"Isn't that the police?"
They are. Based on their horse, they are in a high division. High division police officers rarely come to town but when they do, most of the time it's of utmost importance.
The horse's galloping steadily slowed down, stopping right in front of us. It's sheer size casted a shadow that swallowed both me and Kiran.
At the back of the wagon, a metal door creaked open. Jumping down from it was a man in black. In his hand, a proud police cap decorated by a singular golden badge and a lion's head carved on it.
"Would you like the world to be cleansed?"—the man wore his hat—" I can make that request come true."
"Excuse me?"
Kiran uttered.
The man strode over to us. Though his hat covered the top half of his face with a shadow, there was a notable giant scar on the corner of his lip.
"Is it not what you said boy?"
"What? What's going on?"
"You..."
The man's piercing glare was now on me.
"Interesting...You two have the right to remain silent."
I recoiled before looking over to Kiran, he was petrified, standing idly like a doll. Without a delay, I look up, teeth clenched.
Both my hands were pulled back by an absurd strength.
Reflexively, I turned to see who the culprit was. It was a muscular police officer, grinning ear to ear, revealing his set of gold teeth.
*click*
Two clicks sounded in unison, the feeling of cold metal ringed my wrist.
"Hey! We didn't—"
I turned to the resisting Kiran, silenced by an officer behind him. I didn't resist, even if I did I would've failed anyway. There is no way I'm overpowering this bear-like man.
One question shot up my mind.
"How did neither of us notice them going behind us!?"
We were transported into the metal wagon. Sunlight beamed the wagon's interior through the windows on the sides. The space in itself was quite claustrophobic, allowing only a few people to fill in the sets of red cushioned seats.
Sitting in front of us was the mysterious, scarred officer. He took a moment to take his hat off, revealing his face. The man's hairline was receding, his eyes calm and calculative, alongside a set of stubbles on his chin.
"Mmmphf!"
Kiran's screams were muffled, our lips were taped shut, like that from my world.
I found it odd. If the censored parts of Kiran's storyline was actually him getting arrested, then why am I getting arrested along with him?
"Calm down, you will be able to speak again at the station. Enjoy the ride. "
Kiran simply looked at me dead in the eyes. I know exactly what he's trying to say. Problem is, I can't exactly do that.
I shook my head and gave a look of reassurance to Kiran.
Thenceforth, the trip was silent, only the slowly transitioning view of the countryside road to the well-kept cobblestone pavements of a city kept us entertained. On top of that, I noticed the police officer doing nothing but stare at the both of us like an artifact in a museum for the entire trip.
Out of nowhere, the wagon came to a halt, jolting Kiran and I forward while the scarred officer remained unmoved on his seat.
After recovering, I took a peek through the window. We are currently somewhere in the capital. Trees towering over the wagon surrounded us, alongside freshly trimmed bushes and brick pavers. From this perspective, it seemed like a mansion's front yard.
The back door swings open, prompting the scarred officer to swiftly get off his seat and jump right down.
"Escort these two."
The two officers from before entered the wagon, following the order.
Now outside, I got the full front view of our destination. In front of us was a giant, greek esque building. Its pillars stood tall, and its appearance seemed brand new. Perhaps it was newly constructed?
Nonetheless, the place seemed to be too grand for a regular police station.
A thought occurred to me.
"Could this be... the main headquarters?
No, it couldn't possibly be the main headquarters. Could it?
There was simply no way. The crime we had to commit had to be insane for us to get transported here—if we even did any in the first place.
I shrugged the thought off, pushing it into the corner of my mind.
While scanning my surroundings, I realized that the scarred police officer was gone. No where to be seen, not even a single trace left behind.
"Move along!"
The officer tasked to escort me pushed my back.
Going up the marble stairs, a tall, grand wooden door laid in front of us. Once we went through it, I was taken aback by the amount of people inside. The sea of people varied from regular civilians to what looked to me like nobles, and officers that attended to these individuals.
Looking down, I was met with the answer I shrugged off a moment ago. It was the badge of the kingdom painted on the ground, paired with a sentence, "Kingdom Guard Headquarters"—The motif, two lion heads encircling a heart.
I noticed people avoid stepping on the badge, possibly out of respect or maybe, from fear.
Kiran–along with our escorts–were brought to a long narrow hallway, getting jostled by the passersby along the way.
Sunlight peeking through the window illuminated the hallway. Compared to what I assume is the main hall, this hallway isn't crowded. Each step we took, the amount of people roaming slowly diminished to the point where only our footsteps echoed the halls.
We came to an eventual stop. To our left was a door with a sign that read "Interrogation room". My escort opened the door before dragging me inside.
"mmphf, hmmphf!—"
The door closed, cutting him off before I even had time to form what he was trying to say. Kiran and I are now separated in this unknown labyrinth.
Inside this dim, candle lit room, the familiar, fresh smell of concrete filled the air. An odd scent for a fancy place like this.
"Sit down."
Obediently, I sat down on the chair prepared beforehand. Before me was a wide table, and a chair on the other end.
"Someone will come in and interrogate you. Don't do anything while waiting."
The police officer exited the room, shutting the door along the way.
*thud!*
I leaned back on my chair, pressing down on my cuffed hands in the process.
"Surely by now, Leola would've done something. I wasn't supposed to be involved in this in the first place. Suspicious."
I had no idea what was going on, nothing comes to mind in explaining why I'm here at the police headquarters of all places. Jean was an honest man before he died, it simply doesn't add up. Unless...
"Was it something I personally did in Jean's body?"
The door creaked open. It was the scarred police officer from before, peeking his head out with an odd smile.
"It appears that I haven't introduced myself."
The man sauntered over to the chair on the other side of the table, a weird stick in his now gloved hand.
"Chief detective, Callida Inoli. Let's get straight to it."
He took out a small metal object from his pocket. Applying pressure to a certain area revealed the fact that it was a lighter, it's small fire waving and dancing.
He then inserted the weird stick in his mouth, lighting the end on fire. It was a cigarette. He took a moment to enjoy it before blowing the smoke to my face.
My eyebrows furrowed.
"I apologize, didn't know you dislike the smell."
"Quite an observant and considerate officer you are."
He leaned forward, taking off the tape that sealed my mouth shut. As the tape leaves my mouth, I immediately raise a question.
"Why am I here?"
"That is a question only you can answer."
"Not if I don't even know what I did. Be considerate and point it out would you?"
The storylines I read were only for the characters in Deintris. I know nothing of this man.
I looked over his shoulder.
"I ought to be careful as to not raise suspicion."
Callida sits back down, gesturing to his left; a seemingly solid concrete wall.
"We had someone fix that wall. The last time we took someone interrogating here they broke it and went on the run."
"How does that relate to my arrest?"
"You, peasant, are an accomplice."
"When did I become an accomplice to a criminal?"
Callida's eyebrows furrowed, shoulders loosened. He took a quick puff from his cigarette before blowing it. This time, away from my face.
"According to our witness, a week ago."
"Weird. Really weird. How come did I not inherit any memories about this?"
That statement cleared the fact it wasn't something I did in Jean's body. I was still working a nine to five at the office during then.
The most obvious answer here is that...
"I've been framed."