Chapter 442: The Advantage is Mine
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 442: The Advantage is Mine
"Name."
"...Ariel Bugard."
"Age."
"Eighteen."
"Gender."
"That’s enough out of you!"
Ariel slammed her hands on the table and stood up, fuming. "Is it really that fun to do this on purpose? And... why is the so-called 'new lead interrogator' you, Muen Campbell?!"
"Eh?"
On the other side of the interrogation table, Muen looked up from the documents with a look of feigned surprise. "Fun? What do you mean 'fun'? I’m following the strict procedures laid out in the interrogation manual they gave me. Is there a problem?"
The interrogation manual explicitly stated in red ink that the prisoner's identity must be verified in every detail. According to the records, there was once a case involving a seductive woman who had committed the grave crime of raping and murdering men. During a certain... physical interrogation, the guards discovered that the "woman" was actually a "cute girl" packing some serious heat.
Supposedly, the executioners involved suffered such immense psychological trauma that they spent the rest of their lives terrified of anything larger than a D-cup.
"..."
Ariel, naturally, knew nothing of this. She simply looked down at herself in silence, her expression twisting. "No..."
"Good. As for why I’m the lead interrogator..."
Muen straightened his back, adjusted his collar, and took off the badge pinned to his chest. He gave it a quick huff of breath, polished it, and pinned it back exactly where it belonged. Then, with a look of utmost gravity, he spoke:
"As an Honorary Holy Knight specially appointed by the Church, I, Muen Campbell, am now officially taking over this Saintess assassination case in my capacity as a Special Envoy."
"Honorary Holy Knight?"
"Correct."
"Special Envoy?"
"Indeed."
"Taking over the case?"
"Yes."
"But why?!"
Ariel looked utterly bewildered. It felt as if she had just taken a short nap, only to wake up and find that her neighbor’s kid was already old enough to run errands, while she still hadn't even held a girl's hand.
The world was changing too fast. It felt like she was the only one standing still.
But that wasn't right! She had experienced genuine growth inside the ruins!
She had jumped an entire rank in a single month. Even flying with Explosion Magic wasn't as fast as her cultivation speed!
"I’ve been meaning to ask—how did you even become an Honorary Holy Knight? I remember that title is only granted to those who have made significant contributions to the Church. Can you just buy that title with money now? ...No, there’s no way the Church would let themselves be bribed by a mere Duke’s son!"
Ariel was stumped. He was the son of a foreign Duke and wasn't even a believer in the Goddess. How could he have possibly made a "significant contribution" to the Church?
Had some high-ranking official in the Church taken a liking to him and decided to keep him as a toy?
She had heard that certain bishops and priests were particularly fond of fair-skinned young boys...
"I feel like you’re thinking something very rude. However, regarding that point..."
"That point?"
"Regarding why I was able to become an Honorary Holy Knight..."
Muen crossed his fingers and rested his chin on them. Facing Ariel’s expectant gaze, he couldn't help but flash a mysterious smile, only to pivot immediately:
"I’m sorry, but the specific reasons are confidential."
"..."
Ariel nearly choked on a mouthful of blood.
"Well, many internal Church matters require secrecy and cannot be disclosed to the public. It’s quite a bother for me, too. Whenever I want to show off, no one even recognizes the prestige."
Muen sighed helplessly.
"I feel like you’re showing off to me right now."
"How could I? A status like 'Honorary Holy Knight' shouldn't be enough to make someone like Ariel Bugard jealous."
Muen shrugged. "Speaking of which, I thought the first thing you’d ask me was how Liya became the Saintess. You seemed quite shocked at the time."
"Oh, right."
Ariel blinked. She had wanted to ask that.
She immediately fixed Muen with a piercing stare. "How exactly did Liya beat everyone else to become the Saintess? With her soft personality, she looks like a little lamb destined to be eaten alive by that pack of wolves and tigers in the Saintess candidate pool."
"Er... she is indeed quite easy to 'eat alive.'"
Muen nodded solemnly, looking as if he spoke from deep personal experience. He then pulled out a stack of newspapers and handed them to Ariel.
"I know you’re anxious, but don't be. Just stay calm. If you had looked at the newspapers printed in the Holy City on your way here, you would already know the reason."
"The newspapers..."
Ariel began flipping through them impatiently. Before long, her expression turned strange.
"During the Holy Ceremony, a plot by an Evil God was uncovered. Not only did she forcefully repel the Evil God, but at the critical moment, she chose to sacrifice herself, using her life as the price to purify a million souls corrupted by the Evil God’s influence?"
