Chapter 141

Interrogation

I wasn’t particularly versed in torture or interrogation, but it was clear that doing either to the person in front of me would be pointless.

After all, we were alone on a raft bobbing on the water, and no matter how you looked at her, Bailey—tied up tight—didn’t appear tense at all.

……If anything, rather than anxious or nervous, she just looked a little sulky, with hardly any visible emotional fluctuation.

Watching Bailey twist the ropes binding her with a pout on her face, I spoke flatly.

I brushed back my hair, still dripping from having been underwater moments ago, and droplets scattered in every direction.

“그래서, 이야기꾼.”

When I called her by her epithet, Bailey quietly looked up at me.

“그거 한 번만 더 해주시겠습니까?”

“…예?”

“글쎄요. 본인이 처한 입장이 아닌 당신의 외모만 보고 열렬한 호감을 표하는 종자가 주변에 한 명 있더군요. 근데 방금 그걸 보니까 이해가 어느 정도는 되어서.”

……

“물에 젖은 남자가 멋있다는 말을 할 때는 대체 뭔 소리인가 싶었습니다만…….”

……

…No.

I, listening to this, was the one wanting to ask what on earth she was talking about.

To begin with, it was puzzling why a high-ranking demon would disguise herself as a human woman.

“…But why that form?”

“Form? Which one?”

“Strictly speaking, I heard you were originally male.”

“Do you think gender holds any meaning for a spiritual life-form?”

Varga let out a snort and answered that way.

“I merely assumed this shape because I thought you would prefer it.”

……

…Well.

That wasn’t wrong, but I doubted it would have any significant effect on our relationship.

When I looked down at her with that sentiment, Bailey, seeming flustered, stammered in response.

“…Don’t men like women?”

……

“Or do you perhaps have some unusual proclivity—”

“That’s not the issue.”

She gave off the scent of a bit of an airhead.

For someone whose abilities were terrifyingly immense, her slightly absent-minded demeanor was, in a way, reminiscent of Noel…

“I should start by asking what purpose brought you all the way here.”

……

Listening quietly, Bailey’s face twisted slightly.

“I get the strong sense you intend to pry it out of me by force if you have to.”

“If necessary, yes.”

“Do you have a way to do that?”

…The conversation continued exactly as the impression I’d had when I first tied her up here.

To begin with, the disparity in power between the two of us was enormous.

The Storyteller—one of the highest-ranking officers among the demon race.

Among the officers currently showing their might in the material realm, she could be considered the very top.

‘There was one above her, wasn’t there.’

Hierarchy-wise that was true, but the one at the very top was something special. In practice, the Varga before my eyes practically represented them.

The ability she possessed by itself proved it.

‘The power to solidify stories…’

In the game it passed with such vague description, but depending on interpretation it crossed into an absurd domain.

It was the power to overlay reality with a ‘narrative’ handed down only orally.

Put simply, it was partial reality manipulation, transferring the very concept of a tale into the real world.

A power that could make things that should exist only in fiction happen in reality as well.

Summoning dragons, sinking islands of the land beneath water… all anecdotes of the Black Night calamity passed down in scripture, yet this woman reproduced them in reality all by herself.

If someone asked how such a thing was possible,

……

I quietly stared straight at Bailey.

The ability I had received earlier at the Grand Duke’s estate began to manifest in layers, because even though Bailey wasn’t a beast, I could see beyond her body the horrifying amount of demonic energy related to that beast she was exuding.

And once I roughly grasped its nature, I groaned inwardly.

‘…Fragments.’

She had clearly ‘swallowed’ at least three or four of Wornil’s fragments.

Even one of them had almost destroyed the empire; if a single being had devoured that many, doing such impossible feats was no longer out of reach.

And that was why she was this confident.

Right now she was someone who could wipe out this entire area at will. It was obvious that any threat I made would not even register.

“No.”

Yet even so,

I too had one bargaining chip that would work straight on her.

I nodded silently and drew the revolver stuck in my belt.

Of course, to someone who wielded near-godlike authority, it was less than a toy.

So I had no intention of doing anything to Bailey with it.

