Chapter 52: Mage vs. Knight (1)
Upon arriving at the Mage Tower, the first thing Johnny underwent was a mana inspection.
This was because one of the most definitive signs of black magic usage was the darkening of one’s mana.
While waiting for the test results, Aracila sat across from him in the interrogation room.
“Sir Johnny Pattinson, is it true that you used black magic?”
“Absolutely not! I am a proud and honorable knight. Why would I ever resort to black magic?!”
Johnny protested, looking indignant.
He took immense pride in being a knight.
He had never even considered learning the most basic forms of magic in his life—so why would he have used black magic?
“Who the hell made such a false accusation against me? Let me meet them!”
“That is impossible. The accusation was made anonymously.”
“Then someone is clearly trying to frame me!”
“Nothing is certain yet. What were you doing on the night of April 2nd last year?”
“…Why do you ask?”
Johnny, who had been trying to recall, suddenly stiffened slightly.
Aracila did not miss that fleeting moment of hesitation.
“The accusation specifically states that you used black magic on that day. Tell me what you were doing at the time.”
Johnny licked his dry lips and shook his head.
“I don’t remember. That was over a year ago. Do you remember every single detail from last year?”
“Of course not. But you should try to remember. If you can’t provide an alibi, things will become difficult for you.”
At Aracila’s calm yet firm statement, Johnny pressed his lips together.
Under the table, his hands twitched as his fingers nervously tapped against his nails.
“…I don’t know. I don’t remember.”
After a long silence, he gave the same answer as before.
Aracila did not press him further.
She couldn’t tell if he truly didn’t remember or if he did but was unwilling to say anything.
Instead, she stood up and said,
“From now on, you will be held in the Mage Tower’s underground prison until the suspicion is cleared.”
“What? I’m not even a criminal—what kind of law allows this?!”
“Unfortunately, the laws of the Setron Empire do.”
To prevent tampering with evidence, it was standard procedure for anyone arrested on suspicion of black magic to be detained at the Mage Tower.
No matter how unfair it seemed, there was no way around it.
“But I’ll make sure you’re given the cleanest cell available.”
“….”
Leaving Johnny sitting there in shock, Aracila exited the interrogation room.
When she returned to her research lab, Rudy was waiting for her with the test results.
“The mana inspection results are in. No traces of mana were detected in Sir Pattinson. It seems he was born without any mana at all.”
“I see.”
Aracila wasn’t surprised—she had expected as much.
Most knights had no mana to begin with. That was precisely why they never pursued magic and instead trained in swordsmanship.
However, one of the reasons black magic was so dangerous was that even those without mana could use it.
As long as the required price was paid, black magic rituals could forcibly implant dark mana into anyone, allowing them to wield magic.
If used frequently or over a long period, the dark mana would accumulate in the body, leaving behind traces.
But if Johnny had only used black magic once that night, over a year ago, it was possible that all traces of the dark mana had already dissipated.
At that moment, Aracila noticed that one of her subordinates was missing.
“Sally isn’t back yet?”
“No. She’s still tracking down the anonymous accuser.”
Among her two assistants, Aracila had assigned Rudy to assist her directly while entrusting Sally with uncovering the identity of the accuser.
A black magic accusation was far too serious to leave the accuser’s identity unknown.
Everyone involved needed to be identified.
“Rudy, prepare to send witness summons to all members of the Red Hawk Order.”
“Understood, senior.”
After Rudy returned to his desk, Aracila leaned back in her chair, deep in thought.
Who had accused Johnny Pattinson?
And why had they specifically chosen her as the investigator?
Aracila, who had just stepped into the entrance hall, stopped in her tracks when she spotted Damian leaning against the staircase railing.
It seemed likely that he had been waiting for her, as he quickly strode toward her.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
“Go ahead.”
“I heard that the person who reported Johnny did so anonymously. The only concrete detail was the date, but no other specific circumstances were provided.”
Damian casually mentioned information that had not yet been made public. It was proof that he hadn’t just been idly waiting while his subordinate was being taken away.
“Such anonymous reports lack credibility. And trusting that report alone to immediately arrest Johnny lowers the credibility of the Magic Tower as well.”
Aracila furrowed her brows at the implicit criticism of the Magic Tower.
“Release Johnny. The Knight Order will conduct an internal investigation to determine whether he used black magic.”
“No. The Magic Tower only arrested Sir Pattinson according to the law, and in the first place, it’s our responsibility to manage black magic. What do knights know about investigating black magic?”
“Then what do mages know about investigating knights?”
A tense silence settled between Damian and Aracila.
