Chapter 346: Neither Ally Nor Enemy

[Ruvian’s POV]

After Loden had signed the contract, his hands were chained once again before Ophelia finally left the interrogation to Ruvian. She had to leave because that was what Loden wanted.

From the very beginning, there was one thing Ruvian had understood about Loden’s intentions: this guy wanted to confirm something about him.

That much had been obvious.

As for everything else, Loden seemed willing to cooperate with almost anything, so long as Ruvian’s answers managed to satisfy whatever suspicion had been lingering inside that strange head of his.

But what exactly would be enough to satisfy him?

Well, there was only one way to find out: answer his questions honestly and see where it led. There wasn’t much risk in divulging a little information to Loden, because if things truly came down to it...

Then ending his life here was always an option.

Still, before it ever reached that point, Ruvian intended to extract something worthwhile from him first.

"As stated in the contract, you may begin first," Ruvian said calmly.

Loden remained silent for a brief moment, he then smiled before finally asking his first question:

"Toward the end of January, on a Friday to be exact, you and Lady Silvena took academy leave to go somewhere. However, I believe the two of you were actually heading toward the Ashway Bazaar..."

Hearing the certainty in Loden’s words, Ruvian slowly began to grow wary.

’So this bastard knows that much...’

Loden continued.

"My question is this: how much, in detail, were the two of you involved in the chaos that occurred at the Ashway Bazaar that day?"

Ruvian did not like that first question.

More importantly, the fact that he had deliberately emphasized the words in detail irritated him even further.

’He already knew that much, and yet he still asked for confirmation? Is confirmation really what he wants from me?’

Ruvian inwardly frowned.

’No... I don’t think Loden is the type to waste one of his limited questions on something he already knows. If that’s the case, then he must be trying to ascertain something else through my answer.’

Ruvian’s eyes narrowed slightly as he continued observing him.

[’Loden Armand’ is curious about your credibility.]

’Credibility? What did he mean by that?’

Ruvian thought carefully, and after a brief moment of deliberation, he began to grasp the general idea behind Loden’s motive.

’Could it be...’

However, it was still nothing more than a suspicion. He did not have enough evidence yet to form any solid conclusion.

So, for the time being, he decided to simply play along and see where Loden was trying to lead him.

"Alright, to answer that, I would say pretty much everything..."

Ruvian paused briefly, carefully choosing his words under the restrictions of the Mana Contract before continuing.

"I went there with Silvena, reserved one of the VIP lounges, obtained what I originally came there for, and later became directly involved in the disturbance when several hostile demons attacked us."

His expression remained calm.

"I fought them, survived the whole damn mess, and was present for most of what happened afterward. So, if what you’re really asking is whether I was personally involved in the incident..."

Ruvian leaned back slightly, his cold eyes glaring.

"Then yes. I was involved quite extensively."

Loden gave a slow nod, then pursed his lips — judging by that look, the answer had clearly given him more than enough to work with. Still, there was a small gleam in his narrow eyes that told Ruvian he knew there was more being left unsaid.

"Hmm... I see, I see," Loden murmured, looking almost pleased with himself. "That was far more than I expected you to tell me actually, and quite useful too."

Ruvian gave him a judgmental look.

"Alright, my turn," he said, leaning forward slightly.

"Are the demons controlling you in any way, such as brainwashing you, placing you under some kind of spell, binding you through a contract, or otherwise influencing your mind so that you act according to their will?"

Ruvian paused for half a second, then continued before Loden could answer.

"Or are you fully aware of everything you’ve been doing and helping them entirely of your own volition? And if neither of those is true, then what exactly is compelling you to work with them?"

Loden’s smile froze slightly, while his narrow eyes opened a fraction wider.

"My, my..." Loden muttered, letting out a quiet chuckle as the chains around his wrists gave a faint clink. "You really did manage to cram every possible answer into a single question, didn’t you?"

Loden let out a long sigh, then leaned back as far as the chains would permit him.

"Haa... unfortunately for you, the answer is none of those rather convenient possibilities. I am not brainwashed, there is no spell warping my thoughts, and there is no contract forcing my body to move against my will. Everything I do, I do while remaining perfectly aware of my actions."

Ruvian’s eyes narrowed at those words, but Loden merely gave him an innocent shrug.

"Ah~ Of course... that does not mean I am doing any of this because I particularly enjoy helping them. In fact, I simply happen to value my life rather dearly."

"You see, when refusing an order could very easily result in your death, obedience begins to look like a rather charming alternative. So I listen, I carry out what they ask of me, and in return, I get to remain alive."

"Oh, and as for why they are keeping me around in the first place, well, your guess might be nearly as good as mine. I don’t exactly know that either."

Loden spread his hands as much as the chains allowed, his expression gradually returning to its usual cheerful look.

"All I can really say is that I’ve been rather fortunate... and equally unfortunate."

’Haa... I see. Looks like this is going to take a while.’

From there, the remaining questions passed much faster, though neither of them asked anything without a clear purpose behind it.

Ruvian obtained what he wanted, and the same could be said for Loden. Surprisingly, neither of them ended up using their chance to object to a single question.

That was because both of them understood the situation they were currently in. The more information they revealed, the greater their chances of convincing the other party of exactly what they wanted them to believe.

*****

[You have received +1,500 Plot Points!]

After the interrogation with Loden finally came to an end, Ruvian began making his way back toward the infirmary with Ophelia walking beside him.

Along the way, Ruvian started explaining what he had managed to gather from their exchange.

Of course, Ophelia had already witnessed the entire interrogation herself and heard every word that had been spoken through her [Clairvoyant], but what she wanted now was Ruvian’s own interpretation of it.

What had he noticed?

What did he think Loden was really trying to achieve?

And more importantly, how much of what Loden had said did Ruvian actually believe?

There was no concern about anyone overhearing them either.

The moment they left the prison section, Ophelia had casually cast [Sound Barrier], surrounding the two of them. Any sound produced within its range would remain trapped inside, making their conversation completely inaudible to anyone outside it.

"So," Ophelia finally said as they continued down the corridor, "what did you make of him?"

Calmly, Ruvian gave his honest assessment.

"From what I can tell, he’s somewhere in the middle. Not exactly an ally of the demons, but not completely innocent either."

He folded his arms loosely as he continued walking.

"He was a victim first, and from there, he was left with little choice but to follow whatever orders they gave him. As for why the demons decided to keep him around, I’d guess they found some kind of use for him. Carrying out their dirty work, gathering information, spying on certain people... something along those lines."

Ruvian let out a quiet sigh.

"But whether we can actually trust him is another matter entirely. For now, I’d say that remains doubtful."

Ophelia gave a small nod at his conclusion.

"I see. You handled yourself remarkably well in there, Scholar Ruvian," she said. "Far better than I would normally expect from someone of your age, especially a scholar who has never been formally trained in interrogation."

Her expression softened slightly afterward.

"And for that matter, I owe you an apology. You should still be resting after everything that happened, yet I brought you into something this troublesome before you had even fully recovered."

Ruvian was about to respond, but Ophelia continued before he could.

"As for Loden Armand, the academy will deliberate on how he should be handled once we return. His involvement with the demons cannot simply be overlooked, regardless of the circumstances that led him there, so there will still have to be some form of judgment and punishment."

Her gaze became noticeably more serious.

"But that is no longer our greatest concern."

She looked ahead as they continued walking through the corridor.

"The existence of the demons, the fact that they have already infiltrated the academy, and just how much influence they may have already sunk into this kingdom... those are matters that will require far more careful consideration."

──────── ✦ ────────

[Chapter 346: Neither Ally Nor Enemy]

Plot Points = 279,000