Chapter 93: The Interrogation

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: The Interrogation

Daniel walked toward Spicy.

His footsteps were slow. Deliberate. Each step crunched against the broken stone. Each step echoed through the destroyed street.

Spicy didn’t move. She stood there. Frozen. Her hands were clasped together. Her eyes were wide. Her body was trembling.

Daniel circled her.

He walked around her. Slowly. Like a predator circling its prey. His eyes never left her face. His expression was calm. Unreadable.

"Your name is Spicy, right?" he said.

Spicy nodded. A small, quick nod.

"That sounds made up," Daniel said. "Could have gone with something like Sera. Or Seraphina. Something that sounds real."

Spicy didn’t answer.

Daniel continued circling. His footsteps were steady. His voice was conversational.

"You know," he said, "I haven’t killed a female before."

Spicy flinched.

"I might have to very soon if I don’t get answers."

Spicy’s knees buckled.

She fell to the ground. She bowed. Her forehead pressed against the dirt. Her hands were flat on the ground. Her whole body was shaking.

"I’m sorry," she whispered. "I’m so sorry."

Daniel stopped circling. He looked down at her. At her bowed form. At her trembling body.

"Sorry?" he said. "Sorry for what?"

Spicy didn’t answer.

"Is it for tricking Fluffy? For manipulating her? For using her?" Daniel’s voice was cold. "Or is it for beating her up? For hurting her? For trying to kill her?"

Spicy’s body shook harder. Tears dripped from her eyes onto the dirt.

"I’m sorry," she said again. "I’m sorry for trying to kill her."

Daniel’s eyes narrowed.

"Oh?" he said. "Tell me more."

He walked to a nearby piece of rubble. A large stone. He sat down on it. He crossed his legs. He rested his chin on his hand.

"Go on," he said. "I’m listening."

Spicy took a breath. A shaky, ragged breath. She didn’t lift her head. She kept her forehead pressed against the ground.

"I was sent to attack the guild," she said. "My master sent me. He told me to find the Core of Zariod. He told me to kill anyone who got in my way."

Daniel listened. He didn’t interrupt.

"I found Fluffy," Spicy continued. "She was alone. She was looking for you. I thought... I thought she would be easy. A rabbit folk. A slave. A nobody."

She paused. Her voice cracked.

"I tried to kill her. I attacked her. I hurt her. I almost killed her."

Daniel’s expression didn’t change. But his eyes were cold.

"Almost?" he said.

Spicy nodded. "Almost. But then... then she talked to me."

"Talked to you?"

"She asked me why. Why I was doing this. Why I was hurting her. Why I was serving a master who didn’t care about me."

Spicy’s voice was trembling.

"I told her about my past. About my human master. About how he used me. About how he betrayed me. About how I hated all humans."

She paused.

"And she... she listened. She didn’t judge me. She didn’t mock me. She just... listened."

Daniel’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"She told me about you," Spicy said. "About how you saved her. About how you freed her. About how you gave her a name. About how you gave her family."

She lifted her head. Just a little. Her eyes were red. Wet.

"She said you were kind. She said you were good. She said you cared about her."

Daniel didn’t respond.

"I didn’t believe her at first," Spicy said. "I thought she was brainwashed. I thought she was naive. I thought she was just another gullible rabbit folk who had been fooled by a human."

She paused.

"But then... then I saw her eyes. They were so... bright. So hopeful. So full of love."

She looked at Fluffy’s unconscious form. At her peaceful face. At her small body.

"She really believes in you," Spicy said. "She really trusts you. She really loves you."

Daniel followed her gaze. He looked at Fluffy. At her sleeping face. At her twitching ears.

"She is a fool," Spicy whispered. "A naive, gullible fool. But... but she is also the kindest person I have ever met."

She looked at Daniel.

"She made me realize something. Something I had forgotten."

Daniel waited.

"Not all humans are evil," Spicy said. "Not all humans are greedy. Not all humans are cruel."

She paused.

"Some humans are kind. Some humans are good. Some humans... deserve to be loved."

Daniel was silent.

"I surrendered to her," Spicy said. "I told her she could kill me. I told her I deserved it. I told her I had less than a week to live anyway."

Daniel’s eyes widened slightly. "Less than a week?"

Spicy nodded. "I used a life-force crystal. It converted my life into mana. I have less than a week to live."

Daniel stared at her. His expression was unreadable.

"But she didn’t kill me," Spicy said. "She didn’t even hurt me. She just... patted my head."

She paused.

"She said she understood. She said she used to hate humans too. She said she used to be alone too. She said she used to be scared too."

Her voice cracked.

"And then she offered me something. Something no one has ever offered me before."

Daniel waited.

"She offered me family," Spicy whispered. "She offered me a place to belong. She offered me... hope."

She bowed her head again. Her forehead pressed against the dirt.

"So I came with her," she said. "I came to find you. I came to apologize. I came to... to ask for forgiveness."

She looked up at Daniel. Her eyes were wet. Desperate.

"I know I don’t deserve it," she said. "I know I hurt her. I know I tried to kill her. I know I’m a monster."

She paused.

"But I want to be better. I want to be good. I want to be like her."

Daniel was silent.

For a long moment, he didn’t speak. He just looked at her. At her bowed form. At her tear-streaked face. At her trembling body.

Then he stood up.

He didn’t say a word.

He walked toward Fluffy. He stopped beside her. He looked down at her sleeping face.

"So you have a week," he muttered.

He looked at Spicy. At her hopeful, scared, desperate expression.

"Fuck, Fluffy," he said. "Why do you have to be so nice to someone that tried to kill you?"

Spicy flinched.

Daniel sighed. He ran a hand through his hair. He looked at the sky. At the dark clouds. At the fading light.

"Alright," he said. "Here’s what’s going to happen."

Spicy looked up. Her eyes were wide.

"I’m going to wake Fluffy. And I’m going to ask her what happened. If the story isn’t the same as yours, then..."

He paused.

"Then sorry. But you will have to be terminated."

Spicy’s face went pale. But she nodded. She didn’t argue. She didn’t beg. She just nodded.

Daniel walked toward Fluffy. He knelt beside her. He looked at her peaceful face.

He reached out and tapped her cheek.

"Wake up, Fluffy," he said. "You, um... fell asleep."

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