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CHAPTER 239: THE GENTLE INTERROGATION

CHAPTER 239: THE GENTLE INTERROGATION

After slaughtering the Calvados camp’s Adventurers on the 10th floor of the Advanced Level Dungeon, we received an explanation from Cinque about her new Skills and the third form of Dosukoi.

「So what you did, Cinque, was to break down the Cooking Skill and use its components separately! That’s simply amazing……」

「Mhm. You really are amazing, Cinque.」

I was amazed at how Cinque transformed her Dosukoi into a large kitchen knife, but even more so, the fact that she thought of breaking down a Skill into smaller components like that…… and she actually managed to pull it off on the spot….. This was simply incredible.

According to the story that she told us, it was the result of a surprisingly huge number of attempts that were basically trial and error, even for Drake, who was forced to join her in her practice session, so it probably was not something that was easy to pull off…… But still, the efforts required to master this technique would not be something that an ordinary person can accomplish.

Cinque then spoke in a gravely serious tone.

「Um, this is…… I’m really sorry!」

「Huh? I don’t know what it is that you are apologizing for, Cinque, but there is no need for you to apologize for killing the Adventurers from the Calvados camp.」

「B-but Aun-sama, you…… You seem angry and…. 」

「Mhm. Aun-sama is not angry at you at all, Cinque.」

「Yeah. I mean, we might have underestimated Calvados a little bit here. It was still the 10th floor, which was the Advanced Level, so I thought it would be fine, but if it had been on the Highest Level of the dungeon, it would have been really bad for us.」

I could not simply deny that Cinque went too far this time around, but I would not scold her for that. Cinque had a tendency to take my words too seriously at certain times, but…… That was just because she was trying to carry out my orders and instructions with simply pure motives.

Also, considering the situation when the battle started, Calvados’ actions went beyond a mere warning. I could say with utmost certainty that they carried out that pincer attack because they were actively trying to kill us. In that case, it was only a natural conclusion to eliminate the danger, and it was inevitable to kill the people who were trying to kill us.

Even if the Adventurers’ Guild would have something to say about that later, we could simply say with certainty that we were not the ones at fault here.

Also, if they did something like this in the Highest Level “Tower of the Dragon”, it would be no use to conquer the dungeon and we would have to escape the dungeon using the Labyrinth Escape Stone. We had been overconfident, seeing the enemy’s level when they blocked off the previous floor, but I was completely surprised when they launched a pincer attack using monsters. I needed to change my perception about them. Apparently Calvados was the kind of Clan that would not hesitate to go too far at any given time.

(Well, if we really think about it like that, it was a stroke of luck that we were able to confirm Calvados’ usual tactics and inflict further damage on them……)

First thing first, I removed the magic bags from the equipment of the two Calvados Adventurers I had knocked unconscious, and splashed water on their faces to wake them up.

Now then, how about we will now listen to the information from these guys and correct the discrepancies between our perception and theirs?

「Bwah…… Ouch, my neck…」

「Ugh…… What’s going on……?」

「Are you two fully awake? Come on, give me all the information about Calvados that you have.」

「You guys are…… Seiha…… What happened…?! Aaah!!」

The two captured Adventurers, a man and a woman, wake up from their fainting and slowly look around to confirm their situation.

Then, the moment they saw Cinque, all color disappeared from their faces, and their expressions turned to that of pure ear as they chatter their teeth.

「Your reactions are way too slow. Answer Aun-sama’s questions within one second. Or maybe you can’t hear what Aun-sama is saying? In that case, there’s no need for those useless ears of yours…… is there?」

Those words left no room for argument, and a large kitchen knife was silently placed next to the woman’s face. Her ear was already half cut off, and red liquid was running down her cheek.

「Eehyiii…… Ahh…… Help……」

「Oh? You can’t even hear what I’m saying? ……Maybe you’re hungry and not thinking clearly? There are plenty of ingredients lying around, so we can make steaks or hamburgers without wasting that much time. Or would you like me to use your ears as ingredients?」

The Adventurers were confused and desperately trying to understand what Cinque was saying. Drake then added a few words to encourage them to understand.

「You guys, I think you should hurry up and tell us everything you know. If you don’t, our friend here will make you into minced meat on the spot and feed you both each other’s innards.」

Neither Cinque nor Drake really had any intention of doing such a thing, but it was the ultimate threat in this situation. If you were told something like this when your life was in somebody else’s hands, only a handful of people could make the right decision.

However, the real interrogation was only about to begin.

「Cinque, Drake. Can you give those two a little bit of time to think about it?」

「Yes, we have taken their magic bags. Without the Labyrinth Escape Stone, there’s no way they could possibly escape from the five of us. So, as Kinu said, we should give them some time to think about it.」

「Kinu-sama and Nelfie-san are right. If that’s what you two say……」

「Mhm. Good girl, Cinque…… So, do you two understand your situation now? We did not want to kill your friends. We were attacked, so we had no choice but to fight them off. If you tell us everything you know, we will give you back your magic bags and let you escape safely……」

The executioners had literally experienced hell, and now even more grim fate stood right in front of them. Furthermore, the moment they realized that torture was waiting for them, Kinu came to their rescue as if it was a deliberate move, and Nelfie blocked their escape route in the natural flow of the conversation.

…… And what would the result of something like that actually be ――

「I-I get it! I get it!! I’ll tell you everything I know!! So please…… spare me……」

Their minds would easily crumble.

“Tension” and “Relaxation”. “Despair” and “Hope”.

Though the requests were exactly the same from start to finish, the brain, caught in a sweet trap, strangely and naturally narrowed down the options to one.

Kinu said that the most important thing is that the final decision was made by oneself, but the process leading up to that was perfect.

If we take control of their minds to this extent, they would become puppets that only reflexively answer our questions, and at the very least, these two would never be able to oppose us in the future.

Kinu was the kindest person in this situation, and also the strictest.

What’s more, Drake, Cinque, and Nelphie shared Kinu’s thoughts with just their eyes and instantly assisted her towards the goal.

(These guys are truly the best!)