Chapter 361: Interrogation (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 361: Interrogation (3)
In some ways, this was like a cliché plotline in a mystery novel. All circumstantial evidence was pointing to a culprit, but a critical piece of physical evidence was missing. That was exactly the position I was in right now.
What kind of gift is this?!
Maybe if this were before the notion that I was an evil spirit had already been established, this would be useful. But to prove my innocence in this situation, I needed adequate, concrete evidence. I'd only look more suspicious otherwise—just like right now.
"Repeat after me. I am a woman." This was the request Raven made of me after Misplaced Trust's strange malfunction. Her objective was clear. She wanted to figure out why Misplaced Trust was stopping when I spoke, and though she had no way of figuring out the truth, she was going to run different experiments until she got close to it.
There was only one thing I could do right now. "I—! Ugh, my voice...! I don't think I can say it because it's a lie—"
"Stop screwing around!"
Uh... that was a genuine attempt. As expected, that strategy won't work.
"Whatever, just say anything."
"...I'm really not an evil spirit. Believe me, Raven."
When I repeated the same words, the hand once again stopped. The only difference was that Raven didn't miss that brief opening and quickly said, "I am a man. What the... I was able to say it?"
So, the anti-lie effect stops working on everyone else when it freezes up, too. Just learned something new. Damn it.
Tick, tick.
But despite the fact that it kept stopping, it started working normally again a moment later, the needle on the disc continuing to move.
"I am a m— Hmm, now it's not working anymore. Mr. Yandel, you did something, didn't you?"
Wait, why are you automatically blaming me? Well, I am the one causing it, but...
I had to deny this thoroughly. "Th-that's unfair! Why are you accusing me when you bought a defective product?"
"Defective product? How can it be normal that this happens every time you open your mouth?" That was definitely strange. If I were Raven, I would have used the same reasoning.
But I couldn't just admit that, could I? I raised my voice. "I didn't do anything! It's true! Believe me!" The fact that it was now impossible to distinguish truth from lies with Misplaced Trust meant the chances of the person with the loudest voice winning the argument had gone up.
"...Please shut up. You're too loud."
Jeez, why are you getting all stone-faced? So scary.
When I clammed up reflexively, Raven also paused for a moment, lost in thought. "...Tell me."
"Huh?"
"What you were about to say earlier. Tell me that."
"Ah..." In a way, this was like ancient times when there was no magic or science, a time when just talking to someone was enough to trust them. Whew, what a wonderful world that was.
"What do you mean you 'returned'? What on earth were you doing before then?"
"I'll tell you everything."
With that, I ran through what happened after Amelia and I were left alone on Farune Island in chronological order. In the end, the two of us defeated the Storm Gush, and an essence appeared.
"Then you pulled in Lighthouse Keeper earlier with..."
"Yes, I used it in conjunction with Bayon's Transcendence."
"I guess everything up to that point is true. Go on."
Before I got into the next part, I told her about the treasure Amelia and her team had been after, the Fragment of Records Stone that had once been in the possession of the castellan of Noark Castle.
Raven was convinced surprisingly easily. "I've heard of that item before. But I had no idea that was the treasure that man Drous ran away with. Anyway, legend says you can use it to change the past, right?"
"It wasn't a legend but a fact. Well, it was impossible to change history, though. You'll understand in a second."
I told her about how the Fragment of Records Stone activated and how I woke up twenty years in the past.
"...That's impossible, but if something like that really did happen, I guess that explains how only your equipment was left behind on the island."
The more the conversation progressed, the more doubts Raven started to have. But she didn't interrupt me, probably planning to judge the veracity for herself once my explanation was over.
"Nivelles... Enze?" When I got to the part about how I borrowed my identity from IDs we got off a plunderer on the island, Raven tilted her head in confusion.
Oh, does she remember what happened back then?
I started to hope, but reality remained ruthless.
"...That sounds familiar, somehow."
Well, she was like five years old back then. How could she even remember my name? Anyway, after that...
It was Dwalkie's turn to make an appearance. I told her about how I tried to change his destiny but soon realized that no matter what I did, history would always flow in the same direction.
"Everything I did had already happened in the original timeline."
"The study of time has been around since ancient times. This is the single-dimensional timeline theory... Don't worry about it, please keep going."
