Chương 75: Chapter 72-Chosen Interview

My teeth chatter in the cold embrace of what is the 8th floor of this Dungeon. An endless stretch of ice and snow sprawls out before us. Another rogue wind brushes past me. Gods, why didn't you just let me have the necklace? I know I'm impersonating your chosen champion and all, but you couldn't have given me this one thing? I am technically fighting the forces of evil. That has to count for something.

"What are you doing, Charlatan?" Penelope asks under the hundreds of layers of clothes.

"Praying."

"How pious. What are you praying for?" she mocks.

"I'm asking Wanula to grace you with even a sliver of her beauty," I [Lie]. Penelope shakes her head.

"Involving the Gods in your lies? Relat would have your head for that." Hopper scratches his bunny ear.

"And Zeita would consider it an honor," he adds.

"You're right about that. So, Hopper, you hear anything?" Penelope asks. Hopper closes his eyes as his ears twitch.

"Not a thing. If I'm being entirely honest, I don't think there's anything living on the surface."

"I'm inclined to agree. We've spent the whole time walking from one edge to another and haven't found a thing. Which means we have to go under the ice," she says with a hint of displeasure.

"Not to be a complainer, but isn't down there where that Ice Serpent came from. Also, just a small thing, but I don't know what you know about Vashrins, but we can't breathe underwater," I retort.

"Neither can Half-Elfs or Beastkin, but we're going to have to go down there if we want to advance to the next floor," she says.

"Still doesn't solve the can't breathe water problem," I say as I kick some snow. Hopper cocks his head.

"Actually, I might have a solution. There's an herb back home that we were warned about as children."

"What does it do?" I ask with curiosity now that we're talking about plants.

"Well, it lets you breathe water, but we were warned that it would only let you breathe water. Only problem is I really don't remember the name of it. I could ask Lu or Luna if they remember what it's called?" he says.

"An herb that lets you breathe water? That could be extremely beneficial to the Empire. Why don't I know about this?" she whispers to herself. Hmm. I wonder. I think hard on what Hopper just described, and to my surprise, [Gardening] gives me a whole slew of information about it, including its name.

"Lazgrass?" I ask.

"That's the one! How did you know that? Do you know anybody from my home?" Hopper asks.

"Technically, I do know somebody from the North, but that's not why I know that," I say as I sift through the info that just poured into my head. Lazgrass, a variant of eelgrass. It does exactly what Hopper describes. When ingested, it grants a person the ability to breathe water but robs them of the ability to breathe air. It seems to only last for an hour. It's also relatively fast-growing. In the right conditions, it'll grow to full maturity in two days.

"Do you think the Botany club has any?" Penelope asks.

"No, but I can get some. It'll take a day or two," I say. A white light starts to fill my vision.

"Ok, we're out of time today anyway. Let us know when you find some," she says as the light overtakes us. The sound of my thunderous yawn is drowned out by the general hum of the cafeteria. Trudging through the snow really takes it out of me, but it apparently doesn't take it out of these guys. Hopper chows down on some carrots like we didn't just walk miles in a frozen tundra, and Penelope looks as regal as ever as she eats her steak.

"Are you okay, CJ?" Garus asks in between bites of his salad.

"Oh, he's fine. He's just weak," Penelope chimes in.

"Weak? Well, compared to your brute strength, I guess I would be weak, Penelope," I taunt as I eat my chicken parmesan.

"Brute?! I'll have you know that my strength is graceful like a panther," she retorts.

"Do you mean a swan, Princess?" Hopper asks. A tinge of red dyes the edges of her Half-Elf ears.

"Of course not. I've heard the saying said both ways."

"When?"

"Uh. Well, Garus told me," she says, throwing Garus under the carriage. Garus chokes on his salad.

"Yes. I… did?" I let out a sigh.

"For nobles, you guys are terrible liars." The sound of parchment and pen scratches through the air.

"I consider that a good thing. Lying is a sin after all," Penelope says.

"Hmm. I see. By the way, I met your brother yesterday," I say, hoping to throw her off. Penelope chokes on her steak out of surprise.

"Which one?" she asks.

"Valerian, I believe."

"Did he say anything, or rather did you?" she asks with a hint of worry.

"Not really. It was a brief interaction just outside in the courtyard. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it."

"I am too, even I heard about it. Yesterday, when you got attacked by that Demon again, right?" Hopper asks.

"Yeah. He must be a fan," I joke. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"I didn't realize Val was back from the Blight. Does that mean that Heath's back?" Garus asks. The sound of parchment and pen scratches through the air.

"I'd say so, considering they went on the same expedition," she says with a hint of something I can't quite pick up on.

"It's impressive that as a Fourth Year, Heath was eligible to go on that Expedition, but-" Garus says as the scratching grows louder.

"Okay, that's enough," I say as I reach behind me and rip a notebook out of seemingly thin air.

"Hey, that's mine!" The now visible First Year says.

"Well, I wouldn't have taken it if you weren't spying on us. So, think about that," I say as I pocket the notebook.

"I wasn't spying. I was studying," he says.

"Invisibly?" Penelope asks.

"I'm shy."

"You're right. I shouldn't accuse you without proof," I say with a solemn smile.

"Thank you. Now-""Luckily, I have proof right here," I say as I open the notebook.

