Chapter 83 - Interrogation: Intermediate Class
The initial, half-hearted round of interrogations had yielded little useful information, and so we entered the evening's executive meeting without much to show.
The core of the incident would be temporarily set aside, to be properly reported once the Intelligence Unit gathered sufficient data.
Instead, I recounted to everyone—Josephine and the others—the story of my capture and how I rejoined Siegrune’s group.
“So, to sum up, I was hit with suppression magic from multiple casters, rendering my own magic unusable. Even then, victory was still mine—until they slipped sleeping gas into the dust from an explosion spell. I fell right into their trap. Haa… how pathetic.”
I couldn’t think of any way to fully counter suppression magic from several enemies at once. At best, I could always carry a body-enhancement potion. With that, even if magic were sealed, a member of the Kikyo Society should still be able to fight their way out.
“…Even if you admit you were careless at the end, how exactly were you supposed to maintain the upper hand while unable to use magic? Even with throwing weapons, you’d be cut down before you could act.”
“As unreasonable as ever, I see.”
“Hahaha, that’s our Yukari for you.”
With a body-enhancement potion, I could’ve ended things smoothly before ever being caught. I should upgrade it to standard issue—just in case. It probably doesn’t have any side effects, but still… regular use feels a bit like doping. Doesn’t seem healthy.
“Anyway, after being captured, I quickly broke free and launched the rally signal. After that, you all came charging in, and while the reinforcements caused a ruckus, I took down the arrogant bastards one after another.”
Roughly speaking, that’s how it went.
“But sleeping gas, huh? It must’ve been potent enough to knock you out before you could use your anti-sleep magic. That’s something we’ll need to prepare for in the future, don’t you think?”
There is a countermeasure. With Siegrune’s purification magic field, the problem vanishes entirely.
Ordinarily, such an advanced spell would be impossible without purification magic aptitude. But our Kikyo Society has exactly the talent needed to make it feasible.
“Charlotte, you can do this, right?”
We’ll reproduce Siegrune’s purification field using engraving magic. Given Charlotte’s aptitude, it’ll be difficult—but not impossible.
If she can’t do it now, she’ll learn. This is something we absolutely need.
“It’s my turn to shine, then! Please allow me some time. It will be challenging, but I will master it—I promise. Siegrune-san, I’ll be counting on your cooperation.”
The purification field isn’t just useful against poison gas—it’ll also help with filth and blinding attacks. We’ll provide whatever support is necessary.
It’s probably extremely difficult, given we’ve never managed it before. Narrowing the effect to target only toxins might reduce the difficulty slightly. Regardless, Charlotte must succeed. This is an essential countermeasure. Without it, if we’re hit with poison gas indoors or in a confined space, everyone except Siegrune could be wiped out.
“Yes. I’m counting on you, Charlotte. For now, both of us will focus entirely on developing the Purifying Engraving. Adjust our schedules accordingly later.”
That’s settled. This takes priority over regular operations. If the Vice-Commander has any tasks, I’ll handle them.
“By the way, what were you all doing while I was captured? You noticed the rally signal, so you must’ve been searching for me?”
“Oh, it was quite a mess. When you didn’t come back, Valeria and Graylease started panicking.”
Frederica said, looking exhausted, followed by Sophie and Gradena.
“That’s right. Sarah joined in too, shouting that her onee-sama hadn’t returned, and ended up waking up everyone who’d already gone to sleep.”
“I tried to calm them, saying Yukari’s an adult woman—she might just have her own business to attend to. But they wouldn’t listen.”
“Onee-sama would never do that.”
“In the end, we couldn’t believe anything serious had happened to Yukari-dono, but we decided to make a round of the district, partly to search and partly to conduct a night patrol. After that, you know the rest.”
“Well, either way, I’m glad I was rescued.”
I reached over and gently stroked Valeria, who was sitting beside me as usual. Later, I’d have to give Graylease and Sarah-chan some rewards too.
With that, the story of my capture and rescue was settled. I didn’t mention the part about being tortured—no point in bringing it up.
My throat felt dry, so I served everyone hot tea flavored like black tea, enhanced with a super-composite recovery effect.