"Sure."
Then I told her how I went down to Noark and explained in detail the efforts I made there for six months to save Amelia's sister. Of course, I left out everything that had to do with evil spirits.
"When I got back, it was only a month ago, and I was in Noark. At that time, I ran into Amelia and Erwen, and Erwen believed me."
"And the reason why you didn't announce your survival right away was because the announcement made by the palace was suspicious...right?"
"That's right. I don't know if you'll believe that, though." I'd said everything I needed to say now. So what conclusion would Raven come to?
I was filled with half anticipation and half worry as I waited for Raven to speak. When she did, her voice was hard. "What a ridiculous story. The kind children would like."
I expected this reaction to some extent. After all, she was a wizard, not an ordinary person. The more intelligence someone had, the more absurd my story would have sounded to them.
"Do you have proof that your words are true?"
I knew you would ask that so I prepared something. Do you know why I didn't tell you about our meeting? Normally, these things hit better when they're brought up at dramatic moments.
"Proof... of course I do. You said the name Nivelles Enze sounds familiar to you, right?"
"Yes, and?"
"Then you pulled in Lighthouse Keeper earlier with..."
"Yes, I used it in conjunction with Bayon's Transcendence."
"I guess everything up to that point is true. Go on."
Before I got into the next part, I told her about the treasure Amelia and her team had been after, the Fragment of Records Stone that had once been in the possession of the castellan of Noark Castle.
Raven was convinced surprisingly easily. "I've heard of that item before. But I had no idea that was the treasure that man Drous ran away with. Anyway, legend says you can use it to change the past, right?"
"It wasn't a legend but a fact. Well, it was impossible to change history, though. You'll understand in a second."
I told her about how the Fragment of Records Stone activated and how I woke up twenty years in the past.
"...That's impossible, but if something like that really did happen, I guess that explains how only your equipment was left behind on the island."
The more the conversation progressed, the more doubts Raven started to have. But she didn't interrupt me, probably planning to judge the veracity for herself once my explanation was over.
"Nivelles... Enze?" When I got to the part about how I borrowed my identity from IDs we got off a plunderer on the island, Raven tilted her head in confusion.
Oh, does she remember what happened back then?
I started to hope, but reality remained ruthless.
"...That sounds familiar, somehow."
Well, she was like five years old back then. How could she even remember my name? Anyway, after that...
It was Dwalkie's turn to make an appearance. I told her about how I tried to change his destiny but soon realized that no matter what I did, history would always flow in the same direction.
"Everything I did had already happened in the original timeline."
"The study of time has been around since ancient times. This is the single-dimensional timeline theory... Don't worry about it, please keep going."
"Sure."
Then I told her how I went down to Noark and explained in detail the efforts I made there for six months to save Amelia's sister. Of course, I left out everything that had to do with evil spirits.
"When I got back, it was only a month ago, and I was in Noark. At that time, I ran into Amelia and Erwen, and Erwen believed me."
"And the reason why you didn't announce your survival right away was because the announcement made by the palace was suspicious...right?"
"That's right. I don't know if you'll believe that, though." I'd said everything I needed to say now. So what conclusion would Raven come to?
I was filled with half anticipation and half worry as I waited for Raven to speak. When she did, her voice was hard. "What a ridiculous story. The kind children would like."
I expected this reaction to some extent. After all, she was a wizard, not an ordinary person. The more intelligence someone had, the more absurd my story would have sounded to them.
"Do you have proof that your words are true?"
I knew you would ask that so I prepared something. Do you know why I didn't tell you about our meeting? Normally, these things hit better when they're brought up at dramatic moments.
"Proof... of course I do. You said the name Nivelles Enze sounds familiar to you, right?"
"Yes, and?"
"Of course it's familiar. Because you and I already met twenty years ago."
At Raven's confusion, I explained those events in detail: our first meeting in the library, how I saved her from getting in trouble as she went around electrocuting anyone and everyone, and how we met almost every day after that to chat.
"That person... was you...?" Before long, Raven's eyes filled with astonishment.
"I guess you finally remembered who Nivelles Enze is."
She may not have remembered the name, but she remembered who I was. That was a very fortunate thing. Raven was silent for a while, staring at me with a mix of wonder and bafflement.
