Chapter 62: Now You See the Lie

When Rhos was done talking, silence filled the consultation room. Both agents stared at him without making an effort to do or say anything.

Of course, he was well aware of what they were trying to do.

Filling an uncomfortable silence was one of the easiest ways to accidentally tell someone more than they had asked. If Tedd wanted to sit there staring at him for 10 minutes, then Rhos would happily stare back for 11 more.

As such, they stared like that for a while.

The destruction of a Ranger Division outside the Biome wasn’t extraordinary by itself. Rangers died. Depending on where they operated, it was considered an occupational hazard.

However, Rhos’s case was unique, rather, the case of his Division was unique. Ranger Division 14 was a hunting unit responsible for bringing resources back to the Biome.

They operated primarily within regulated territories that had already been cleared of known Wrath activity. Losing an entire hunting unit to a Wrath wasn’t impossible, but it was unusual enough to invite questions.

Normally, surviving Rangers would have returned to the Corps, submitted reports and undergone a standard investigation into what had gone wrong.

But this time, government intelligence was sitting across from him looking for answers.

That alone told Rhos how serious this case was treated. They must have suspected something fishy was going on.

Perhaps they believed the Wrath was being used as a convenient explanation for whatever actually happened. Maybe they suspected sabotage, negligence or even traitors within Division 14.

The irritating part was that the truth really was as simple as a Wrath appearing and slaughtering almost everyone.

Well.... Most of the truth anyway. Telling them what happened afterwards was too risky because even he himself was not certain what he was dealing with.

Therefore, his story needed enough truth to survive scrutiny while keeping everything important buried. Inventing an entirely fictional account would’ve been foolish because he didn’t know what evidence the government agents had already collected.

Across from him, Tedd’s grey eyes studied Rhos for 10 uncomfortable seconds. The silence had already stretched on for far too long.

"Mr Red Deer, would you consider yourself a heroic person?"

The man broke the silence with a question that caught Rhos off guard.

He blinked.

"Me? No, not at all. I think calling me a hero would insult actual heroes. You heard what I just told about admitting to spending three months hiding because I was afraid of going back to the Corps. I’m surprised you’re even asking"

Tedd tapped his pen lightly against the notebook.

"I don’t necessarily consider fear incompatible with heroism. A person can be terrified and still act courageously. Let me phrase the question differently. If sacrificing your own life guaranteed the survival of your comrades, would you do it?"

This was the kind of question that required a person to think. So Rhos pretended to consider it then shook his head once he reached his conclusion.

"No. I’d like to say something impressive because you’re probably expecting a Ranger to talk about duty and sacrifice, but I’m seventeen. I’m way too young to decide I’ve lived enough. If somebody has to die and there’s still a way for all of us to survive, I’ll look for that first, but if you’re asking whether I’d knowingly throw my life away so everyone else gets to go home, then no. My survival comes first"

Why should he sacrifice his own life for another person? What makes their life more important than his?

In a life or death situation, anyone with a sensible, functioning brain would prioritize their own survival more than anything else. Talks of morals and justice can come after.

Tedd didn’t seem surprised.

"If your survival is so important to you, why join the Ranger Corps at all? You’re Delta Class. You weren’t subject to mandatory service like everyone else with a higher Class. Becoming a Ranger was ultimately your decision"

The question came from Kay, the woman behind Tedd.

Luckily for Rhos, this wasn’t a difficult question.

"Money, mostly. I grew up poor and for an Outborn like me, Ranger work paid better than anything I could realistically get. I thought being assigned to a hunting unit meant I’d found the safest version of a dangerous job. But I was too stupid and paid the price for it"

He gave her a tired smile.

"Still looking for employment, by the way. These three months haven’t been easy on me"

Her emerald eye narrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Three months is a long time to be unemployed"

’Where is she getting at?’

He continued to talk in a slightly edgy tone.

"I had savings"

"You said you are dirt poor and money was your main reason for joining the Corps, right?"

"Yes, I believe I said that. Not the dirt poor part though"

"Live bait doesn’t earn much money, it might as well be considered pocket change. So how could you have enough savings to disappear for three months without employment since then?"

There it was.

Rhos kept his expression unchanged.

"Having enough money to survive for a few months isn’t the same as enough to live comfortably. I wasn’t renting an apartment in the upper ring. Food, somewhere to sleep and not spending qash on stupid things can stretch what little you have pretty far"

She stared at him for a moment longer. Just as when she was about to say something, she was silenced by Tedd’s raised pen.

"Thank you, Miss Loki. Apologies for interrupting you but I’d appreciate it if I handled things from now on"

Kay didn’t reply, she just rolled her eyes and looked away.

Tedd returned his attention to Rhos.

"I’ve heard what you have to say, Mr. Red Deer. But I cannot help but notice a problem"

"A problem?"

Rhos was confused.

"Yes. Several, actually, but one is particularly relevant to the account you’ve just provided. Your description is broadly consistent with what we’ve established about the expedition’s early stages, and there are elements I have no immediate reason to dispute. However, what you’ve told us differs from another statement we’ve received"

"Another statement?"

Tedd nodded as he looked down at his notebook and turned back several pages.

"There is a reason I asked you to recount your story again. Certain portions of your testimony are the same as hers, while others are considerably more difficult to reconcile"

From that statement, Rhos immediately knew there was another survivor.

For the first time in the entire interrogation, Rhos lost control of his expression.

Tedd looked him in the eye with a serious look and asked him quietly.

"Are you familiar with a young woman named Leopard Cat Nimra?"