Holy Kingdom – Interrogation (3)

-Screech. Screech.

The brazier scraped against the floor, emitting a grating metallic sound.

Lucas gathered his torture tools and stopped before the prison cell door.

-Clack.

He gripped the doorknob.

Yet for a long while, he couldn’t bring himself to open the door before him.

“Ha… This is driving me crazy.”

Lucas now hesitated to enter the cell and face Rena.

‘What on earth is she enduring all this for?’

Each time the whip had struck, undeniable terror had filled her eyes.

So Rena wasn’t one of those rare people who enjoyed pain either.

Torture so brutal that no young woman should be able to endure it.

Rena had withstood the hell he’d created through sheer willpower alone.

Even going so far as to absurdly provoke him to continue.

Those who contract with demons or volunteer as spies usually spill everything after minimal torture.

They didn’t join hands with demons for any noble cause.

They simply wanted to fulfill their ugly desires in exchange for betraying humanity.

‘G-groan… I-In… Interrogator-nim, I’m… innocent.’

Rena was clearly different from those scum.

Moreover, she persistently made the ridiculous claim that “the Pope framed me.”

‘Ha. His Holiness the Pope framed an innocent person?’

With witnesses and testimony staring her right in the face, she still spouts this nonsense.

A false accusation of assassination is practically equivalent to killing someone – that’s how serious this is.

“Ugh… What an embarrassment.”

To be shaken by a spy’s words.

It’s been so long since his last job that these strange mistakes keep happening.

Steeling himself, Lucas opened the door and entered.

“You finally came. Judging by what you brought, are you planning to brand me with a hot iron this time?”

“You know your tools well.”

-Whoosh.

Lucas picked up the red-hot branding iron from the brazier and slowly approached Rena.

“It’s one of my favorite tools. This one will hurt much more.”

“Ngh…”

Rena flinched at the searing heat radiating from the approaching iron.

“Scared? I can stop right now if you talk.”

p>

Lucas secretly hoped Rena would confess now.

Of course, Rena’s response remained unchanged.

“This could all be resolved if you’d believe me, Interrogator-nim. As I’ve kept saying – if you can’t trust me, feel free to continue as much as you want.”

Her eyes.

Those eyes.

After years in this job, Lucas believed he could detect lies just by looking at people’s eyes.

Rena’s eyes held nothing but truth.

This fact continued to unsettle Lucas’s mind.

Reason and all evidence pointed to Rena being guilty of attempting to assassinate the Pope.

Yet his intuition screamed that Rena was innocent.

Interrogation is never easy work.

But it had been ages since he’d felt this mentally exhausted.

If he mistakenly caused an innocent person’s death, the guilt would be unbearable.

If this truly was a frame job…

‘Get a grip.’

You know how cruel demons and their spies are.

How effortlessly they lie.

And yet you’re having these thoughts?

Lucas couldn’t believe he’d even momentarily entertained such doubts.

When Lucas first became an interrogator, he’d sometimes go easy on women or children, making mistakes in proper interrogation.

Ultimately, his failure to extract information properly led to preventable incidents.

Since then, he’d vowed never to be fooled by them again.

This case wasn’t lacking evidence either – there was clear testimony.

The only thing bothering him was Rena’s defiant attitude.

“So… are you going to suddenly do it again this time?”

“Huh?”

When the lost-in-thought Lucas looked at Rena, she had slightly opened her eyes to observe him.

“I was wondering if you’d brand me unexpectedly like before. That was pretty scary.”

Rena had tightly closed her eyes in fear, but when nothing happened after dozens of seconds, she’d tried to check the situation.

“…Sure. If you want it, I’ll do it now.”

-Swoosh.

Just as the branding iron was about to touch Rena’s body.

-Thud. Thud.

Nothing ever goes smoothly.

“Hoo…”

Finally, Lucas sighed and put down the branding iron before exiting.

“Who is it?”

“Interrogator Lucas.”

When Lucas came out responding to the knock, an unexpected figure stood there.

‘H-His Holiness the Pope?’

To come here suddenly without any prior notice.

Lucas worried his earlier somewhat irreverent thoughts about the Pope might show on his face.

“Ahem. Good day. What brings you here…”

“My only business here is Miss Rena inside. Is something the matter? You don’t look well.”

“It’s nothing. I was just contemplating how to proceed with the interrogation.”

“Hoho, I’ve always trusted Interrogator Lucas’s skills. So how far has the interrogation progressed? From my perspective, it seems quite advanced.”

The Pope’s gaze fell on the bloodstains covering Lucas’s clothes.

