Chapter 57 - Chapter 56: The Marquis's Interrogation
One week had passed since Mika was imprisoned... or rather, protected, at the Viscount Allkosa's mansion.
Mika was fed up with day after day of interrogation after interrogation.
One week ago.
After entrusting the girl to the knights who had come from Sarbengeal, Mika's energy had completely run out.
He had fallen asleep sprawled out in the middle of the road, and when he woke up, he was being put to bed in this mansion.
The sheets were so white that he felt ashamed to bring his mud-caked clothes, which he had rolled around in while in the forest, onto them.
When Mika opened his eyes, he turned blue looking at the crumpled, muddy bedding.
But soon, an elderly maid with a kind smile, who seemed to be a servant of the mansion, came over and led Mika to the bath.
While Mika washed the mud and sweat off in the bath, that maid had prepared a change of clothes for him.
A cute, fluttering one-piece dress.
"I can't wear something like this!"
Mika shouted, and it seems that was the first time they realized Mika was a boy.
Apparently, they had thought he was a girl until then.
Mika asked the maid to bring his small bag, changed into his own clothes inside it.
Even though his own clothes were just the academy's gym uniform.
He had grown so used to wearing them as everyday clothes that he had even brought them along as a change of clothes for his visit home.
After that, he was provided with delicious meals, and he was able to fully recover his energy and physical strength.
But of course, there was a reason they had protected Mika.
It was about the rescue of the Marquis's daughter.
Where did you rescue her?
How did you rescue her?
In the first place, why did you notice the kidnapping?
They asked him these questions persistently and repeatedly.
For the interrogations, about five knights or officials would always come.
Fortunately, Mika's tinnitus had improved significantly after sleeping for one night.
It hadn't completely disappeared, but he had recovered enough to communicate through conversation.
Basically, he answered everything he was asked.
As a basic matter, first, Mika's name and identity were confirmed.
Since hiding them would get him caught immediately, he willingly answered these.
He also informed them that he had been attending the Sarbengeal Magic Academy since last year and had been doing some activities as an adventurer.
(I have to keep my image as good as possible, even just a little bit.)
Well, he wasn't really in the mood to make his magic abilities public, so he did some vague deception here and there as well.
The reason he noticed the kidnapping was because he heard groaning.
They would nitpick, asking if he really heard the girl's groaning inside the carriage, but he just insisted that he heard what he heard.
He explained roughly where he rescued her.
The official conducting the interrogation drew a rough map of the Yaunasun area on the spot and asked, "Is it around here?" so Mika answered, "It's around there."
(Well, this is going to cause a huge commotion.)
He sighed inwardly at that thought.
As expected, the interrogation resumed that same evening.
After hearing Mika's story, they apparently sent knights out immediately to verify it.
And there, scattered all over the scene, were corpses, corpses, and more corpses.
Well, that would cause a huge commotion, wouldn't it?
More than ten knights and officials came for the interrogation this time.
Everyone had stiffened faces.
Mika was told that the bandits had been killed, and he pretended to be surprised, saying, "Eh!? Is that true!?"
The people conducting the interrogation didn't seem to think Mika had done it, so they persistently asked, "Did you see anything?"
In Mika's scenario, he had rescued the girl while the bandits were distracted from the carriage, so of course, he played dumb.
"Did they turn on each other because you let the girl escape, or was it to cover up the evidence?"
He tried to subtly guide them with that.
It seems they had considered that line of thinking too, as they said things like, "You think so too, don't you?"
(But still, would they tell a child that bandits were killed?)
He couldn't help but think that, but was expecting such consideration too much of a hope?
The next day, and the day after that, the interrogations continued.
The food was delicious, the bed wasn't just straw but proper bedding with cotton, and the comfort was outstanding, but he was somewhat fed up with being locked in the room.
However, Mika had something he absolutely had to convey, and he was thinking about how to do it, but he couldn't find a good opportunity.
The interest of the officials and knights who came for interrogation lay with the one who killed the bandits and their clues.
So he decided to bring up the topic himself.
"By the way, I heard them talking, and it got me curious..."
"Oh? What were they talking about?"
"They said they carried the girl on their back and slipped through the city walls from the Slums. Is that the city wall of Sarbengeal?"
"...What?"
The official sitting opposite Mika made a confused face for a moment.
But his expression quickly changed to surprise.
The other knights and officials present were the same.
Upon hearing Mika's words, they first looked confused, asking "What are you talking about?", but upon realizing the meaning of the content, some knights clearly turned pale.
To enter or exit Sarbengeal, one must pass through one of only three gates in the city.
They conduct checkpoints there and strictly check for suspicious individuals.
