Interrogation time

"Wait," I tell him, and he stops in his tracks, "why don't you stay and talk with me for a bit?"

Naoki turns his head and looks at me. There is surprise reflected in his eyes. I give him a warm smile, trying to be as inviting as I can be.

"W-what? Ahh, no, I can't," Naoki looks down and shakes his head, "I have to go to work now."

"There's nothing urgent, right?"

"I suppose not... but-"

"Then you can spend a little more time talking with your boss," I said with a slightly more authoritative tone.

"Y-yes, you're right," Naoki finally nods, "but Iris might scold me if I dilly dally..."

"Don't worry about it, just tell her that I told you to accompany me," I reassure him, "please, have a seat"

Naoki obliges, setting the tray and dishes down then sitting on the floor. I am about to tell him to sit on a chair, but I quickly remember that there's only one chair in this room, and it’s Akemi's working chair. Should I sit there or on the floor like Naoki? Think Victor, what would Akemi do? I finally choose to sit on the floor across from the younger beastman, to match his height. I copy his sitting posture as well, folding both of my legs to the back and sitting on them. Akemi's body seems to be used to this position thankfully, because I can imagine myself having massive cramps on both of my real legs after only a few minutes. I then put on a polite smile for Naoki, and he blushes and fidgets under my gaze, his cow-like tail swishing around nervously.

"Um... What do you want to talk about, priestess?"

Naoki finally breaks the silence, still avoiding my stare. After some thinking, I decide on a way to get some info out of him. Hopefully it won't cast any suspicion in his mind.

"Humor me Naoki, and pretend this injury made me lost my memory," I said, gesturing to the bandage that's wrapped around my head, "I want-"

"You lost your memory?!"

"Pretend, I said pretend," I quickly reply, a bit surprised by his sudden outburst.

"...oh, right. I'm sorry," Naoki blinks and smiles sheepishly.

After taking a moment to compose myself, I continue, "it's okay, Naoki. Now, I want you to answer my question honestly, okay? Let's start with something easy. How long have you been working here in the shrine, Naoki?"

"Oh, umm, since a couple of months ago, priestess," he answers, confirming my suspicion about him being a relatively new addition to the shrine.

"How did it start?"

"Iris recommended me to you, priestess," Naoki replies, "after the shrine was finished, she said there was more work to do here than the two of you could handle, and that you needed more helping hands, so she wanted me to work here."

I nod, noting down the information in my head. I'll have to ask him more about the shrine later, but now let's change the subject.

"Alright. And do you like working here?"

"Umm, it's..."

"Go on, you can answer honestly, I won't be mad," I urge him.

"...well, it's different from what I used to do, working in the field," he shrugs, "but I don't dislike it here. You're very kind to me Priestess, so I lik- err, respect you a lot. Moreover, if I work here, I can spend more time with Iris.”

I raise my eyebrows, staring at Naoki who is now smiling slightly. Are the two of them in a relationship? Or is this boy merely lusting over Iris in secret? The thought of a beastman and a human woman together… disgusting… more so if he's going to **** himself upon her. But I don't let this emotion appear on Akemi's face, she just keeps smiling gently as she asks the next question.

"It's probably difficult for you, but objectively speaking, what do you think of Iris?"

Naoki looks up, staring at me blankly like I just spouted the most incomprehensible speech ever known to men. Then, he blushes again, the tips of his ears redden. He turns away from me and starts stuttering.

"I-Iris, huh... E-ehem, I think she's, um... kind, strong, diligent, beauti- uhh, what else..."

Ahh, it's not good, this boy is completely lovestruck. I won't be able to get an unbiased opinion from him regarding Iris. Perhaps I should try asking him something else.

"I understand," I tell him, cutting off his nervous rambling, "how do you see my relationship with Iris?"

"She respects you very much, priestess. I mean, who doesn't?" He looks up and laughs nervously, "But I think she puts you at a distance more than she likes. You're her superior and she's just your subordinate, she knows, but she wished the two of you to be closer"

Hmm, that's actually something I can work with. Iris acted like a loyal subordinate earlier, but it seems she secretly wants to befriend Akemi, so I'll be able to use that to gain her trust. Wait, how long have Akemi and Iris known each other?

"How long do you think Iris and I have known each other?" I then ask the bull.

"Uhh... As far as I know, she has been by your side since you were a child. Doesn’t her family work for yours, priestess?"

I furrow my brows, unintentionally giving the boy a puzzled yet sharp glare. That doesn't make sense at all. Iris is a human and Akemi is a beastwoman, why would they grow up together if the beastmen had only migrated a few years ago? And what was that about Iris' family working for Akemi's? Is this hereditary slavery of humans by the beastmen? Could they have kidnapped humans in the far past to become their slaves without the kingdom knowing?

"Umm... Priestess? Did I say something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh..."

I am shaken off from my thoughts. I didn't realize I was glaring daggers at Naoki for the past few seconds. The boy is obviously afraid he has somehow offended his boss. I put on a calm face, smiling at Naoki.

"Sorry, Naoki. It's just... my head, it's throbbing a little," I put my palm on my forehead, acting like I was in pain as an excuse.

"Are you alright? Should I get Iris?"

"No need, I'll be fine. But maybe I should rest a little."

"Oh, of course! I'll leave you to rest and tell Iris, then"

"Wait, before you go, do you know that we have a couple of visitors from the capital city?" I then ask quickly.

"Oh, yes. You did tell me about them yesterday, Priestess. You told me to give them a tour of the town. Is there a change of plan?" he asks confusedly.

I shake Akemi's head, "No, no... Just making sure that you remember it. Please treat them as best as you can and answer any questions they might have, okay?"

"A-any questions?" Naoki hesitates.

Drats, he's smarter than I thought. As expected, there are probably some things that should not be disclosed to outsiders. It's okay, I should not push it, but I will not step back either.

"Yes, it's okay. It's important to maintain a good impression and relationship with the human capital. But, if you think some of their questions and behaviors are suspicious, you may report them directly to me. Don't talk about it with anyone else though, not even Iris. I don't want anyone to react hastily"

"Certainly, Priestess. Don't worry, I'll be the best guide in Thresford"

"Good, meet them at the..." I pause, trying to remember the name of the inn Lillia and I are staying at, but drawing blanks, "...inn. They should be waiting for you there"

"Yes, Priestess. Please excuse me"

With that, Naoki grabs the tray with the dishes and then leaves the room, bowing slightly before closing the sliding door. I wait for his footsteps to fade away before sighing heavily. That was quite nerve-wracking. Still, what I learned from Naoki was quite surprising. I can't really confirm the slavery theory yet, but if they truly knew each other since they were children, it seems to be the most probable truth.