"Then why did the Section Chief put one on?" "Hah, honestly. You're being so noisy. I'm wearing it just in case. Something might happen that requires me to go in. What if some incident occurs and I have to rush inside?" "Ah, that's true. Then I'll put one on too."
While Section Chief Jung and Jeong-han were making unnecessary remarks, Hye-yoom took out the necessary tools. Although it wasn't her first time interviewing a victim, this time she felt strangely nervous.
Having eyes that can neither use nor see Sorcery, she naturally cannot see or find any hidden Sorcery on the victim.
Despite this, Hye-yoom was often entrusted with victim interviews. The most frequently used Sorcery in crime is the Eyes-blinding Sorcery. If used well, the Sorcery Trail and minute details about the person who cast the spell can be hidden, which is why Eyes-blinding Sorcery has become increasingly complex and difficult to undo with each passing day.
While the Yellow Eyes, who can see Sorcery, struggle to lift the Eyes-blinding Sorcery, Hye-yoom, with her Brown Eyes, finds and combines information outside the spell, unearthing clues. The thought of finding a unique point in the non-Sorcery aspects of this case and humbling the Yellow Eyes slightly eased her tension.
"I will begin the interview immediately after checking this one thing."
She performed a final check of the tools before entering the interview. Section Chief Jung, standing right behind Hye-yoom without a sound, noticed the Sorcery tool and nitpicked.
"Is it because it's been a while since you've done an interview? Or do you not know the function of this room? Sorcery can't be cast from outside in, and spells won't activate inside, my dear. Do you think I wore this outfit because I was cold? We're wearing these protective suits because this isn't ordinary Sorcery." "How can you know only one thing and not the other? Section Chief, I think it's time for you to retire." "Doesn't it make you dizzy to speak in such a roundabout way?"
Section Chief Jung raised his index finger and circled it, asking.
"Under whom do you think I work? Do you think I would prepare without knowing what kind of room that is?" "Ah!"
Perhaps understanding the meaning of her words, Section Chief Jung fell silent. Leaving Section Chief Jung, who was nodding, Hye-yoom held a notepad in her right hand and tucked the remaining Sorcery tools under her arm.
Before entering the room, she looked at Choi Min-jae through the window. He, too, was wearing a strange protective suit, and a long trail of drool was flowing from his parted lips.
She had thought he would be the most capable of conversation among the missing persons, but his current state perfectly matched the description of having lost his soul.
Thinking that she might gain nothing, Hye-yoom moved into the interview room.
Choi Min-jae showed no reaction to the noisy sound of the heavy door moving or the unpleasant scraping of the chair against the floor. There was no basic muscle contraction in response to sound. It appeared as though his sensory organs might be compromised.
Seated, Hye-yoom pulled out another chair and placed the Sorcery tools on it, out of Choi Min-jae's sight. Hye-yoom gazed intently at Choi Min-jae's slack, unfocused eyes and offered a simple greeting.
"Hello. I am a Phenomenon Investigator. It's raining heavily outside; I hope you didn't have any trouble getting here?"
She extended her hand right up to his face, pretending to offer a handshake. Even with a hand suddenly appearing in front of his face, he didn't blink. It seemed necessary to confirm whether his sensory organs were paralyzed or damaged and unable to function properly.
"How are you feeling right now?" "... " "I'm going to ask you some simple questions about the case. If anything at all comes to mind, please express it with a hand gesture, foot movement, eye movement—anything you can do." "... " "Will that be alright?"
Hye-yoom threw various remarks while closely observing Choi Min-jae, but she received no response. The drool flowing down Choi Min-jae's chin lengthened.
She placed the Sorcery Detector, which was on the spare chair, onto the desk where Choi Min-jae could see it clearly and switched it on. Although she knew it was useless, Hye-yoom began her explanation in a loud voice.
"This machine was personally built by our Teacher to find the footprints of Sorcery. A light will turn on when it finds Sorcery, but you don't need to worry as it has no effect on the human body." "... " "Then I will ask the first question. Is there anything you would like to say to me? Anything at all is fine. You can just say whatever comes to mind. If you have anything to say, please blink your eyes. A hand gesture or a foot movement, anything is good. Please give me a signal."
The stream of drool hanging from his chin gradually thinned and finally broke off. Silence settled in the interview room.
When the detector showed no reaction, Hye-yoom pulled out the list she had received from Section Chief Jung. It listed the words that previous Phenomenon Investigators presumed had elicited a reaction.
[Presumed Words - Hyeong (Brother), Hyeonsang (Phenomenon), Hyeongche (Form/Shape) (Seems to react to words containing 'ㅎ'.)]
This time, she opened the notepad that holds Sorcery and placed it on the desk.
"This is an intrusive question, but could you explain the circumstances at the time you were abducted? The culprit's build, distinct features, or manner of speech—anything is fine. If speaking is difficult, you can show me through action."
She emphasized the words containing 'ㅎ'.
Contrary to her expectation, there was still no reaction. Choi Min-jae's eyes remained fixed in the air without wavering. Concluding that nothing more could be extracted from Choi Min-jae, Hye-yoom decided not to waste time, as she had one more scheduled interview.
The moment she reached for the detector, intending to tidy up.
Beeeep—
In an instant, a green light flashed on the detector, and a mechanical sound rang out. Simultaneously, the notepad made a loud noise and flipped its pages on its own. The notepad stopped at the page for recording Eyes-blinding Sorcery.
Hye-yoom had naturally accumulated knowledge of Formulas through her work as a Phenomenon Investigator. She had memorized dozens of basic formulas for constructing Sorcery. However, the formula written in her notepad was one Hye-yoom had never seen before.
Confirming that no more formulas were being written, Hye-yoom turned her eyes to Choi Min-jae.
There was no change in his expression or gaze, but tears welled up in Choi Min-jae's eyes. His clearly dry, lifeless eyes were distinctly moistened.
"Mr. Choi Min-jae, are you alright? Are you perhaps feeling frustrated? Do you need ventilation? Has something come to mind that you want to say? If speaking is difficult, you can blink, or just move your fingers."
Tears that had gathered enough to overflow ran down his cheek. There was no other movement besides the flow of tears. The green light on the detector had not yet gone out.
She reviewed the questions she had asked today, but there was nothing new. They were questions other Phenomenon Investigators had already asked.
Despite there being nothing new, the detector lit up, and a formula presumed to be Upper-tier Sorcery was written in the notepad.
It seemed that a new Sorcery had been activated by some special mechanism. What catalyst triggered the spell activation could not be known right now.
'Why? Is it because the interview was conducted in this room? Is it because the Teacher's Sorcery tools have superior performance compared to others? Or has the Eyes-blinding Sorcery, which was concealed by another spell, been revealed due to a specific condition?'
While Hye-yoom was fiercely fixated on Choi Min-jae, pondering several possible scenarios.
—Knock, knock, knock
A sound of someone knocking on the door was heard.
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