Carriages are inspected, checking if prohibited items are being brought in.
However, if a secret passage exists, the meaning of those checkpoints disappears.
A secret passage where a girl can be carried through.
Most items can be brought in and taken out freely.
Criminals don't need to go through the gates; they can enter and exit freely using the secret passage.
If someone involved in Sarbengeal's security heard this testimony from Mika, they would turn pale.
The pale knight hurriedly left the room, and the official sitting opposite Mika exchanged glances with the other officials present.
"What else did they say? ...No, wait a moment. There are several people who want to hear your story. May I call them?"
"Yes, please do."
After that, more than ten knights and officials gathered in the room and questioned Mika about various things.
Mika sighed inwardly, thinking his detention period would be extended by this, but it was to drive out the scum of Sarbengeal.
He resigned himself to the situation.
"They had been hiding in the Slums for about a year."
"If they return to Shaksara."
Mika disclosed these two pieces of information.
As for himself, he would provide information that would help improve the security of Sarbengeal where he lived, but he had no intention of getting involved in anything else.
He disclosed the name Shaksara to confirm where it was, since he didn't know it, but it seems Shaksara is the capital of the Am-Tast Trade Alliance.
As a result, it was a story unrelated to Mika, but well, this much was a service.
After that, there was nothing else to convey.
He was asked various things, but he answered while making sure not to contradict his own scenario, and a week of imprisonment passed.
■■■■■■
During this week, Mika had upgraded his "Hell Ears" [De〇l Ear].
The interrogations didn't last all day, so there was quite a lot of free time.
So, he decided to solve the problem of the overall volume getting too loud while trying to pick up small sounds.
But how could he make it take the form he desired?
Saying it is easy.
Don't amplify or delete unnecessary sounds.
Amplify only the necessary sounds.
If it were visible objects, it would be a simple selection.
He just needed to sort out what was needed and what wasn't.
But how to do such a thing with sound?
The first thing that came to mind was "sound waves".
Separate the sound by frequency.
Then, exclude sounds in unnecessary frequency bands from the amplification target.
Also, a function like "noise cancellation" that can delete or reduce unnecessary sounds would be a desirable feature.
Pick up small sounds and amplify them, while attenuating unnecessary sounds with noise cancellation.
He had heard that if you hit sounds with opposite phases, the sound disappears.
............How do you do that?
Also, if a sound becomes too loud, set a limit so it doesn't get any bigger.
By doing this, he can deal with sudden loud noises as well.
Mika opened the window of the room and lived a life of looking outside like a bird in a cage.
Seeing Mika like that, the kind elderly maid who seemed to be in charge of taking care of Mika sympathized, saying, "You want to go outside, don't you? It's pitiful."
But Mika hadn't opened the window because he wanted to go outside.
He was practicing how to pick up various sounds coming from outside and how to operate them as he pleased.
Thus, the captive life at the Viscount Allkosa's mansion ended, and now he is being transferred to Sarbengeal.
A carriage was prepared for Mika, but it was a splendid carriage with solid walls and a ceiling, equipped with seats.
However, he was alone with two knights who seemed to be escorts and guards.
Honestly, it was very awkward.
But the knights seemed to have no intention of speaking unnecessarily, so Mika didn't try to talk to them either, and just focused on training the noise cancellation function.
(It's truly difficult to eliminate all the sounds made by the carriage... I've been able to make it quite quiet, though.)
Mika was challenging himself to eliminate all the rattling, rattling, rattling sounds made by the carriage.
But truly, eliminating all of that was difficult.
Still, while making the carriage sounds smaller, he tried things like making the chirping of distant birds louder.
While trying such things, he moved from Yaunasun to Sarbengeal over two days.
And upon arriving in Sarbengeal, he was imprisoned again at the Marquis Leventein's mansion.
Honestly, he was running out of things to do, so he wanted to be released.
(...I wonder if they'll bring me something cursed. If they did, I could kill time for a while.)
But if they really brought such an item this time, it wouldn't be a gift; its purpose would be to silence him.
He could only think they intended to assassinate Mika to prevent the fact of the Marquis's daughter's kidnapping from leaking to the outside.
In reality, Mika wasn't even told whether the kidnapping had been made public or not.
Perhaps the Marquis's side was also struggling with how to handle Mika.
If they let him out as is, he might go around talking about unnecessary things, and that would be unbearable.
But it would be strange to do rough things to a child who saved the Marquis's daughter.
Perhaps they were holding their heads in confusion about what to do.
And so, the day after Mika was transferred to the Marquis Leventein's mansion, the boss character finally appeared.