After sipping our tea and catching our breath, Josephine spoke up.
“By the way, during the interrogation, there was a period when you were absent, right? Someone came asking to see you—claimed his name was Morgast. Do you know him?”
Morgast? Hmm… doesn’t ring a bell. Maybe some crooked noble or merchant I knocked around somewhere. I should’ve seen all the faces of those we arrested, but none stood out.
“…I don’t remember. Either I’ve forgotten, or he just knows me one-sidedly.”
“I see. Either way, he probably wasn’t someone worth remembering. I’ll ask more during the next interrogation. Something might come up.”
“Fine by me. I’ll let you know if I recall anything.”
I’ve become somewhat famous lately—probably just some stalker type. How unpleasant.
Then there was the matter of the goods recovered from the marquess’s estate. Appraisals had given us a rough estimate of their value.
Even if it was just a hideout, it was still a marquess’s mansion. There was plenty of valuables. The compensation already reached a comfortable sum—but we had no intention of stopping here. Every one of the captives held a certain status, and after extracting information through interrogation, we’d collect proper ransoms—or their equivalent. We’d squeeze them dry.
For now, that’s all the information I could share. The reason behind the attack and abduction remained unknown, and the crucial details were left to the Intelligence Unit’s interrogation.
At dawn the next day, in the chilly, dim light before sunrise. The sky was clear, promising a crisp, refreshing morning—the kind that sharpens the spirit.
I’m always an early riser, so I welcomed it. But for the men locked in their cells, it must’ve been a nightmare.
We dragged the sleep-deprived captives from their cells, and the morning’s interrogation began.
“Well then, it would’ve been better if you’d cooperated yesterday. But we can’t afford to take it easy anymore. I’d rather not resort to rough methods—but if you won’t talk, I’ll have to change tactics. Let me ask again—your name, please? This time, consider it a final warning.”
Josephine was already pushing hard this early in the morning. Apparently, after some discussion, the Intelligence Unit decided it was best to escalate things today. Not that we’d been holding back yesterday—just that our methods needed adjusting.
“…I’ve said it countless times. I’ll say nothing. Release me now, or you’ll regret it.”
The same old man, blindfolded and restrained. The second son of House Gerdodus, still defiant. Did he expect rescue from somewhere?
“Oh really? Then let me help you feel more talkative. Vice-Commander—hmm, let’s start with the right arm.”
Josephine said lightly, and Ortlinde, the Intelligence Unit’s Vice-Commander, silently approached the man, released his restraints—not to free him, but to force him into a seated position and stretch his right arm out sideways.
“W-what!? What are you doing!?”
He panicked. During previous interrogations, there had been no physical contact. Now, he had no idea what awaited him.
“President, is this alright?”
What did she mean, “alright”? Of course I knew. I was here to serve as the enforcer of violence. Josephine handed me a short blade, asking for confirmation.
“Of course. Hold him firmly—he might move.”
The man screamed in terror as Ortlinde nodded and I stepped closer.
Josephine suddenly opened the window. The interrogation room was soundproof by design, but with the window open, voices would carry clearly down the corridor to the adjoining solitary cells. Not every word, but loud sounds—screams—would be heard perfectly.
There was nothing left to confirm.
I swung the short blade down hard at the outstretched right arm.
“Wh-what did you—!? AAAAAAA! W-wait, no—AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
Suddenly, his right arm was free—but he could feel nothing beyond the elbow. Confused by the sensation, he realized what must’ve happened and descended into utter chaos. He thrashed wildly, but the fixed chair didn’t budge, and his struggles amounted to nothing.
“Alright then, time for the left arm. Still not feeling talkative? Let’s try over here~”
After a brief moment of exhausted screaming, the man heard Josephine’s merciless words and sobbed in a trembling, pain-wracked voice.
“P-please! Help me! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you my name, at least!”
Without exchanging glances, we moved in silent unison.
Ortlinde seized the left arm and stretched it out. I brought the blade down in one swift motion. The terror of a blindfolded man, losing his second limb—impossible to imagine.
