RFC-ARC 5-Winter War-10 (Patreon)

Who is asking you to interview me?

[I am not supposed to give you this information and I am not strong enough to withhold my thoughts from those who will be asking me questions once we are finished.]

Someone quite important then. My stomach turns at the thought that the king himself is one of the people who can compel her to keep her silence. It’s almost funny. After concluding the mess with Samuel, I thought myself cured of my royal fears. It seems fate is set to test my convictions.

[Then, the first question. Are you loyal to the crown?]

I am very nervous that someone is asking you to ask me this.

[This is not an interrogation, Lou. There is no need to be nervous.]

I believe that you think that. However, people are tricky beasts and that is a very suspicious question.

[You are quite paranoid.]

Am I? I think I have a healthy amount of suspicion. Isn’t this normal?

[No. I have seen agents of the court less suspicious of people’s motives than you. Lou, do you trust me?]

Yes. Specifically, I know and understand your motives. Also, I happen to think you happen to be good. At the very least, I can’t imagine you screwing someone over to get ahead, least of all your allies.

[Then trust me please and answer the questions. Otherwise, a simple situation will become difficult for the both of us.]

Hmph. Alright, but only for you, Miss Talia.

Her lips twitch in that ghost of a smile of hers. [Once again, are you loyal to the crown? The truth will not harm you, no matter what it is, but a lie might.]

The truth then. I imagine I am as loyal to the crown as the next citizen. I respect the king and the royal family’s position, follow their decrees, and have no desire to undermine their rule. In fact, I’d like to have as little to do with them as possible.

[Thank you, Lou. Do you respect the law?]

What kind of—hah, forget it. I’ll just answer the question. Sure, I respect the law. As much as the next citizen. Which of course means that I obey them until they become inconvenient.

[What is your relationship with the Grimoire family?]

I reflexively scowl. Relationship. I don’t have a relationship with the Masons. I used to despise them and fervently wish for their entire bloodline to suddenly be struck with baldness and infertility. Our families have been feuding for generations.

That being said, I have recently managed to mend fences to some degree with the newest head of the family, Gordon Grimoire Jr. We…bonded over our elementals, heh.

[That is the truth, but not the whole truth.]

Do you need to know more?

[Not answering is also an answer. I assume we are moving on. What are the whereabouts of your mother?]

Confusion and shock bring my thoughts to a halt. I thought I knew where these questions were leading but my mother is unexpected. Extremely unexpected. I can’t even imagine how she relates to anything. She’s been gone for years. Most of my life. What kind of question is this?

[Do you know the circumstances of her disappearance?]

I can’t help frowning. Of course I know how she disappeared, she’s my mother. A summoning gone wrong. Whatever she called dragged her off. My father won’t tell me what, perhaps protecting me from going off on some vendetta. I can only guess she said something it didn’t like. Or it really liked. Maybe I get my charm from her. Can’t imagine it coming from my father. Amazes me he managed to convince a woman to sleep with him.

Jokes aside, what bastard is asking about my mother?

[Do not ask me to tell you, Lou.]

Because they’re going to be delving through your thoughts when we’re finished to make sure you were a good girl and didn’t divulge anything you weren’t supposed to. Hah! People associate the Grimoires with abuse of the mental affinity but the crown has been doing it for just as long. Nothing blatant, of course, but they don’t need to be. It’s all about control, isn’t it?

She frowns. [Lou…]

It’s fine, Miss Talia. I know. I don’t blame you for this. It’s just frustrating to know someone is peering at me from the shadows and using you to do it. Come on. Let’s finish this.

[Thank you. What is your opinion on the mental affinity?]

Hell of a time to ask me that question. I let out a long sigh. Despite my current distaste with this affair, the mental affinity is a tool like any other. It’s not inherently bad or evil. It is all in how it’s used and that is decided by each individual.

[Would you consider it dangerous? More so than other affinities.]

Without a doubt. The body is infinitely easier to heal than the mind. Worse, if someone is skilled, you’d never know you’d been attacked. To make it more terrifying, if the wrong person is influenced, it can have a cascading effect. Say, a high noble. Or a member of the royal family. Saints, just the thought is terrifying.

[Do you think the mental affinity needs to be regulated?]

I shuffle in my seat at the uncomfortable question. That’s dangerous ground you’re skirting. Summoning was once ‘regulated’ as you so delicately put it. Didn’t work out well for my family. It’s why barely anyone knows about the art now.

[Do you feel the same about mental casters?]

It’s the same thing, isn’t it? A potentially dangerous ability in the wrong hands. Does that mean it should be made forbidden, its users ostracized? No. You can’t ban everything that’s dangerous. How about no more swords, in case someone falls on one? No more forks either. Someone’s fingers could slip and they may stab themselves in the throat.

[Then, if you don’t think it should be banned, what is the solution?]

Simple. Lay down the rules, fair ones or at least as fair as you can manage. If someone breaks them, take them down. Everything will be fine as long as you’re better than the bad guy.

[And what if that doesn’t stop bad guys, as you put it? You may stop one but can you stop the next and the one that follows? The more lenient the law, the more that will be inspired to break it.]

I sneer. Frankly, in that case, you’re not doing a good enough job. No one but the bravest and most desperate should even think about breaking the law. They should be too afraid to dare try. Power conquers all. The one with the most power dictates how it’s used. Simple as that.

Miss Talia’s communications pause. I don’t dare cast a mental spell to confirm, not with two other powerful casters in the room who might notice, but I bet she’s talking to someone else. Most likely the person telling to ask all of these annoying questions. Cheh. I have a good idea who it is, or at least who they belong to, which is the only reason I’m not having Bell search out their identity.

After a few minutes, Miss Talia straightens up. Her features harden. Her neutral expression is the same but it’s stiff, as if she’s forcing herself not to react. Silly woman, that only makes it obvious that you’re uncomfortable with something.

[Lady Tome, an offer has been extended for you to join the interrogators. Should you choose to accept, you will immediately be given the title of countess and after faithfully completing your duties for a period of ten years, be granted a parcel of land under your authority. Additionally, you will receive a salary of 500 gold crowns during your two-year training period to be raised to 1200 gold crowns once you have become a full-fledged interrogator. If you accept, you will have three days to put your affairs in order before departing to Summer Spire.]