Wrong answers are embarrassing.
Especially on an exam paper.
When red lines are drawn across them, the person beside you sees them, and the teacher sighs, people instinctively want to hide the wrong answer.
But in an interrogation chamber, the more dangerous thing is not the wrong answer.
It is being unable to correct it.
And in aristocratic society, the most dangerous thing is being unable to admit you were wrong, then fabricating an even bigger answer.
I divided the blackboard into three sections.
`Preparation`
`Review`
`Wrong Answer`
They were the three words left behind by the blue chalk messages.
A good student prepares.
A good student reviews.
A good student corrects wrong answers.
They were irritating sentences, but they had their uses.
If our opponent had truly designed the interrogation in that order, we could see its structure in advance.
And even if they had merely written them to mock us, we could use that mockery as a teaching tool.
Either way, there was no reason for us to lose out.
I wrote beneath the first section.
`Preparation: Question someone over something they have not yet done.`
The second section.
`Review: Bring up something they have already done.`
The third section.
`Wrong Answer: Prevent them from correcting an incorrect answer.`
Eveline started to cross her arms, then stopped.
She awkwardly lowered them.
"The third one is the strangest. If it is a wrong answer, you just correct it."
"The interrogator will not let you do that."
"Why not?"
"Because they will make your first answer seem like the answer you will give for the rest of your life."
Seria spoke softly.
"They use the first sentence as a brand."
"Exactly."
I tapped the blackboard.
"So our next training session today is wrong-answer training. Answer incorrectly on purpose."
All four of them looked at me at once.
Eveline reacted first.
"What?"
Liana looked flustered.
"On purpose?"
Seria narrowed her eyes.
"You mean for us to deliberately fail?"
Adela tilted her head slightly.
"Interesting. It is similar to deliberately cutting fabric incorrectly, then examining the correction lines."
As expected, Adela adapted quickly.
The problem was that every one of her analogies involved clothes.
I said,
"You need to learn that an incorrect first answer does not mean it is over. The odds that you will deliver a perfect first sentence in tomorrow's interrogation are low. You will be tired, angry, frightened, and people will be watching. You are bound to make mistakes."
Liana's expression stiffened slightly.
For someone with a strong need to be perfect, those words were frightening.
I looked at Liana.
"It is all right to be wrong. But you must correct it."
Clarisse spoke quietly.
"A correction is possible on the record. However, a reason for the correction is required."
Good.
Today, Clarisse would not pass judgment.
Even so, she was guiding them through the procedure.
Martin wrote:
`Wrong-Answer Training: After the initial answer, revise it with a stated reason for correction.`
I clapped once.
"First. Lady Eveline Rosette."
"Wow. Me right away?"
"Yes. Because you are the most likely to get it wrong."
Eveline's eyes sharpened.
"You are deliberately provoking me right now, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Fine. I am angry."
"And?"
"Even so, I will confirm the scope before I answer."
"Good. But this time, answer incorrectly on purpose."
Eveline looked like she could not understand it.
I asked in an interrogator's voice.
"Lady Rosette. You are a candidate highly likely to commit violence because you cannot control your emotions. Are you qualified to enter an interrogation chamber?"
Eveline's mouth immediately opened.
"Who the hell are you to..."
She stopped.
Everyone looked at her.
Eveline looked at the ceiling.
Then she sighed.
"Wrong answer."
Good.
"Correct it."
Eveline gritted her teeth and spoke.
"Correction. My previous answer was an attack on the questioner. I will answer again. There is a risk concerning my emotional control. Therefore, I will not carry a weapon during the interrogation, and before leaving my seat, I will first notify the recorder. The interrogation procedure should determine whether I am qualified."
Good.
Really good.
Clarisse said,
"Correction appropriate. Reason clear."
Martin wrote quickly.
Eveline lowered her shoulders a little.
"Deliberately getting it wrong feels more disgusting than I expected."
"It will feel worse if you get it wrong tomorrow."
"That is true."
A system window appeared.
`[Eveline Rosette: Aggression Wrong-Answer Correction Successful]`
`[Resistance to Provoked Rampage Increased]`
Liana was second.
Liana was already tense.
