Chapter 12 - Interrogation

» [Rebooting]: In 3.. 2.. 1..

» [Salvaged Sanity]: 67/180

Gasp—

The same migraine, the first thing that welcomes me upon waking up.

Checking my surroundings, I am lying on a bed, the most uncomfortable thing I've ever slept on.

The mattress is too thin, I can feel the steel from beneath, and why is it so hot in here? There's no air conditioning.

Well, there's a ceiling fan...

That's not enough...

But it's so dark, I could still tell that the walls were white, and then, I got flash-banged, someone suddenly turned on the lights...

I saw a steel table, and 2 chairs right next to it, adjacent to one another, and above the walls, a viewing panel, that obscured the people behind.

This is an interrogation room...

My hand find it's way to my neck, and I don't remember why it moved there.

I heard footsteps, from around the corner, one was light and the other heavy, and then they came into view. One woman and one man, in formal suits.

The gentleman was tall, a young adult, around 6'2 with the broadest shoulders I've ever seen, his features were sharp, looks Asian but he wasn't, he had a bar code. Or is that 2 black stripes on his face? His suit had red undertones, like those in Mafia movies.

The woman on the other hand, was much slimmer and shorter around 5'4, she wore matching attire, they looked like Co-workers, they both had black hair, the woman also had sharp features, and her hair was long and a little messy.

Was I kidnapped by the mafia?!

Where's my wand?!

And what happened to Rayleigh?!

---

» [Warning]: Two entities nearby...

» Approximately around Elite 1, Level 10. I highly suggest not provoking them.

They won't kill me, right?

System, what happened to me? How did I end up here?

» [System]: You triggered a corrupted memory.

» Descended to Low Sanity Threshold, triggering near cognitive collapse. Memory shutdown was initiated.

Corrupted memory... What was I trying to remember... Will it happen again...

» [System]: Adaptation Protocol Complete.

» Exposure during unconscious state allowed partial resistance to be formed.

I see...

That's useful...

A single corrupted memory was enough to make me lose so much sanity. The best course of action would be NOT to remember them.

No matter how curious I am...

"Luden Augustine, that's your name, correct?" the woman suddenly spoke. I flinched—her voice sounded raspy and dry...

"Yes." I replied.

She took a seat and told me to relax, then instructed me to sit in the chair across from her. I complied.

They didn't seem hostile. The man standing behind her was just spectating, a bodyguard.

» [Warning]: Dangerous Individual Detected.

Where?

» [Caution]: Male subject is classified E1. Approximate Level: 60

» Threat Potential: Extreme.

...E1, Level 60...

...He's approaching E2...

---

"You must be curious on how you ended up here. Can you tell us what you remember?" the woman asked, and the pressure of an answer weighed down.

"I—"

What do I say first?

It's rather difficult to think when you have a throbbing headache.

"I saw an image and with it my sanity collapsed."

She took out a fountain pen and started taking notes. "What is this 'Image'? Can you remember?"

"It was red and... After that a headache," I said.

I carefully selected my words.

"Red?" The lady was confused, the color red wasn't present in the place of the incident.

"And why did that happen? Do you remember what you did during the incident?"

I can't recall it, but I remember being violent.

The scratch of pen against notepad echoed through the sterile room, each stroke louder than it should've been. It was intimidating.

"I'm not sure..." I muttered.

"Luden Augustine, you were granted the king's mercy. Yet upon leaving the throne room and arriving at the gates alongside Lady Rayleigh and Sir Leonard, you suddenly collapsed—then, as a Banshee, you drew your wand and aimed it at Lady Rayleigh."

..."Why would I do that?!"

..."I would never..."

I vaguely remembered why. Rayleigh had multiple eyes on her skin, and—

» [System]: Please refrain from remembering, it will only further jeopardize you.

That's easy for you to say. How do I avoid thinking about it?

» ...

---

"You don't remember being aggressive? Interesting..." she kept noting down, my eyes lingered on the man behind, his presence was suffocating, almost similar but not as powerful as the king.

"Sir Leonard restrained and disarmed you. He reported it as a sanity-related episode. However, we conducted a thorough investigation of the entire castle, given the potential security threat and found nothing that could've caused such an incident."

Do they think it was a sanity attack?

