"I don't know... not even that," Benji said, his voice lower than before.
"The only thing I was told by the leader was to infiltrate the Empire and retrieve information... I was also trained to control this monster as part of my mission."
Benji's gaze drifted toward the caged creature, which let out a mournful whimper. Despite following orders to command the monster, Benji seed to have a soft spot for it, displaying a certain tenderness in his deanor.
Luke studied Benji’s face closely, trying to read him.
"So, you have no idea who the leader took the job from or where they live?"
"That's right."
There was no sign of deception in Benji's response. He looked more troubled than anything else—perhaps worried that his lack of useful information might lead Theo to retract his promise to spare his life.
Theo seed to co to the sa conclusion, as he simply muttered, "I see," without pressing further.
"Benji, do you have any idea where your leader is now?" Theo asked.
"I don’t know. But they’re likely close to whoever commissioned this job," Benji replied after so thought.
"The leader prefers to stay near the client when taking on major jobs, just in case sothing goes wrong. When they accepted the job to lend military support to mvern during the war, they went there personally."
This ant that if they could locate the leader, they might also identify the one behind the current situation. However, there were no clear leads to track the leader’s whereabouts.
"That’s the most critical piece of information," Calon murmured, his face clouded with worry. A heavy silence fell over the room. The revelation that soone had aid a blade at the Empire’s heart was shocking enough. Not knowing who was behind it made even the first steps toward resolution feel impossible.
"Benji, could you pretend you haven’t been captured and try to contact the leader?" Luke suggested.
Benji shook his head firmly.
"The leader would already know I’ve been captured. The mana in my body belongs to him—he’d sense if I was rendered unable to fight or captured."
"You could lie and say you escaped," Luke pressed, leaning forward without realizing it. Seeing Theo lost in deep thought was starting to get on his nerves. Benji, however, seed even more intimidated, pressing himself into the back of his chair.
"Actually… before being brought here, I tried using my communication crystal to contact him, but I couldn’t get through. He must have realized what happened and cut ties. Even if everything is exposed, he can fra this as sothing I did on my own and wash his hands of it."
"What a despicable bastard," Luke muttered, slamming his fist lightly on the table. Benji flinched again, even though he wasn’t at fault for Luke’s frustration.
"The leader is thorough. Even if it’s not his mana inside , he might still have tracked the mana location of my crystal," Benji explained hesitantly.
If that was true, it was possible the leader already knew Benji had been taken to this branch. What they thought was a captured tail might have already been severed long ago.
"That’s it," Theo suddenly spoke up.
"Benji, you said the leader could trace the mana in your communication crystal?"
"Y-yes."
"Then we can reverse the trace to find their location."
Luke stiffened at Theo’s suggestion, the thod feeling all too familiar. Theo turned to Luke with a knowing look.
"It’s the sa thod you used to uncover the Marquis of Harnus smuggling military supplies to mvern."
Back then, Luke had infused his own mana into a crystal Veil had intended to use for the transaction. By matching the mana in the crystal with that in the counterpart crystal during the exchange, they had pinpointed its location.
"Benji, since the mana in your body originates from this so-called leader, we might be able to use the sa technique," Theo explained.
"It’s worth a try," Luke said after thinking for a mont. If successful, they could not only locate the leader but also uncover the mastermind behind the entire sche. Benji seed to agree, nodding slowly.
"Then let’s do it right now. Bring out the crystal," Luke said, tapping the table with his hand.
Benji hesitated, fidgeting nervously.
"Uh... about that... to use this thod, I’d have to channel the mana inside into the crystal, right?"
"That’s correct."
"Ah, but I used up all my mana in the fight with you… It'll take at least two days to recover."
Luke thought back to the battle. It had been intense, to say the least. He had been determined to capture Benji, believing him to be the key culprit, while Benji had fought desperately to escape the life-threatening force that Luke exuded. It was no wonder his mana was completely drained.