To her, being told to make a mistake on purpose probably sounded almost like a punishment.
I said,
"Miss Liana Bell."
"Yes."
"A disguised Cathedral Wing sleeve has been found. As a Saint Candidate, what can you provide to dispel all suspicion?"
Liana drew in a breath.
Then she tried to answer incorrectly on purpose.
It showed on her face.
"I will submit my room, my ceremonial robes, and all my letters..."
Her words stopped.
Liana's face went pale.
She had intended to make a mistake, but that answer was too familiar. That was probably why it frightened her even more.
She spoke very softly.
"That is a wrong answer."
"Correct it."
Liana clasped her hands.
Her fingertips trembled.
"Correction. My previous answer was an excessive submission of myself without confirming the relevant scope. I will answer again. I will submit the ceremonial robes and records necessary for the official comparison procedure. As for my private letters and my entire room, their relevance must be established first."
Good.
I pressed her a little harder.
"Are you hiding something?"
Liana closed her eyes, then opened them.
"That sentence sounds like pressure, not a question. Please ask a question that can be verified."
Good.
Very good.
Clarisse said,
"Appropriate."
Martin wrote it down.
A system window appeared.
`[Liana Bell: Self-Sacrifice Wrong-Answer Correction Successful]`
`[Shielding Resistance Rate Increased]`
Liana exhaled.
Her eyes were slightly red, but she did not cry.
More important than not crying was being able to correct her answer even if she did cry.
That was the next step.
We could not do everything in one night.
Seria was third.
Seria was pressing down the corners of her lips.
She wore the expression of someone who knew her turn was coming and had prepared for it.
An expression of someone who also knew that preparation was dangerous.
I said,
"Lady Seria Blanc. Lady Eloise Berhardt has refused to apologize. Does that not make your remorse merely performative?"
Seria tried to smile very softly.
Then stopped.
But this time, she had to answer incorrectly on purpose.
She said,
"Even performative remorse would have more sincerity than the interrogator's phrasing."
The lecture hall froze.
Eveline's eyes widened.
Liana covered her mouth.
Adela nodded slightly.
Why was she nodding?
Seria immediately closed her eyes.
"Wrong answer."
"Correct it."
Seria collected herself.
"Correction. My previous answer was a cutting insult attacking the questioner's phrasing. I will answer again. Because Lady Eloise has refused to apologize, I cannot prove remorse through words. Instead, I will examine my responsibility by cooperating to ensure the victim's statement is not used as part of a battle over reputation."
Good.
I asked,
"Is that proof of remorse?"
Seria answered,
"I will not claim it is proof. I will leave it as conduct open to review."
Good.
Very good.
Clarisse said,
"Correction appropriate. Cutting insult immediately withdrawn."
A system window appeared.
`[Seria Blanc: Cutting-Insult Wrong-Answer Correction Successful]`
`[Trust Recovery Training Progress: 44% -> 47%]`
Seria let out a very quiet breath.
She did not smile.
That was better.
Adela was last.
Adela looked less tense than the other three.
No, she had been trained to look like someone who did not get tense.
People like that hate wrong answers more.
Because they do not believe they will give one.
And when people like that are wrong, they break harder.
I said,
"Lady Adela Carmion. You quickly identified the candidates' weaknesses using your knowledge of dress and etiquette. Is there no chance you might diminish someone's dignity in tomorrow's interrogation?"
Adela fell silent for a moment.
Then she deliberately answered incorrectly.
"Anyone whose dignity can be diminished already shows it in their clothes."
I thought she was looking at me.
It was probably because of my coat.
I did not move an eyebrow.
"Is that a wrong answer?"
Adela answered a fraction too late.
"It is a wrong answer."
That brief delay mattered.
Adela took longer than the others to discard her own words.
Because she believed her own words were accurate.
"Correct it."
Adela touched her fingertips together.
"Correction. My previous answer expanded an observation of an object into an assessment of a person. I will answer again. I can explain the function of clothing and physical evidence. However, I will not use that explanation to make a conclusive judgment about a candidate's dignity or morality."
Good.
I pressed further.
"Would not making that judgment quickly resolve the case more quickly as well?"
Adela tried to answer immediately.
Then stopped.
