The personnel were not happy to hear what Kael had to say, especially the instructor and a few others. Looking around, the instructor could see the doubt that had begun creeping into the others.
"In case you forgot, we have rights." The instructor, Kennedy Jones, growled with a deep frown. "You can't just do whatever you want, even if you're ARISA."
"That's where you're wrong," Dave stepped in here. "Everything that has to do with awakened individuals is under our jurisdiction. While we can't mistreat you, we are at liberty to question you about everything involving awakened individuals, and you're legally compelled to answer."
"..."
The instructor did not like hearing those words, knowing full well that Dave was right. 'Why the fuck would the world leaders even create an organisation with this much freedom?'
It didn't make sense. However, this was not the old world. People with magical energy flowing through their bodies were a different breed from normal people. The same laws could not be applied to them.
"Good." Dave nodded after no one raised any more objections. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we can begin the interrogations. Please, follow the instructions you're given and everything will be fine."
The young detective gestured to Leo, who got the message and directed one of his subordinates to lead Kael and Dave to the interrogation rooms. There were two rooms set up for the interrogations; one for Kael and the other for Dave.
This was in the interest of efficiency and speed, as Dave believed in Kael's ability.
"I must say, Mr. Neren, what you did back there was a neat trick." Dave had to comment on this as they were guided to the interrogation rooms.
"That was nothing," Kael replied, giving no thought to his actions, his composed demeanour remaining unchanged. "We're here to get to the bottom of things, not cuddle their feelings of unity and trust."
"Right..."
Dave chuckled at Kael's words and thought to himself. 'As one would expect from someone with little faith in humanity.'
Kael and Dave moved towards their interrogation space, which was opposite each other, separated by a few tens of meters. Once inside, Kael looked around, spotting a table in the centre of the room with two chairs placed on opposite sides.
To the right of the room was another table, this one with only one chair. However, unlike the main interrogation table, this one already had someone seated there, waiting.
As soon as the person, a lady, professionally dressed in a black skirt and dress with glasses, saw Kael, she stood up and greeted him. "Hello, Mr. Neren. My name is Ursula Trueborn, and I'll be assisting you by taking down notes of what transpires in here."
Kael took in the woman's features, appreciating her professional appearance. While she looked fragile, she was anything but. Kael could sense the magical energy around her, faint, but there.
"Do your best."
Kael said with an appreciative nod, which the woman reciprocated before sitting down. Making his way to the table, Kael took his seat and focused on the tablet, bringing up the personnel profiles.
'The instructor sure has a mouth on him.'
Kael thought silently, scrolling past his profile. His little stunt there was meant to pinpoint a few faces he would interrogate himself, including the guardians of the fallen chosen heroes.
'People like him are not willing to speak... However, the same can't be said about the caretakers and cleaners.' They were the groups he was targeting.
While most of such people would not have much of a connection with the fallen kids, they were the ones who saw the most. In most instances, an observer at a distance saw the most.
Kael quickly selected his targets, watching as the software marked them in green before making them inaccessible. With them selected, Dave would have to choose other profiles to interrogate.
"Call in Vanessa Ray." Kael looked at his notetaker and directed.
"Yes, Mr. Neren." Ursula accepted the command and inputted the prompt into the system, directing the people outside to bring the individual over.
In less than a minute, the door opened, welcoming a middle-aged woman. The woman, Vanessa, was one of the cleaners at the facility, responsible for cleaning the private rooms of the chosen individuals.
With a nervous expression, the woman looked around the interrogation room, swallowing slightly when she saw Kael. For some reason, the man's stoic expression made her anxious.
The way he dealt with Kennedy, the outspoken and ruthless lead instructor of the facility, led Vanessa to believe that Kael would be a difficult person to deal with.
"Have a seat, Ma'am." The moment the door closed behind the woman, Kael gestured for her to take a seat. "You have nothing to be anxious about, right?"
The look that Kael directed at the woman as he asked that question made her swallow again, intensifying her already anxious state. The interrogation began the moment the woman walked into the room.
Be it her actions, the way she walked, or how her eyes shifted about, Kael observed everything calmly. While it was unlikely for someone like the woman to be part of the murder of the kids, Kael was no longer taking things at face value.
"E-Eh, no, sir."
Vanessa stammered as she awkwardly made her way to the chair. Her head was lowered as she found it difficult to maintain eye contact with Kael. The woman had her hands on her thighs, nervously playing with them as she endured Kael's scrutiny.
"Ma'am, I need you to look at me."
Kael sat up as he placed his elbows on the table with his hands clasped under his chin. The woman eventually did as she was told, meeting Kael's brown eyes with her blue ones.
A rare gentle smile graced Kael's features, taking the woman aback slightly. The smile looked kind and intimidating at the same time, leaving Vanessa speechless.
"Tell me about that instructor, Kennedy Jones," Kael asked in a calm voice.
"Huh?"
The question was unexpected, as the woman thought she would be asked questions about the fallen chosen heroes. However, after thinking back to what Kael asked earlier, a light of realisation flickered in her eyes.
"I-I don't think Instructor Kennedy is capable of something like that." The woman was quick to defend the lead instructor.
"Oh, why is that?" Kael grinned softly. "An outspoken person like that would surely have no trouble expressing their displeasure if warranted."