Chapter 16
After obtaining permission to conduct the interrogation through Ernst, Daniel headed to the military police station near Headquarters after work.
After informing the administrative clerks handling the paperwork that he had obtained permission to interrogate the prisoner, he entered the interrogation room, where the interrogator, who had been puffing on a cigarette, sprang to his feet in surprise.
“Ah! C-Captain Daniel! I’ve been waiting for you!”
Sergeant Wendelin, the interrogator, hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette and saluted.
It was a somewhat awkward salute, but Wendelin’s body was so rigid that Daniel tilted his head.
“Why are you so tense……?”
From Wendelin’s standpoint, he had no choice but to be tense.
Who exactly was the man standing before him, Captain Daniel Steiner? He was a monster who had received two accelerated promotions before even completing six months of commissioned service.
Receiving two accelerated promotions at General Staff Headquarters was practically the same as having his promotion to field-grade officer guaranteed.
Thus, Wendelin, who was nothing more than a sergeant, was showing loyalty to a future field-grade officer.
Still, from Daniel’s perspective, Wendelin’s rigid posture seemed almost excessive.
The sight made Daniel click his tongue. He felt as if he were looking at a recruit in basic training.
“That’s enough. You can lower your hand now.”
“Understood!”
Having shifted into an attention stance, Wendelin took one crisp step to the side.
He meant that, since Daniel had arrived with authorization to conduct the interrogation, he was handing over the interrogator’s seat.
Daniel gave Wendelin an uneasy look, then faced forward.
Through the one-way glass installed for security, Daniel could see a prisoner sitting at a table in the interrogation room, his hands cuffed.
The gaunt-looking man wearing battered glasses was named Reginald Harrington.
He was a member of the Allied Nations and had been an elite officer who had even worked for Intelligence when he was a junior officer.
‘That meant…….’
It was equivalent to knowing how to contact the Allied Nations from within the Empire itself.
Thus, Daniel’s plan was as follows.
1. Build a relationship with Reginald Harrington to tear down his wall of suspicion.
2. Once they had grown somewhat close, tell him that I wanted to leave the Empire and seek asylum in the Allied Nations.
3. Contact the informants inside the Empire whom Reginald knew and devise an escape route.
4. Arrive in the Allied Nations with Reginald, receive decent treatment, and live a happy life.
It was a truly flawless escape plan.
Nodding confidently, Daniel turned to Wendelin and spoke.
“Sergeant Wendelin. Have you made any progress?”
“Pardon? Ah. He’s incredibly tight-lipped, so he hasn’t answered no matter what I ask. Even after trying to persuade or threaten him, he just keeps his mouth shut. It’s becoming a real problem.”
“I see. Then would you mind if I tried interrogating him?”
Wendelin nodded.
“Yes. Since you’ve obtained permission, there’s no reason I should refuse. I’ll open the door for you.”
Wendelin took a key from his waist and opened the steel door to the interrogation room.
Daniel gave him a brief nod of thanks, then stepped inside.
Once Wendelin confirmed that Daniel had entered, he closed the interrogation-room door. Hearing the noise, Reginald Harrington slowly raised his head.
Reginald’s eyes widened when he realized that the person who had entered the interrogation room was Daniel.
“You…… You bastard!”
Clank! Reginald heaved his upper body as if he were about to break free of the cuffs binding him to the chair, but Daniel merely raised an index finger to his lips with a calm expression.
He pulled out a chair and sat down across the table from Reginald.
Aware that Wendelin was watching them from the other side of the glass, Daniel took a dossier from the briefcase he had brought with him.
The dossier contained Reginald’s personal information, provided by the Imperial Intelligence Bureau.
“Name: Reginald Harrington. Rank: major, commanding officer of the 107th Assault Battalion of the Allied Liberation Front. You’re from the Kingdom of Eldresia, and your hometown is Bambaryl Province in the south of the kingdom. Correct?”
Reginald merely glared at Daniel without answering.
Seeing that, Daniel shrugged and reached out a hand.
“Good. From this point on, I’ll interrogate you my way.”
Deliberately emphasizing the words ‘my way,’ Daniel switched off the microphone installed on the desk.
Ordinarily, the microphone was not supposed to be turned off during an interrogation, but since Daniel had emphasized that his method was different, Wendelin would not come in to protest.
“Good. Now that I’ve turned off the microphone, no one outside will be able to eavesdrop on our conversation. So why don’t we talk a little more comfortably, without worrying about information leaking out?”
“……You’ve got me in handcuffs and you’re asking me to talk comfortably? I suppose this is how the Empire makes jokes.”
