“Show it to me.”

Sisl hesitated for a moment before going to the wardrobe and taking something out. She stood a distance away from Arasila and held out something wrapped in cloth.

It was a pendant.

On the front was the Pattinson family’s crest, and on the back was Joni Pattinson’s name engraved.

Arasila approached to take a closer look, but Sisl was startled and hid the pendant behind her back.

It seemed she was afraid it would be taken away from her.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give you this pendant.”

“Even though it could be evidence for your accusation?”

“…This pendant has nothing to do with black magic. I will never hand it over to you.”

Sisl’s wariness seemed so high that Arasila gave up on examining the pendant closely.

Honestly, for a moment, she thought about forcibly confiscating it, but seeing Sisl trembling slightly, that desire disappeared.

“It’s important evidence, so I can’t just ignore it. Instead, I’ll request it later, so please submit it temporarily. I promise I will definitely return it to you.”

“…I understand.”

Sisl reluctantly nodded. It was hard for her to refuse outright since Arasila wasn’t saying she would take it permanently.

Arasila lightly clapped her hands to get Sisl’s attention for a moment.

“Alright, now describe in detail the scene you witnessed of Sir Pattinson using black magic.”

The accusation only briefly mentioned when he had used black magic, so a detailed statement was needed.

Sisl licked her lips and spoke slowly.

“Sir Pattinson was drawing a black magic circle on the floor. There were several candles lined up around it. After finishing drawing the magic circle, he recited a strange prayer.”

“At the time, Sir Pattinson was supposed to be at the battlefront near the border, so how did you see that?”

“I was also working near the border at that time. The place where Sir Pattinson was a regular customer was there too.”

“Where exactly did the nobleman use black magic? Outdoors or indoors?”

“Indoors. There was a room sold as a guest room in the building where I lived, and that’s where he did it.”

Sisl smoothly spoke as if she had prepared her words. At a glance, it seemed she was speaking based on her own experience.

However, Sisl’s answer slowed for the first time at the next question.

“What did the magic circle look like?”

“…I don’t remember very well. I don’t know much about magic.”

“Other than the candles, was there anything else around the magic circle?”

“No… I don’t think so.”

Arasila rubbed her chin. Sisl stared anxiously at her beautiful face, not knowing what she was thinking.

“For what purpose did the nobleman use black magic?”

“…How would I know that? I just witnessed that scene, that’s all.”

Sisl retorted, casting her eyes down. She had been unable to meet Arasila’s gaze ever since the topic of black magic came up.

Arasila silently looked at her and then asked another question.

“Is there any evidence that Sir Pattinson used black magic?”

“…No.”

“So your eyewitness account is all there is, but that alone isn’t enough to punish him.”

Until coming here, Arasila had yet to find any evidence or circumstances proving that Joni Pattinson had used black magic.

So far, the anonymous accusation sent by Sisl was all there was, and with her identity and this unclear testimony on top of that, even if the truth was revealed, people likely wouldn’t believe it.

“…He’s really a bad person. I clearly saw with my own eyes that he did wicked things.”

Sisl spoke with an indignant expression. She had bitten her lower lip so hard that blood was slightly showing.

“Someone unworthy of being a knight like him… shouldn’t he at least be stripped of his position?”

“If it’s true that he used black magic, he’ll lose everything.”

At that frank reply, Sisl made a rather sorrowful face.

After that, the conversation repeated in a similar manner, so Arasila wrapped it up and left Sisl’s room.

Sally, who had been waiting outside the building, tilted her head with a profound expression as she saw Arasila coming down.

“How was it, senior?”

“She was lying to me.”

“What? Really?”

Arasila nodded at Sally, who widened her eyes in surprise.

“To use black magic, you need a sacrifice, right? But she said there was nothing around the magic circle except candles.”

In fact, there was a fatal flaw in Sisl’s testimony that she herself didn’t seem to know about.

For someone without mana to use black magic, they have to offer a sacrifice to pay the price.

That sacrifice could be a living creature, their own blood, or a very precious treasure.

But she had said there was nothing around the magic circle except candles.

“So the accusation is false?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that, there’s something that bothers me…”

Arasila rubbed her chin with an uneasy face. Her blue eyes turned back to look at Sisl’s room.

