Chapter 148: Interrogation.
When Volcan told him that they were about to face a bunch of wizards, the first thing that came to Dante’s mind was the usual spells, such as fireball or lightning bolt. He never expected his opponent to come at him with something as insidious as a truth compulsion spell right from the get-go.
It didn’t feel like something one could defend against, at least not without using one of Volcan’s anti-magic suits. Of course, Dante couldn’t just put on an armor and expect the interrogation to continue, and even if he had a different way to protect himself against the mental attack, he was sure its caster would quickly notice that his powers weren’t having an effect.
Cornered, Dante almost chose to drop everything and try to escape, but then his strained mind led him to an unlikely answer: he just had to say the truth. At first, he suspected that it was just another effect of the spell, but after testing it, he realized that it didn’t matter what truth he told so long as it wasn’t a lie.
When the person behind the chair asked why he sought employment at the hotel, Dante answered that he needed the money. That answer was indeed the truth, even if by money he was referring to the pay from the heist and not the meager salary he got from washing dishes.
The question of whether he had an ulterior motive for choosing to work at the hotel was much more difficult to dodge, since the only reason he does indeed have ulterior motives. The way it was worded gave him a way out, however. After all, he never chose to work as a dishwasher.
’This is... crazy...’
Having to find ways around the obvious truth was a strenuous mental exercise, especially when coupled with the pain inflicted upon him by the Aetherion’s powers. He hoped that the interrogation wouldn’t last long, considering the chances of him slipping increased the more time passed.
Denying that he had any ulterior motives should have cleared any suspicion they might have had, but it seems that the interrogator still had a few questions he wanted to ask, including one that was as sensitive as its predecessor.
"Your productivity report shows that you took an extended break around 12:00. May I ask what you did in that time?"