Ariel shot Muen a suspicious look and continued reading.
"Fortunately, the Goddess took pity on her and personally bestowed a blessing, saving her life and cementing her glory as the Saintess... A million souls? Are you kidding me? Are you sure this isn't some ridiculous story cooked up by a novelist who’s lost their mind?"
Since Liya rarely fought, Ariel wasn't entirely sure of the limits of her Holy Light, but common sense dictated that purifying a million people was simply impossible for a single human body.
Though, the part about being willing to sacrifice herself... that did sound exactly like that silly girl.
"The newspapers record it as fact."
"And the details? Which Evil God was it? Where did the million souls come from? This single sentence is just a load of nonsense to fool the public."
"Regarding those details..."
Muen leisurely took a sip of hot tea. "Classified."
"..."
Crack.
Ariel’s grip left a fissure in the corner of the table.
Fury burned in her eyes. But after staring deeply at Muen for a moment, that anger suddenly subsided.
It was abrupt. Like a towering tidal wave flattened in an instant by a sea breeze. Even her tone became incredibly calm.
"I didn't make it in time, so you were the one who accompanied Liya to the Holy Ceremony in my place?" Ariel asked suddenly, setting the newspaper back on the table.
"Yes."
Muen didn't hide it. It was something that could be easily investigated.
"And it was because of your help that Liya became the Saintess?"
"No. She became the Saintess by relying on herself. On the contrary, I almost made her abandon that path entirely."
"And the real reason you became an Honorary Holy Knight is because of this, too?"
"Partially," Muen answered truthfully. "Regarding those million souls... I contributed a small, negligible amount of effort."
"..."
Even though this was Ariel’s interrogation, she was the one asking all the questions.
But after that string of inquiries, Ariel suddenly fell silent.
She lowered her head, her gaze wandering. Her fingers twisted together a few times before she suddenly looked up again, her eyes scanning Muen as if searching for some hidden clue.
After a long silence, she spoke, her voice tentative. "You... and Liya... there’s nothing between you, right?"
"Nothing? What do you mean by... 'nothing'?"
Muen’s heart skipped a beat. Here it comes, he thought. His expression, however, remained flawless, showing just the right amount of confusion.
"I mean... taking advantage of my absence to 'help' Liya. You didn't have any improper intentions, and you didn't... develop any stories with Liya that shouldn't be developed, did you?"
Ariel’s eyes remained suspicious. The image of Muen and Liya embracing earlier was still haunting her mind. She couldn't help but wonder...
"I see. Are you misunderstanding me because of what happened earlier?"
Muen’s interlaced fingers loosened and then tightened again, as if he were deep in thought, weighing his words.
A moment later, after ensuring his movements appeared sufficiently solemn in Ariel’s eyes, Muen tapped the table with his finger and spoke succinctly.
"Miss Ariel, Liya is... the Saintess now."
"..."
Ariel froze.
Then, a bright light began to bloom in her previously dull eyes. It was like a bolt of lightning from the heavens, instantly clearing her thoughts.
That’s right!
Liya was the Saintess now.
She was revered by countless believers, the symbol of the Goddess’s purity, the one shrouded in the most holy radiance.
With a status like that, how could she possibly develop a special relationship with a man?
The Church would never allow it. The believers would never allow it. In all the history of the Saintesses, she had never heard of one having a male companion during her tenure!
In other words... her vague suspicions were impossible from the start!
And... thinking about it calmly, Liya was a total blockhead whose mind was filled only with the position of Saintess. How could she possibly develop romantic feelings for a playboy like Muen Campbell, who was surrounded by scandals and already had a fiancée?
It was impossible! If Liya were actually sensitive to romance, Ariel wouldn't have spent ten years subtly influencing her without ever breaking through that final barrier. Liya still just saw her as a childhood friend!
Besides, at most, she had only been away from Liya for a month.
Even if Muen Campbell had helped Liya, how could a mere month compare to her ten years of deep emotional history?
And her status as a woman actually became a massive advantage for avoiding the scrutiny of the Church and the public! Who would suspect a cute, harmless female best friend of having improper intentions?
Even Liya herself didn't suspect a thing!
As for a foul man like Muen Campbell, how could he possibly compete with her?
In short: one month versus ten years. The advantage is mine!
Once she reached this conclusion, Ariel’s mood instantly brightened. The negative emotions accumulated over the past few days vanished, and even Muen Campbell sitting before her looked much more tolerable.
Hmph, I know a playboy like you is also eyeing Liya. But... in front of me, you’re destined to be nothing more than a loser! One day, you’ll be kneeling before me, weeping in regret!
