Croix's expression was filled with inner conflict, but he eventually smiled helplessly.
This was the first time his teammates had asked him to use magic without any reservations.
It was quite peculiar.
He, who had been deeply entrenched in self-doubt since childhood, was experiencing the feeling of "I was born with a purpose" for the first time.
After the treatment, the woman's clothes were soaked.
Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the sweat as they flowed down her cheeks.
Although her eyes seemed somewhat vacant, there was still a flicker of determination deep within them.
It was a desire for survival that came from the depths of her soul.
"So, do you want to continue? Next up is wind magic. You’ll be able to experience the sensation of every inch of your skin and flesh being cut, and of course, it's twenty times the pain," Dekan asked with a smile.
Croix's attack magic didn't cause substantial damage or physical harm. Instead, everything was converted into equivalent healing.
This was why Croix, as a support healer, had explosive healing output.
Without considering other functional aspects, his healing output was several times higher than that of priests of the same level.
However, Croix's healing came with excruciating pain.
For example, his fire magic wouldn't leave burns on a person's skin, but the pain of being burned by flames would be fully experienced by the recipient.
His wind magic wouldn't sever a person's body, but it would make them vividly feel the pain of their body being cut.
That had always been considered one of the side effects of Croix's abilities.
But in Dekan's eyes, that was Croix's greatest talent!
He had even amplified this pain to twenty times its usual level.
"Ugh!"
The woman shook her head frantically.
She didn't want to endure that torture for another second.
"Alright, let's talk some more."
With Dekan's command, Cornelia removed the cloth from the woman's mouth.
Instantly, she began breathing heavily, like someone who had just been rescued from drowning.
Dekan didn't rush to interrogate her; he gave her a moment to catch her breath.
Only after he was sure that she had recovered did Dekan begin questioning her.
The scribe, Croix, was also prepared.
"What's your name?"
"...Ourola."
"Age?"
"...24."
"When you answer, please be quicker. Do you know what time it is now? You're keeping us teenagers up late here. Can you live with your conscience?"
"???"
Are you really doing teenager stuff here?
"Your undercover identity in the capital, your address, your position in the Resurgence Church, your superiors, and any internal information you know. I advise you not to lie, or you'll bear the consequences. Don't blame me for not warning you."
...
The interrogation continued for an hour.
Ourola became extremely cooperative and provided a lot of information.
The Resurgence Church had multiple bases in Norton Kingdom, with the largest one located in a border city.
However, the location of the main base kept changing, and Ourola didn't know its current whereabouts.
Because the Resurgence Church didn't dare to infiltrate the capital, where many powerful individuals resided, they only had a few intelligence agents stationed there.
These agents didn't know each other's identities and appeared no different from ordinary civilians.
Only one superior communicated with them individually.
And their primary objective in Norton Kingdom now was to recruit Dekan.
Or, should he refuse to join them, eliminate him.
"It's quite interesting. I only had the idea of eliminating the Resurgence Church by chance, but they actually targeted me directly. Evil strikes first," Dekan mumbled to himself.
This statement startled Croix.
"Dekan, are you serious? Do you really want to eradicate the Resurgence Church?"
"Of course, otherwise how can we get rid of them once and for all?"
Croix was left speechless for a while, considering that the Resurgence Church was an evil ancient organization that even the Kingdoms Federation struggled with. As an individual, avoiding their interference was already a challenge, but Dekan was thinking about wiping them out entirely from the start!
However, soon, Croix's expression turned serious.
"Dekan, if you're serious, I'll definitely assist you. I have always been at odds with them! It's not an exaggeration to say it's a deep-seated hatred. I just felt I didn't have the ability..."
But now, there was someone here who could fully utilize his abilities.
"Then it's settled. Let's set a small goal: to eradicate the Resurgence Church. Cornelia, what about you?"
"Yeah!"
Listening to the conversation among these three people, Ourola's back started to sweat again, and her sticky clothes made her feel even more uncomfortable.
If these three weren't crazy, they would surely become the biggest disaster for the Resurgence Church since its establishment.
Dekan suddenly remembered something.
He took out a vial of potion and approached Ourola.
Ourola's eyes filled with terror once again.
Was it time for them to silence her for good?
"Don't worry, this is a truth serum. I'm going to ask you the same questions again to confirm the accuracy of the information."
"Why didn't you use it earlier?"
"I just wanted to give you a chance to confess willingly first, to see if you truly surrendered from the bottom of your heart."
On one hand, he wasn't sure if this potion was reliable. On the other hand, Dekan wanted to test if Ourola had genuinely submitted to them earlier.
With that said, Dekan injected Ourola with the serum made by Mielle.
Ourola didn't struggle; she had given up any resistance.
Over the next period, Dekan went through the interrogation questions again, based on the records Croix had taken earlier.
"All right, except for lying about your age by three years, everything else is true."
His words brought a faint blush to Ourola's pale face, although her eyes held a hint of embarrassment.
"Originally, you only had one choice - to go to the capital's prison."
"Most likely, you would be sent to the Kingdoms Federation for further interrogation."
"Although their interrogations are many times gentler than ours, they certainly aren't as easy to talk to."
Ourola's mouth twitched.
She had never seen anyone so "easy to talk to."
"But, due to your honesty, you now have another choice."
"You can join our church, and then I will release you."
Dekan continued speaking, then looked at Ourola, waiting for her response.
Ourola seemed to be doubting if she had misheard something.
"Your church?"
"Yes, we, the ‘Rejoice Church,' believe in love and peace, with the goal of bringing smiles to everyone. If you choose to join, you will be our advanced spy infiltrating the Resurgence Church. I will do my best to assist you and help you climb higher."
