第９３０堀：口を開かない理由 (Part1)
### Chapter 930: The Reason for Keeping Silent
**Side: Mino-chan**
"And so, I’m counting on you, Mino-chan."
"Why do I have to be the one doing the interrogation? Wouldn't Surakichi-san, John, or even that goblin Steve be better at this sort of thing?"
I tilted my head, questioning the order Steve had given me to interrogate the captured commanders of the Zurable Great Empire.
"Well, I’ve already tried interrogating them plenty, but they just say they have nothing to say to a mere goblin. It seems monsters like goblins are common around here, so my threats don't have any effect at all."
"I mean, you were the one who got attacked in the first place because they thought some small fry had wandered in. Pfft—!"
Surakichi-san burst out laughing, remembering that incident.
"But in the end, Steve was the one who pinned them down. Even so, they still won't talk?"
"Violence and torture are forbidden, you see. We’ve been told to treat prisoners with courtesy because there’s a possibility of negotiating with them in the future. Because of that, they probably think the fact that I pinned them down was just a stroke of luck. I could keep doing it over and over to make them understand, but..."
"So, if it’s going to take that much effort, it’s faster if I step in, is that it?"
"That’s the gist of it. If they see you, Mino-chan, the enemies will surely open their mouths honestly. And if they still won't crack after that, then we can look into other options or just let them go and tail them."
"I see, that makes sense."
I suppose I’m the final interrogator, then. And whether I succeed or fail, the plan is to have them followed.
"I understand the mission, but why isn't John here?"
"Ah, he got summoned by the Laboratory and the Finance Department."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The Laboratory is grilling him for a report on the fighter jets he flew, and the Finance Department is getting an earful from Eris-neesan about the ammunition consumed in the last battle."
"Ah... that sounds rough."
In the lab, Narjia-san and Comet would be digging into every detail of the weapon's performance. In Finance, Eris-neesan would be lecturing him about the materials used and their costs.
...John, I’ll be sure to collect your remains.
"Alright, I’m off to work."
"Yeah."
"Let’s go grab a bite when you’re done."
With that, I parted ways with Steve and the others and headed to the interrogation room to speak with the Zurable Great Empire commanders.
*Clatter!*
As I entered the room, the Zurable Great Empire personnel inside stood up in surprise, bracing themselves. There were three of them: a young man, a woman, and a middle-aged man with a stern, weathered face.
"Oh, you can just stay seated... please."
*Darn it.* I let my local accent slip out again. Dialects are a hard habit to break.
"A-a Minotaur!?"
"No, that’s wrong. With that coloring, it’s a Blood Minotaur."
"You’re spot on, miss. You know your stuff. I’m Mino-chan, taking over for Steve the goblin to hear your side of things. Nice to meet you."
"Mino? How simple. No, never mind the name. Why is a monster, like that goblin, speaking human language!?"
"Is that so strange? You lot use monsters too, don't you? Using Magic Gear."
"How do you know about Magic Gear!?"
*Hmm, hmm.* Just as the boss said—or rather, just as the documents stated—the Zurable Great Empire was indeed utilizing Magic Gear. But before that.
"I don't mind answering that, but could you tell me your names first? Everyone from the Zurable Great Empire."
"..."
"..."
"..."
*Oh dear.* Just as Steve said, they’re tight-lipped.
"Well, if you want to stay silent, that’s fine too. I’ll have you released, and you can do as you please. However, since we currently classify you as a large-scale bandit group, we won't be returning the supplies we recovered from you. Please understand that."
"What are you saying! Who are you people! Do you have any idea who you're dealing with? We are the Zurable Great Empire!"
"Actually, we just defeated a bandit group that was rampaging at the request of the Gusdo Kingdom. We have nothing to say to you."
There was no reason to give them information, and while I had permission to mention Weed or Sea-Scythe if necessary now that we knew their goals, there was no need to volunteer that in this situation.
"Bandits! You call us that!"
"Well, since you won't state your names or affiliations, we have no choice but to process you as mere bandits. As of now, you are recognized only as a bandit group falsely claiming to be the Zurable Great Empire."
"..."
"..."
"..."
I knew from my appraisal that they were truly affiliated with the Zurable Great Empire, but unless they stated it themselves, we couldn't proceed. Now, I wonder what choice they would make? If they returned empty-handed after losing their supplies and having their army scattered, their heads would undoubtedly be on the chopping block. Or perhaps they would finally open their mouths.
Either way, we were going to send them back to their country, so we would be able to gather information regardless. As I was thinking this, the stern-faced middle-aged man, who had been the most stubborn, finally spoke.
"The request of the Gusdo Kingdom... In other words, you belong to some nation, don't you?"
"That’s right."
"Which country! Do you think you can get away with defying the Zurable Great Empire?"
"Even if you threaten me, as I said before, you won't clearly state your own identities. Currently, we can only treat you as bandits posing as the Zurable Great Empire. Why are you still hiding your identities even after being captured? Or are you perhaps not actually related to the Zurable Great Empire? If you really are from the Empire, we can handle this accordingly if you just tell us. Or is it a problem for us to inquire with the Zurable Great Empire directly?"
"..."
"..."
When I asked that, the two younger ones went completely silent, but the most authoritative-looking one—ah, let's just call him 'Old Man'—spoke up.
"You must know why. If we return like this, we’ll all be executed."
"Well, I suppose so. You attacked a port with a garrison of less than 10,000 with 80,000 troops and failed. On top of that, your Wyvern unit was wiped out, the Mage unit suffered heavy casualties, the infantry is scattered, and your supplies are lost. That’s a defeat and a loss that shouldn't be possible. So, you’re staying silent because of that?"
"Exactly. We believe that is the only way left for us to prolong our lives. Even if we are released, we obviously cannot return to our country. We would have no choice but to continue acting as actual bandits."
"I understand your reasoning, but your soldiers were scattered in the last battle. Some mages have retreated as well. In any case, I don't think it's possible for the Zurable Great Empire to remain unaware of such a crushing defeat, do you?"
"..."