Ch. 51 - Question Time

In a dimly lit room, around ten men were sitting in a row. Sitting upright and motionless on the hard floor, they looked somewhat like monks in training.

In front of them, tied to a chair with ropes, was the tall woman with the assassination skills.

The woman glared at me with her jaw clenched tightly.

The ones needing medical attention had been taken to the academy's medical facilities, but the rest had been brought to my lab.

I insisted to Rox that I needed to interrogate them personally, and he reluctantly agreed.

Though Rox’s pale face was concerning, it was good that I was able to talk to the people who seemed to be the main suspects in the incident.

All their faces were cast in shadows due to the overhead light, but I asked in a normal tone of voice, "Let's start with a question. You are the Nevis family, correct?"

"… Yes, that's right." The woman answered surprisingly straightforwardly.

"Then, what is your position and name?"

The tied-up woman crossed her legs, lifted her face, and glared at me. "Kalila Nevis… the boss of the Nevis family."

"If you lie, what will happen… won't be very pleasant, you know?" I doubted she was the actual leader of the organization, so I issued a mild threat.

Kalila frowned in displeasure and responded in a menacing tone, "You think I'm lying?"

I sighed and shrugged. "For someone leading a large crime syndicate in such a big city, I expect someone older and more powerful than that."

Kalila and the men behind her lowered their shoulders and looked down.

"We've been operating with a small but elite team. We hold significant power in this city's underworld…"

"Eh?" I tilted my head, wondering if I had misheard.

Kalila, her face turning red, raised her voice. "You're the weird one! I've never seen anyone block magic with their bare hands before!"

"I used body enhancement magic."

"That's not the point! If that were the case, my men should all be able to block magic with their bare hands too!" Kalila shouted, breathing heavily.

"You can do it if you work hard enough. It's all about training."

I said this to encourage her, but Kalila only slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"… Fine. I understand you're abnormal. Tell me why you haven't turned us over to the guards. If you promise not to kill my men, I'll cooperate with anything," Kalila muttered tiredly, resignation in her voice. It seemed she had a strong sense of camaraderie, wanting to protect her subordinates.

Hmm. Since she was saying this much, things were going as planned.

I smiled gently and took a step closer to Kalila.

Kalila recoiled and gasped. "W-w-what are you planning?! With that cruel smile…?!"

"… It's rude to call me cruel. No, I won't say anything more. I understand you're scared because you're captured."

"No, what scares me is your…"

I looked at her because she looked like she wanted to say something, but she shut her mouth and looked away.

While observing her face with half-closed eyes, I moved on to the main topic. "… Let's get back to the point. So, let's assume you're the boss of the Nevis family. As the boss of an organization with a stronghold and the ability to attract a large number of people, you must know the whereabouts and information of other organizations in the city, right?"

"… Others? We don't really have any alliances," Kalila said falteringly, her eyes darting around.

I furrowed my brows to pressure her. "I won't tolerate any lies and deception. If you lie, what will happen is…"

As my voice grew lower and lower, Kalila let out a strange voice and shook her head repeatedly. "Ah, that’s right! I remember now! Come to think of it, just a few months ago, the leaders gathered to discuss territories!"

"B-boss! That's…!"

Kalila's sudden honesty made her subordinates cry out.

She turned and shouted at them, "Our lives are at stake! Shut up!"

"Uh…"

Hearing Kalila claim she was doing it for their sake, the men fell silent.

I nodded and looked at Kalila and her men in turn. "That's a wise decision. Go on."

Kalila nodded grimly. "This city is a goldmine. If we wanted to, we could expand our reach to neighboring countries. But many have the same idea, so we end up keeping each other in check, limiting our profits. Even so, this city is like paradise compared to others."

She let out a snort of laughter, then slightly lowered her chin and continued, "… Various large organizations are meddling in this city. Among them, the most influential ones are…"

She listed the names of organizations in turn.

Organizations from large countries seemed to have a larger number of members.

I guess it was no surprise, but it seemed like all organizations, big or small, were making a killing through gambling, illegal slavery, stolen goods, and the like.

Among them, gambling was the only one that had a negative impact on the students of the academy.

"What kind of business is this illegal slavery?"

"… They simply take orphans or kidnap people, force them into slavery, and sell them. The most profitable are children of merchants or nobles since they're less likely to die quickly. This city has many nobles from other countries, so it's easy to sell them without being noticed."

"Those nobles from other countries… they attend our academy…"

"We don't do that! Those operations are handled by groups with distribution channels in neighboring countries! It's easier to avoid detection by selling them to different countries!" Kalila hastily explained

I pondered. If children kidnapped from other countries were involved, it would usually lead to a knight squad being dispatched, but I had never heard of such incidents.

I’d ask Rox about this later.

"… I understand. Now, tell me the locations of those organizations."

"N-no, I really don't know that. The only thing that's been discussed is territory. The specifics of their businesses are usually kept secret. The meeting was mainly for confirming territories, resolving disputes, and exchanging information about guards." Kalila answered with a sigh. After revealing so much, it was unlikely she'd lie now.

"I see." I smiled.

"W-w-what?! I cooperated! Keep your promise, please!" Kalila pleaded with a tearful expression, shivering and shaking her head.

I frowned and narrowed my eyes. "How rude. I'll keep my promise. However, I'll verify the truth of your words first."

Hearing this, Kalila gulped nervously, tears welling up in her eyes.

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