"I can't believe there would actually be someone willing to approach Flatta..."
Croix sighed.
Although he didn't mind going out every night with Dekan and Cornelia these days, he couldn't help but feel that Dekan had a peculiar way of thinking.
Dekan: "A skilled jungler will always lurk in unexpected places to ambush the enemy."
Croix: "Were you sure she would appear?"
Dekan: "I didn't know, but my life experience told me to wait like this. I won’t lose anything if I don't catch her, but if I do, it's a big gain."
Croix: "???"
Meanwhile, a black cat gracefully leaped to Dekan's feet.
"Flatta finally threw that card into the river, meow."
"Oh? The kid has broadened his horizons."
"After you've messed with him like that, he wouldn't dare to come back for more trouble, meow."
"I call this leading by example and reforming a wayward youth."
"Ah, go to hell, meow!"
This was Dekan's deal with Teacher Cat. He promised to let Teacher Cat experience a Shadow World once, and in return, Teacher Cat helped him track Flatta.
So, for the past couple days, Teacher Cat had been hiding in Flatta's shadow and using its magic to convey information to Dekan.
Every day after school, Dekan would take Cornelia and Croix to a spot not far from where Flatta was located.
"What should we do next?"
"We need to influence her, and we'll rely on you, who has the kindest heart in our team."
Dekan patted Croix's shoulder.
Then the two of them went downstairs together.
They couldn't jump down as stylishly as Cornelia.
Although Croix could perform some flashy wind magic tricks, Dekan didn't feel it was safe.
It was better to use the stairs.
When the three of them, along with the cat, met again, Cornelia had successfully brought the prey to the basement of a small house that Dekan had rented. All as planned.
Dekan had made some simple renovations and reinforcements to the basement.
And when Dekan arrived, he also used the “Soundproofing Magic” borrowed from Mielle.
...
After an unknown amount of time, the woman finally regained consciousness.
When she opened her heavy eyelids, she found herself sitting in a chair.
Her hands were handcuffed.
And during her unconsciousness, she must have been injected with something.
Her head felt heavy, and she couldn't summon any strength.
There was a large bruise on her back, and the residual pain from the previous blow that had knocked her unconscious still made her uncomfortable.
She tried to lift her head and saw a square table in front of her. Behind the table sat two people.
On the wall behind them, there was a row of words: "Confession leads to leniency; resistance leads to severity."
Dekan leaned back in his chair, holding a cup of tea in his hand, occasionally blowing on the hot surface.
Beside him, Croix had a pen in hand, ready to take notes.
It seemed that they noticed the woman waking up, as a strong spotlight was suddenly directed at her face, causing her to instinctively close her eyes and avoid the blinding light.
"You... you..."
"Do you know why you're here?"
Dekan put down his tea cup, examined her with a faint expression, and asked calmly.
"You can't do this! I know my rights!"
The woman's voice trembled, but she tried to maintain a brave and strong appearance.
She was trying to act like an innocent citizen.
"Keep pretending."
Dekan slapped a card on the table.
"We have both physical and testimonial evidence. You, a member of the Resurgence Church, dare to talk to me about rights?"
This card was the one the woman had given to Flatta at the time and was later discarded by Flatta. It was secretly picked up by Teacher Cat.
"But, you still shouldn't take matters into your own hands!"
A playful look appeared on Dekan's face as he watched her. His lips curled up slightly.
"What are you talking about? A woman accidentally falls into the river and is later found to be a member of the Resurgence Church. Tomorrow's newspapers will report it like this."
Hearing Dekan's words, the woman gradually began to feel uneasy, and her face grew paler.
She believed that Dekan was really capable of doing something like this.
Thinking back, how did Dekan catch her in the first place?
Everything was so suspicious.
Clearly, it was Dekan who was in the light while she was in the shadows.
Could it be…
She now had some frightening speculations in her mind, but she dared not continue thinking further.
It was an abyss she couldn't fathom.
The more she tried to touch it, the more irreparable it would become!
She was filled with fear and regret now.
Why did she have to provoke this guy?
Escaping now seemed almost impossible.
Dekan took another sip of tea, estimating that the Resurgence Church member had probably realized the seriousness of the situation.
So he leaned forward, placed both arms on the table, and tapped the tabletop to draw her attention.
"I hope you understand your situation; can you speak up now?"
"If you talk now, I'll listen immediately and spare you the suffering."
"If you don't talk, it doesn't matter. The three of us should have thoroughly investigated your methods."
After saying this, Dekan summoned the "Ruined Poet" and then patted Croix's shoulder next to him.
"I won't betray the Church!"
The woman gritted her teeth.
Her face was pale, her eyes tightly shut, and her body trembling.
Even if she could survive by betraying the Church, what awaited her would be a fate even more terrifying than death!
Moreover, she didn't believe that Dekan would easily let her go after extracting information from her!
Dekan shook his head helplessly.
"Cornelia!"
Cornelia nodded in understanding.
She appeared beside the woman, grabbed her chin and then stuffed a rolled-up wet cloth into her mouth.
"Croix, start with an ice spell, then a fire spell. If she still doesn't confess, use wind magic."
Then, in the woman's terrified gaze, Croix, with a complex expression, got up, approached her and aimed his wand at her.
This was the "Wand of Terror" that Dekan had crafted for Croix.
It was the same model as Cornelia's "Battlehammer of Terror." Although it didn't provide any attack bonus, it doubled the pain inflicted.
The woman's eyes became extremely fearful, her body kept trembling violently, and her eyes bulged.
"Wuuu!"
She was filled with horror and helplessness, but now she couldn't even beg for mercy.
The basement was filled with frost, followed by bursts of flames.
And the most piercing and miserable screams.
First, it was the freezing hell, and then the fiery hell.
Whenever she was about to pass out, she would be awakened again by the excruciating pain that was almost breaking her nerves.
What was even more frightening was that she was quite sure that there were no signs of her body breaking down. Instead, even the bruises on her body had been healed.
It seemed that this kind of pain could continue endlessly until Croix's magic ran out.
"Is this enough?"
Croix, following Dekan's instructions, completed the treatment and turned to Dekan.
"It's amazing. Just thinking about how your talents were almost wasted at this school makes me shudder."
Dekan praised Croix's healing effects.
With a teammate like this, what more could one ask for?