Instead, I calmly pressed the muzzle to my own temple.

……

Naturally, Bailey’s face immediately stiffened.

“I’m your goal, aren’t I.”

……

“If you don’t talk, I’ll pull the trigger.”

“…What a childish threat.”

Bailey’s voice came out low as she said that.

But I sensitively detected the tremor in her irises.

She probably knew it as well.

In her head she must have judged rationally that the chance I would actually pull the trigger was extremely low.

But apart from that,

just the thought that such a thing might happen was letting an anxiety she could not hide seep out in strands.

To a man whose main trade was swindling, it was practically the same as her showing every card in her hand.

‘……Well, whatever.’

I barely swallowed the smile that tried to escape my lips.

No matter that she was a spiritual life-form wielding tremendous authority,

when it came to hiding her emotions and playing psychological games like this, she was almost child-level.

That was only natural, since she possessed such overwhelming power that she had never needed to do such things.

Besides, I already held definite proof in my hand.

-System Log

▶ The target’s affection is already at maximum.

That window had appeared when I once had the chance to copy a skill related to Bailey.

I still didn’t fully understand what sort of affection it measured or why it was maxed out, but

the mere fact that I knew it made this threat all the more effective.

After all, I had the well-established image of a madman who did whatever I set my mind to. The probability was low, yet it wasn’t impossible that I might truly do it.

Moreover, this woman—

even knowing it was a bluff, she still cared enough about me to be taken in by it.

……Why that was, I would have to find out from now on.

“Does it look like a bluff to you?”

It really was a bluff, but even that line alone made her visibly more anxious.

So I pushed a bit further.

When I brought the muzzle closer to my temple, I saw Bailey press her lips tightly together.

Her eyes flickered this way and that.

“I’m the kind of person who’d rather die than be yanked around by people I don’t even understand.”

……

“All right. If you refuse to speak to the very end—”

“……Empty bravado, isn’t it. Aiden Kellermain.”

“Hm.”

With a shrug, I cocked the revolver’s hammer in one smooth motion.

Instantly, Bailey, who had been about to object, turned outright pale.

“If that’s how it looks to you, there’s nothing I can do.”

……

“At least pass a few last words to the others—”

“……Wait, wait a moment.”

The moment I heard Bailey gasp and say that, I grinned inwardly.

I’d caught her.

▣

‘……What a headache.’

While I was approaching the cluster of rafts where the other humans were gathered, I quietly chewed over that thought to myself.

In my head, the words I had just heard from Bailey Varga flickered past.

- A contest for initiative, you say?

- Each of us will take turns giving you trials, and whoever draws out your growth better gets to take you.

- …

- …My role was to foster your growth through this Black Night ritual, and after that it would have been Elisha Gillias Craven’s task.

- And once you’ve raised me like that, what do you plan to use me for?

- …No threat will make me tell you that. The survival of our entire race is at stake.

…Well, honestly, the moment she admitted it was about preserving their race, she had practically said everything anyway.

‘So they want to use me for the demons’ resurrection…’

…Did that usually involve showing me “affection” like this?

From what Bailey was doing, it was obvious she considered me extremely important; yet in the game those villains normally kidnapped humans, used them as host bodies, or sacrificed them alive—treating people like trash.

It was clear I was being treated exceptionally.

And Bailey wasn’t the end of it; Elisha’s involvement was another problem.

From what I had heard, her reason for approaching me was almost identical to Bailey’s, yet Elisha herself had never even been mentioned in the game—a complete unknown.

Why would such a being come after me?

Honestly, whichever it was.

‘…Aren’t these guys supposed to appear only in the very last part of the scenario?’

The very fact that such people had already popped up and were messing around with me was enough of a headache.

I had a vague hunch that once the whole act of this scenario ended I could at least get a clue.

“Whoops.”

And when you walk while buried in thought like that, it is only natural to bump—bonk—into someone coming right at you.

It was probably my fault I hadn’t noticed Noel, who had hurried over in worry.

“Take care.”

Instead of the quick, polite apology I would normally offer, that voice slipped from my lips with annoyance.

