Ch.78Forced Interrogation Is Dangerous (1)

At the current moment, the Italian Hunter Association was in complete chaos.

“Do we have the results of the mana extraction yet?”

“We’re still short on medical personnel. We need more support.”

“Yes, Team Leader. The exact casualty count is still being tallied. The damage is so widespread that…”

A large-scale magical terrorist attack in broad daylight. Due to the damage, various agencies were flooded with civilian reports, and media outlets were racing to cover the incident.

Joao, the head of the Pantheon Guild who had dispatched numerous elite forces to suppress the terrorism, slammed his fist on the desk in outrage.

Bang!

“How can this be happening? More than half of the guild members I sent out were severely injured or killed. Wasn’t the Association’s response completely inadequate?”

Yet even as he shouted, Joao knew. He knew that those who caused this incident possessed extraordinary abilities.

“I have nothing to say about the results. But right now, our priority is to get the situation under control. I need your cooperation.”

“…”

After a day had passed and the situation had somewhat stabilized, the Association called the heads of various agencies for an emergency meeting.

“Who exactly are these people? Despite the large-scale magic used, we didn’t detect anything unusual until it was activated.”

“They’re bold and intelligent. They must have been meticulously planning this for some time.”

“…Seven hunters ranked B or higher were taken down. Their combat abilities must be beyond our imagination.”

If an awakened group of that caliber existed, they would have been caught in the Association’s information network.

In other words, it was reasonable to assume that they had revealed themselves for the first time, and unfortunately, Italy had been chosen as their stage.

“What about testimonies from survivors who witnessed the perpetrators?”

“Some are still in shock, so we’ll have to wait and see, but it appears they fled after accomplishing their objective, with the exception of one casualty.”

Whirr.

The beam projector activated, displaying a corpse on the screen. It was Eric.

“Based on testimonies, this person has been confirmed as one of the perpetrators. Identity verification revealed him to be a returnee from the UK who had been reported missing.”

“A returnee?”

The situation was becoming increasingly confusing.

“While the exact purpose is unknown, there are testimonies suggesting they were attempting to conduct some kind of ritual. Additionally, hunters from another country who encountered the terrorists are currently being investigated. The one confirmed death is presumed to have occurred during combat with them.”

“…Those would be the ones who were arrested previously, I presume. Suspicious indeed.”

“Yes, that’s correct. While we can’t be certain, there’s a strong possibility they have some connection to the incident.”

“Since the mana extraction yielded no results, they’re currently our only lead.”

In this frustrating situation, everyone present either sighed or clicked their tongues.

In the end, they could only reach one conclusion.

“We must not hastily hand over the suspects to their home countries. Extract as much information as possible.”

“…Yes. Understood.”

And so, time continued to flow.

#

Michele, a B-rank hunter belonging to Italy’s awakened management organization established after the ‘Day of Change’ for special purposes, groaned while clutching his head in a troublesome situation.

‘Damn it, I’m going to lose my mind.’

Currently, persons of interest in the so-called Brenner Terrorist Attack were being detained here.

Though they were called persons of interest, they were half-suspects who might have direct connections to the terrorism.

Following orders from above, they were being kept in isolation for questioning to secure testimonies, but there had been no significant progress. If anything, stress levels were only increasing.

Click.

When he pressed one of the buttons in front of him, the voice of an irritated woman immediately came through.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I joined my companions after everything was over, so I don’t know anything. Does this country always treat innocent people like this?”

The multiple screens Michele was watching were connected to rooms where each person of interest was being held.

Pressing another button, he heard the voice of a man expressing his frustration.

“More meaningless questions. I was being held captive, understand? I’m just a victim. I was almost sacrificed in that ritual or whatever it was. Hey, whoever’s watching through that camera. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Indeed, investigations showed that after entering Italy, the man’s whereabouts had been mysteriously unknown for some time, as if he had been kidnapped. His disheveled appearance when found also supported his testimony.

“…What can I do? I’m not enjoying this either.”

Coincidentally, these people with no connection whatsoever to Italy were at the center of the incident. Either way, suspicion couldn’t be dismissed.

Michele, who had been silently watching the screens, sighed deeply and pressed another button.

It was for the room where the Korean girl, currently his biggest headache, was located.

Click.

