Magical User Aozaki Aoko Case Files Chapter 173

“This is indeed a descendant of the White Wing Duke,” Ciel said, seeing Aoko capture a Dead Apostle so quickly. She quickly ran over in her nun’s habit, carrying her ‘tools.’ “It’s just… it seems to be a low-ranking one, probably a VI-rank Dead Apostle?”

“When I saw this guy, he was still eating people in an alley,” Aoko said with disgust. “But my magic can only read superficial thoughts. This guy’s memories and information will have to be handled by you professionals.”

Ciel nodded and called out towards the back of the monastery, summoning Noel. The seemingly frail Noel was doing something that didn’t fit her image—dragging a terrifyingly heavy iron box.

…I wouldn’t have guessed, you delicate nun are actually a strength-type fighter.

Ciel yanked open the iron box, revealing a large number of metal instruments whose purpose was unclear. Aoko could sense from their mystique that they were likely Mystic Codes developed based on Church principles, but their uses were clearly rather sinister.

Therefore, rather than “tools,” they were more like “torture devices.”

The unlucky Dead Apostle, who had been reduced to a human torso on the ground, was now stunned. He had been wrapped in the Holy Shroud the whole way, making him disoriented, and he couldn’t use even half of his full strength, so he could only lie there waiting to die.

Upon seeing Ciel pull out a Mystic Code that resembled a pair of pliers, the guy simply fainted. But this was not a reason for Ciel to give up on interrogating him.

…Aoko always felt that the smiles on Ciel and Noel’s faces looked a bit twisted, and their interrogation of this Dead Apostle was indeed very unsuitable for children.

Blood and guts splattered everywhere, yet they managed to ensure the Dead Apostle wouldn’t die, which indeed required a lot of skill.

“Phew, this guy’s mouth is really tough. He actually endured until now without giving in. The White Wing Duke probably chose him as bait because of this!” Ciel said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

The Dead Apostle in front of them now looked completely inhuman, transformed into a writhing, regenerating mass of flesh.

…Aoko felt her inner吐槽之魂 (tǔcáo zhī hún – spirit of吐槽, meaning to make fun of something/someone or to complain) burning intensely.

“Is there a possibility,” Aoko coughed slightly to hide her embarrassment, “that you haven’t asked this guy any specific questions yet?”

“…”

“…”

At this, both Ciel and Noel, her assistant in the interrogation, were too embarrassed to speak. As soon as they saw the Dead Apostle, they couldn’t control their urge for revenge and kept subjecting him to severe torture, leading to the current situation.

“N-no, I’m sorry,” Ciel said, blushing slightly. “Then let this guy recover some stamina first, and then we’ll have another round!”

—Dividing Line—

To extract meaningful information from this guy, Ciel had to find some human blood and pour it onto the mass of rotten flesh, allowing the Dead Apostle to recover from his injuries.

The White Wing Duke’s descendants indeed had strong regenerative abilities. After receiving blood, even their missing limbs began to recover to some extent.

If it weren’t for the restraints of the Holy Shroud, he would probably be bouncing around again in no time, but Ciel wouldn’t give him that chance.

Seeing that he had recovered enough to speak, Ciel and Noel unceremoniously tortured him again. When the Dead Apostle’s mind was close to breaking, they began to ask questions.

“Where is the White Wing Duke now?” Ciel asked.

“I… I don’t know…” the Dead Apostle stammered. “But master has indeed arrived somewhere in Sougen, Tokyo… we subordinates were not told the location.”

“Truth.” Noel said, looking at the readings of a device that seemed like a lie detector, with probes inserted into the Dead Apostle’s brain.

“What is the White Wing Duke’s objective?” Ciel continued to ask.

“…To hunt the True Ancestor Princess,” the Dead Apostle said. “Capture or kill the White Princess, and then use the opportunity to draw out the Black Princess.”

“Truth.” Noel said.

“Arcueid Brunestud?” Aoko said with some surprise. “Doesn’t she have a grudge against the White Princess? Why would you think she’d come to help the White Princess?”

“I… I don’t know,” the Dead Apostle said dazedly. “We just do as our master… master commands, we don’t know the specific reasons.”

“Truth.” Noel said again.

“Besides the White Wing Duke, which other Ancestor is currently in Sougen?” Ciel asked.

“…Nero Chaos, that Ancestor was invited by master and has now arrived somewhere in Sougen,” the Dead Apostle said. “Besides him, there’s also Kromkley, who is currently with master.”

“Truth.” Noel’s voice was devoid of any fluctuation.

“Is there anyone else?” Ciel pressed. “To besiege a True Ancestor, this small a group isn’t enough, is it?”

“There… there might be one more,” the Dead Apostle struggled to say, fearing Ciel would continue to torture him. “I… I once heard master mention that this time, he also ‘brought’ an Ancestor to the Far East, and might choose to ‘release’ this Ancestor depending on the situation.”

“Truth.” Noel said.

“…Forest of Einnashe.” Aoko frowned. “It might not be the main body, but perhaps a child of Einnashe.”

“This is a big problem,” Ciel said, rubbing her aching head. “If we’re talking about killing efficiency, or the extent of mystery exposure, Forest of Einnashe is undoubtedly the worst possibility.”

“If it’s just a child of Einnashe, it’s not a big problem,” Aoko said. “If it’s the core of the main body of Einnashe, which revives every fifty years, getting rid of it would require a massive effort, and even I couldn’t do it quietly.”

“Is there any other information about Roa?” Ciel asked, this being her main concern.

“…Master doesn’t care about such a lowly fellow.” When discussing the 27 Ancestors EX seat, the Dead Apostle showed a morbidly disdainful smile, indicating his master, the White Wing Duke, held a contemptuous opinion of the Serpent.

“…Truth.” Noel’s emotions were affected by the Dead Apostle’s words this time, seemingly angered by the answer.

Ciel asked a few more questions, but the Dead Apostle had no more valuable information to provide.

The extraction of information was complete, so the Dead Apostle was of no further use to them. Ciel took out a stake-like Black Key and plunged it directly into the Dead Apostle’s heart, causing him to show a relieved expression before immediately turning to ash.

Just as Aoko finished acquiring the information, Touko seemed to have made a discovery as well.

“Touko found Nero Chaos’s familiar.” Aoko said, looking at the message from Touko in surprise. “How did this guy expose himself so quickly, or are they so reckless that they’re going to cause another city-destroying event in Tokyo?”