Valen's expression turned grim.
She was placing the blame on him.
Thora leaned back and settled into a relaxed posture, holding Valen's gaze without the slightest fear. "He didn't hurt me just once. Today, I wanted to finish it, so I took him down."
"You knew it was Jeremy all along?" Valen asked, getting straight to it.
Thora gave a small nod. "More or less."
The last time she went to the Shooting Institute looking for Shirley, Jeremy ran into her. That was when suspicion sparked, because he carried the same smell as the tranquilizer darts from the first incident.
Once the doubt formed, she kept an eye on him. After that, every move he made left clear traces in her view.
And back when she was being followed, Lance had quietly warned her. Obviously, Lance noticed something too.
Valen examined Thora for a long while, trying to separate fact from fabrication.
He had questioned countless infiltrators and sleepers. He was skilled at spotting lies. But Thora had an unsettling quality. Everything she said sounded convincing. That was what made her dangerous. Even if she lied, people believed her.
Still, based on what he knew of her, she did not resort to deception lightly.
"Jeremy's profile is spotless. No marks at all. He entered the Blue Star Military Academy six years ago and climbed from an ordinary instructor to his current position. Talented, capable in every way. I never imagined he was a hidden spy inside the academy," Valen said with anger and regret.
"If he has special abilities, forging records is easy," Thora replied calmly.
"That can't happen," Valen countered. "The academy's system is sealed tight, with safeguards aimed at ability users. Even they can't mess with it. Like the 66th floor of the Data Building. Ability users cannot enter. It has targeted defenses."
"I mean his records were changed before he ever joined the academy," Thora said with a frown. "You don't really think he only decided to be a spy after enrolling, do you?"
Valen saw the flaw in his reasoning, and his jaw tightened.
Being betrayed by a familiar face had shaken his judgment, and that lapse irritated him.
"Jeremy showed no issues during his years here, but his file from before enrollment only looks clean on the surface. Dig deeper and it reeks," Thora said.
"You've checked his file," Valen said firmly, suspicion in his eyes. "Instructor records are classified. Students can't access that system. How did you manage it?"
If it were anyone else, he would have lost his temper already. But he knew that if he pushed Thora, she would push back just to irritate him.
So he kept quiet.
Thora sensed when to stop and did not press further. "I can make him talk."
Valen focused instantly. "What do you want in return?"
"When I question him, no one interrupts. No one interferes," Thora said, lifting her eyes.
Valen hesitated, then gave a nod. "Agreed."
Jeremy was tough and understood every interrogation method the academy employed. If he refused to speak, the academy would have no choice but to execute him. And a corpse would be useless.
If Thora could force a confession, that was the ideal result.
After securing his word, Thora said nothing more. She stood up and walked toward the interrogation room...

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