I didn’t enjoy this. Nor did Josephine or Ortlinde. We did it because it was necessary—because it was our job. And besides, this damage could be undone. With healing magic of the second rank, severed limbs could be restored completely. Given these men’s status and wealth, they’d return to full health without issue—assuming they made it back home. Still, the instinctive fear of losing limbs was undeniable. And their lives weren’t guaranteed.
“You think a name is enough? Old man, we’re not here to kill you—but if you don’t spill everything, your arms and legs might just end up scattered all over the place~?”
Completely broken by the merciless declaration, the man whimpered his surrender in a trembling, breathless voice.
Ortlinde tossed the severed arms into a nearby box, then doused the stumps with mid-tier healing potion to seal the wounds. Honestly, compared to torturing them slowly, cutting it all off at once to instill terror was probably the more efficient method.
After that, things progressed smoothly. No noble was accustomed to such intense interrogation.
The ruthless questioning of the highest-ranking captive—the marquess’s second son—was overheard, however faintly, by his underlings in adjacent cells. They surrendered just like that, far too easily. Self-preservation came first. I didn’t blame them. That’s just how it was.
Hmm… now that I think about it, the Intelligence Unit has a tough job in more ways than one. Though I’m sure they don’t do this every day.
While the Intelligence Unit conducted detailed interviews and analyzed the gathered information, the rest of us—myself and the other Kikyo Society members—had our own tasks.
Negotiating with the captives’ families and organizations. Thanks to the interrogations, we now knew everyone’s names and statuses. The next step was leveraging that knowledge. To do it efficiently, we had to wait for the Intelligence Unit to finish their preliminary research and provide us with clear strategies or options. Once we had that, I or the Combat Unit would directly confront the targets, intimidate them, and force them to comply. We’d handle each case as the reports came in.
“Your young master’s currently in our custody.”
No tricks, no subtlety—just a direct, blunt declaration. Most targets, already guilty of something, folded quickly. If not, we’d simply barge in and issue our demands by force.
We had no time for the petty theatrics of minor nobles and merchants. We handled our business straightforwardly, as always. The bodyguards who tried to intimidate us? Not even worth noticing.
“W-what are you saying!? Kidnapping!? I won’t allow it!”
“Yeah, save that crap. We already know everything. We’re not here to listen to your excuses. So—how exactly do you plan to settle the score for your idiot heir’s little stunt?”
We demanded money and information—especially information, which we extracted as thoroughly as possible. If money was lacking, we’d seize real estate or magical artifacts instead. We rejected claims to privileges—too many hidden complications, and verifying their actual value took too long. One insolent man who tried to bribe me with a lewd offer was instantly punched to the floor.
Ah, by the way—I finally figured out who that brat Morgast was, the one who’d demanded to see me.
It was during my first visit to the Exembra Commerce Guild, when I went to meet Jallens. This idiot—Jallens’ nephew—showed up out of nowhere and started picking a fight. I didn’t remember him at all, but now that it was mentioned, I vaguely recalled his face.
After that incident, he’d disappeared, suspected of involvement in a loan fraud scheme that framed Jallens. To think he’d resurface here. After interrogation, I handed him over to Jallens.
Most likely, he’d just been used as a pawn in the guild’s power struggles. But he was complicit in the fraud and involved in my abduction. I had no intention of making the kidnapping public, but the fraud was indefensible. Jallens looked conflicted, but he didn’t plan to let it go—apparently, the boy would be imprisoned on charges of breach of trust or something similar.
And so, we continued our rounds, collecting—no, making legitimate compensation claims—from all involved parties, until only the main target, House Gerdodus, and a few noble and merchant families remained.
However, these remaining targets weren’t in Exembra—they were in the Royal Capital. This wasn’t something to handle by letter. A direct confrontation was the only option. And so, the Kikyo Society’s first expedition was decided.
Truthfully, from our information gathering, we already knew why I’d been attacked. There were no real mysteries left. As for House Gerdodus? Nothing complicated—just a straightforward assault. Easy enough.
Alright then. Time to head to the Royal Capital and deliver one hell of a message!
This concludes the interrogation. I did have plans for an advanced-level version, but it seems it won’t be necessary.
Also, this will be the final post of the year. Thank you all for reading. I look forward to seeing you again next year. Have a wonderful holiday season.