two years and Amelia's face was covered, Raven would have noticed the similarities.
"True... she might suspect we're spies because of this woman. Ha, I knew this would happen."
"Wait, what exactly did you know?"
"What do you think? That you would hold Mister back."
"Pfft, you talk really well for someone who can't even use your head."
"What...?"
Wait, why was the conversation taking a turn like this? I quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, Emily, are you okay? There's a good chance Noark recognized you as well."
"They... probably did recognize me. Blood Knight I never had much contact with so he may not have, but at the very least, Corpse Collector would have."
I felt a bit bad about that. She had been in complete hiding since changing her identity. Now, she'd become the enemy of both the palace and Noark.
"Don't worry too much. I already prepared for this. I will leave as soon as there's a risk that my presence will cause you harm."
"I guess you still have your conscience?"
"More like I have common sense, unlike you."
Ugh, again.
All three of us might end up in trouble. Actually, I had a feeling Erwen would still be okay even in the worst-case scenario. I may get targeted for execution by the palace and Amelia may get accused of being a spy for Noark, but Erwen wouldn't. Even if worst came to worst, the elves would protect her.
"...So what are you going to do now?"
I took a moment to gather my thoughts before answering Amelia's question. "I don't know. We have no choice but to wait for now."
There wasn't much we could do locked up in this cage. Once Raven got back, the best we could do was assess the situation then and respond appropriately.
"Mister?"
I ended the conversation there and stood up. Then, still holding the water I received from the soldier earlier, I walked up to the corpse lying nearby whose face was covered with a cloth. I didn't know what would happen in the future, but it would be better to do what I could right now.
"...What are you trying to do?" Amelia asked.
"Check for loot."
"What? In a situation like this?"
What, is there anything else to do?
I shrugged and crouched down to start looting Lighthouse Keeper's body.
Ten rings, one necklace, and I couldn't grab the staff he dropped when I pulled him toward me, so...
The sub-space could be opened once I got out of this cage later since magic devices didn't work within these bars.
Wow, how much is all this, anyway?
The more difficult the situation, the more important it was to learn to smile even at the little wins. Although it was impossible to estimate exactly how much income we'd earned, one thing was clear. If we sold all of these, it'd be roughly enough to pay off all our debt.
The problem was whether we would be able to safely take these out with us.
"I get how you feel, but please remain calm. It's impossible to escape that cage by force anyway."
"...What?"
"No. 399: Cage of Silence. Skills are sealed inside it, and you can't use magic, divine power, or an aura, either."
No wonder I felt a chill down my spine. After confirming my skills weren't activating even after I recited a command in my head, I sighed and released the bar I was holding.
"Here... this is a potion. Please heal your wounds." Raven handed a few bottles of potion through the bars and left after giving instructions to the soldier. To summarize the important points: Be courteous. No matter what happens, do not open the cage. If there is an emergency situation or enemy invasion, make sure to release us so that we can fight back.
"...She got us. Tersia, don't waste your breath and come over here."
"What? That woman just locked us in here! How can I—"
"What else can we do?"
I quickly regained my composure and spoke. "Erwen, she's right. Calm down and come here."
"...All right." Erwen abandoned her stubbornness and came over to me.
"It... would be best to use the potions first."
It seemed like it would take me a long time to recover through my natural healing factor alone, so I enlisted Amelia's and Erwen's help to pour the potions all over my body and stop the bleeding.
"Are you okay?"
"...Yeah, I'm used to it now."
To be honest, I felt like I was going to die. The only Pain Resistance I had left now was the +30 attached to the essence of the Bayon. But what could I do? I had to treat the wounds somehow.
"Um... will you give us some water?"
"Ah... A-All right!"
When Erwen made a request to the soldier, he rushed to bring us water. I'm sure part of it had to do with Raven's instructions to treat us courteously, but I figured it must also be hard for people to mistreat Erwen thanks to her status.
"Um... are you okay?" Or maybe he was just worried about me. "You look like you're sweating more than bleeding..."
