OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 165: Interrogating The Leaf III

"What matters is if you wish to return home alive..."

"You see, although you're an Elite, your parents love you, yes? It is quite unusual, families

like yours usually have a lot of infighting, but you're the only child..."

"It would make sense for them to place such a high level of importance on you."

Stepping closer to her, Emir continued:

"But even so, it seems that you weren't important enough to warrant them showing weakness; after all, doing that would lose the family more than just its face but its standing."

"So now that you understand the current circumstances you're in, I've got a few questions to ask of you..."

Aria's face contorted into a mix of anger and defiance, her usual retorts and challenges forming on the tip of her tongue.

But before she could let her words fly, something in the man's demeanor gave her pause.

She watched, her anger momentarily forgotten, as he casually played around with a long rifle in his hands, almost as if it were a mere toy.

With a sudden movement, he shifted his grip on the rifle, holding it firmly by its stock, the muzzle now aimed directly at her head.

The cold metal of the gun gleamed menacingly under the dim light of the cavern.

"Do you?" He repeated.

|| ||

Aria's face started to bead with sweat, her bravado melting away as she took hesitant steps backward in her useless attempt to press herself into the cave's rough wall.

Emir's patience had run thin, and he didn't give her another chance to evade the question.

He closed the distance between them and forcefully shoved the rifle's muzzle right into her forehead.

The cold metal against her skin sent a shiver down her spine, and the sensation of her skull almost being crushed was enough to make her voice falter.

"Ugh... I-I understand..." Her words came out in a stammer, her voice trembling more than her body as her facade of confidence crumbled under the weight of the situation.

"Good!" He said, his hand leaving the Aetherstorm Launcher and letting it rest on his body. "If you cooperate, you might get out of this alive..."

"So, the first question is, do you know who exists above the UEF and the Elite?"

Her face contorted in thought for a moment, and seeing that, Emir warned her:

"I've got a lie detector on me, you Elite know how those work..."

Appearing to have completely given up, she sat back on the ground and let out a groan of defeat.

'Naive and gullible...'

'I guess they're kids, Elite or not. Though I expected them to be a bit more...'

'Maybe those novels with every kid being a genius affected my thinking.'

"I don't know Dad never told me about these things." She said, not able to look him directly in the face, or rather in the mask.

'So it's true...'

The novel did in fact truthfully mention that they needed to pass a test devised by the elders of their families in order to take the mantle off the family's head.

"Have you been told about the test yet?"

Her face jumped up in surprise as she looked at him for a moment, only to look away again, afraid of angering him.

'Carrot and stick. It works every time.' He snickered inwardly.

"Yes... My dad told me after I ascended..." She voiced out, her words quiet.

"I see." He said simply.

"Does your father talk to you about the family's state of affairs? And do you know what relations you lot have with the Big 8?"

"H-he doesn't. I can't tell you what I don't know..."

'I know that. I didn't kidnap you to get those answers after all.' He added in his mind.

"Alright, thanks for answering my questions." He said while stepping closer to her.

She flinched and pushed herself back, but she had nowhere to go.

Fear-stricken, she raised her hand, screaming:

"GET BACK! I DID WHAT YOU SAID! YOU CAN'T TOUCH ME, MY FATHER WILL KILL YOU!" Emir chuckled at her baseless words and kneeled in front of her.

Hiccup!

"Please... I didn't do anything wrong." She pleaded while covering her face.

Undeterred, he gently placed his hand on her fluffy head, shuffling her blonde hair around.

"Calm down, alright? You answered my questions, I won't hurt you, so calm down..."

Aria remained frozen, her body tensed, and her hands formed a makeshift barrier in an X-like shape, as if the simple gesture could protect her from Emir.

She seemed stuck in a loop and kept repeating the phrase, "I didn't do anything wrong," like a broken record.

Eventually, the muttering faded into silence, and she hesitantly lowered her hands, her gaze shifting from her hands to Emir's obscured face.

Her red eyes locked onto his mask, searching for something within the featureless facade.

Her voice was a low murmur when she finally spoke, almost as if she was testing the waters: "You won't hurt me?"

The question hung in the air, laden with a mix of fear and desperation, a fragile thread of hope against the backdrop of uncertainty.

Emir chuckled and then spoke, his movements soft as he adjusted her disheveled hair:

"I won't. As long as you cooperate, everything will be fine. You'll be returned home safely

once this is all over."

Her confusion was palpable as her brows furrowed.

"W-What do you mean? Didn't I already answer all your questions?!"

A faint smile played on his lips, a deceptive calmness in his demeanor.

"Oh yes, you did. But there is one more thing I need from you."

He withdrew his hands from her hair, his gaze locked onto her.

"I need you to give me the Hunter IDs of one of your friends... I won't hurt them, but I'll have them help me with something."

'Depending on how she reacts now, I might need to switch up my method. Hopefully, she

chooses correctly.'

With that thought crossing his mind, he watched as the flabbergasted girl let out a gasp, checking around for her terminal, not finding it in her pocket.

"Destroyed." He commented.

She paused her search after a few moments of panic, her downcast eyes returning to him as

she spoke quietly:

"I... don't remember..."

"Is there anything that I could do that would make you remember?" He asked with a grim

tone.

||

||||

"I DON'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS!!" She loudly revealed in embarrassment, her tired eyes

slightly hazy.

"Oh... Sorry, wrong question. Let's be specific: Do you know of Elijah's ID?"

Her gaze dropped to her knees as she said:

"Y-yes I do..."

"Good, what is it?"

"....A-11 1036"

The A-11 stood for his place of registration, while 1036 is the ID for when he registered as a hunter in that specific region, not accounting for all the hunters in the sectors.

"Thanks, I'll check it out... Give me a moment." He said as he stood up, walking away from

her.

After tapping a few times at his terminal, the person Emir dialed replied after a few rings. "Hey Manager, it's me."