"A hasty judgment looks like a quick resolution. But if it is wrong, the cost of correction is high."
Her tone was cold.
But the content was accurate.
Clarisse said,
"Correction appropriate. Observation separated from reputational judgment."
A system window appeared.
`[Adela Carmion: Social Tailoring Wrong-Answer Correction Successful]`
`[Entry into the Fake Dress Incident Route Delayed]`
All four of them had given an initial wrong answer, then corrected it.
The atmosphere in the lecture hall was a little different from before.
Wrong answers were still uncomfortable.
But they had not died from them.
There was another sentence after a wrong one.
I wrote a new line on the blackboard.
`Correction Statement: My previous answer was ___. I will answer again.`
"Remember this sentence."
Eveline said,
"Do we have to memorize it?"
"Memorize the function."
Liana repeated softly,
"My previous answer was an excessive submission. I will answer again."
Seria said as well,
"My previous answer was a cutting insult. I will answer again."
Adela said,
"My previous answer expanded an observation of an object into an assessment of a person. I will answer again."
Eveline thought for a moment.
"My previous answer was... a fist."
The lecture hall fell quiet for a moment.
Eveline immediately said,
"No, my words. My words were a fist."
Seria covered the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.
Liana held back a laugh too.
Adela said seriously,
"The metaphor is not bad. However, in an official interrogation, it could be misunderstood as aggressive phrasing."
Eveline clutched her head.
"This is really hard."
"That is why we are doing it now."
I said,
"Again."
Eveline drew in a breath.
"My previous answer was an attack on the questioner. I will answer again."
Good.
Martin continued writing.
But at some point, his pen began to slow.
At first, I thought he was simply tired.
But that was not it.
He was watching the four of them.
More precisely, he was watching where they looked before answering.
I did not miss his gaze.
"Martin Gray."
Martin looked up in surprise.
"Yes?"
"What did you see?"
Martin's face stiffened.
He had seen it again.
He did not answer immediately.
This time too, he organized his thoughts.
"May I answer?"
Clarisse said,
"It is an observation record. Permission granted."
Martin set down his pen.
His fingertips trembled slightly.
"All four of you looked at Teacher Leon Cart immediately before giving a wrong answer or immediately before correcting one."
The lecture hall fell silent.
Eveline immediately said,
"I did?"
Martin lowered his head.
"Yes. Lady Rosette looked at the teacher after her first wrong answer. Miss Bell looked at him before stopping the excessive-submission statement, and Lady Blanc looked at him before correcting her cutting insult. Lady Carmion also looked at him very briefly after her answer concerning dignity."
Adela's eyebrow moved ever so slightly.
Apparently, she had not known either.
Martin hurriedly added,
"I do not mean to make a conclusive judgment. But if tomorrow's interrogator sees it, it may look as though you are seeking the teacher's confirmation before answering."
Silence.
Fatal.
Truly fatal.
The private-classroom framing we had been trying to avoid until now.
This was its very core.
The four of them looked at me before answering.
At that moment, no matter how good their answer was, it would look like an answer I had given them.
I looked at Martin.
"Good observation."
Martin looked flustered.
"Thank you."
Eveline bit her lip.
Liana's face turned white.
Seria lowered her gaze.
Adela exhaled very slowly.
A system window appeared.
`[Fatal Habit Discovered]`
`[Four Candidates: Tendency to Check Leon Cart Before Answering]`
`[Private Classroom Framing Risk Increased]`
`[Pre-Interrogation Eve Teaching Task Updated]`
Wrong answers are not hidden.
Good.
We did not hide them, and the biggest wrong answer emerged.
The fact that I was teaching them.
That itself was now a weakness.
I looked at the blackboard.
`Wrong Answer: Prevent them from correcting an incorrect answer.`
Perhaps this was the wrong answer our opponent had given us.
They must not look at Leon Cart.
But all of them did.
I picked up the chalk.
Then I wrote a new sentence beneath the third section.
`Next Training: Do Not Look at the Teacher.`
Eveline spoke quietly.
"Isn't that the hardest one?"
I answered,
"It is."
And that was the wrong answer we absolutely had to correct before tomorrow's interrogation.
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