Ohohohoho...
...
Having resolved Ariel’s "heart knot" and successfully covered up the fact that he had NTR'd her childhood friend—thus avoiding the crisis of being decapitated by the OP Female Lead—Muen’s interrogation proceeded very smoothly.
In reality, it could hardly be called an interrogation.
Ariel had ended up here because of a series of misunderstandings. Now that she was in a good mood, she laid everything out, save for the matter of the supreme treasure compass.
The sequence of events began to align with the various pieces of intelligence the Church had gathered, confirming the truth of Ariel’s words.
And then...
Muen looked at the results derived from Ariel’s testimony and the Church’s intel, and he couldn't help but hiss in a breath of cold air.
One breath wasn't enough. Because a single page couldn't contain all those terrifying battle results, Muen flipped the page and hissed several more times.
After contributing significantly to global warming and muttering "terrifying" under his breath several times, Muen swallowed hard and looked at Ariel.
"Two Fifth-Tier martial artists and one Radiant-Tier mage?"
"Yes."
"Over a dozen Fourth-Tier experts, plus over a hundred beast-transformed ones?"
"Yes."
"After dealing with them, you escaped from a squad of knights that arrived to seal the area, and you even snatched someone’s sword on the way out?"
"Yes."
"After that, you realized the entire district was locked down by the Church and there was nowhere to run. So, you decided to do the opposite of what was expected and followed the Salvation Society’s original plan—to assassinate the Saintess alone to create chaos and escape in the confusion?"
"That’s right." Ariel nodded. "But I only wanted to wound her. A wounded Saintess would be enough to cause chaos. I would never actually think of killing her."
"..."
Looking at Ariel, who seemed so casual about it, as if she hadn't done anything particularly impressive, Muen once again felt the sheer weight of the words "Destined Protagonist."
One against a hundred. And every single one was a higher rank than her.
She had carved a path from the south of the city to the north without even blinking. A whole squad of elite Church knights couldn't even slow her down.
Good lord, are you some legendary protagonist's gender-bent version, or a reincarnated God of War?
At this moment, Muen—who had been feeling a bit smug about his new powers and relieved that he had successfully fooled Ariel—felt a sudden, inexplicable chill on the back of his neck.
Scary... truly scary!
...
Ten minutes later, Muen closed the record of the "confession" and took a deep breath to steady his nerves.
Ariel’s battle record was indeed terrifying. And perhaps due to the shifting world lines, the combat power she displayed now even exceeded what she had at this point in the original book. It seemed her trip to the ancient ruins had indeed granted her a boost she never had in the original story.
However, he was no longer that "Yellow-Haired Villain" Muen Campbell who was destined to drown in the tides of fate.
She was scary. But he no longer needed to be afraid.
"Alright."
Muen stood up and tossed Ariel a key. "You can leave."
"Just like that?"
Ariel caught the key to her shackles, still feeling like this was surreal. This was the Church’s Black Prison, a place so legendary that even rats supposedly feared to enter, and the echoes of unknown screams still drifted through the halls.
And they were just letting her go that easily?
"You only ended up here because of a misunderstanding. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, you’re naturally free to go."
Muen smiled. For the first time, that handsome smile made Ariel feel that this guy wasn't just obnoxious—he seemed to possess a certain peculiar charm.
"Besides... don't you have something you want to do right now?"
"Something I want to do..."
Ariel jolted, looking down at her disheveled state. She murmured, "I... can I change my clothes?"
"Of course," Muen replied. "You have plenty of time."
...
...
After changing into a simple outfit that wasn't flashy but suited her usual style, Ariel finally met Liya in the reception room specifically reserved for the Saintess.
"Liya!"
"Ariel!"
This was their first formal reunion in a month, and they immediately fell into a tight embrace.
"Liya... I was so worried about you." Ariel sniffled.
"Mm..." Liya paused for a moment before saying, "...Me too."
"But, we’ve only been apart for a month. Did you get fat? Look at this, you’ve put on so much more 'meat.' How unfair."
Finding that Liya was still the same Liya—that even becoming the Saintess hadn't changed her—Ariel felt much more at ease. Out of habit, she poked at Liya’s ticklish spots and teased her.
"Stop it~"
Liya playfully swatted Ariel’s hand away, her eyes shimmering with a charm reminiscent of a fully ripened honey peach.
Ariel froze.
She studied the girl before her, a hint of confusion once again surfacing in her large eyes.
Strange. Was Liya’s reaction always like this before?