Chapter 225: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Prisoner Interrogation 1

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Thus, the tumultuous negotiations with the “Legitimate” faction came to an end. They had been negotiations fraught with mental strain, but the gains were significant as well. We obtained an accurate map of the entire Liseben Peninsula, as well as militarily critical information such as Elfenia’s population and troop numbers. Furthermore, the lingering question of whether oil was buried beneath elven territory was also resolved.

Elven lands—at least within the sphere of influence of the “Legitimate”—almost certainly had oil seeping up from the ground. They had shown us the liquid explosive they used as an accelerant in their fire attacks, and it undeniably carried the smell of petroleum-based volatile fuel.

We had been given a small sample, which I planned to hand over to an alchemist later for analysis, but… This liquid explosive seemed to be the same sort of substance as the so-called Greek fire once used by the Eastern Roman Empire and the like.

“Now then…”

After returning to the city of Carrera and dealing as quickly as possible with the urgent matters that needed immediate attention, I headed down into the basement of the lord’s manor. What lay there was a jail. Since this manor functioned as a military facility, it naturally had facilities for holding prisoners and the like.

That said, it was a relatively peaceful time at the moment. Only a single person was being held in the underground cells. She was an elven soldier from the “New” faction, captured during the battle at the “Legitimate” settlement.

“Please be careful. She’s an extremely violent one.”

The guard who escorted me here said as much. The elven prisoner had only been transported from the “Legitimate” settlement by wyvern barely an hour earlier, but apparently the transfer had been quite an ordeal. According to the wyvern knight who handled the transport, it had felt like carrying a feral beast.

“Yeah, thanks. I’ll call out if anything happens.”

After replying to the guard, I turned my gaze toward the elven soldier. Beyond the iron bars, she sat directly on the floor with a sullen expression. I had ordered beforehand that no restraints be used, so she was completely unbound, not even wearing handcuffs.

“Hey. It’s been two days.”

Standing before the bars, I spoke to her while trying to maintain as friendly a smile as possible. She was the elven soldier I had choked unconscious on the battlefield. We were not strangers, at least.

“…What a disgrace! To lose to a man, and then suffer the humiliation of captivity!”

The elven soldier shouted in a voice filled with hatred and struck the iron bars. A guard hurriedly drew her sword, but I stopped her with a hand gesture. Though she wore no handcuffs or leg shackles, she did have a special bracelet equipped that interfered with magic activation. No matter how much she struggled, breaking the iron bars was impossible.

“To suffer such shame, I cannot go on living! Return my sword to me and let me cut my belly!”

…In other words, “Kuh—kill me,” huh. Those were lines straight out of a beautiful elf maiden captured by the enemy… Well, I suppose she was literally a beautiful elf maiden captured by the enemy. Still, elves practiced seppuku, apparently. Were they samurai? Perhaps the culture of ferocious warriors did not differ all that much, even across worlds. It was rather fascinating.

“I have no intention of sullying your honor either. If you wish to commit seppuku, I will grant that wish.”

In any case, this was an interrogation. Since we had gone to the trouble of capturing a prisoner, I needed to extract every bit of information I could. But in her current state, there was no way she would listen to anything I said. Half-hearted torture would only backfire. After all, elves were people who had endured starvation while fighting a prolonged civil war. Their endurance was likely extraordinary.

So I decided to employ the North Wind and the Sun strategy. If it was difficult to force information out of her, then I would instead try raising her favorability. Surprisingly, this method often worked.

“But before that, how about a drink?”

Grinning, I placed a wine bottle with a solid thud in front of the iron bars. This was clearly something she didn’t expect. The elven soldier’s eyes widened as she let out a strange sound.

“…Huh?”

“You think you can loosen my tongue with alcohol? You don’t honestly believe my mouth will get lighter from something like that, do you?”

I absolutely do.

Of course, I didn’t say that out loud. I shook my head side to side, putting on an offended expression.

“Of course not! Even among elves, there must be customs of showing respect to a worthy warrior. I was deeply impressed by how you fought the other day. Brave and bold! Truly a model of a warrior.”

“O-oh…”

When I praised her directly, the elven soldier scratched her reddened cheek, looking not entirely displeased. She didn’t seem accustomed to praise. Hmm, she looked easy to handle.

“Though I am a man, I am also a martial artist. When I see my ideal embodied before me, I cannot help but admire it. If you intend to die by seppuku, then before that, at least allow me to treat you to a drink.”

“If you put it that way, refusing would be rude. Very well… I’ll accept.”

Good, good. It was working. Elves all seemed to like alcohol, after all. If you dangled a bottle in front of them, even a prisoner would want a drink. I understood completely. I was a drinker myself after all.

I poured wine into a cup I had brought and handed it through the small serving hatch into the cell. The elven soldier grabbed it roughly and drained it in one go, practically pouring it down her throat. That was a fairly expensive vintage, I would have preferred she not drink it so wastefully.

“Here, have another.”

She silently returned the empty cup, so I filled it again and handed it back. Then I poured the same amount into my own cup and sat down on the dungeon floor.

“Since we’re drinking together, won’t you at least tell me your name, brave warrior-dono?”

“…Rike Schlant.”

She answered in an extremely curt tone, but the corners of her mouth had loosened slightly. Wow, she was about three times easier than expected. Praise really was effective.

“Oh, Rike-dono. I am Albert Blondin. It will only be for a short while, but I look forward to your company.”

“…Mm.”

Rike-dono nodded slightly and brought the cup to her lips. Seeing that, I called out to a nearby attendant soldier.

“Sorry, but could you bring some snacks?”

“Yes, right away.”

The attendant trotted out of the dungeon and quickly returned carrying a tray with two steaming wooden bowls. I took it and shoved one toward Rike-dono.

“…I haven’t fallen so low as to accept charity from the enemy.”

She pushed the bowl back with an irritated look. She hadn’t eaten for over a full day, but still…

That pride and endurance were exactly why elves were strong. I admired it sincerely, without irony.

“No, Rike-dono. This is not charity. If I failed to offer food to someone drinking with me, I would be condemned as ill-mannered. For the sake of my honor, please accept it.”

“…I suppose I have no choice. Just this once.”

With a sulky expression, Rike-dono accepted the bowl. She sniffed its aroma and her stomach growled audibly. Her characteristically pale elven cheeks instantly flushed bright red. As if in frustration, she began wolfing down the army stew piled in the bowl.

……

Just as planned. I smiled broadly in silence. This was a kind of experiment. More specifically, I wanted to see how docile an elf would become once food insecurity was removed. Elves were notoriously savage, but I suspected chronic food shortages were the cause. Prolonged hunger frayed the mind, and a lack of sugar dulled even one’s thinking. Conversely, if provided with sufficient food, perhaps their aggressiveness could be suppressed.

This was still only a hypothesis, but if proven, it could open a path toward coexistence with the elves. It was worth testing. Rike-dono would serve as the sample for that experiment.

“There’s plenty more where that came from. Go on, eat as much as you like.”

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