Chapter 16: Interrogation

After their brief conversation, the female soldier—whose name Levi had learned was Rose—had sent him a rather lavish meal with roasted meat and vegetables. Levi devoured it as if he had never seen food before, and once he was satisfied, he collapsed like a log, only waking up when morning came.

Now, Levi was enjoying a hot shower. His body, once covered in blood and wounds, had mostly healed, though some scars remained, and a few injuries were still in the process of mending—like his left leg, which had nearly been severed by the tall boy.

Even if only psychologically, the scent of blood and despair still clung to him. Nevertheless, Levi hadn't bathed in probably a week, so it felt wonderful to wash himself under the hot water.

'Ah, I'm in heaven,' Levi thought, allowing himself to momentarily forget the looming disaster he was about to face.

He was alone in the government dorm's showers, relaxing under the streams of hot water. After some time, he reluctantly turned off the tap and walked over to the towel rack. As he reached for a towel, his reflection in the mirror caught his eye.

The changes in his physique were subtle but noticeable. His pale skin looked a bit healthier, his muscles more defined. He appeared slender and lean, rather than the frail and skinny figure he had been before. There was even a slight luster to his dark hair and a new shine in his eyes.

'Amn't I handsome?' Levi thought, admiring himself.

In reality, he was mediocre at best—not exactly a picture of masculine handsomeness.

Nonetheless, he donned the clean clothes provided by the government and walked out of his dorm.

A soldier was already waiting outside his room to escort him to his inevitable doom. Levi nodded briefly to the soldier and began following him toward the place where he would be interrogated.

They walked through the corridors of the massive building and came to a halt at a certain point.

'Bless me, O great demon!'

Levi prayed as he stood before the interrogation room.

****

An unsettling thing happened today!

Maya, a priestess of the 'Truth Seeker' God was called upon to the government-managed spire for the same reason.

Today, the followers of Faithful Abundance who were in the Paradise, witnessed a red light pillar- which indicated the birth of a new demonic follower.

But despite their quick actions of pursuing the source of light - they didn't find anything!

So to be safe - they ordered all the bliss portal stations connected to their stronghold from Earth to be investigated and each member who came out of the bliss portal to undergo the investigation.

Maya was personally called for this reason - one of the trait abilities of those who follow the truth seeker god is their ability to detect if the other person is speaking the truth or not.

Maya's eyes widened in surprise, but she realized he was telling the truth; otherwise, she would have detected it immediately.

"A patron who cares for their follower that much... interesting," she said, thinking for a moment. She decided to cross-check this information, silently sending a message to those in charge of the bliss portal.

"Then, Levias, I have one last question for you: Which god did you make a contract with?"

Here it was.

The question Levi dreaded the most. He hesitated for a few seconds, unsure of what to say. He couldn't possibly admit that he had made a contract with a demon—he could already envision Maya screaming in horror and the guards stationed outside rushing in, their spears poised to pierce his neck.

But lying wasn't an option either. The priestess in front of him would instantly detect any falsehood. Torn between two impossible choices, Levi's mind raced, his fingers nervously fidgeting as he tried to think of a way out.

But he couldn't stall forever. Maya's eyes bore into him, silently urging him to answer. The pressure mounted until Levi was about to speak—when it happened.

[God of the Forgotten Realms]

"God of the Forgotten Realms?" he blurted out.

'Crap!'

The providence had displayed the message, and Levi had read it aloud without thinking!

---***---

Lore Snippet 08 - Rank

The rank of an individual represents their power level in comparison to others. This rank is bestowed by Providence itself, and when an individual surpasses a certain threshold, they evolve to the next rank.

Human Ranks:

Follower → Priest → Paladin/Templar → Holy Knight → Bishop → Cardinal → Archbishop → Saint.

For humans, this progression is straightforward, but monsters follow a different ranking system. Their power level is determined by two key factors: the number of cores they possess and their level of intelligence.

Monster Ranks:

Dormant Monster → Essence Monster → Vile → Fallen → Terror → Behemoth → Overlord → Mythical Colossal Beast.

However, Levi, being human with a demonic soul, will follow an entirely different path.