Surprisingly, the Marquis Leventein himself came out for Mika's interrogation.
At the Viscount Allkosa's place, the assigned officials and knights conducted the interrogation, but here, it seems the Marquis himself intends to interrogate.
Mika was taken to a meeting room-like place in the mansion from morning, with Marquis Leventein sitting directly opposite him, and men who seemed to be close aides sitting on both sides.
To Mika's right were the knights, and to his left were the officials lined up.
The interrogation conducted was a repetition of what he had said at the Viscount Allkosa's place.
He conveyed the same content as before, feeling fed up inwardly since he had already spoken it many times.
Once the round of talk was finished, Marquis Leventein ordered everyone except the knight sitting next to him to leave.
Now, only Mika, Marquis Leventein, and the knight sitting to the Marquis's right remained in the meeting room.
"Well, Mika Noisheim-kun. You've had a hard time. As Cleiria's father, let me thank you again. Thank you. From here on, this is not an interrogation as a Marquis. Relax."
Marquis Leventein said such things.
(...Does he think there's anyone who would believe that?)
The phrase "no formalities" is an obvious trap.
He has seen people expose their true feelings with it and end up eating cold rice at work.
"Your grades at the Magic Academy seem quite excellent. You have abundant magical power, excel in perception, and have already mastered [Physical Enhancement] in your first year. That is impressive."
"...Thank you very much."
The Marquis began to praise Mika, nodding as if reading a report.
"You've also worked hard in sports. You weren't blessed with a great physique, but it seems you achieved one of the top results in your class. Your height will likely grow more in the future. I look forward to your future greatly."
"........................Thank you very much."
Mika's danger detection radar was reacting strongly.
Mika's intuition advised immediate withdrawal from this death trap, but he struggled to suppress it.
After all, there was nowhere to escape to.
It felt like the time at the Meeting Hall where they discussed Mika's treatment in Rish Village, but the danger was not comparable to that time.
Moreover, Kifrod and Radi, who had helped Mika, were not here.
He had to face this with determination.
"It seems you ran all the way to Yaunasun carrying your daughter on your back. You seem to be using [Physical Enhancement] quite skillfully."
"...Not quite that much."
The tone of the Marquis's voice dropped slightly compared to when he was praising Mika earlier.
"Magnus. How long can you hold [Physical Enhancement]? ...Well, let's say carrying a load equal to your own body weight and running about 7 kilometers without taking an hour."
The Marquis spoke to the knight next to him.
At this moment, Mika was certain that he was cornered.
(...How much does he know?)
At the Viscount Allkosa's interrogation, they hadn't dug that deep.
"You carried a girl on your back and ran from such a place."
"It must have been tough."
That was all.
But Marquis Leventein had considered time as well.
He must have heard various things from his daughter.
He kept that information for himself and his own hands, not providing it to the Viscount Allkosa.
"Under that premise, you certainly couldn't have run it. I'm sorry for being weak."
The knight called Magnus scratched his head.
"Don't worry, under such a premise, I would be weak too. I'm not boasting, but that's not something to be proud of."
Mika watched the charade between Marquis Leventein and Magnus, hiding his inner suffering.
Marquis Leventein, whose gaze had become slightly sharper, looked at Mika.
"You are from the Limpēre Baron's domain, are you not? I have one student from the Limpēre Baron's domain that I remember."
Saying this, Marquis Leventein leaned his elbows on the table and leaned forward.
"A year and a half ago, I was consulted by the Limpēre Baron. About the judgment of a child suspected of 'escaping the academy'. ...Do you have any idea?"
Mika regretted the naivety of his thoughts.
He clenched his hands tightly on his knees.
(Why didn't I think of that! Information from the Limpēre Baron to the Marquis Leventein is natural, isn't it!)
And from there, it was easy to trace.
To the truth.
To the possibility that Mika was the one who killed all the bandits.
Mika's "escaping the academy" started with the suspicion that he used [God's Miracle].
There was the fact that Mika had used [God's Miracle] even before enrolling in the academy.
Unlike the officials at the Viscount Allkosa's place who quickly removed Mika from the suspect list because he was a child, Marquis Leventein had guessed the "truth" from this fact.
"That child showed he could use [God's Miracle] without being taught by anyone. Can you believe it?"
Indeed, Marquis Leventein had noticed.
And he had not eliminated Mika as a suspect for killing the bandits.
Far from eliminating him, he was likely listing him as a top suspect.
He was conducting the interrogation with the possibility that Mika used [God's Miracle] other than [Physical Enhancement] to kill the bandits in mind.
"The Marquis is asking you. Why don't you answer?"
"It's fine, it doesn't matter."
