16 Interrogation

Eliseline did not seem to like the answer that much. She held the blade closer to Savine's neck, drawing a drop of blood. Due to the position, Eliseline's clothes clung tightly to her body, revealing the honed and lean muscles underneath.

"Don't act smart." Eliseline growled. "Who are you? Where did you come from? Answer me!"

Savine wanted to sigh. She knew that even if she told the whole truth, the woman atop her wouldn't believe a single word.

"I know it's surprising, but I'm the person who I claim to be. But since you don't believe me for whatever suspicions you might possess… then you can tell me what those suspicions are and I'll try to explain myself to the best of my capabilities."

This was the best answer she could give. Eliseline was also actually asking very broad questions, but Savine wasn't really sure of the context.

"What do you mean?" Eliseline asked.

"For example… hmmm… you must be wondering how can I be so calm right now. I'm supposed to be a mere 12-year-old girl, but somehow, I don't even flinch at the blade on my throat."

"Alright. I'm curious," Eliseline growled. "Why don't you explain that to me?"

Savine briefly toyed with the idea of insisting she was an angel. She dismissed it reluctantly.

"In truth, I feel no emotions," Savine said. "I've always felt that there was something wrong with me from young, but I couldn't quite understand what exactly. Only recently, I realized that other people had something that was missing inside me."

"What?"

Savine smiled dully. "I feel no emotions. And I don't mean that lightly. Love, happiness, sadness, shame… none of these things are present in my head. The only thing my brain worries about is my own survival and comfort. And it's telling me now, I should remain calm and explain myself to you as diligently as possible. How convenient it is for me, my default state of mind is 'calm' after all."

Since Savine couldn't explain the true reason why she was so much more mature than others, she could only make up something more plausible. And definitely, Eliseline looked somewhat convinced.

"Do you have any other suspicions about me?" Savine asked in a dull tone.

"How do you know so much about our duchy?"

"What do you mean? Every merchant knows the situation in Fest."

Eliseline frowned. "How do you know so much about our ducal family."

"Ah, you're asking why I know you're so desperate that you're willing to overlook my words towards the bishop," Savine smirked. "Honestly, it was a leap of faith."

"A leap of faith?"

"Yes. I knew it would be troublesome for me if you actually walked up and left after my comments, but what if I was rude and you stayed? What would that mean? It would mean that you two want me no matter what. Since that's the case, why not take the risk? And thanks to you still staying after all that, I could be much more bold. If I didn't do that, do you think I could walk out of this situation as an Honorary Count's daughter?"

"You're willing to risk your life… so you can get better benefits?" Eliseline muttered.

"You exaggerate," Savine shrugged. "It's not really a life-or-death situation. Are you two really going to kill me over some words and risk revealing your identities? Perhaps the pig, but not you."

Eliseline's eyes turned sharp at Savine's insult, but she did not bring it up yet.

"I meant if you don't get our help, you will either have to become a slave mage or die."

"Ah. If I want to, I can keep my mana suppressed forever. It's not that hard since I never get overwhelmed by my emotions. They don't exist after all."

It was bullshit. Emotions didn't play any role in controlling mana, but a lot of people thought they did. It was only because when you were overly emotional, humans functioned worse, is all. And when the thing they were trying to control was mana, a foreign substance in one's body, doing it while being overwhelmed emotionally seemed completely impossible.

So it was a common misconception that keeping yourself emotionless was one way to control mana.

Eliseline, too, seemed convinced it was so. She moved on to the next question.

"Why do you call yourself God's Chosen?"

"I'm not lying. I really did meet God."

The interrogator was confused. If she was going to use that excuse, then why not use it from the beginning?

"What did God say to you, then?"

"God granted this lowly one wisdom and instructed me to save this world."

"Save the world? Save it from what? The North?"

'From yourselves.'

"This lowly one does not know, but I am positive the answer will make itself clear gradually."

There were many things she could talk about, but now was not the time. It was only going to be a waste of breath as Eliseline wouldn't even be listening to her.

As for why she was suddenly insistent that she was God's Chosen, was because she wanted to utter some truth here. She was, after all, being interrogated. Sure, she could provide false, yet spotless answers, but Savine wanted to show a bit of sincerity.

"Do you think I'm that easy to fool?" Eliseline whispered threateningly.

"Believing me is your problem. I know how I sound."

'But since I'm saying it anyway, you should understand that I'm trying to be sincere,' Savine wanted to add, but knew saying it herself was too high-key.

Though, Eliseline herself seemed to reach the same conclusion, as she fell into thought.

'Really, it's nice talking to clever people.'

By showing a bit of truth, no matter how unlikely it may sound, Savine was able to make herself look much trustworthy.

If all her answers were perfectly logical, then that would make her suspicious. It was better to mention something that Eliseline would never believe when first hearing, but something that wasn't completely out of the left field.

Savine was always naming herself God's Chosen. Her answer this time was hard to believe, but not random. And besides, there were still the inventions she created.

"If you're trying to save the world, then why are you trying to become a noble?" Eliseline continued.

Savine scoffed as if she found her question stupid. "Of course, it's because everything will be easier that way."

The body she inhibited now was too limited. Perhaps she did possess more mana than everyone on the planet and she was the strongest entity present. But her social situation was simply too sad.

Becoming rich and getting adopted into a merchant's family helped, but it was nowhere enough to actually be useful. One look at Vevian could show that. If she waited for a time when commoners could freely use mana, then she might as well wait for two more centuries.

With her working towards it, the number might drop to ten years and it would garner more piety for her, but that was simply too much work for too much time. And her situation with her mana might not even hold on for that much.

Why should she make things difficult for her when she can simply buy herself a noble title that fell upon her laps? She would be an idiot to waste this chance that the Fest duchy gave her.

Savine explained all this while cutting out the inconsistent parts.

Eliseline sounded convinced.

"I hear you were adopted by Vevian from your original family?"

"Yes."

"What do you feel… no, what do you think about that?"

"What's there to think? If I leave them and live, they'll be sad. If I die in their arms, they'll be sad."

"I thought you didn't feel things."

"Yeah, you don't have a dick, but you still know about it and its various uses, right?"

The woman's eyes turned cold as if she couldn't forgive jokes.

"Can't you talk without speaking nonsense?"

"Sigh... Just because I don't feel emotions, it doesn't mean I don't understand them. In fact, I daresay I understand them better than anyone else."

"...Fine. Next question. Why did you negotiate with me?"

"It's because you were the leader between you two?" Savine tilted her head. "It's not like I'm an idiot."

"Why did you think I was the leader when I introduced myself as High Priest and Lord Sylvester as Bishop? Explain it to me properly."

Savine sighed.

"First of all, your behaviors. He's always looking at you like he's asking for your opinion, but behind your back, he always glares at you like you're the biggest pain in the ass. Secondly, your names. Your both Fests, which means your both have the duke's bloodline. Comparing your abilities, it's not hard to deduce who's calling the shots. And finally, your mana. It's like the air is trickling into you. Compared to that pig, you're like a demigod walking the earth."

Savine wasn't lying. Eliseline was definitely one of the most powerful mages in the world, if one only considered mana capacity.

"If I noticed all this and still didn't put 2 and 2 together, I'd better just bash my head into a wall."