“We’ve conducted various interrogations but… she still won’t talk. She keeps insisting it’s a frame job. My apologies – it’s been ages since I encountered such a stubborn bitch.”

“Oh my. This isn’t your fault, Interrogator Lucas. I’m well aware of your capabilities. It’s just that Miss Rena isn’t someone who breaks easily. After all, she conceived an assassination plan no one could imagine – infiltrating the Hero’s party – and actually executed it.”

The Pope comforted Lucas while patting his back.

“…Thank you.”

Lucas was moved by the Pope’s gesture acknowledging his hard work.

That such a person would frame an innocent…

Impossible.

The position of interrogator was one most people feared and avoided.

Yet the Pope always trusted him, an interrogator, and treated everyone in the temple with respect.

“May I go in briefly to check?”

“Of course. But it might be somewhat unpleasant to see…”

“That’s alright. I have some private matters to discuss with Miss Rena. Would you wait outside briefly, Interrogator Lucas?”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright alone? It could be dangerous.”

“No need to worry. She can barely move a finger in her current state, can she?”

“That’s true but…”

Indeed, Rena posed absolutely no threat.

Finally, Lucas nodded at the Pope’s request.

“Understood. I’ll wait outside then.”

“Good. This is top secret – you must not enter under any circumstances.”

**

-Thud.

The Pope entered the cell alone and closed the door. He offered a light greeting.

“Pleasure to see you.”

“…Pope.”

The dangling Rena was clearly not in normal condition.

Fingers completely mangled beyond use.

Countless whip marks covering her back.

Her entire body was smeared with blood and sweat.

“Are you alright, Miss Rena? You’ve suffered greatly. It would have been easier to give up… why did you resist?”

The Pope smiled brightly while admiring Rena’s beautiful form.

“Me give up? That will never happen.”

“I see fire still in your eyes. And since you’re speaking well, it seems the torture was insufficient.”

-Swoosh.

The Pope picked up the branding iron from the brazier and waved it.

“This should help seal your lips.”

“Ngh… Do you really think this will make me say what you want? If I get free, I’ll never let you get away with this!”

The Pope’s hand slowly traced Rena’s cheek as he approached.

“Your tone suggests you’re quite angry.”

“Wouldn’t you be angry in my place?”

-Clank!

p>

When Rena struggled, the Pope lightly stepped back.

“Hoho, pointless resistance.”

“I’ll have my revenge. I’ll make you pay for your crimes!”

Rena’s eyes glaring at the Pope overflowed with hatred.

“I’ll look forward to your revenge. Now, where shall I brand you first?”

“Do whatever you want. If I die, Jade won’t let you get away with this.”

“Hmm… Shall we start with your stomach?”

-Swoosh.

“Ngh…”

Rena tightly shut her eyes against the approaching searing heat.

“Well, you’re already thoroughly battered – no need for more.”

-Clang!

Suddenly, the Pope dropped the branding iron he was holding.

“The Hero will be visiting soon.”

At the Pope’s blunt statement, Rena’s eyes widened.

“J-Jade is coming?”

“He came to confront me about the incident this morning. Insisted you couldn’t have done it. But after I explained the truth, he finally gave up arguing. Instead, he asked to meet you. Wanted to hear it from you directly.”

“Not the truth but your ridiculous script, right? What lies did you tell Jade and Annie?”

“That’s precisely why… Miss Rena shouldn’t spout nonsense to the Hero, correct?”

-Swoosh.

A cube-shaped box emerged from the Pope’s robes.

That same artifact that had shattered Rena’s mind before.

“Y-you wouldn’t… use that again?”

Rena trembled as memories of that pain resurfaced.

“Your mental fortitude was truly impressive last time. Shaking off my suggestion in mere minutes. Things nearly went sideways. But now you’re thoroughly exhausted – resistance should be difficult.”

“…How despicable. Can’t even handle me properly without relying on tools? Your abilities are too weak for your ambitions.”

‘What an adorable provocation.’

Especially while trembling in fear like this.

The Pope clearly saw the terror hidden within Rena.

She desperately hoped he wouldn’t use the artifact.

The Pope smiled benevolently at Rena.

“Hoho, provoking me is useless. Not using available resources would be foolish. And my using this artifact shows how highly I regard you as a dangerous, remarkable individual.”

“Think I’ll lose to some tool? I’ll endure and expose your truth.”

“Oho. That would truly astonish me.”

The Pope shoved the artifact in Rena’s face.

-Huummm.

The artifact’s surface began to split open as it emitted light.

“Shall we test it then?”