"I don't know, I've lost my memory."
"Let me see... male."
"Probably not a dog?"
"I really don't know, I've lost my memory."
Blood Frenzy Hunter Emi watched the interrogation room through a two-way mirror, hearing the cult leader respond to the questions so nonchalantly and brazenly that her eyes turned into vertical pupils and her fingernails grew longer in anger.
"Captain, does this scoundrel think everyone in the Crime Hunting Hall is an idiot? This interrogation isn't working, let me do it. I learned some interrogation techniques from a priest during my school days and even got certified as a Level 1 Torturer. I swear on the name of the priest that I'll make this bastard confess even to wetting his bed as a child!"
"Burn your Torturer certificate," Gerard said calmly, "The 'Regulations on Human Rights Act Amendments' abolished the torturer system twelve years ago, strictly prohibiting the Crime Hunting Hall from interrogating suspects. Violators face penalties ranging from revoking the hunter's license to imprisonment for over a hundred years. The council is watching us closely, even if Ash Heath just has a bad night's sleep, we'll be in trouble. If you want the council to bite us, I won't stop you."
"Hmph." Emi pouted in anger and fear, changing the subject, "What about the Memory Master? We've had this scoundrel for so long, why isn't a Memory Master here extracting his memories?"
"The Memory Master will not come."
"Why not? In cases , regardless, a Memory Master should extract memory evidence, right? I remember the 'Criminal Code' says all criminal cases must have memories as direct evidence, right?"
"But he's different."
"How is he different?"
Gerard gave her a look, "He's seen the Gods of Four Pillars."
Emi was momentarily stunned, then understood.
"Not just him, but all cultists cannot have their memories extracted."
Gerard said, "Memory pollution is the specialty of the Gods of Four Pillars. In the cult case I helped solve 134 years ago, it was a Memory Master extracting memories from cultists that subliminally turned them into believers of the Four Pillars, causing the cult to rise endlessly from the ashes."
"Then what do we do?" Emi was dumbfounded, "We can't get evidence from asking, can't interrogate, can't extract memories... Are we just going to let him go free? Or make a special case?"
"No need for a special case," Gerard replied, "There's a form of execution perfect for such heinous criminals who stir public outrage... This interrogation is just a formality. The real trial will happen at 8 PM on the 15th, completed by all citizens."
Emi immediately understood, but looking back at the cult leader who was still in the interrogation room repeating his lost memory, she couldn't suppress her anger. She stuck out her tongue in disdain, turned, and walked away, dragging her gray tail.
Gerard continued watching this pointless interrogation, which had to pause as it exceeded fifteen minutes to allow the suspect to rest. This was also mandated by the 'Human Rights Act' as basic rights.
The cult leader was drinking water, occasionally touching his recently pierced chest, his eyes showing surprise but quickly turning to worry.
For some reason, Gerard felt he wasn't lying.
His reactions—panic, curiosity, fear, confusion—were very much like those of an ordinary person with amnesia.
According to the 'Human Rights Act,' conditions like split personality, amnesia, and mental illness could be seen as lacking self-management capacity, exempting one from criminal liability.
If memory extraction showed Ash truly had amnesia, he could be released without charge.
But these matters didn't concern him, because due to the Gods of Four Pillars, no Memory Master would come to extract his memories, so...
"Judging you is the people's business. Our task is to deliver you into their eyes," Gerard said, turning to leave, continuing the pursuit of the next suspect.
"This really is an early death, early reincarnation..."
Lying on a clean, soft springy bed, Ash put down the paper in his hands, looking around the bright, spacious cell with its own private facilities, feeling utterly desolate.
Although seeing those four 'angels' reveal such an ugly form before dying vaguely confirmed Ash's suspicions, he hadn't expected reality to be worse than he imagined—the hunters' accusations were completely correct; he truly was a bona fide cult leader.
The gods that bestowed Ash with power were the infamous Gods of Four Pillars, notorious for always appearing together and sowing endless chaos in this world.
