These days, Arasila was leaving work and returning home early in the evening.

There was no reason for her to stay long at the magic tower since the black magic investigation case had ended.

Even though there wasn’t much work, she felt strangely exhausted and tired. She was about to rest after washing up and having a simple meal when someone knocked on her bedroom door.

After checking who the visitor was, Audrey said.

“The master has arrived.”

“Demian? For what reason?”

The relationship between the two had been distant since their argument in the office.

They were grudgingly keeping their promise to have a meal together once a day, but there was no conversation exchanged, to the point where the servants were inwardly worried.

She had already had breakfast with Demian today, so she thought there would be no more reason to see him.

“He says he has something to tell you.”

“…Tell him to come in.”

Arasila nodded after a moment’s hesitation. Audrey, who opened the door to let Demian in, tactfully left the room.

Only Arasila and Demian were left in the bedroom after all the servants withdrew.

“What is it?”

“…”

“Demian, you said you had something to say.”

Arasila looked at Demian, who was standing like a statue by the door, not moving an inch.

Demian’s lips twitched. Even though he had sorted out all his thoughts before coming, now that he was facing her, his mouth wouldn’t open easily.

He had intended to apologize for criticizing Arasila as incompetent and suggest that they re-investigate Ronnie Pattinson’s case together.

But when he saw Arasila sitting in front of her dressing table, staring intently at him, he couldn’t figure out what to say first.

Arasila narrowed her eyes slightly. Feeling her silent urging, Demian’s mouth opened in a hurry.

“To my lady…”

Apologize first? Or request cooperation first?

“I request an apology.”

His tangled words inside came out jumbled even when spoken aloud.

Demian, who had suddenly come and demanded an apology out of the blue, was confused. This wasn’t what he had come here for.

He was about to belatedly try to take back his words.

“Yes, I will apologize.”

“…?”

“I’m sorry, Demian.”

Suddenly, a sincere apology flowed from Arasila’s mouth. Demian was perplexed, as this would only make him seem stranger.

Wasn’t she not the type to apologize so obediently…?

But surprisingly, when Arasila acknowledged her own faults, she was quick to apologize. She just wasn’t the type of person to recklessly apologize at any time.

“What you said was right. I thought that since Inspector Pattinson was a knight, there was a high probability that he would commit wrongdoings.”

“…”

“So once a distasteful aspect arose, even though there were points that didn’t match the testimony of the accuser Sissel, I wanted to keep investigating.”

She had a lot on her mind after her conversation with Sissel. She looked back to see if she had truly investigated the case without any personal feelings.

The conclusion was no.

Aside from the fact that there were suspicious aspects about Ronnie Pattinson, it was true that she was more suspicious and viewed him as dubious because he was a knight.

Of course, that didn’t mean she intended to unconditionally find Ronnie guilty like Demian said, but it was true that she had lost some neutrality, so that was Arasila’s fault.

“But the reason I sided with Sissel wasn’t because of that. I just didn’t like seeing her being unconditionally berated for being a woman of the streets, even if she might deserve criticism for lying.”

Having properly corrected the part Demian had misunderstood, Arasila calmly concluded.

Since the other person admitted their mistake first, it was easier for Demian to also confess his wrongdoings.

“I will also apologize. It’s true that I took Ronnie’s side without looking into it closely just because he is my subordinate. So I assumed your words were also false.”

Just like Arasila was prejudiced against Demian for being a knight, Demian was the same way towards her.

He had continuously doubted whether she, as a mage, was properly investigating, even if he didn’t say it out loud.

“But I really did not leak the identity of the accuser to outsiders. When I investigated, I found that it was the doing of Ronnie’s brothers.”

Demian also clarified the part that Arasila was misunderstanding.

Arasila’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Is that really true?”

“Yes, as you said, there are questionable aspects about Ronnie. Now that I look at the situation objectively, it has come to my attention.”

Demian finally took a step and approached Arasila. Arasila also stood up from her chair to face him.

“I apologize for calling you incompetent. You were investigating properly.”

