"No, it's not him," Levin declared with absolute certainty.
"It's really not him... So, that means there's more than one werewolf prowling around Weimar City..." Aryos mused, deep in thought.
This seemed like an opportunity for Levin. If they could confirm that this was the werewolf from that day, Aili would be completely in the clear.
Even if the captured werewolf denied it after regaining consciousness, as a criminal, the testimony of Levin and Aili, both police officers, would carry far more weight.
To be blunt, if this were the Hain Empire or the Coldblade Federation, Levin would have immediately pinned the blame on him. But this was Weimar City, where every criminal trial was conducted under the watchful eye of a representative from the Council of Sages, and any suspicious detail would be thoroughly investigated.
Trying to be too clever here would only backfire.
Moreover, if there was another werewolf lurking in the city...
Could it be that the Valkyris Church was truly planning something?
If that were the case, Aili's transformation might only be a small signal of a larger invasion by the Valkyris Church into Weimar City.
Even if the Valkyris Church wasn't planning a full-scale invasion...
Couldn't Levin find a way to make it happen?
"Levin, you did well today," Aryos said, finishing his thoughts as he patted Levin on the shoulder. "But you know, your actions today were technically a dereliction of duty. You were supposed to be stationed in District Three of the Eastern Quarter, weren't you?"
Levin felt a bit awkward. At the time, he had thought the transforming werewolf was Aili and hadn't considered much beyond that. Had he known it wasn't Aili, he wouldn't have involved himself in this mess.
"Well, sir, I figured that no one else in the other districts was prepared with silver weapons like I was. Wouldn't it have been a shame if we let the culprit slip away after all that effort?" Levin scratched his head and laughed nervously in explanation.
"Don't give me that," Aryos shot Levin a sidelong glance. "It wouldn't have been a waste of time. Keeping the citizens safe from this dangerous creature is a victory in itself. Even if the werewolf had escaped, our operation wouldn't have been a failure. Your merits this time will offset your demerits, but don't think you're getting out of writing that report."
"Huh?" Levin stared at Aryos in disbelief.
"What's with the 'huh'? You think you can avoid writing a report just because you left your post without permission? Enough talk, come help me get this guy into the prison for extraordinary beings," Aryos said, gripping the werewolf's left side and motioning for Levin to take the right.
"Alright, alright, whatever you say, boss..." Levin sighed in resignation and helped Aryos lift the gray-furred werewolf, guiding it toward the special prison in the city designed for extraordinary beings.
Due to their transformations, werewolf criminals were notoriously difficult to control, so they were always placed in prisons meant for mid-level extraordinary beings. These prisons were equipped with anti-magic fields, and the prisoners' food was laced with mana toxins to ensure that whether they were spellcasters or warriors, they would find it difficult to resist.
After Aryos flashed his inspector's badge, the guards at the extraordinary beings' prison opened the doors for them. They registered the werewolf's prisoner number and threw him into the cell.
As far as Levin was concerned, once the prisoner was in the prison, it should have been the staff's responsibility to handle him. However, due to the scarcity of extraordinary beings, no nation or government could afford to have them on 24-hour duty for prisoner intake, so it was legal for the capturing extraordinary being to escort the prisoner into the prison.
The prison had shackles made of pure adamantine, reinforced with enchantments by the mages of the Council of Sages. Even a high-level extraordinary being would find it difficult to break free. The enchantments were powered by mana crystals, ensuring their effectiveness didn't diminish over time.
Once they had secured the gray-furred werewolf with restraints and locked him in a steel-forged cell, Levin and Aryos exited the prison.
Although they had captured a werewolf, the Full Moon Operation was far from over.
As Aryos had said, the ultimate goal of the Full Moon Operation was to protect the citizens of Weimar City from werewolf attacks. Given Levin's testimony, Aryos suspected there was more than one werewolf in the city, so everyone remained on guard.
Levin was also sent back to his own district to continue his watch.
This was destined to be a long night, but the most difficult and dangerous moment had already passed for Levin and Aili.
As the long night wore on, Levin, bored, opened his system panel to take a look.
[Deception Successful!]
[Mythic Trickster Points Earned: 45]
[Current Rank: 2 (45/1000)]
Huh? When did I gain 45 points?
Levin curiously opened the deception log.
He discovered that he had gained 10 points when he overtook the agile police chief.
The rest had come from the battle and his interaction with Aryos.
So, using [Mythic Trickery (Agility)] to accelerate had actually brought his speed up to the level of a mid-level extraordinary being?
This was useful information that could be exploited. He could use this to bluff people in the future.
I wonder how Aili is doing?