Magnus urged the silent Mika.
Marquis Leventein leaned back against the backrest and spoke to Magnus.
"You too, go outside, Magnus."
"That won't do, Your Excellency!?"
Magnus made a panicked face at the Marquis ordering his departure.
"What is it, Magnus. Are you afraid of such a child?"
"Yes, of course, Your Excellency."
Magnus looked straight at Mika and declared firmly.
"If you don't let your guard down, you won't be defeated. But if you let your guard down, you might lose more than just your limbs. A mage is such a being."
Magnus was not seeing Mika as a child.
He genuinely believed that one should not let one's guard down against him as a mage.
"But we can't talk like this. It's probably because your face is scary. It's fine, go out."
"W-Your Excellency!?"
The Marquis drove Magnus out of the meeting room with an outrageous excuse.
(No, your face is scarier, Marquis?)
Something felt different from before.
Once the meeting room door closed, it became completely just Mika and the Marquis.
To be honest, the pressure [Pressure] was incredible.
But unlike before, the Marquis wasn't saying anything.
The silence was too heavy...
"...Um."
"What is it?"
"Why did you kick out that person just now?"
"To speak with you candidly."
Then why are you silent?
"Do you have something you want to ask?"
"I have something I want to ask, but will you answer if I ask?"
Yeah, right.
This is a dead end!
Mika had too many inconvenient things, so he simply couldn't say anything careless.
As for the Marquis, he couldn't release Mika without clarifying the facts.
There's nothing to be done, this!
Mika slumped his shoulders and couldn't help but sigh.
It was a terribly rude attitude in front of a superior, but what should he do in this dead end?
"You look quite dejected. You don't look like a brave boy who managed to save the daughter from the bandits."
Whose fault is that.
Well, I know most of it is self-inflicted, but I can't help but feel down.
"Come on, I'm starting to regret it... ...I don't regret it."
He couldn't help but spill such a complaint.
"Regret?"
The Marquis asked back.
Mika was in a slightly desperate [desperate] mood, thinking, "If it's already exposed, do whatever you want."
"I heard the villains talking and found out that the kidnapped girl seems to be the Marquis's family's daughter. ...What did that brave boy think?"
The Marquis made a confused face but seemed to consider it.
It seems he would even play along with a child's nonsense.
"...Can I expect a reward?"
The answer the Marquis chose was realistic.
No dreams, no hopes, no pretty words, just a truly boring answer.
"...'Should I abandon her?' That is the answer, Your Excellency."
But reality was even more boring.
For his own self-preservation, Mika had chosen to add abandoning her as an option for even a moment.
Mostly, Mika had feared the risk of a false accusation, but in reality, it wasn't a false accusation at all.
He had taken seven lives to save one girl.
He had no regrets about that, but he couldn't help but think, "Because of that, I'm in this situation now."
The Marquis looked at Mika with a surprised face.
But soon, he tightened his expression.
"Nevertheless, you saved my daughter... Cleiria. Why?"
Mika closed his eyes and thought.
If he were in the same situation again, how would Mika act?
What choice would he make next?
(...Probably, no matter how many times I do it, it will be the same.)
Mika's choice would not change.
The choice Mika made was an action in accordance with the most fundamental part of Mika.
"I didn't want to abandon her. That's all."
I didn't want to abandon her.
In that situation, I didn't want to become a human who would abandon her.
Mika himself is here today because he was helped by many people.
He felt that abandoning her would trample on the thoughts of those people.
"So... you used [God's Miracle] during the fire as well?"
The Marquis asked Mika.
The Marquis seems to have investigated the Rish Village incident as well.
Did he do something to the villagers?
If so, there must be a huge commotion going on.
"Yes."
Mika answered, squeezing the words out in response to the Marquis's question.
I wanted to save them.
So I saved them.
If that is a crime, then the law is the one that is wrong.
Mika pressed his lips together and looked straight at the Marquis.
The Marquis pierced Mika with a sharp gaze.
His heart was about to break under the heavy silence.
But suddenly, the strength left the Marquis's eyes.
"...Do you have something you want to protect?"
The Marquis asked such a thing.
"My family in my hometown, or the benefactors who took care of me... Many people have helped me. I want those people to live peacefully."
"Fufu... I see."
The Marquis smiled for the first time.
"Is that strange?"
"No... It's just that I didn't think you would think that way. When I was your age, I only thought about going hunting tomorrow or catching fish. I hardly ever thought about anything other than myself."
The Marquis laughed for a while, then tightened his expression.
"I have learned most of what I wanted to know. I will arrange for you to return to the academy within a day or two."
He stated it clearly like that.