"Then we’ll attempt the thod as soon as your mana recovers," Theo said casually, though he felt a twinge of guilt. Had he known this would happen, he wouldn’t have pushed so hard during the fight. His impatience to resolve the case and put it behind him had led to unnecessary aggression.
The interrogation proceeded smoothly after that. Benji disclosed the number and locations of the monsters he had deployed in the Empire. Fortunately, since he hadn’t been in the Empire for long, the monsters were still confined to the western region.
Once the interrogation concluded, it was decided that Benji would remain under surveillance and detention at the branch. Though transferring him to the headquarters would have been the standard protocol given the gravity of the situation, Theo reasoned that keeping him nearby until all the western monsters were retrieved would be more efficient.
Moreover, if Benji’s mana recovered before then, they would imdiately attempt the reverse-tracing thod to locate the leader. For now, the matter was settled.
As Calon moved to escort Benji out, Luke stopped him with an outstretched hand.
"Sorry, but I need to have a word with him alone."
Calon glanced at Theo, silently seeking permission from his superior.
"Keep it short," Theo said, rising from his seat. "Five minutes."
"I know," Luke replied.
Theo left the room with Calon, leaving Benji behind. The boy shot Luke a pleading look, as if to say, Are you really going to leave alone with this scary man? But the door shut firmly with a loud thud, cutting off any escape.
"That testimony, if entirely true, is troubling," Calon said as they walked down the hallway.
"Indeed. Whoever is behind this is no ordinary figure. Calon, from today, assemble a search team to locate the monsters in the western region. Focus on including those skilled in detection," Theo ordered.
"Yes, Commander. And what will you be doing?" Calon asked.
Theo paused, glancing briefly toward the interrogation room where Luke remained.
"I need to be present when Benji’s mana recovers and we attempt the reverse-tracing. Once we gather leads, I’ll return to headquarters."
This ant Theo would need to stay in the western region for at least two more days.
"In that case, we can arrange accommodations—"
"No need. I have my own place to stay," Theo cut him off firmly.
Calon’s brow furrowed in confusion. He couldn’t help but notice that Theo had avoided using the branch’s facilities since arriving. The mystery of where Theo was staying piqued his curiosity.
It felt like a personal question, and Calon hesitated to ask. But just as he resolved to speak, the interrogation room door swung open, and Luke erged.
Theo gave Luke a quick once-over, noting the oddly relieved yet complicated expression on his face. Then his eyes flicked toward the room behind Luke.
"What? Did you think I beat him up or sothing?" Luke asked, exasperated.
"No harm in checking," Theo replied evenly.
"I just had an honest conversation, alright? Even I wouldn’t beat up a kid who’s not even an adult yet."
"Luke, feeling defensive? I was just verifying," Theo teased.
"Ugh, forget it... I’m too tired for this," Luke muttered, letting out a deep sigh as his shoulders slumped.
Calon observed this exchange closely and noticed sothing. Theo, who had been tense and sharp throughout the day, seed to relax slightly during this brief interaction with Luke.
"I’m heading ho," Luke announced, turning to leave.
"Luke, what did you talk about with Benji?" Theo asked.
"That’s a secret. If I wanted to share, I wouldn’t have asked you to leave," Luke replied, brushing past Calon and heading down the corridor.
Theo caught up to Luke, pestering him with questions about their conversation and even inquiring if Luke’s arm was still in pain. Luke answered curtly, clearly irritated, as Calon trailed behind them, blinking slowly.
Even in a branch far removed from headquarters, there were stories shared as if they were established facts across the Empire’s military. One of them was about the relationship between Theo and Luke.
The two had once been rivals.
Though things had changed, it was well-known that Theo and Luke had clashed over the position of military commander.
"How odd. Commander Theo and Luke… seem awfully close," Calon murmured under his breath.
"Maybe I’m just exhausted," he muttered, rubbing his eyes as if to dispel the thought. Then it struck him—he hadn’t asked Theo about where he was staying.
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