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Neptunia Guild Files: Fate/book one

A Hyperdimension Neptunia Fan Fiction

by Derald Snyder

Section 43: Questioning Medea

*Guild Western Branch HQ, Interrogation Room 1*

Medea sat alone at a table, her hands restrained with special handcuffs that acted as a seal on her mana, so she couldn't use magic to simply blast her way out of the building. Soon, the door opened, revealing IF with a tablet in her hands. "So, Medea Kuzuki, AKA Medea Colchis. You were born into a wealthy family in Lastation, only to run away when you were about 14 and join the mercenary group known as The Order. But when The Order was broken up and disbanded, you were nowhere to be found... until now." She picked her head up to look Medea in the eye. "Does that sound about right?"

"All that was years ago, and outside your jurisdiction," Medea coldly retorted. "And despite what that blonde with the flame-sword thinks, I do NOT sacrifice children."

"Not even to create mana crystals?" IF inquired critically.

"...Clearly you have NO knowledge of a magi's methods," the caster growled. "If I wanted to create a mana crystal, there are far more efficient ways than that! Even for lower-level mages! Whatever kidnapping you're investigating, you are barking up the wrong tree, you fool!"

"Well, if you had deigned to cooperate with us instead of flying off the handle and sending several of our agents to the hospital, it would've worked out a lot better for you!" IF retorted.

"Why don't you jump off a high cliff and go to hell!" Medea spat back. Realizing further questioning was fruitless, Iffy shook her head and exited the room.

Outside, IF bumped into a familiar face. "Hey there, Iffy!" Falcom greeted. "I just heard about how you took down that mage/assassin duo that put several other agents in traction! Nice work!"

"Hey, Falcom!" IF greeted happily. "Long time no see. How are you doing? Still recuperating from what that Gilgamesh did to you?"

"Well, I'm mostly recovered, but I'm taking it easy for a while," Falcom nodded. "Otherwise I would've gladly helped the local Guild branch myself..." Just then, she saw Euryale and Rider coming down the hallway... "Hi, Euryale! And, uh..."

"Agent Rider," the taller woman introduced herself. "I helped get your sword back from that eight-armed freak. And Euryale is my... estranged stepsister."

"Really?! Wow, small world," Falcom mused. "You two see each other often?"

"Uh..." Euryale stammered, before looking away.

"First face-to-face contact in years," Rider admitted, also averting her gaze.

"...Whoops. Open mouth, insert foot for me," Falcom grimaced and sweat-dropped. "Guess I missed the 'estranged' part..."

"Anyway," IF changed the subject, "How did your questioning of Mr. Kuzuki go?"

"Nothing," Euryale shook her head. "Only time he opened his mouth was to ask about his wife. Stone silent otherwise."

"Did she brainwash him or something?" Rider asked.

"I doubt it," IF shook her head. "All our records indicate he's always been stoic like that. And if he HAD been brainwashed, it would have broken along with Medea's other enchantments by Caster's hand."

"A devoted man, huh?" Falcom said.

"...wait, that's it!" Euryale gasped. "I've got an idea..."

*Back in interrogation...*

Medea snapped her head up as the door opened again. "Hello, Mrs. Kuzuki. I'm Agent Euryale Kuiper. I just spoke with your husband... the only thing he would say was asking after you. He seems really smitten with you..."

"I didn't brainwash him, if that's what you're going to ask," the caster cut her off.

"Oh no, we can tell if someone's brainwashed," Euryale shook her head with a smile. "I could see it in his eyes... he truly loves you. I'm a bit jealous, in fact. Most men say they love you, then after a week or two, dump you for the next flavor of the month. Believe me, I speak from experience."

"I knew a few men like that," Medea muttered under her breath. "Hell, I eloped here with one of them... but of course, he turned out to be a jerk, idiot, and all-around asshole."

"Was he a mage like yourself?" Euryale prodded.

Medea let loose a choking, bitter laugh. "A mage? Only barely. Comparing me to him would be like comparing a sports sedan with a rusted toy car!"

"So, would he sacrifice young women for mana crystals?" the agent cut to the heart of the matter.

"...Oh, so that's what you were getting at. How very clever of you," the witch shook her head with a knowing smirk. "Why should I tell you anything about him?"

"One, you obviously hate his guts, and two, if you cooperate, we might be inclined to go easy on your husband," Euryale retorted with a smirk of her own. "After all, he was just fighting to protect the one he loves, right? Many people are suckers for a good love story..."

Medea's face darkened considerably. "How dare you use my beloved Souchirou-sama as a bargaining chip."

"I don't see it that way," Euryale rebuffed her. "All I want is the guy's name, is that so hard? You have no reason to protect him, after all... but every reason to help your one true love."

Medea looked down, drawing in a deep breath and letting it go slowly. "...If I cooperate, you'll put in a good word for him?"

"I'll contact the Prosecutor's Office right after we're done here," Euryale promised.

"...Fine. His name is Atrum Galliasta. He went by the alias 'Jason Gallia' when we first came here. I don't know if he's still alive or not, though, given I stabbed him in the gut and left him where he lay. Given there was nothing on the news the next day, however..."

"What does he look like?" Euryale inquired.

"Blond hair, blue eyes, dark skin. Usually dresses like he's got all the money in the world. He does have a fair bit of wealth, which is how he financed the trip from Lastation to here... may he rot in hell."

"Well, I don't know about hell, but we'll certainly throw him in jail if this checks out," Euryale snarked. "Thank you very much for your cooperation, Mrs. Kuzuki." Giving a formal bow, she promptly turned and walked out...

*A short time later...*

"Okay, here's Jason Gallia..." IF mumbled as she typed away at the virtual keyboard. "Now, for Atrum Galliasta's information from Lastation..." Another profile popped up on the holo-screen, Iffy promptly zooming in on both pictures. "Yep, same guy, alright. All he did was shave his mustache and beard."

"Not exactly smart of him, was it?" Nero commented, she, Tamamo, Rider and Archer being gathered around IF in Euryale's cubicle.

"True, but Erethsian City is about as far from Lastation as you can get without leaving Gamindustri entirely," Archer pointed out. "Probably figured he didn't need to change his appearance that much..."

"Do we have an address?" Rider pressed. IF typed at the keyboard, bringing up a map with his address marked in the center.

"Put up all the locations where kidnappings occurred," Archer suggested, several more marks soon appearing on the map.

"Wow, he's right dead-center in all of them," Tamamo noted. "Looks like we have our guy, mikon."

"Then let us go and arrest him at once!" Nero exclaimed.

"Hold on, if children are being held there, we could end up in a massive hostage situation," Archer denied her. "We need to play this smart. Rider and I'll head out there first at night and scope out the place. If we see that a sacrifice is imminent, we'll call the rest of you in and take him down hard."

"...Very well, I can agree to that," Nero nodded. The others spoke similarly.

However, unbeknownst to them, the group was being observed via a scrying-spell... "Well, looks like they've finally connected the dots... Excellent. Everything is going according to plan..."

*To be continued...*

Next, the Guild confronts the true culprit! But will they encounter a nasty surprise? Stay tuned!