“I’m also sorry for calling you despicable. And for being certain that you were recklessly siding with an anonymous informant.”

After frankly revealing their inner thoughts and exchanging sincere apologies, both of them felt like the deep knot in their hearts was untangling.

The fog-like veil of prejudice had lifted.

The two, who were finally able to look at each other properly, clasped hands.

Ronnie Pattinson was anxious. Even though the black magic accusation case that had driven him to the brink had concluded, he couldn’t easily find peace of mind.

That was probably because the person who knew about the fatal blemish on his life was alive and in the capital.

‘Sissel.’

It was a name that made his teeth grind just by uttering it.

When he was first dragged to the magic tower, Ronnie couldn’t recall Sissel. Even when Arasila mentioned April 2nd of last year, and he tried to remember, he still couldn’t.

It was only after agonizing in the cold underground prison of the magic tower over who had done this to him that the ill-fated connection he had buried as he left the border came to mind.

Ronnie immediately sent a letter to his brother, asking him to come for a visit. Since he wasn’t formally found guilty yet, writing letters or receiving visitors was relatively free for him.

‘Brother, please find out about a woman named Sissel who worked at a tavern near the border. She might be the culprit who made me like this.’

Ronnie’s brothers accepted their younger brother’s request.

Indeed, when they investigated, they found that Sissel had come up to the capital last month, and there were people who had witnessed her visiting the magic tower.

Certain that Sissel was the accuser, Ronnie reported this fact to the newspapers through his brothers.

As a result, he was released as innocent as he wanted, but the very fact that Sissel was still alive and breathing made him anxious.

It felt like this situation could be repeated at any time.

‘What if Sissel knows the truth about what happened that day? If that’s why she accused me…’

He was so anxious that he couldn’t sleep deeply. Then, a week after his release, a letter came from Sissel.

“Inspector Pattinson, you know what sins you have committed, right?

I have your pendant in my hands.

I will tell everything about what you did at the border.”

Reading that letter, Ronnie’s strength drained and his legs gave out.

What he feared wasn’t her threat to expose what had happened at the border.

‘The pendant was with Sissel!’

The important thing was that the pendant he had desperately tried to retrieve while withdrawing, but failed, was in Sissel’s hands.

Ronnie’s body trembled.

He paced around the room, agonizing over how to handle this situation.

After staying up all night, he made a decision.

“Sissel, I’ve also reflected a lot from this incident.

I guess a person can’t live without sinning. Even if you don’t say it, I’m thinking of confessing myself.

Before that, could you meet me one last time?

I want to repent my wrongdoings once more while looking at that pendant, and steel my resolve.”

Perhaps because of his sugar-coated words, a positive reply arrived from Sissel before long.

Ronnie made an appointment with her very secretly. The location was a desolate vacant lot on the outskirts of the capital, and the time was late at night.

And when the promised day arrived, he went out to the lot, hiding his appearance with a robe. Sissel had arrived first and was waiting for him.

“It’s been a while, Sissel.”

“…Inspector Pattinson, have you been well?”

Sissel, who turned around at the voice coming from behind her, asked coldly. Her two eyes were filled with hostility and resentment towards Ronnie.

Not caring either way, Ronnie took off his robe hood after thoroughly checking that there was no one around and held out his hand to Sissel.

“My pendant, did you bring it?”

“Is that important right now?”

“Of course! I didn’t even give that to you. Return it right now.”

In his impatience, Ronnie gave up on the option of persuading Sissel and pressured her.

Sissel, facing his bloodshot eyes as he lost his composure, stepped back. The pendant was hidden in the pocket of her dress.

“I can’t do that.”

“What?”

“I will return it to you after you confess your wrongdoings in front of people.”

Sissel said firmly. The pendant was her only evidence, so she absolutely couldn’t easily hand it over.

Especially at times like now when there wasn’t the slightest hint of remorse from Ronnie Pattinson.

However, the moment Sissel took a step back-

“Ha, damn it. This is ridiculous.”

