Ave mentioned during the journey that most of the excellent graduates of the Enlightenment Society eventually went to work for the Judicial Court, as they are skilled at investigating cases and getting the interrogated subjects to confess the truth.
After Ethan followed suit, Minos posed the first question to him, "Let’s go back to the day the Knight Commander died. Are you sure that what you discovered on the scene was her corpse?"
Ethan said, "You should have seen the photos from the scene. I think it would be difficult for anyone to identify a person based on just scattered meat and bloodstains all over, but we discovered the Knight Commander’s belongings at the scene, including remnants of her clothes and a broken sword. These pieces of evidence have been submitted to the Gear City branch per the process."
"So, you think she might have survived instead."
Minos’ gaze sharpened slightly.
"Are you asking me personally? Personally, from the scene, it seems unlikely that she’s still alive."
This was a typical leading question, and Ethan certainly wouldn’t take the bait.
Minos glanced at the circle array, the runes on it remained unresponsive, so he could only push the topic forward, "Next is about the Choir member. Your superior stated in the report that when you found her outside the town, she was already unconscious. Do you have anything to add to that?"
"To be exact, it was at Wolf Head Castle. Rumors say a contamination zone emerged there, thus we went to investigate."
Minos frowned, deliberately swapping the location where the Choir member was found, yet Ethan provided the same information as Ave, and once again the circle array confirmed that Ethan was indeed telling the truth.
"Next is about your personal issue."
Minos emphasized, "Considering the contamination zone incident at Wolf Head Castle, you have survived entering contamination zones three times. Do you have anything to explain about this?"
He just needed Ethan to reveal a flaw, so he could justifiably hand him over to the Judicial Court, where Ethan’s statement could be subject to a great deal of discretionary manipulation. They have many means to make Ethan say what they want to hear.
If Ethan were merely a regular D-grade investigator, they wouldn’t need to exert so much effort. However, he has a close relationship with the Margaret Clan’s young lady, and she isn’t one to let violations slide.
"There’s nothing much to say. I’ve already documented all my findings in the job report, there should be records at the Gear City branch."
"But, you should know the director has banned all forms of contamination zone investigations, and your actions violated the Reception Bureau’s regulations."
"Regarding this matter, my superior has submitted a request to the Gear City Reception Bureau, and I commenced the investigation after obtaining approval. Everything is reasonable and compliant in procedures. If there’s any doubt, you can ask Mr. Gravedigger from the branch to clarify."
Again, the circle array confirmed Ethan’s statement.
But in Minos’ view, this young man was simply too calm. He exerted considerable pressure on Ethan during the conversation, and if it were anyone else, they would likely be flustered, with answers full of holes.
Psycological induction is one of the most frequently used forms of magic, and disrupted subjects often start babbling under pressure, even when narrating factual events, unless... they possess an iron-clad mind.
This is a trait possessed by only a rare few.
"But you’ve survived three times, which for a D-grade investigator, is an almost impossible feat to accomplish. In the last ten years, you’re the only low-level investigator to achieve this."
Minos paused, "Thus, there are suspicions within the Reception Bureau that you have formed a certain pact with the Evil God to ensure your survival. Do you have anything to clarify about this?"
He posed a tricky question, which is quite a severe accusation.
Over the years, many have been accused of being Evil God’s Followers by the church, and even under the Judicial Court’s pressures, they couldn’t prove themselves innocent, exposing many unforeseen flaws even while attempting to demonstrate their innocence.
And Minos happened to be the one with the best "performance."
All the Evil God’s Followers handed over to him by the church were convicted and confessed.
"They can certainly think that. I can only say I’ve been fortunate, maybe next time I won’t be so lucky, but I believe you are experienced enough in distinguishing Evil God’s Followers and must have summed up specific standards."
Ethan asked with interest, "So, what are the specific standards for identifying Evil God’s Followers? As an investigator of the Reception Bureau, hunting Evil God’s Followers is part of our daily work. I sincerely hope you can share these standards with me, as it will aid my future work."
Faced with Ethan’s counterquestion, Minos was momentarily speechless.
The Judicial Court never needed such things; their sole standard was simple, "As long as you cannot prove your innocence 100%, then you are an Evil God’s Follower," and the evaluation criteria are often straightforward.
Some Evil God’s Followers would embezzle assets, some would hire hitmen, and if not, they might have lovers, or say inappropriate words once while drunk.
In conclusion, as long as you dig deeper, something could always be found about anyone.