They don't have any devices to detect lies...

Then I'll just lie my way out of this, again.

But for now, I stayed quiet, waiting for her to finish speaking.

"I hope you understand the situation you're in. A Banshee showing aggression toward a human, you've been far too lucky. Frankly, I'm surprised you're still alive. It seems the only things keeping you breathing are a noble's protection and the king's favor. You'll be participating in the Ascendant Trial too, so I strongly advise you to tell us everything. As it stands, you're a threat and a security risk."

I understood their reasoning, and when I asked if the public knew about what I did, the woman told me it was being kept classified. If word got out, it would make the king look like a heretic and an incompetent fool.

I'm in the clear, my reputation with the university remains unchanged.

But I can't tell her about the system or the corrupted memory.

People without a Blasphemy Crest can't access the system. They don't even see it. But there's an exemption.

I'm a player. That's been my privilege from the start.

"My memory is confusing… but I do remember one thing," I said.

"Do tell us," she leaned in, fully attentive. Even the man behind her was still silent but seemed to be interested.

Alright then—

Time to begin my favorite strategy: find someone else to blame.

"It was the Banshee Queen," I said, with the tone of the most sincerest. 

"She discovered my betrayal. Ever since the meeting with the king, she's been trying to take control of me. She didn't want me siding with humanity. For a moment... she managed to possess me then I saw red. But I fought back. And thanks to Sir Leonard's quick action, I was saved."

I delivered it flawlessly, emotionally and convincingly.

One of my finest performances yet.

» [System]: Excellent Excuse Player.

I know.

---

"I see," she said, still writing. She finished her notes before speaking again.

"Just to clarify... the Banshee Queen is your what?"

"Master," I replied. I couldn't reveal that I'm her son...

"I was one of her... slaves," I added, layering on more lies.

"Hmmm, I see. But you claim to be on humanity's side, yes?"

"Indeed, I am."

She leaned back, stretching her shoulder slightly. I noticed how perfect her skin was, despite the heavy eye bags. How did she do it?

» [System]: That's irrelevant. Do focus.

I understand.

"Tell us, since you're a Banshee, does the word 'Karhalem' ring a bell? Do you know any crucial information about them?"

---

That word, was on Rayleigh's rifle's description, related to the undead and an entity called the Necro King...

» [System]: Player, we lack information on the matter.

Right, that's why we rather avoid it.

"Since I'm a half banshee, my master would always lock me up in my room, I barely talked to her, she would only come."

My mouth at this moment, instinctively moved on its own.

"To treat me like a doll."

All three of us looked shocked, including me. What did I just say? I lost control of my words for a moment...

The 'investigators' exchanged stunned glances, a sudden silence falling over the room…

The man appeared a bit more calm, a hint of pity in his eyes, did he feel sorry for me? The woman seemed to share the same look.

Ahem.

"Moving on." the woman cleared her throat, though I realized none of them had ever revealed their names yet.

I attempted to ask their names, but immediately I was hit with a rejection, I guess it makes sense...

"Luden Augustine, do you know anything about the... 'Necro King?'" she asked cautiously, her voice heavy with fear. Oddly enough.

I could sense the same fear reflected in her eyes but this time, it wasn't appetizing.

"Necro King…"

That's the third time I've come across that name…

That word felt as if a knife made of bones stabbed through my chest.

His name threatened to claw its way back into my memories, the original Luden must've known who the Necro King was.

System… are you there?

…No response…

...The system was terrified...

Luden hadn't even feared his own mother, yet this Necro King was enough to send terror aching through his heart.

"What's wrong, Luden?" the girl asked, examining me more closely. The man stepped forward, drawing a knife, ready for the worst.

The Necro King… the original Luden knew who he was.

But I'm terrified—terrified of remembering it's name.

"What do you know? Tell us…" she asked gently, rising to her feet.

I gathered courage, what could be wrong with uttering someone's name? It's just letters...

"The Necro King's name was—"

Woosh—

In an instant, the girl lunged forward and covered my mouth. I felt the softness of her skin against my lips but more than that, it was her speed.

She blinked—

The force of it rattled the table, the chair, and even the entire room.

Yet still… the system remained silent.

"We heard enough."

"You proved your innocence."

Chapter End...