"No way... How could that happen...?"
"I know how you feel. But it really did happen. You remember the conversations we had, right?"
"Faintly. I just remember someone like that existing... I was really busy after I entered the Magic Tower. And then that happened not long after..."
"That?"
Raven flinched, her voice growing cold. "You don't need to know that, Mr. Yandel."
Haha, and I was so nice to you when you were little. How did she grow up like this? Ah, I guess she was actually even feistier back then. At least now she speaks more politely...
"Anyway, are you considering believing me now?"
Raven didn't answer my question and kept her mouth shut.
Tick, tick.
As the silence dragged on, the spinning hand on Misplaced Trust sounded particularly loud. There were less than two minutes left on it now. It may have stopped every time I spoke, but it wasn't like I talked without stopping at all.
Tick, tick.
Time marched on.
"It doesn't matter what I want to believe. Amelia Rainwales, you answer. Are all of those stories true?" Only remembering then that she could validate my unbelievable tale through someone else, Raven's attention shifted to Amelia next.
Tick, tick.
Even though Misplaced Trust was operating normally, Amelia had no issues answering. "Everything Yandel said is true." Yeah, I may have omitted a few details, but the experiences themselves were facts. "Yandel and I traveled twenty years into the past and went through a lot. Those were all things that actually happened."
That was the final blow. Even if it was a hard story to believe, there was no way she couldn't believe it at this point.
Okay, I think I've finished persuading her...
With that thought in mind, I lowered my guard a little.
"But..." Raven said, squeezing the words out. "That... doesn't prove Mr. Yandel isn't an evil spirit."
"...Huh?" I just couldn't understand it. Why? Wasn't my story believable enough? Why was she still digging into this so persistently?
Could it be... she has another reason to suspect me as an evil spirit other than the announcement from the palace?
That possibility made my mouth dry up.
"Amelia Rainwales, I will ask you one last question."
"...Speak." Amelia nodded.
Raven hesitated for a moment, but when she finally asked her question, she left no room for ambiguity. "If you are uncertain in the slightest or you don't know for sure, please tell me so. Is Bjorn Yandel an evil spirit?"
"Of course it's familiar. Because you and I already met twenty years ago."
At Raven's confusion, I explained those events in detail: our first meeting in the library, how I saved her from getting in trouble as she went around electrocuting anyone and everyone, and how we met almost every day after that to chat.
"That person... was you...?" Before long, Raven's eyes filled with astonishment.
"I guess you finally remembered who Nivelles Enze is."
She may not have remembered the name, but she remembered who I was. That was a very fortunate thing. Raven was silent for a while, staring at me with a mix of wonder and bafflement.
"No way... How could that happen...?"
"I know how you feel. But it really did happen. You remember the conversations we had, right?"
"Faintly. I just remember someone like that existing... I was really busy after I entered the Magic Tower. And then that happened not long after..."
"That?"
Raven flinched, her voice growing cold. "You don't need to know that, Mr. Yandel."
Haha, and I was so nice to you when you were little. How did she grow up like this? Ah, I guess she was actually even feistier back then. At least now she speaks more politely...
"Anyway, are you considering believing me now?"
Raven didn't answer my question and kept her mouth shut.
Tick, tick.
As the silence dragged on, the spinning hand on Misplaced Trust sounded particularly loud. There were less than two minutes left on it now. It may have stopped every time I spoke, but it wasn't like I talked without stopping at all.
Tick, tick.
Time marched on.
"It doesn't matter what I want to believe. Amelia Rainwales, you answer. Are all of those stories true?" Only remembering then that she could validate my unbelievable tale through someone else, Raven's attention shifted to Amelia next.
Tick, tick.
Even though Misplaced Trust was operating normally, Amelia had no issues answering. "Everything Yandel said is true." Yeah, I may have omitted a few details, but the experiences themselves were facts. "Yandel and I traveled twenty years into the past and went through a lot. Those were all things that actually happened."
That was the final blow. Even if it was a hard story to believe, there was no way she couldn't believe it at this point.
Okay, I think I've finished persuading her...
With that thought in mind, I lowered my guard a little.
"But..." Raven said, squeezing the words out. "That... doesn't prove Mr. Yandel isn't an evil spirit."