As expected, having a friendly conversation right away was out of the question.
Then he had no choice but to be direct.
“Reginald. I hear the Imperial Northern Army made you several favorable offers, but you rejected them all. It seems you still haven’t changed your mind about wanting to return to the Allied Nations.”
“You’re stating the obvious.”
“Good. Then I can help you in several ways. If you cooperate fully, you might even be able to see your wife and daughters back home.”
Cold sweat formed on Reginald’s forehead.
Daniel had meant it as an offer to join hands, but from Reginald’s perspective, it could only look like a threat involving his family.
Taking a deep breath, Reginald spoke in a trembling voice.
“……Do you know where my family is?”
Daniel nodded.
“Yes. I know not only where they live and what they do for a living, but even the name of their dog. ‘Archie,’ isn’t it? A golden retriever.”
As Daniel recited the information he had heard from Imperial Intelligence, Reginald’s eyes widened.
“How could you know even that……?”
“There’s nothing to be surprised about. Just as the Allied Nations conduct intelligence operations against the Empire, the Empire conducts intelligence operations against the Allied Nations.”
Daniel suddenly remembered one more thing and spoke calmly.
“Oh, and one more thing: I heard your daughter, your eldest, Sophia, has started taking piano lessons. Her dream was to become a pianist, wasn’t it?”
Taking a page from Ernst’s book, Daniel thought talking about family was a good way to grow closer.
‘It’s working.’
From Daniel’s perspective, Reginald had calmed his anger and was listening attentively.
Wanting Reginald to see him in a more friendly light, Daniel spoke with a faint smile.
“From what I’ve heard about your family, you were devoted to them. I wish I’d had a father like that. I’m an orphan, you see. I know very well how difficult life without a father can be.”
A line of cold sweat trickled down Reginald’s forehead.
Daniel’s words had been spoken without any ulterior motive, but to Reginald, they sounded like, ‘Do you want your daughters to live without a father?’
And he had said it while smiling so casually.
“I-I…….”
Reginald groaned and raised a hand to his forehead.
After forcing his ragged breathing to calm, Reginald swallowed hard and spoke.
“Give me…… Give me time to think. Please.”
Huh? Already? Daniel, who had wanted to build a little more rapport, found himself in an awkward position.
Even so, Reginald was expected to remain here for the time being, so they would have plenty of time to talk in the future.
Thinking they could have another conversation later, Daniel rose from his seat.
“All right. Well…… I’ll see you next time. Is there any food you’d like to eat?”
Reginald shook his head.
Seeing that, Daniel shrugged and walked toward the door.
He heard Wendelin bring over the keys and unlock the door from outside.
While waiting for the door to open, Daniel suddenly turned back toward Reginald as if he had just remembered something.
“Oh, Major Harrington? Come to think of it, your daughters are quite pretty. They really take after your wife.”
Daniel had spoken out of sincere goodwill, but Reginald was seized by overwhelming fear upon hearing those words.
‘My daughters…… What the hell are you planning to do to them?’
At Daniel’s loaded remark, Reginald felt his heart pounding as if it were about to burst.
His heart was beating wildly because the tension and terror had reached an extreme.
Unaware of Reginald’s feelings, Daniel raised a hand and smiled.
“Then I’ll see you again next time. I’m counting on your full cooperation then.”
Before Reginald could answer, the steel door opened.
Reginald helplessly watched Daniel leave through the steel door, then soon began hyperventilating, his eyes trembling with fear.
‘A-A demon…….’
With his eyes wide open and tears streaming down his face, Reginald screamed silently.
‘That man is undoubtedly a demon sent by Satan!’
*
The next day.
As usual, I was eating with Ernst in the officers’ mess when I suddenly paused.
Wendelin entered the mess and looked around as if searching for someone, then walked straight toward me.
Wondering what he wanted, I set down my utensils, and Wendelin saluted.
“Thank you so much! Captain Daniel Steiner!”
I was dumbfounded by the sudden thanks.
Ernst seemed just as puzzled, because he merely stared intently at Wendelin as if wondering what was going on.
Aware of the attention, Wendelin lowered his hand and explained what had happened.
“Right after Captain Daniel Steiner interrogated him, Reginald Harrington said he would cooperate with the Imperial Army. He says he’ll hand over all the information he knows!”
“Oh! Is that really true?”
Ernst picked up the conversation with a delighted expression, but I only felt as if my mind had gone blank.
‘……Why?’
I distinctly remember the atmosphere being pretty good yesterday.
I couldn’t make sense of it at all.