“Hey, are you coming to your senses? If you remember anything, please, just tell us.”

The subordinate interrogating her looked completely exhausted. Although he was only watching through the screen, Michele deeply understood how he felt.

“…Sleepy. Bed and blanket.”

“Didn’t you just have a good sleep? If you don’t cooperate, the situation will only get more complicated.”

“Who are you to… tell me what to do…?”

Bang!

The girl, twisting her upper body, slammed the table, causing the subordinate to look at her with an incredulous expression.

“Damn it! How many times do I have to tell you that you’re suspected of being involved in a large-scale terrorist attack? Stop this ridiculous act already.”

“…So noisy. I want to sleep.”

“…”

Although her blood alcohol level was normal, the girl continued to act as if she were completely intoxicated.

In a way, she looked like a drunk on the street, but she was a B-rank hunter from Korea. If it was an act, casualties could occur in an instant, making the situation exhausting for those dealing with her.

‘…I really don’t understand what’s going on.’

Meanwhile, the girl who had been dozing with her head on the table suddenly got up and mumbled with half-closed eyes.

“…Wanna see something cool?”

“What?”

Whoosh.

Crackle!

“Ta-da. Table melting… magic.”

Thud.

Leaving the subordinate who had jumped back in shock, the girl collapsed on the floor again and fell into a deep sleep.

Michele wiped away cold sweat and shook his head.

‘…This is hopeless.’

As he gathered all his subordinates and sank into contemplation, an unexpected visitor appeared.

Click.

“Are you the head of the special operations department?”

“…Who are you?”

“I’ve come under orders from above. From now on, we’ll proceed our way.”

“What? Has this been properly arranged?”

Flick.

Silently tossing his mobile phone, the man sat in Michele’s place and continuously sent radio messages to someone.

“It’s me. Extract the information as planned.”

Simultaneously, listening to the voice of a superior coming from the phone, Michele could only remain silent with a dumbfounded expression.

#

Trione, a former member of Hades and now Baek Eunha’s subordinate, clicked her tongue softly at the frustrating situation.

‘I didn’t expect them to approach like this.’

It was a method that could certainly raise issues later, but the other side seemed to be in a hurry as they refused to release them.

‘…This is troublesome.’

While Baek Eunha and Joseph might not have problems, the truth was that Trione had been on the same side as Hades, who were now being treated as terrorists.

Even though she had carefully hidden her activities, if they were determined to dig deep, something might be uncovered.

Therefore, as Trione maintained complete denial, someone with an intense presence suddenly appeared before her.

Click!

“Who are you? I haven’t seen you before. This area isn’t for unauthorized—”

“I’ve come under orders from above. To extract information instead of you incompetent fools.”

“What?”

The man who couldn’t even argue against that menacing presence was driven out, and the intruder who blocked Trione’s path immediately drew upon his mana and spoke.

“I don’t intend to waste time.”

“…”

“If you know anything, it’s better to spill it all while I’m still being nice.”

“You people are frustrating. Haven’t I been saying all along that I don’t know anything?”

To Trione’s response, the man slowly approached and let out a small laugh.

Grab.

“…What are you doing?”

The man who had grabbed Trione’s hair applied slight pressure as he continued.

“You seem to misunderstand. I’m telling you to recall any information that might be helpful, even if you think you don’t know anything.”

“Ugh.”

Sensing hostility, Trione also applied force, but she couldn’t easily break free from the pressure.

Even with her mana operation ability reduced by restraints, she was still a high-rank hunter-level expert, which meant her opponent must possess considerable strength as well.

‘…They want to take action before interference from other countries arrives, is that it?’

As she frowned, Trione recalled something she had forgotten and asked with a sense of dread.

“…Are you people doing the same thing elsewhere?”

“Heh, you seem quite relaxed. This isn’t the time to worry about others.”

At the man’s answer, Trione made a sour expression and continued.

“Stop it right now.”

“If you spit out useful information, I’ll pass on the message.”

“That’s not what I mean. You may not know, but if you mess with that madwoman…”

However, it seemed it was already too late.

BOOM!

Rumble.

Looking at the building that began to shake with a tremendous explosion, Trione could only sigh.

“…We’re in trouble.”

Without any way out, it was the moment she became an accomplice to another terrorist in a different sense.