Chapter 101

Chapter 101: Chapter 101

For a brief moment, Berthanon’s expression twitched. The corner of his mouth tightened, and the pleasant look in his eyes disappeared before he managed to conceal his irritation. Ingrid noticed the change but pretended not to, watching him carefully as he forced himself to smile again. He seemed determined to maintain the image of a reasonable and good-natured senior official, even when the person sitting in front of him had just insulted his actions.

"You’re quite straightforward, Ingrid, and I suppose that’s one of your more interesting qualities. However, I hope you can understand that what happened earlier was a mistake on our part. I have no intention of allowing one unfortunate incident to ruin the possibility of working together. We were too hasty in our approach and I admit that we should have handled things differently, but the information we were seeking is important to the Guild. I would prefer that we put this matter behind us and start over rather than allow resentment to stand between us."

Ingrid raised an eyebrow. "Start over? How exactly do you intend to do that? Are you expecting me to forget what happened simply because you’ve decided that it was an unfortunate mistake? You forced me into a procedure I refused to undergo, and now you’re sitting here talking about starting over as if we had a disagreement over something insignificant. I’m curious to hear what you think a fresh start is supposed to look like, so please, enlighten me."

Berthanon didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stood up from his chair and walked towards the window, where he reached for the curtains and pulled them apart. Sunlight entered the room, revealing the buildings and open spaces outside the Guild’s main structure. He remained by the window for a moment before turning his head towards Ingrid.

"Tell me, what do you see outside?"

Ingrid followed his gaze and looked through the window. She stared for several seconds, trying to make out the people and buildings in the distance, not really knowing where Berthanon was heading to or what he was trying to say. After a while, she turned back towards Berthanon with a rather blank expression.

"Nothing in particular. I can see buildings, trees, and some people moving around, but I can’t tell you anything about them since they’re too far away. I’m short-sighted, so if you’re trying to show me something specific, you’ll have to bring it closer or explain what I’m supposed to be looking at. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll be standing here staring at the same scenery without understanding what you want me to see."

Berthanon’s expression changed. "Ingrid, do you think I’m joking around?"

She shrugged, looking completely unconcerned. "Well, you’re the one who suddenly asked me to look outside without explaining anything. What am I supposed to think? If you have something important to tell me, then say it instead of making me guess. I didn’t come here to admire the view, and I doubt you invited me into your office just to show me the buildings outside."

Berthanon stared at her for a moment before letting out a restrained breath. His earlier smile had become considerably weaker, but he still seemed determined to continue the conversation without losing his temper. He returned to the chair and sat down, resting one hand against the armrest.

"You’re a smart person, Ingrid, so I believe you already understand what I’m trying to discuss. You made a promise to Hunter G that you would share the information you possessed after he helped you and your companions. I know you’re aware of how important that information is, and I would like to believe that you haven’t forgotten the agreement you made with him. The Guild has a responsibility to protect everyone within its territory, and information that could help us understand the changes happening outside is something we cannot simply ignore."

Ingrid smiled. "Well, it’s such a pity that I’m not interested in telling you anymore."

Berthanon stopped speaking. His eyes remained fixed on her face, and for a moment, he seemed unsure whether he had heard her correctly. He leaned forward slightly, his expression becoming more serious as he studied her.

"What did you just say?"

Ingrid tilted her head. "I said I’m not interested in telling you anything anymore. You heard me perfectly well. Unless your hearing isn’t as good as it used to be, I don’t think there’s any reason for me to say the same thing twice."

Berthanon’s eyes narrowed, but Ingrid continued before he could respond. She had already decided that she wasn’t going to cooperate with him, and there was no reason to pretend otherwise. Besides, she wanted to see how he would react when he realised that his usual methods of persuasion weren’t going to work on her.

"After what you did to me, you still expect me to honour a promise made before I knew what kind of people I was dealing with? Don’t you think that’s asking for too much? You allowed your people to force me into that machine even though you knew I could suffer serious consequences, and now you’re expecting me to sit here and provide you with valuable information. That’s quite shameless of you, don’t you think? In fact, I would say it’s even more shameless for you to sit there and listen if I actually decided to tell you anything after everything you’ve done."

Berthanon’s expression became increasingly unpleasant. His lips pressed together, and the fingers resting on the armchair curled tightly, but he didn’t interrupt her.

Ingrid watched every little change in his face, taking note of how much effort he was putting into keeping his anger under control. She was deliberately pushing him, and she wanted to know how far she could go before the pleasant mask finally fell away.

"Let me make one thing clear so that we don’t have to keep having this conversation. Don’t ask me about those plants again, and don’t expect me to tell you where I got them or what I know about the zombies. You can threaten me, question me, or bring me into this office every single day, but my answer will remain the same. I’m not telling you anything, and no amount of pretending that we’re friends is going to change my mind."

For a few seconds, the room fell silent. Berthanon stared at her before slowly straightening his body, and the expression on his face gradually became colder. He seemed to have finally understood that his earlier approach wasn’t going to work, and there was no longer any reason for him to continue pretending to be friendly.

"I had a feeling you might say something like that. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to handle this matter the hard way, especially when a little cooperation could have made things considerably easier for both of us. Unfortunately, you’re choosing to be stubborn, I can’t allow your personal feelings to interfere with something that concerns the entire Guild. I have been patient with you, Ingrid, but there are limits to how much patience I can continue to show."

Ingrid raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you intend to do? Are you going to bring out another machine and force me to sit inside it? Or perhaps you’ll threaten to throw me into another room and see whether I’ll suddenly become more willing to cooperate. You’ve already shown me how far you’re willing to go, so I’m curious about what other tricks you have prepared."

Berthanon gave her a thin smile. "There’s no need for me to repeat what has already been done. I seem to remember that you have other companions in our custody, don’t you? The fox Beastmen who came here with you are still under the Guild’s control, and their safety depends on how this conversation goes. If you continue refusing to cooperate, I may have to reconsider whether keeping them alive is worth the trouble they’re causing us."