“You don’t have to draw the magic circle yourself to use black magic, right? Especially for people without mana, it would be difficult to handle magic.”

“That’s right. They could use a magic tool made with black magic. Just hiring a black magician would warrant a similar punishment.”

Sally nodded, reciting various cases of how black magic could be used. Arasila muttered quietly as she approached the carriage.

“It may not be a complete lie.”

The two boarded the carriage to return to the magic tower. Sally carefully asked about future plans.

“What do you plan to do from now on, senior?”

“We have to continue the investigation.”

To ensure no one was truly falsely accused, it was necessary to investigate more closely.

However, Arasila was not given any more time.

The very next morning, Rudy came to her in a hurry with a newspaper.

“Senior, take a look at this!”

“What is it, Rudy?”

Arasila took the newspaper with a puzzled look. As soon as she read the title of the article on the front page, her eyes widened.

“Exclusive) The accuser of Joni Pattinson is none other than the woman of 4th Street?!”

The article clearly revealed that the person who accused Joni was a woman named Sisl who worked at a shop on 4th Street.

It said she had accused an innocent person to the magic tower with impure motives, and the magic tower either knowingly turned a blind eye or was too incompetent to notice.

It also said Arasila, the investigator in charge of the case, was barking up the wrong tree and bothering innocent people without seeing what was truly important.

It even included a personal conjecture stated as fact that Sisl had likely instigated this incident for money.

Arasila stood up from her seat. How on earth did the identity of the accuser, which had been kept strictly confidential, get reported as an article?

“What the hell is this, who said it?”

“I don’t know. There was an anonymous informant.”

“That’s impossible! Only the three of us knew the identity of the accuser. How did someone find out and inform the press?”

Sally said she couldn’t understand in response to Rudy’s answer. But at that moment, Arasila thought of one other person who knew this secret.

Demian Vandermir.

Although it wasn’t like his usual personality, he had a strong motive to inform the press.

The accusation affected not only Joni Pattinson but the entire knight order and magician community.

Among them, the public tended to view the knight side, who was suspected of using black magic, more negatively.

In this situation, if the accuser’s identity was exposed, the credibility of the charges against Joni Pattinson would decrease, and the dishonor of the Red Sleeve Knights would naturally disappear.

Those knight fellows were particularly obsessed with honor, so it made sense.

Once the suspicion arose that he was the anonymous informant, it instantly turned into conviction.

‘That traitor.’

He promised not to say anything, and then stabbed me in the back like this?

Arasila wanted to confront Demian right away, but before that, an urgent meeting of the magic tower’s executives was convened and she was summoned.

From the corridor leading to the meeting room, the angry voices of the magicians were already echoing.

“The magic tower was fooled by the lies of a vulgar woman! How shameful is this?!”

“Our magicians’ image has been made a mockery because of this! We’ve become a group of fools who can’t tell right from wrong and believed the words of such a woman!”

“Oh no, now those knights will be on their high horses. How can we face them!”

“This incident is a disgrace to the magic tower! Let’s quickly release the detained knight and cover up the case!”

An elder magician who valued face shouted that with bulging veins in his neck. The other magicians hastily nodded and agreed.

Arasila sat in her seat with a frown and spoke up.

“Wait a minute. Just because the accuser is a woman of the street, it hasn’t been clearly proven yet whether or not Sir Pattinson used black magic. The investigation must continue.”

Releasing Joni Pattinson was one thing, but sweeping the case under the rug like this was absurd.

There was also the matter of the pendant belonging to the man who supposedly had no interest in entertainment due to having a fiancée being in Sisl’s possession, and this case seemed to have something hidden.

She wanted to somehow uncover the truth, but the other magicians seemed to have different thoughts.

“Arasila. Are you in your right mind or not!”

Fernando, who had been glaring at her disapprovingly since she entered, shouted.

“How much longer are you going to make a fool of the magic tower?! You were in charge of the case, so why didn’t you find out the accuser’s identity sooner! What were you doing!”

“I already knew the accuser’s identity.”

Arasila calmly replied.

