The Case of the Serpent and Scorpion

Chapter 11: Interrogation

Vana's POV

The mother continued to lower her head at us before leaving, the little girl waving at us as they get off the ship. Jerome and I waved back at the girl until they disappeared, lowering our hands as our minds snap back to our reality.

“This is great and all, but why does it feel like we’ll be punished instead of being rewarded?” I mused, glancing at Jerome.

“Because we’ll definitely be punished,” Jerome said. He took a step away from me, walking off the ship as he heads to the docks.

“He looks composed for someone who’s going to be punished for leaving the school grounds,” I mumbled, following him as I head to the docks.

I passed through the soldiers heading to the ship, making my way to the infirmary tent. Its not like I have any wounds or injuries. It would be better to wait there and be fetched by my brother, than wait outside and act like a hero lost in thought.

“Why did you follow me?” Jerome grumbled, seeing me walking behind him inside the infirmary tent.

“No reason. I planned to be here as well,” I answered, giving him a blank gaze.

“You’re suspicious,” he mumbled, his eyes turning into slits at me.

“Says the person who snuck out of academy grounds for no reason,” I retorted, rolling my eyes at him.

I sat down on one of the chairs inside the waiting area, crossing my arms against my chest as I growl. How dare he suspects me when I’ve done nothing but help him in this case. I’ve done nothing against him either.

Or is it because he has a grudge against our guild that he’s acting this way towards me?

In the academy, he never acts rude to anyone. We have classes together. I know how he interacts with them, and he’s usually nice and playful to them. So, why the heck is he giving me this cold treatment.?

I never cared about the conflict and rivalry between our guilds. Me and my brother never cared about it for a single bit. I have no grudges against the members of Golden Scorpion, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for Jerome. Its almost as if he’s most affected by the conflict.

I leaned back on the chair, scoffing as I wait for my brother or any of the wizards to come and escort us. Judging by how the King of Ashern, and the Chairman of Ashern is here, the incident became a much bigger ordeal that I thought.

Which also meant that Jerome and I would be talking and be questioned personally by them. The thought sent a chill down my spine, my nerves making my hands tremble. Being questioned or interviewed in a room is also like being interrogated. At least in my dictionary.

And I had bad memories about being questioned and interrogated.

The openings of the tent rose up as a figure lifted it from the outside. My brother and a recognizable lady entered the tent, searching for us in the crowd. Storm saw me on the corner of the waiting area, approaching me as he ushers the woman next to him.

The woman was Ms. Angela. My eyes widened, recognizing the fair skin, black hair, and jet-black eyes she has. My body flinched, straightening up as I feel her authoritative presence across the room. Jerome straightened his back after noticing them heading towards us, gulping in his spot.

“The two of you follow us. We’ll need to hear everything that you have to say,” brother announced, glancing at me. “And I want the both of you to tell the truth about everything. Everything.

Jerome and I were escorted to a building a few blocks away from the infirmary tent. The pavement was crowded with soldiers, most trying to contain the crowd of journalists and townspeople that flocked on the harbor, while some of them are patrolling near the small building we were heading to.

The building was surrounded by a protective barrier judging by the strong aura enveloping it. We were led inside the building, making our way to the second floor, in a room divided in half by a glass divider.

I gulped as everything happened in a spam of minutes, not giving me time to comprehend and sink it in my mind. I finally realized we were about to be questioned. I halted on my step, recognizing the people waiting inside the room. Their eyes turned at me with a blank stare, a shiver running down my spine.

There were a number of people in the room, two of which has the highest position in the kingdom. The king of Ashern, King Gregory is present in the room, alongside his aid and Minister of Finance and Defense, Yuna Melissa.

My head automatically lowered down as I show my respects, greeting the King through a bow. My voice never came out, my throat drying all of a sudden as I search for the words to speak. Jerome did the same, bowing his head down as he shows his manners.

We were escorted through another door that leads to the other side of the room. It was the area divided to the rest of the room, a glass, air-tight divider parting the two sides of the room. The door is also made of wood and iron, tampered with a little bit of protective magic.

The room was lighted with dim, white lights above us, the walls were painted with a thin later of gray paint, the concrete brick texture evident over the layer of paint. There were two chairs prepared inside the room, with a table and a chair sitting in front of it.

It was a proper interrogation room. The building must have been the guard station of the harbor. Jerome and I sat on the chairs facing the glass divider, facing the people on the other side of the room.

Besides the King and his aide, some of the people on the ship earlier is also present in the room. Brother left the room as he leaves Ms. Angela with us, joining Ms. Christine and Mr. Alfred on the back of the room, behind the king.

The people on the other side of the divider observed us with wary eyes, sending an awkward and intimidating tension inside the room. I fidgeted on my seat, uncomfortable of the stares given to our direction. My eyes averted in all direction, unable to focus on a single thing.