Meanwhile, Aili was slumped weakly in a chair. Today had been exhausting for her—so much so that she didn't even need to put on an act. She genuinely felt like a female officer who deserved a special leave of absence.
When Aryos returned to the command center and saw Aili still lying there, looking half-dead, he felt a pang of guilt and approached her. "Uh, Aili, would you like me to get you a cup of hot water?"
"No... thank you, sir... Just let me rest a bit... Did you catch the werewolf?" Aili asked, somewhat curious.
Aryos nodded, "Yes, we've captured him. Once the Full Moon Operation concludes, he will be interrogated overnight."
"That's good… as long as he's caught…" Aili exhaled deeply, but then something seemed to occur to her. "Can I take part in his interrogation?"
Aryos was momentarily taken aback. "Well… technically, it's not out of the question... Since it was your team that first uncovered the leads during this operation, it makes sense for you to handle the interrogation. But are you sure you're up for it, given your current condition?"
Aili nodded. "I'll be fine, sir… Just need a bit more rest…"
Seeing her determination, Aryos relented, "Alright, once the Full Moon Operation is over, I'll take you and Levin to the prison to question the werewolf."
...
Cyrus felt like luck had completely abandoned him.
A month ago, the bishop of the Valkyris Church had summoned him, entrusting him with a sacred reconnaissance mission.
Without even asking what the target was, he had accepted without hesitation.
Then the bishop told him it was Weimar City.
Cyrus immediately regretted his decision, but by then it was too late to back out, lest he become the next blood sacrifice.
He steeled himself—Weimar City it is. After all, it's not like they eat people there.
Oh right, I'm the one who eats people. Well, that's settled then.
I've heard the city's security is rather lax. I'll just hide out, slaughter a few during the full moon, and then lay low until the next one. It shouldn't be too difficult, right?
With experience in scouting several small countries, Cyrus was counting on his luck.
Other nations had been like this, and with Weimar City's security being somewhat lax, it shouldn't be too hard to evade capture.
But who would have thought that the first month after his arrival, they would set up a dragnet?
Aren't you supposed to be a trade city? Doesn't a curfew hurt your economic growth?
I haven't even killed anyone yet—what's the rush?
Could there be a traitor within the church? How else would they know I planned to act during this full moon?
Cyrus was now shackled in the extraordinary beings' prison with specially made silver chains, facing interrogators whose faces he couldn't make out.
"Name," one of the interrogators, a woman, asked as the other, a man, took notes.
"Your father," Cyrus spat.
"Uncooperative, huh? No matter, you'll confess soon enough," the male interrogator sneered. The two interrogators exchanged a glance, nodded, and the man produced a magic scroll, muttering an incantation before tearing it open with a swift motion.
"Zone of Truth!"
With his shout, an invisible force spread through the prison, pressing down on Cyrus with an intangible mental weight.
"Name!?" This time, the interrogator was the man, his voice sharp and commanding.
"...Cyrus Bryant." Cyrus had intended to spout another false name, but to his shock, his mouth involuntarily uttered the truth.
What kind of magic is this? Cyrus was taken aback. He had faced mages before, and with a werewolf's resistance to magic, those who could only cast arcane missiles or burning hands had often become his prey. But this kind of spell, which forced the truth from someone, was a first for him.
"Why are you in Weimar?" the interrogator demanded.
"...To scout Weimar City." The moment Cyrus opened his mouth, the truth spilled out again.
"Who sent you!?"
"...The bishop." Cyrus suddenly realized something was wrong.
"From the Valkyris Church?" the interrogator pressed.
Cyrus fell silent.
D*mn it, this spell doesn't work if I don't speak?
Do you Weimar City people not care about wasting magic scrolls? Just tearing them open without a second thought!
"Levin, it seems he's figured it out," Aili remarked, glancing at Levin. She was reminding him that his little trick had been uncovered.
Weimar City law forbade torture and coercion in interrogations, and the use of truth serums was heavily regulated.
So, Levin could only request a magic scroll that functioned as a lie detector—a Zone of Truth scroll.
This scroll, crafted by a mid-level mage from Weimar, exerted mental pressure that was hard to resist unless the target was stronger than the caster. Anything spoken within its influence would be the truth.
It was a simple trick to counter; just stay silent or avoid answering directly. For example, if asked about the weather, one could say they were full, which would also be a truthful statement.
But Cyrus clearly lacked experience, and under Levin's psychological suggestion, he had accidentally revealed key information.
[Deception Successful!]
[Mythic Trickster Points Earned: 10]
[Current Rank: 2 (55/1000)]
Levin glanced at the system panel and smiled faintly, "No worries, with just these three pieces of information, it's enough to report back."
"But the kind of treatment you'll receive, Mr. Cyrus, depends entirely on your cooperation."