…

Indeed, I saw Noel freeze on the spot, about to ask what had happened.

He was probably flustered because my words had come out with a roughness unimaginable from the usual me.

‘…Huh.’

Was it supposed to go like this?

Even I, who had spoken, was momentarily taken aback by the reaction. The silence settling around us was only natural.

“…My apologies, Sir Noel. It seems I’m not in the best condition.”

As I headed toward the cluster of rafts where the others were gathered, I quietly chewed on the thought.

Bailey’s words kept replaying in my mind.

- A struggle for initiative, you say?

- Each of us will, in turn, give you trials; whoever spurs your growth the most gets to take you.

- …

- …My task was to foster your growth through this Black Night ritual, and afterward it would have been Elisha’s task.

- And after you’ve cultivated me, what do you plan to use me for?

- …No amount of threats will make me tell you. The survival of our entire race is at stake.

She had practically given everything away the moment she mentioned her race’s survival.

‘So they intend to use me in the demons’ resurrection…’

Did that usually involve showing me this kind of “affection”?

Bailey clearly viewed me as crucial, yet the villains in the game typically kidnapped humans, used them as host bodies, or sacrificed them alive. I was receiving quite an exceptional treatment.

And Bailey wasn’t the end of it. Elisha was a separate concern. From what I heard, her reason for approaching me was almost identical to Bailey’s, yet Elisha had never been mentioned in the game—she was a complete mystery.

Why would someone like her fixate on me?

Either way,

‘…Aren’t these people supposed to appear only at the very end of the scenario?’

The fact that such characters were already meddling with me gave me a headache. I had a hunch that once this entire act concluded, I might finally grasp some clues.

“Whoops.”

When you walk lost in thought, it’s only natural to bump—bonk—into someone head-on. I failed to notice Noel hurrying over, worried about what happened.

“Watch your step.”

Instead of a quick, polite apology, irritation slipped out of me.

…

Noel froze, clearly startled that such harsh words came from me.

‘…Huh.’

Was that how I was supposed to behave? Even I was briefly taken aback. Of course, silence settled around us.

“…My apologies, Sir Noel. I’m not feeling my best.”

“Ah, y-yes. Understandable. You’ve been worn down by fierce battles for days.”

“Yes, well. A man should protect his own women—”

I clamped my mouth shut with a fist. Finishing that ridiculous sentence would’ve been worse than nearly biting my tongue.

‘…What was that?’

Why was I saying something so unlike me?

A warning I recalled flashed in my mind.

-System Log

▶ Warning!

▶ If you inject too many stimulants from the Point Shop, side effects may occur.

▶ Temporary changes in emotion or personality are possible.

…Right. I’d almost forgotten that. It matched the symptom Noel once showed.

…

… 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

A heavier silence settled. I squeezed my eyes shut and spoke.

“…Let’s set off. The Grand Sanctuary is right ahead!”

…

“Come on, let’s move!”

My almost pleading tone finally got everyone shuffling. Though suspicious glances still lingered, they started to move.

Hmmm.

What to say?

“…He’s grown a lot rougher, hasn’t he?”

“Right?”

Her Highness muttered absent-mindedly, and those nearby nodded in agreement.

Normally, in such an incident, Aiden would’ve been flustered or floundered, but now—

“…Though it’s not entirely bad, is it?”

…

This time, agreement wasn’t as immediate. People seemed reluctant to voice their opinions.

Noel fanned himself, cheeks faintly red, the Pontiff coughed loudly for no reason, and Morrigan rubbed her cheek—evidence enough.

Calling him “rough” might, put nicely, mean he was more assertive, exuding masculine energy. Most women don’t hate that. These high-status folks had barely experienced romance; no wonder they were vulnerable to the type.

“…This might be…?”

Noel’s remark turned all eyes on him.

“What?”

“I once fell into a similar state.”

“And?”

“…People’s defensive attitudes crumble. Aiden, who usually chooses his words carefully, might speak frankly.”

“Really? So what?”

“Which means,” Noel said, eyes shut tight, “this is probably our only chance to hear Aiden’s honest opinion of us—”

…

A curious tension filled the air.