The Lord of Infinite Radiance, also known as the tyrant, pursued endless war and mountains of corpses and seas of blood, killing everything his followers saw, even themselves;
The Lord of Wind, Rain, and Snow, also called the traitor, was known for manipulating mortals with intrigue, granting followers' wishes while driving them into extreme frenzy;
The Eternal Flame, known as the Merciful Father, the source of all plagues and disease, was the final destination of decay. His followers became breeding grounds for disease, suffering horribly but never dying;
The Dreamlike Spirit of Freedom, called the Prince of Lust, represented endless desire, most prominently ensnaring intelligent races. Once corrupted by desire, an intelligent being became an insatiable instinctive creature, intellect devoured by instinct.
Ash had wondered if they weren't fabricating the data to deceive him, but given he'd been captured, they didn't need to go to such lengths; besides, the detailed photographic evidence of Heath's crimes showed such brutality that Ash nearly regurgitated his mushroom soup chicken noodles.
If Heath was truly a villain, then the Four Pillars were undoubtedly evil gods.
Conversely, the Blood Frenzy Hunters chasing him were the rightful force—or at least the ones maintaining societal stability.
Within just half a day, Ash experienced extreme highs and lows—initially thinking he was a newly minted hero ready to leave the Newbie Village, only to discover he was a cult leader gearing up for the first angelic wave.
Then he got farmed by the heroes like a wild elite monster.
Not only did he cross over as a cult leader, but he did so right at the hunters' exposition to purge the cult... was he just there to give hunters performance incentives?
Ash tossed and turned in bed, lamenting fate's inequity, pondering if perhaps he really died from overwork, but all his thoughts coalesced into one: How would they execute me?
Although the interrogation felt courteous, with free meals and a luxury single room, aside from the need to wear fine bracelets and anklets, Ash felt like he was on vacation.
But a falling hair's worth of thinking told him they definitely wouldn't let him go free.
However, Ash faintly sensed civilization in this world seemed advanced, possibly having abolished the death penalty, leaving a glimmer of hope...
Suddenly, a crisp notification bell rang in his mind.
Ash felt a warmth at the back of his neck, and a Light Screen unfolded before his eyes.
His heart skipped, deciphering the unfamiliar text on the Light Screen with countless expectations—
"Dear Mr. Ash Heath, Prisoner Number 4001623. The Kaimon City Hall formally invites you to be a special guest on Kaimon Channel One's 'Blood Moon Judgement' program at 8 PM on the 15th of this month. Please pay attention to your appearance. We'll arrange for transportation to the live broadcast. To opt-out of the program, please reply 'TC.'"
Although he had no idea what "Blood Moon Judgement" entailed, the name alone suggested nothing pleasant, and Ash quickly tried editing 'TC' in the dialogue box.
However, upon doing so, another prompt appeared on the Light Screen:
"You are currently under arrest and on trial. The messaging function is prohibited."
Damn, so that last line in the notice was just a joke on me!?
Ash figured this "Blood Moon Judgement" likely signaled his execution, yet his focus remained on the Light Screen before him.
He touched the back of his neck, feeling no discernible irregularity but clearly sensing a connection between his neck and the Light Screen, seemingly embedded there.
Since something as significant as an 'execution announcement' got communicated this way, Ash presumed this might be the world's communication tool, not unique to him alone.
Sure enough, when he mentally focused on the "?" icon in the top-left of the Light Screen, a string of information appeared:
"Name: 'Heath's Consciousness Light Screen'"
"Chip Model: Miracle 13"
"Current Status: Messaging function prohibited, connectivity prohibited, channel access prohibited, image capture prohibited, kinetic output restricted, Void Realm access prohibited, magic power output prohibited..."
"Service Provider: Kaimon Communication"
Ash promptly renamed it to "'Ash's Consciousness Light Screen,'" marveling at this world's technological sophistication, boasting Extraordinary Ability that enhanced individual combat power alongside these universally available tech peripherals.
The funny part was that Ash initially mistook it for his cheat in this new world, only to find it was nothing but common property—a classic case of a time traveler mistaking a cell phone for a Divine Artifact.
Reflecting on his earlier naive thoughts, Ash felt a bit embarrassed.
Although Ash wanted to tinker with this new gadget more, most of its functions were locked down. Besides the calendar, messaging, notepad, and calculator, there was only...
"Aurora's Mage Manual"?