“But I don’t care what kind of work she does. What I think is important is…”

“What could be more important than the fact that the accuser is a woman of the streets! Are you really out of your mind? Knowing that and not reporting it! If the magic tower’s reputation is ruined because of this, it’ll be all your fault!”

Fernando’s loud voice painfully rang in her ears. Thinking he had the upper hand, an undisguised vicious smile appeared on his lips.

The elder magicians seated around the two all took Fernando’s side. It was a maddening situation for Arasila.

Curse those close-minded old men.

And to make matters worse, Philip happened to be absent from this meeting, so it was extremely disadvantageous for her.

In the end, by majority vote, the Joni Pattinson accusation case was unsatisfactorily concluded as is.

Since Arasila was the only one who argued that the investigation should continue, it was the obvious result.

The Red Sleeve Knights were in a festive mood.

It was only natural since their colleague who had been unjustly arrested was released after clearing his name.

The knights flocked to congratulate the returning Joni, showering him with praise. Joni let out a scream or something like it.

Demian stood a little distance away, watching his subordinates’ delighted faces. Joni, who barely escaped his colleagues’ grasp, approached him.

“Commander, I’ve returned.”

“Yes, congratulations.”

Demian patted the shoulder of Joni, who saluted. Joni restlessly glanced around and cautiously opened his mouth.

“But are you alright? Your wife…”

“That’s not something for you to worry about.”

Demian cut him off curtly. While it was true his relationship with Arasila had become somewhat awkward due to this incident, it wasn’t something his subordinate should be concerned about.

Joni rolled his eyes and asked in a tense voice.

“…Now that the magic tower has concluded the case, your wife will also drop it, right?”

“Of course.”

At that answer, Joni’s face brightened.

He was about to bow his head and turn around, but Demian stopped him.

“Joni. There’s one thing I want to ask.”

“…Yes, please speak.”

“Do you not know that accuser woman at all?”

For a moment, Joni’s face seemed to stiffen slightly. But he quickly replied.

“Yes, I don’t know her.”

Then he added in a rather sarcastic tone.

“As reported, she probably just picked any knight, aiming for money.”

“If that’s the case, you had bad luck. You had a hard time.”

“Thank you. I’ll be going then.”

Joni, who had bowed his head in greeting, returned to his colleagues, walking so hastily it almost looked like he was running away.

Demian, who had been watching his subordinates noisily preparing for a celebration party, slipped out at an appropriate time.

It was the rule that a superior shouldn’t thoughtlessly stick around when his presence dampened the mood.

Returning home late at night, he quietly went up to his office alone, waving off the greetings of the servants. He intended to finish reading a few documents he hadn’t completed.

Opening the office door without much thought, Demian was startled to unexpectedly come face to face with someone sitting on the sofa with her head drooped down.

Sitting like that in the dark room with the lights off, she looked like a vengeful ghost, so although he didn’t show it, he was truly surprised for a moment.

“…Wife? What are you doing there?”

Demian asked, recognizing it was Arasila from her light purple hair.

Arasila slowly raised her head. Her blue eyes were gleaming intensely.

“You’re back, Mr. Liar?”

“Liar, what do you…”

“How do you feel? Do you feel good, like a hero for deceiving me and saving your subordinate? Did people around you praise you, saying you finally beat the magicians?”

At her sarcastic words, Demian frowned. He had never deceived her, nor had he ever been happy about one-upping the magicians.

“Why are you suddenly picking a fight? Is it because Joni’s case was concluded?”

“Yes! It ended up like that because you broke your promise to me and leaked the accuser’s identity to outsiders. Are you satisfied now? Do you feel refreshed?!”

Demian let out a hollow laugh in disbelief. He thought she was needlessly taking her frustration out on an innocent person due to her pride.

“I never did such a thing. Don’t take it out on me because you couldn’t keep your own mouth shut properly.”

Arasila, her anger flaring at that brazen response, shot up from her seat.

“Don’t joke around! The anonymous informant found out the accuser had a connection to Sir Pattinson. You were the only one who knew her identity among those people!”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Aren’t you just pinning your side’s mistake on me? Aren’t magicians notorious for being loose-lipped?”

“Are you finished talking now?”

The two glared at each other for a moment.