"Your treatment will depend entirely on your cooperation, Mr. Sirius."
Hearing Levin's words, Sirius sneered, deeply vexed at having been tricked into revealing information. He resolved to remain silent.
As a devout member of the Valkyris Church, Sirius was prepared to die for his faith. Now captured, he saw no way out and was determined not to betray his church further.
"Don't you want to know why you were caught?" Levin, losing patience, reclined in his chair, idly playing with his nails.
"Does it matter?" Sirius's anger flared at the thought, but now that he was in custody, he had no choice but to accept his fate.
But how had they known he would act on the full moon? The question gnawed at him.
However, as Sirius himself said, it no longer mattered. Knowing the answer wouldn't change anything, except perhaps to give him clarity before his inevitable death.
Just then, a prison guard entered with a dossier.
"We've found the information on Sirius Bryant."
"Thank you." Levin smiled, taking the file.
"Sirius Bryant, a native of the coastal province of the Hyne Empire, a follower of the Valkyris Church, wanted for murder, plunder, and treason. The bounty is one hundred and fifty imperial gold coins." Levin read from the document, which was a warrant issued by the Hyne Empire and shared with the Free City of Weimar. "You're quite famous, Mr. Sirius."
Sirius sneered but remained silent.
"It seems you have no concern for how your information was exposed?" Levin remained reclined, even crossing his legs nonchalantly.
Sirius stayed silent.
"Are you not the least bit curious about the traitor within your church?"
Sirius's pupils contracted sharply, but he quickly regained his composure.
"You're just trying to trick me. Even if I were interested, would you really tell me? Someone of your rank wouldn't have access to such information." Sirius spoke calmly, convinced Levin was trying to deceive him.
"Let's discuss your situation, Mr. Sirius." Levin uncrossed his legs and sat up straight. "Do you know what crimes you've committed in Weimar?"
I haven't committed anything! Sirius fumed. He had come only to scout and intimidate, yet ended up in prison.
"You haven't actually committed any crimes within Weimar, have you? Your bloodstains are all in the Hyne Empire and a few smaller countries." Levin continued.
Ellie, standing nearby, frowned slightly. She disliked Levin's method of interrogation, but with such an experienced and resistant prisoner, she refrained from intervening.
"So what? Weimar has extradition agreements with them. My fate is sealed—I'll be executed, whether it's here or there." Sirius laughed coldly. With death in mind, he had already envisioned his end.
"But no one knows we've captured you, Mr. Sirius. In other words, as long as we keep it quiet, we could detain you secretly. You've caused no harm to Weimar, so as long as you're cooperative, we could negotiate, couldn't we?" Levin spoke persuasively, as if genuinely considering Sirius's perspective.
"I won't say anything. Just kill me." A crazed smile curled Sirius's lips. "The children of Valkyris will never bare their bellies to the enemy!"
...
Ellie and Levin left the interrogation room.
"He's a cunning foe. You've worked hard, Levin." Ellie, looking pale, leaned on Levin for support as they exited, where Inspector Arios had been observing the interrogation.
"I watched the entire process. The opponent is a fanatic—the most difficult type to interrogate. Sometimes even torture doesn't work on them. The fact that you managed to extract his name and objective is a significant achievement." Arios nodded approvingly at Levin.
"Heh, just luck that he took the bait. I have to thank you for the Scroll of Truth you provided." Levin, humble, credited the scroll for the success.
"Anyone can request a scroll, but the key lies in how it's used. You capitalized on his frustration and emotional agitation after capture, tore the scroll at the right moment, and led him to unwittingly answer three questions. That's skillful interrogation, even a veteran would commend your intuition." Arios praised Levin, clearly impressed. "Keep up the good work, kid. You're still young, and with time, you'll rise to mid-level. You'll have no problem taking over my position someday."
"Oh, please don't say that, sir. You're raising me too high—I can't bear it. You've got at least a few decades before retirement, right? I'm sure you'll continue leading us to further victories." Levin, flattered, waved his hands modestly, though pride was evident on his face.
"You're overestimating this guy, Inspector. Don't praise him too much; it goes straight to his head. Look at him now—he's probably already thinking about taking your job." Ellie rolled her eyes and pinched Levin playfully.