"...Huh?" I just couldn't understand it. Why? Wasn't my story believable enough? Why was she still digging into this so persistently?
Could it be... she has another reason to suspect me as an evil spirit other than the announcement from the palace?
That possibility made my mouth dry up.
"Amelia Rainwales, I will ask you one last question."
"...Speak." Amelia nodded.
Raven hesitated for a moment, but when she finally asked her question, she left no room for ambiguity. "If you are uncertain in the slightest or you don't know for sure, please tell me so. Is Bjorn Yandel an evil spirit?"
God damn it.
Amelia didn't answer Raven's question. No, she couldn't answer, to be more exact. How could she? You couldn't even utter a lie in front of that Numbered Item. The only thing you could do was sit there in silence.
So, a heavy silence fell. The only sound was the click of Misplaced Trust's needle moving around the disc.
Tick, tick, tick.
However, that didn't last long.
Tick.
Once the needle completed a single revolution and stopped, the light from the disc also faded. Misplaced Trust was deactivated. However, the tension in the air persisted. That happened sometimes, in situations where a beat of silence provided a clearer answer than ten thousand words.
"I guess there's no point in answering now," Amelia said quietly a moment later.
Raven's mouth showed no signs of opening. She also didn't reactivate Misplaced Trust to repeat the same question. I didn't ask, but it probably wasn't because she was out of uses.
"Raven..."
"Please, don't say anything. At least... not now..."
Raven stared at me from her spot in front of the bars for a long while. It seemed she was quietly sorting through her thoughts. But perhaps that process didn't go as smoothly as she hoped?
Raven started muttering to herself. "I am the vice captain of the Third Magic Corps and I take pride and responsibility in my role. I have no intention of abandoning the duties of my position, either. Which is why I have to report this. Because if I don't, that won't just be treason against our country, but also a betrayal and deception of those who have placed their trust in me."
It was not hard to figure out who those words echoing through the dark room were meant to convince. It wasn't me, Amelia, or Erwen.
"I-I..."
It was herself.
"I mustn't do that. No, I can't do that..." Raven mumbled, clenching her small fists as she tried to detangle her jumbled thoughts. Then she turned around and headed toward the stairs.
Trudge, trudge.
She looked like she was walking a tightrope.
"Yandel, if you let her leave like that, you'll be in big trouble," Amelia advised me from over my shoulder, but I couldn't really hear her. Of course, I knew that logically. If Raven left now, next time, she'd bring men.
Grit.
What could I say to stop her? My comrade, who had tried to believe in me, eventually figured out the truth and decided to walk away from me.
Thump.
My heart tightened. At the same time, I had this thought: if I weren't an evil spirit, if I had been born in Bjorn Yandel's body, met these people, and became their teammate, how would things have been?
Ridiculous. If that were the case, we would never have become teammates.
I tried to shake off the pointless fantasy, as well as the guilt I felt about Raven. This was not the time to think about that.
I guess I have no choice but to go to Plan B.
Now that the situation had taken a turn for the worse, I had to focus on getting out alive, regardless of my current predicament. After all, it wasn't just my life at stake. I had to take responsibility for Amelia and Erwen, too.
When the troops arrived and the steel bars opened, I'd have to use Giantization to keep them out of the room and stall for time. Instead of going out onto the deck, I would need to smash open the floor to escape down into the lake. The issue of breathing could be taken care of using a water elemental... and from there...
While I was putting together Plan B, Raven stopped walking and slowly turned toward me again.
Tap.
"Earlier... why did you save me?" She looked right into my eyes as she asked, as if this was the one thing she was still stuck on. "If you didn't use Giantization, your identity wouldn't have been exposed. Why... did you still save me? Even... getting hurt like that. There must have been a reason."
So, that's what you were wondering.
I could understand why she was asking, but that only deepened my sadness. Raven would have never asked something like this in the past. The reason she was asking now must have been because I was an evil spirit. All of my sincerity up to this point was in question, and the time we spent together had been negated.
I guess this is what Baekho must have felt like.
The emotions he must have felt once upon a time saturated my entire body to the bones. The walls around my heart sealed shut as if they had never been opened. I doubted that anything I said here would mean anything.
Nevertheless, I spoke. "Yes, I had a reason."
"...I see. As I thought, there was something else driving you."