"I'm okay, don't worry."
This always happened whenever I took a potion. After I gulped down the water brought over by the kind-hearted soldier, I stood near the bars on the opposite side of the cage as the entrance. That was because the conversation we were about to have was confidential.
"Anyway, since we've dealt with first aid, let's talk. Both of you, come here. And lower your voices."
"Don't you think your face is too close, Rainwales?"
"What's the problem? It's just to have a conversation."
"...Th-then I'll get close too..."
"Hmm, I'm sure I heard elves have good hearing?"
"W-What's that got to do with you?"
"I'm just saying—"
Ugh, what was with these guys now? "Stop it, both of you. This is not the time for that."
"Okay, Mister..."
Before we could really get off track, I hurriedly settled their quibbling and got down to business. The first thing on the agenda was this. "Why do you guys think Raven did that?"
Why did Raven lock us up here? Even their bickering selves easily reached a consensus on that point.
"I guess she's figured out your identity."
"Yes, that's the only possible answer, Mister. People know you as an evil spirit now, so she must think the same. Even though you saved her life so many times, that ungrateful..."
Did murderous intent flow through this kid's bloodstream now or what? I didn't know, but I was worried about the condition of Erwen's teeth if she kept grinding them like that, so I brought up the second most likely explanation. "Emily, what are the odds she did it because she figured out your identity?"
"Well, that could make sense too. Since that woman was on that island."
Raven and Amelia were acquainted. They fought together on Farune Island, and Raven also knew that Amelia had the Power of the Abyss, Self-Replication, and Asura's Kick. Using a dagger as her main weapon on top of that? Even if it had been more than two years and Amelia's face was covered, Raven would have noticed the similarities.
"True... she might suspect we're spies because of this woman. Ha, I knew this would happen."
"Wait, what exactly did you know?"
"What do you think? That you would hold Mister back."
"Pfft, you talk really well for someone who can't even use your head."
"What...?"
Wait, why was the conversation taking a turn like this? I quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, Emily, are you okay? There's a good chance Noark recognized you as well."
"They... probably did recognize me. Blood Knight I never had much contact with so he may not have, but at the very least, Corpse Collector would have."
I felt a bit bad about that. She had been in complete hiding since changing her identity. Now, she'd become the enemy of both the palace and Noark.
"Don't worry too much. I already prepared for this. I will leave as soon as there's a risk that my presence will cause you harm."
"I guess you still have your conscience?"
"More like I have common sense, unlike you."
Ugh, again.
All three of us might end up in trouble. Actually, I had a feeling Erwen would still be okay even in the worst-case scenario. I may get targeted for execution by the palace and Amelia may get accused of being a spy for Noark, but Erwen wouldn't. Even if worst came to worst, the elves would protect her.
"...So what are you going to do now?"
I took a moment to gather my thoughts before answering Amelia's question. "I don't know. We have no choice but to wait for now."
There wasn't much we could do locked up in this cage. Once Raven got back, the best we could do was assess the situation then and respond appropriately.
"Mister?"
I ended the conversation there and stood up. Then, still holding the water I received from the soldier earlier, I walked up to the corpse lying nearby whose face was covered with a cloth. I didn't know what would happen in the future, but it would be better to do what I could right now.
"...What are you trying to do?" Amelia asked.
"Check for loot."
"What? In a situation like this?"
What, is there anything else to do?
I shrugged and crouched down to start looting Lighthouse Keeper's body.
Ten rings, one necklace, and I couldn't grab the staff he dropped when I pulled him toward me, so...
The sub-space could be opened once I got out of this cage later since magic devices didn't work within these bars.
Wow, how much is all this, anyway?
The more difficult the situation, the more important it was to learn to smile even at the little wins. Although it was impossible to estimate exactly how much income we'd earned, one thing was clear. If we sold all of these, it'd be roughly enough to pay off all our debt.
The problem was whether we would be able to safely take these out with us.