"You can't-""Target spotted. Chosen One is seemingly friendly with heir to the Krait Archduchy. Also seems to be friends with a member of the Lightfoot Clan. Big Scoop! The rumors are true! Chosen One does not address Princess Penelope as Princess and seems to have a friendly relationship. Could this possibly have something to do with the other rumors? I must continue my investigation," I recite from his notebook.

"Homework?" He tries to lie. Garus sighs.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Ilota Wright, and I may have been spying on you, but it's for a good cause," Ilota says.

"Aren't you that guy who got kicked from the School Newspaper?" Hopper asks.

"Yes… but that was a misunderstanding. Now I'm trying to create my own newspaper, and I want to have a headline-worthy story," Ilota proclaims. I lean back in my chair.

"What kind of misunderstanding?" I ask.

"I may have snuck my article on what happened to the library into the newspaper without anyone knowing," he says sheepishly.

"The one on water damage to the books?" Garus asks.

"No, my article was about how the school was trying to cover up what really happened in the library. Sadly, the chief of the school newspaper caught on and my article didn't see the light of day," he says, clicking his tongue. I give Penelope a knowing look. He's talking about the Imp, Penelope and I fought in the library. I do remember the school covering it up. Guess this guy got the shitty end of the stick because of that. I feel a bit bad, but… Agh. It's not like it's my fault he got kicked out. Damn it!

"So, what's this good cause?" I ask. Penelope gives me a worried look. Oh, is she worried about me? How nice of her, but I understand what I'm doing. I think. Ilota's eyes sparkle as he begins to explain.

"Until now, the School Newspaper has been negligent in its duties in reporting on the truth. My Newspaper will work to report on what they won't. Which is why I've come to sp- report on you, Chosen One?"

"Me? Well, I am The Chosen One. I guess that makes sense," I say absentmindedly.

"Exactly! You're The Chosen One, and not a single article has been written about you. Not a one. Don't you find that odd? I do. What are the people to think if they don't have a single clue on who you are? Which is why I've come here. Let me interview you, Chosen One!" he says with enthusiasm.

"Fine, but only if you promise one thing."

"If it compromises my journalistic integrity, I won't do it, but anything you want," Ilota says quickly.

"I'd like you to look into someone for me. Trust me, you'll definitely want to look into this guy," I say with a devilish smile. A hint of curiosity gleams in Ilota's human eyes.

"Deal. Are you okay with us having the interview here?" he asks as he sits next to Garus.

"Why not?" I ask as I continue my lunch.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Penelope asks.

"Nope, but this was bound to happen. It's not something I can exactly avoid. Might as well get it done with," I say as I hand Ilota his notebook back.

"Okay. Let's start. Chosen One, what did it feel like when you realized you were The Chosen One?" Ilota asks.

"A lot of fear and anxiety. It wasn't something I was exactly prepared for," I technically don't [Lie].

"Interesting. Let's see. Do you have any family?"

"A younger brother and an older sister."

"You are descended from the people of the sands. Do you know why your family came to the Empire, or even any information on the nation of the sands?" Ilota asks as he jots down his notes.

"I was born in the sands, but my family moved over when I was young. I don't remember much about it. As far as I know, my family came to the Empire for stability," I [Lie].

"Hmm, interesting. We've never had a Chosen from the sands, but we obviously haven't had a Vashrin as a Chosen either. Let's see. There are a lot of rumors floating around about you, Chosen One. Would you care to address some?" he asks.

"Sure, which ones do you want to start with?"

"Are you and Princess Penelope courting each other?" he asks without a hint of shame.

"Are we, Penelope?" I joke. Penelope chokes on her water.

"What kind of rumor is that? Of course, we aren't," she immediately answers.

"Well, as Penelope said. No, we aren't," I answer jokingly.

"Hmm. Okay, then, are you working with the forces of evil?" he asks with a stone-cold stare. Penelope and Garus are about to say something before I cut them off, "Why would you ask that?"

"Many worry that because you are a Vashrin, you may have a grudge against the side of good and may even feel sympathy for the forces of evil. Is there anything you can say to dissuade the worries of the people?" he asks without even a hint of animosity.

"The people have nothing to worry about. The Chosen One is chosen by the Gods themselves after all. I have no existing grudge against the good people of this Empire, and honestly, the forces of evil have attempted to kill me multiple times at this point. Publicly, might I add. If anything, I have every reason to fight against the forces of evil rather than for them. So, to put it bluntly. No. I do not work for the forces of evil, and I never will," I say as I take a bite of my chicken parmesan.

"Noted. Do you know the name Ashfall?" he asks. The memories of fire and screams echo through my mind as I keep up a poker face.

"No. What is it?" I [Lie]. Ilota looks me over, searching for even a smidgen of doubt.

"It was a small town near the Red-Tipped Mountains. A town built by the Empire in order to give housing to those who were considered down on their luck." Garus and Penelope look confused.

"We've never heard of this," Penelope says.

"You wouldn't. It was burned to the ground ten years ago in an accidental fire. The project was deemed a failure, and the world moved on. So, Chosen One, you've never heard of this town?" he asks again.

"No. Never heard of it in my life. Is that all? I've finished my lunch, and I got some training to do," I say as I get up.

"Yes. I may send some more personal and fluff questions in writing, but that should be it for the verbal interview. Thank you, Chosen One," he says.

"Don't mention it." As I walk away, the words 'the world moved on' echo through my mind, followed by the memories of screams and fire. Good for them.