Ronnie’s face distorted terribly.

He lifted up the robe below his face as well. Then the sword fastened at his waist was revealed.

Sissel, instinctively backing away, was threatened by his scratchy voice.

“Hand over the necklace.”

“No.”

“Then I have no choice.”

The blade drawn without hesitation aimed at Sissel’s neck. Feeling her life threatened by the sharp glint, Sissel screamed, her face turning pale.

“Help! Someone help me!”

“It’s no use, Sissel. No one walks around here after sunset.”

A vile smile appeared on Ronnie’s lips. There was a reason why he had chosen this place as the meeting location.

“If you hand over the necklace, I’ll let you live.”

“I will never give it to you. You asked to meet from the beginning to do this, right?”

“You’re realizing that now? How stupid.”

Sissel bit her lower lip and glared at Ronnie.

Even though she knew his character, she felt so foolish for coming to meet him due to her last lingering feelings.

“I will expose everything you have done. I will clearly reveal it!”

“Go ahead and try. Who would believe the words of a woman of the streets!”

Ronnie retorted, not backing down from the screaming Sissel, and quickly turned his mind. It seemed Sissel would never willingly hand over the necklace.

‘It would be better to search her body right now and find it.’

He was planning to get rid of her eventually anyway, but he had wanted to get the pendant back first before harming her.

But since she wasn’t cooperating at all, he judged it would be better to eliminate her right here. Having made up his mind, Ronnie raised his sword high.

She knew she had to run away, but her body was frozen and wouldn’t move. Sissel squeezed her eyes shut.

“Ahh!”

That’s when it happened. There was a loud scream, and when she opened her eyes slightly, Ronnie had been flung far away.

“Sissel!”

At the familiar voice, she turned her head. Arasila was running towards Sissel, calling her name from afar.

Confirming that she had been saved thanks to her, Sissel slumped down to the ground.

Her face soon became wet with tears that leaked out from the terror.

“Ah, Lady Arasila…”

Arasila, who had come close, silently patted the back of the sobbing Sissel.

Her blue eyes sank coldly as she looked at Ronnie, who was sprawled on the ground.

Ronnie, who had collapsed after receiving a surprise magic attack, faced her with a dumbfounded expression.

“La-Lady, how did you come here…”

“While investigating your case, I had people watch you and Sissel just in case. I rushed over after receiving a report that both of you had suspiciously left your homes at night.”

After cooperating with Demian, Arasila had looked into the two, but it was more difficult than expected to obtain information.

Other than the fact that Sissel had also been in the village near the border when the Red Falcon Knights stayed there, she couldn’t find any detailed connections.

As she was agonizing over how to unravel the case, Demian said to her,

‘Ronnie’s complexion hasn’t been good lately. For someone who has been cleared of charges, he seems to have a lot of worries. I think it’s because of Miss Sissel.’

‘You mean Sissel’s existence is making Inspector Pattinson anxious?’

‘Yes. So, I think there is a high possibility that Ronnie will approach Miss Sissel first. How about we put people on both sides to watch them?’

Demian thought they might be able to catch the moment Ronnie made contact with Sissel.

Arasila agreed to this, and secret surveillance was placed on the two, thanks to which they were able to truly capture this important moment.

“That’s, that’s absurd… My investigation has already ended! But with what authority did you investigate!”

Ronnie began to vehemently protest.

Since the magic tower’s official investigation had concluded, Arasila’s actions were illegal. She had essentially put people on Ronnie and investigated him without authority.

“I cannot accept this situation-!”

“I authorized it.”

At the familiar voice settling in his ear, Ronnie gasped.

Feeling his heart drop with a thud, he turned his head with a creak.

There stood Demian, wielding the moonlight with his hands in his trouser pockets.

“Because what ended was the magic tower investigation, not the internal investigation of the knights.”

“C-Commander…”

Ronnie’s lips trembled. He could somehow come up with excuses and gloss over the situation with Arasila, but not with Demian.

Ronnie knew all too well how merciless a superior he was.