I may have looked to her like a monster who had stolen someone else's body, and all of this may have seemed like a lie. But, while I knew it wasn't my place to say something like this, if there had been something driving my actions, it was one single thing.
"Raven, it was because you were in danger. That's why I saved you."
God damn it.
Amelia didn't answer Raven's question. No, she couldn't answer, to be more exact. How could she? You couldn't even utter a lie in front of that Numbered Item. The only thing you could do was sit there in silence.
So, a heavy silence fell. The only sound was the click of Misplaced Trust's needle moving around the disc.
Tick, tick, tick.
However, that didn't last long.
Tick.
Once the needle completed a single revolution and stopped, the light from the disc also faded. Misplaced Trust was deactivated. However, the tension in the air persisted. That happened sometimes, in situations where a beat of silence provided a clearer answer than ten thousand words.
"I guess there's no point in answering now," Amelia said quietly a moment later.
Raven's mouth showed no signs of opening. She also didn't reactivate Misplaced Trust to repeat the same question. I didn't ask, but it probably wasn't because she was out of uses.
"Raven..."
"Please, don't say anything. At least... not now..."
Raven stared at me from her spot in front of the bars for a long while. It seemed she was quietly sorting through her thoughts. But perhaps that process didn't go as smoothly as she hoped?
Raven started muttering to herself. "I am the vice captain of the Third Magic Corps and I take pride and responsibility in my role. I have no intention of abandoning the duties of my position, either. Which is why I have to report this. Because if I don't, that won't just be treason against our country, but also a betrayal and deception of those who have placed their trust in me."
It was not hard to figure out who those words echoing through the dark room were meant to convince. It wasn't me, Amelia, or Erwen.
"I-I..."
It was herself.
"I mustn't do that. No, I can't do that..." Raven mumbled, clenching her small fists as she tried to detangle her jumbled thoughts. Then she turned around and headed toward the stairs.
Trudge, trudge.
She looked like she was walking a tightrope.
"Yandel, if you let her leave like that, you'll be in big trouble," Amelia advised me from over my shoulder, but I couldn't really hear her. Of course, I knew that logically. If Raven left now, next time, she'd bring men.
Grit.
What could I say to stop her? My comrade, who had tried to believe in me, eventually figured out the truth and decided to walk away from me.
Thump.
My heart tightened. At the same time, I had this thought: if I weren't an evil spirit, if I had been born in Bjorn Yandel's body, met these people, and became their teammate, how would things have been?
Ridiculous. If that were the case, we would never have become teammates.
I tried to shake off the pointless fantasy, as well as the guilt I felt about Raven. This was not the time to think about that.
I guess I have no choice but to go to Plan B.
Now that the situation had taken a turn for the worse, I had to focus on getting out alive, regardless of my current predicament. After all, it wasn't just my life at stake. I had to take responsibility for Amelia and Erwen, too.
When the troops arrived and the steel bars opened, I'd have to use Giantization to keep them out of the room and stall for time. Instead of going out onto the deck, I would need to smash open the floor to escape down into the lake. The issue of breathing could be taken care of using a water elemental... and from there...
While I was putting together Plan B, Raven stopped walking and slowly turned toward me again.
Tap.
"Earlier... why did you save me?" She looked right into my eyes as she asked, as if this was the one thing she was still stuck on. "If you didn't use Giantization, your identity wouldn't have been exposed. Why... did you still save me? Even... getting hurt like that. There must have been a reason."
So, that's what you were wondering.
I could understand why she was asking, but that only deepened my sadness. Raven would have never asked something like this in the past. The reason she was asking now must have been because I was an evil spirit. All of my sincerity up to this point was in question, and the time we spent together had been negated.
I guess this is what Baekho must have felt like.
The emotions he must have felt once upon a time saturated my entire body to the bones. The walls around my heart sealed shut as if they had never been opened. I doubted that anything I said here would mean anything.
Nevertheless, I spoke. "Yes, I had a reason."
"...I see. As I thought, there was something else driving you."
I may have looked to her like a monster who had stolen someone else's body, and all of this may have seemed like a lie. But, while I knew it wasn't my place to say something like this, if there had been something driving my actions, it was one single thing.
"Raven, it was because you were in danger. That's why I saved you."