After that, the interrogation of the prisoners took place.
The ones in charge were Sofia, Claudia, and several beastkin.
I decided to wait outside.
I wasn’t suited for that sort of thing…
Besides, I needed to look after Aisha and Snow, who had worked so hard to help construct the barrier.
So, I let them play to their hearts’ content, just as they wished.
And then, evening came.
“Aisha, Snow. It’s about time we head back.”
“Eeh—”
“Oof…”
The two of them still hadn’t played enough, and their faces showed their dissatisfaction.
“The sun’s already setting. And if you keep playing, dinner will end up being late.”
“Dinner!”
“Woof!”
Their complaints vanished in an instant, replaced by sparkling eyes.
Those two were very simple and straightforward.
“What’s on the menu tonight?”
“If I remember right, I heard it was venison steak, but… wait, Sofia!?”
Before I realized it, Sofia was standing there.
I hadn’t noticed her at all…
Why did she sneak up on me without a trace of presence?
“Fufu, just a little prank.”
That kind of shock really isn’t good for my heart…
“But, if Sofia is here, that must mean…”
“Let’s leave that for later. Aisha and Snow are here too… for now, let’s eat.”
“You’re right.”
――――――――――
We had dinner, then took a bath.
As the night grew late, Aisha and Snow got into bed.
Once I confirmed they were sleeping peacefully, I moved to another room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Inside the room were Sofia and Licorice.
Claudia and the village chief were also there.
“My apologies for calling you so late.”
“No, don’t worry about it. More importantly, the fact that we’ve gathered like this means there’s been some progress…?”
“Yes. As for the details…”
“I will explain.”
Sofia began to speak.
“From the results of my and Claudia’s tortur… interrogation, we were able to obtain valuable information.”
…Did she almost say torture just now?
“We’ve discovered the hideout of the Dawn Alliance.”
“That’s…”
If that were true, it would be extremely valuable information.
But the question remained—could this be false information planted to mislead us?
Having their hideout exposed would be a critical blow to the organization.
Would they really let such information slip so easily?
“Ah… you need not worry about that.”
Sensing my doubt, the chief spoke.
“I cannot say with absolute certainty, but the likelihood of it being false is exceedingly small.”
“Why is that?”
“After undergoing such tortur… interrogation, there would be no one capable of still maintaining a lie.”
…She definitely almost said torture again, didn’t she?
What on earth did Sofia and Claudia do?
I was terribly curious, but it felt dangerous to pry any further, so I let it slide.
“Uh… okay, got it. So then, where is the hideout?”
“It’s…”
Sofia hesitated, as if the place itself was hard to say aloud.
But she must have decided there was no point in staying silent.
She quietly opened her mouth.
“…The royal capital.”
From Sofia’s lips came the name of this nation’s very heart.
Comments
Post a Comment