"Ambition is good. If you do become my superior, I'll be sure to toast you then. Now, go get some rest. You've worked hard tonight." Arios patted both Ellie and Levin on the shoulder, signaling for them to retire.
"Understood, sir." Levin agreed eagerly, helping Ellie back to camp.
The members of the Eastern Fourth Squad had already returned to camp under their captain's lead after the operation. Dawn was breaking, and the sun was slowly rising.
Levin supported Ellie as they walked down the street. Seeing the setting full moon, Ellie couldn't help but be entranced.
"The full moon... so this is what it looks like? How beautiful..."
"See, I told you the day would come, didn't I? And here it is, sooner than expected. If you want to see it again, we can ask Vera to make another set next time."
"Where would we get that kind of money? A set of pure silver is exorbitant, and it's only single-use..."
"By the way, did you pick up the fragments? We could reforge them to save costs," Levin suddenly recalled, asking Ellie.
Ellie pinched Levin in frustration. "Have you forgotten everything we learned in training? Do you have any sense of counterintelligence? What if someone saw me picking them up? Do you think I'd make such a rookie mistake?"
Levin winced in pain. "Ellie, is your special leave really coming up? You seem a lot more irritable lately... Hey, stop pinching! Stop pinching! I admit my fault, alright? Officer! Officer! You can't just abuse your subordinates like this!"
A peaceful day began once more in Weimar City.
...
In a certain city-state of the Coldstream Federation, an old man, hooded, knocked on the door of a wooden cabin.
"Who's there?" a deep voice asked from behind the door.
"The blood moon is high," the old man replied, his voice weathered and authoritative.
"Welcome, Your Eminence." The door opened, revealing a hooded man who bowed to the elder.
"Is everyone here?" The old man strode inside. Though the cabin appeared small, it concealed a secret entrance leading underground.
"Just waiting on you, Your Eminence. The other bishops from the regions have all arrived." The man beside him answered respectfully.
"Heh, they're quite efficient in times like these," the old man sneered, causing the man to fall silent, fear evident in his demeanor.
Entering the hidden door, they descended into a vast underground chamber, where a round table stood at the center, surrounded by hooded figures. Only one seat remained empty.
The elder took large strides to the vacant chair and sat down, tapping the table softly twice. "Everyone is here. Let the meeting begin."
"Praise be to Valkyris!" A unified prayer resounded through the room.
"Manoranjin, what happened? How did the operation in Weimar fail so swiftly?"
"Weimar is the land of our Lord; failure in Weimar is a stain in His eyes!"
"It's not just failure, it's our most utter defeat yet!"
After the prayer, the room erupted into a chaotic mix of voices—men, women, young, and old—all discussing the capture of Sirius in Weimar.
"Enough! Silence!" The elder, the presiding bishop Manoranjin Boyks, struck the table forcefully, quelling the uproar.
"Sirius was dispatched only this month. On his first full moon, they set up an inescapable trap. Do you understand?" The elder's gaze, sharp as a wolf's, scanned each person present, as if searching for his prey.
"What? They prepared an ambush in advance!"
"Traitor! There must be a traitor!"
"Someone betrayed us!"
"We must find them, carve out their heart, and offer their blood to our Lord!"
The room erupted into turmoil once more, forcing Manoranjin Boyks to knock on the table again, demanding silence.
"I'm already investigating every possible source of the leak regarding Sirius. This operation will have a conclusion. Sirius's failure will not be an excuse for us to compromise with Weimar." Manoranjin Boyks declared with a voice that brooked no dissent.
The murmurs began again, growing louder.
"Weimar dared to plant a spy among us; Weimar will pay in blood! Sirius's death must be avenged by their guards!"
"Blood for blood! Blood for blood!"
"Awoooo!"
"Restrain that fool who just transformed!"
"Who dares to shift during a meeting!"
Manoranjin Boyks looked at the chaos below and pressed his fingers to his temple in exasperation.
This was essentially a declaration of war against Weimar. I just hope they do their jobs well, Manoranjin Boyks thought, resignedly.