Ms. Angela sat on the chair across the table, blocking our sight. She had a stoic, blank look on her eyes, her expression cold like what you’d expect of an Underworld General. No one knows about that information; it was my brother who told me.

She stared at us for a moment, before asking us a question. I jolted my eyes on the divider behind her, noticing the holes on the glass. Half of the room was air-tight, and the only way the other side can hear from the other is through the glass’s small holes.

“Before anything else, I need to confirm your names. According to the information given to me, your names are Vana Farasol and Jerome Gallamon, correct?” Ms. Angela begun.

“Yes, that’s correct,” I answered. Jerome only nodded as a response.

“What are the two of you doing on the ship on the time of the hostaging?” Ms. Angela asked, heading straight to the point.

“Trying to take a nap,” I said.

“Sightseeing,” Jerome answered.

“Okay. I won’t ask why you’re not in the academy despite being students there. We’ve confirmed from the academy that the two of you are students there, so you can’t tell us that you’re not,” Ms. Angela stated, clearing our status of being academy students.

“It’s not like we’re trying to hide it…” Jerome murmured.

“You did used your magic to save the hostages once. I’ll give that credit to you two. But according to Storm, the two of you believe that someone else is behind all of this,” Ms. Angela replied, acknowledging our heroic actions.

“Yes, we do believe there is a mastermind,” I stated. “And I believe that I gave my brother the lacrima the bandits used to call him.” I glanced over the divider, darting an eye on Storm beyond it.

“You mean this,” Ms. Anegla flicked her fingers I the air, opening a small pocket of shadow next to her. Her magic rose in the air, shadow dancing around her as she summons her power.

She pulled a ziplock bag out of the shadow, revealing the lacrima encased inside the bag. Ms. Angela set the lacrima on top of the table, showing the item to us. “This lacrima is what you’re talking about,” she wondered.

“Yes, I actually used the lacrima to track the number the mastermind used,” I explained. “I don’t know if you examined it, but if you did, I suggest making a call using that lacrima on the latest number on the history log.”

“The number might have been changed, so our testimonies won’t be believable or trustworthy,” Jerome added.

“Why would you say that?” I exclaimed, turning at him in disdain.

“I’d be honest than trying to prove my testimony,” Jerome remarked.

“You should try your best to plea your case to your academy deans, not to us,” Ms. Angela mentioned, creating a thin line on my lips and a drip of cold sweat down my neck. “Continuing… who is the mastermind?” she asked, gazing at us with curious eyes.

I heaved a sigh. “Reynolds McValeri. He’s the mastermind. The communication lacrima is not the only clue in this case that can point this case to him,” I answered.

Ms. Angela’s eyes turned into slits, leaning forward as I caught her attention. She propped am arm on the table, willing to listen to me. “Go on,” she demanded.

“We found connections about Reynolds McValeri through the bandits and the ship. Reynolds McValeri is know to be the master of Clashing Seasons, yes? He’s also the owner of the ship we boarded and the company where the ship belongs, though only a few people knows about it, making it more suspicious,” I explained, laying out the foundation.

“The bandits who incriminated the ransom have the emblem of Clashing Seasons on their bodies, and even the ship’s crew have the same emblem,” Jerome continued, pointing out obvious evidence.

“Both the ship’s crew and the bandits having the same emblem means they are both being led by the same person. And as already established, Reynolds McValeri is the master of the said guild,” I explained, connecting the dots.

“The clues do not end there. The ship is owned by McValeri, making it easy for these bandits to sneak inside the ship. In general, it is pretty easy judging that there are two academy students who managed to board it unnoticed,” Jerome pointed, trying to dig our graves.

Would he shut up about us and the academy for a second? The more he mentions it, the more we’ll be in trouble. The worse that could possibly happen to us is be expelled.

Mr. Alfred snorted at the side comment Jerome said, receiving him a dull look from the rest of the people in the room. “I’m sorry, please continue with what you’re doing,” he apologized, but didn’t mean any of it.

“And guess where the ship is located when their operation took place,” I mused, continuing.

“The open borders of the four kingdoms,” Ms. Angela muttered.

“Yes, a free for all location that when used cleverly, it could lead to territorial conflict and inner suspicions,” I muttered. “The strategy was overly detailed that the two people playing as their leader can’t be capable of.”

“With that disguise, I’m surprised they got this far,” Storm retorted from outside the divider, commenting.

“Someone had to be pulling the strings. It was cleverly executed, and I don’t think Camillo or Camilla can be able to lead that many people without some of the rebelling,” I continued.

“Camillo and Camilla are those who pretended to be Mr. Storm and Vana, the ones who called you and negotiated wit you,” Jerome interfered, explaining whose names I mentioned belong to.

“And feel free to ask the passengers when Camillo received a call from the mastermind. I’m sure they saw him talking obediently talking to someone on the lacrima,” I added, ending my testimony.

“Seems convincing enough,” Ms. Angela commented as she leans back on her chair. “What do you think, everyone, besides Storm?”