Chapter 62: A Calculated Interrogation and a Noble’s Frustration

“That’s your own doing; I couldn’t control it. Still, your acting was quite convincing; you almost had me fooled.”

[……]

“But then I thought about it: how could that wicked, trashy researcher, Nuonuo, ever utter such righteous words? How could she possibly act like some innocent maiden, talking about atonement or compensation?”

“Considering that, it could only be an act, couldn’t it? You wanted me to help you deal with this person, right?”

Ling Xing nudged the fallen Combatant with her foot.

The unconscious Combatant’s pupils were unfocused, their expression blank and listless as they lay on the ground, a mere puppet to be manipulated.

That was Nuonuo’s psychic ability, or, to put it more simply and commonly, it was hypnosis.

Unfortunately, everyone present was a girl, so this ability—which might otherwise have shone in certain peculiar circumstances—couldn’t be put to any strange uses here.

[What kind of image do I really have in your mind, anyway…?]

An unassuming crow flew down from the alley wall, alighting on Ling Xing’s shoulder.

Its eyes still glowed with a faint red light, fixed on the unconscious Combatant.

This was how Ling Xing had defeated them. Naturally, Ling Xing possessed no skill that allowed her to see behind her, nor could she react to an unseen foe out of thin air.

However, this crow, a familiar given to her by Nuonuo, could see what was happening behind her.

As long as the distance wasn’t too great, Ling Xing could control this familiar crow, gathering information through its senses.

This had been one of Ling Xing’s most frequently used pieces of combat gear back when Nuonuo was still by her side.

Almost every time she went on a mission, Ling Xing would bring Nuonuo’s familiar construct along, and while she was at it, she’d chat and boast with Nuonuo through the familiar’s psychic link, just to pass the time.

“Hmm… probably the kind of trashy person who’s opportunistic, prioritizes beauty over friendship, is lazy and gluttonous, constantly creates problems they never solve themselves, but then turns terrifyingly clever and calculating when it’s time to use their brain?”

[……]

‘She was being stared at.’

Though Ling Xing couldn’t see behind her, she distinctly felt… a resentful gaze piercing her back.

‘Oh, perhaps I did go a little too far.’

“More importantly, you noticed it, didn’t you, Nuonuo?”

‘I’ll apologize to her later. For now, I’ll just change the subject and revel in the satisfaction of having seized that opportunity to speak my mind!’

“Even though the Allied Forces are supposed to be allies of the Magical Girl Organization, the surveillance personnel who appeared after we left the tower were actually members of that ‘Dark Organization’.”

[Hah… indeed. Considering the distance we’ve covered, it’s safe to assume they had us under surveillance even inside the tower.]

Nuonuo sighed softly. While she knew Ling Xing was trying to change the subject, it was clear that the actual matter at hand was more pressing.

The Magical Girl Organization, which was supposed to protect her and ensure her research findings were handed over to the Allied Forces,

appeared to have some connection with the ‘Dark Organization’ that sought to kidnap and kill her.

This meant that even if she huddled within the tower, neither she nor her research would be safe.

“We’re being unilaterally spied upon. They know our every move and situation perfectly, yet we don’t even know who they are—”

Ling Xing leaned down, half-crouching before the unconscious Combatant, and poked her cheek.

She removed the combat suit’s matching mask, which concealed her identity, revealing a face… belonging to a spirited woman bearing battle scars.

Beyond that, there were no other significant findings.

Ling Xing briefly tended to her wounds with some simple bandaging.

Then, she reached into the Combatant’s tight-fitting suit, searching everywhere, patting down her entire body, but found nothing that could prove her identity or affiliation.

All she found was a spiritual talisman, still warm from body heat, used to trigger touch-based spells, peeled from her lower abdomen, and a communication device.

[At least we have a breakthrough. If I question her slowly, I should be able to extract some information.]

No matter how resilient the opponent, they were insignificant before psychic magic.

However, carefully guiding them to reveal valuable information from their dazed state would take time.

Interrogation isn’t a simple task where, like in some works of literature, a single action immediately makes the subject completely compliant and spills everything; it’s a process of gradual extraction.

“Hmm…”

But, as expected, it was still too slow.

Ling Xing disliked the current situation—this feeling of being unilaterally drawn into other people’s affairs, of being completely pushed along by others.

She was Ling Xing, an elite Combatant; she should be the one taking the initiative!

Ling Xing clutched the talisman in her hand.

“I have a better idea, Nuonuo. Make me something.”

****

Outskirts of the city, abandoned villa district.

Before the war began, this villa district had once been synonymous with luxury in the small city, an upscale community composed of beautiful, detached villas.

However, since the advent of war, it had remained uninhabited for a long time.

Now, one could only imagine its former splendor by observing the various meticulously crafted decorations and exterior structures that remained.

These derelict buildings weren’t ordinarily noteworthy, but if one were to point out something…

It was the fact that one particular villa stood out, completely at odds with the surrounding desolation.

Its slightly faded walls had been entirely repainted just days prior.

Inside and out, even during the day, all the lights were ablaze, and even the rampant withered grass and stray branches had been meticulously trimmed.

Anyone unaware would assume a family had always resided there.

Of course, only those unaware would think so.

It was merely a place that had been hurriedly renovated and decorated by a dispatched crew working overtime in recent days.

Inside, there were still many old-fashioned furnishings and trinkets that clearly belonged to a bygone era.

Especially to the discerning Kuonji Mashiro, this noble young lady.

Even the slightest flaw stood out glaringly to her.

“Useless! After all this preparation and wasted time, you couldn’t even deal with a single Allied Forces squad!”

The noble young lady paced the study, her expression one of profound displeasure.

Before her lay a colossal sand table, a perfectly scaled replica of the local terrain.

Flanking the sand table stood… samurai clad in combat suits.

Each person stood with their head bowed in unison, adopting a subservient posture befitting the young lady’s reprimand.

This display of compliance, however, only made Mashiro’s imperious, aristocratic face twist even further.

“No one refuted her, no one reacted… it made scolding them utterly unsatisfying!”

“Get out! Don’t offend my sight, you disgraceful wretches! Useless! Vermin!”

The young lady’s hand hammered furiously on the tabletop.

Her gaze swept around the room, shining like a torch.

With every tap on the table, every glance she cast upon an individual, someone would nod nervously in affirmation,

then timidly turn and scurry away.

Each of them was an elite among elites, capable of matching even some D-rank Magical Girls who weren’t specialized in offense in terms of firepower.

Yet here, in this moment, they wouldn’t even utter a single complaint.

They were the young lady’s sharp blades, the samurai of the Kuonji family.

Serving the Kuonji was their entire destiny.

Even if it meant abandoning their honor and transforming into lowly Combatants for a wicked organization.