kscans

Chapter 55 - Mireille's Cold Smile, Kyle's Agitation

For the interrogation, Folter, from the former First Knight Order, moved to untie the cloth around Kyle's mouth. But Mireille stopped his hand.

"Please wait. It would be a problem if he had poison hidden."

Without another word, she calmly poured a liquid antidote into Kyle's nose. It must have entered his windpipe. Kyle let out a choked cough, and Folter's hand froze.

Facing a comrade he had just fought alongside, Folter's eyes showed a hint of hesitation. But Mireille's gaze was cold.

"This can be absorbed through the stomach or the windpipe. ...Now, any poison you had prepared is meaningless."

With the cloth removed from his mouth, Kyle, while holding back tears and coughs, let his eyes glint suspiciously.

"The clothes I picked out for you suit you quite well, don't they?"

"The underwear was a bit much, though."

Mireille's retort was instant. Her tone was as cold as ice. But Kyle just laughed.

"I thought you might enjoy it. I never expected you to be 'Mireille from the Moonshadow Teahouse.'"

At that name, those who recognized Mireille now definitively connected her to the 'Mireille from the Moonshadow Teahouse' who had been interrogated and escaped two weeks ago, and a murmur spread through the group.

At the same time, they were shocked to learn that Ariel, the former captain of the Tree Sea Defense Force, was the same Ariel who owned the Moonshadow Teahouse and had supposedly eloped with former Supreme Commander Darius after embezzling funds.

The Moonshadow Teahouse was a popular shop among knights, but in reality, many visited it hoping to catch a glimpse of Darius's beloved. However, though Ariel herself had worked at the shop in the early days, she was not suited for customer service and soon hired employees, so no one had actually seen her.

"I have all my customers' names, faces, and purchase histories memorized. Kyle-san, this is the first time I've seen your face. We've never met before, yet you know 'Mireille from the Moonshadow Teahouse.' Why is that, I wonder?"

Mireille questioned him. Kyle shrugged and gave a faint smile.

"That's no secret. The rumor that you're cute is famous in the knight order. Someone here probably even has a candid photo of you, don't they? I just never thought you were the uptight captain's girl."

At that moment, Folter's eyes darted away. As if removing the cloth had been a mistake.

...I'm definitely confiscating those photos later.

Leonhard made a firm vow in his heart. But at the same time, he realized something.

Mireille's atmosphere is... different. It's cold and scary, yet somehow sad.

...I need to follow up with her later. She seems to be carrying something heavy.

Leonhard spoke to Kyle.

"We're starting the interrogation. Kyle, you're going to tell us everything you know."

"Do you think I will?" Kyle smiled with a challenging and eerie expression.

Mireille took a High Potion from her bag.

"Shall we make you able to talk? I made a lot, and I can make more. As long as you don't die, I can bring you back from anything."

But then, as if she had just realized something, Mireille smiled brightly at Kyle.

"But the chain I wrapped around you earlier might dig into your flesh first. It's a chain that tightens when you lie, but it also tightens when your heart is just agitated, so it's hard to tell if you're telling the truth or a lie. That's why it didn't sell."

At that moment, Kyle must have been agitated. The chain instantly tightened all over his body, cutting off circulation and turning his skin purple.

"It's alright. The chain has a safety feature. It will release just before you die."

Mireille explained her alchemy item with a cheerful smile.

"The king you revere did much worse things to my master since she was a child. Suffering for the duration of a mere interrogation is a trivial matter, wouldn't you say?"

Mireille watched with a smiling face. However, the sight of Kyle's suffering and the image of her master, Ariel, overlapped in Mireille's mind, and her chest grew tight.