This was the Vandermeer estate, where they lived as husband and wife. But right now, they only saw each other as a mage and a knight, making the atmosphere sharp.
“Transfer the investigation to the Knight Order.”
“I already said no.”
“Then I’ll file a formal complaint with the Imperial Court.”
Damian wasn’t blindly defending his subordinate. He just found it unfair that a knight under his command was being held and investigated by the Magic Tower without solid evidence.
“Don’t make things more complicated, Damian.”
“If your comrade were falsely accused and dragged to the Knight Order, would you say the same thing?”
“…….”
Aracila was at a loss for words.
If the situation were reversed, she would never have let it slide.
Just imagining Selina Rudy being dragged away and locked up in prison made her blood boil.
“Fine. Let’s do this instead.”
Aracila raised both hands. If Damian was this determined, things would get difficult on her end as well.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll share the investigation process with you. I’ll make it completely transparent, without any secrecy.”
Damian considered whether this was a better alternative to fighting over investigative rights.
It didn’t seem like a bad option.
Taking the black magic case away from the Magic Tower wouldn’t be easy, and in the meantime, his subordinate would only suffer more.
“Alright.”
“But in return, Damian, you must stop conducting your own investigations, like you did today.”
If the Crimson Hawk Knight Order started digging into the Magic Tower, it would cause unnecessary confusion.
To prevent such a situation, Aracila was setting a firm boundary in advance.
Damian reluctantly nodded, his expression displeased.
As promised, Aracila immediately shared Johnny’s interrogation records and the results of his magic power examination. She was the type to follow through on her words, without the slightest deception.
“Do you know what Sir Pattinson was doing at that time?”
“I don’t, but in April of last year, the Knight Order was stationed at the border.”
At that time, the Crimson Hawk Knight Order had been stationed at the border since early that year, assisting the allied nation, Carter Kingdom, in their war.
Carter Kingdom bordered the southern border of the Setron Empire, and the Imperial Court had dispatched the knights to support their ally and prevent the war’s damage from spreading into the empire.
Since Johnny had been a member of the Crimson Hawk Knight Order back then, he had also been deployed to the border.
“……Why didn’t Sir Pattinson tell me this?”
Experiences from war were not easily forgotten, so it was highly unlikely that Johnny simply didn’t remember.
And yet, he hadn’t even mentioned, “I was at the border at that time.”
It was a bit strange.
“What are the next steps in the investigation?”
Damian asked Aracila, who was lost in thought, her expression uneasy.
“Oh, we’ll summon members of the Crimson Hawk Knight Order for questioning. And once my subordinate identifies the anonymous informant, I’ll meet them.”
“I see.”
“By the way, Damian, this information is for you alone. Do not leak any of it to your subordinates.”
Aracila issued a stern warning.
If word got out, Johnny’s comrades might try to fabricate their testimonies in his favor.
Knights were known for their strong sense of camaraderie and loyalty, so she had to be cautious.
Even if someone had actually committed a crime, knights tended to defend those they considered outstanding.
In that sense, sharing the investigation process with Damian was already a major concession on Aracila’s part.
“I understand. Just make sure the investigation is conducted properly.”
“As long as the knights don’t interfere, we’ll do an excellent job.”
Even after reaching a compromise, their battle of wills did not end.
They turned on their heels and walked away in opposite directions.
—
The Crimson Hawk Knight Order arrived at the Magic Tower for questioning.
Seeing knights crowding a space usually reserved for mages was a rare sight.
Aracila deliberately separated them into different areas to prevent them from talking to each other.
Then, she called them in one by one for questioning.
Most of the knights had poor attitudes, and their eyes gleamed with defiance.
It felt like she was dealing with rebellious academy students.
Aracila asked each knight two key questions.
“What kind of person is Sir Johnny Pattinson?”
And—
“Does he have any enemies?”
Black magic was inherently evil, designed to harm others.
For an ordinary man like Johnny Pattinson to dabble in black magic, it was likely that he bore hatred or resentment toward someone and wanted to curse them.
If he had a bad personality or any grudges, then it was entirely possible that he had turned to black magic.
However, the knights all gave remarkably similar answers.
To the first question, they unanimously praised him, calling him “kind, loyal, and a good man.”
And to the second question, they all shook their heads.
It seemed Johnny Pattinson was highly regarded among his peers.
‘This makes getting objective testimony impossible.’
Aracila suspected that the Crimson Hawk Knight Order was simply protecting their own, as knights often did.
She looked at the knight entering the interrogation room with a disapproving expression.
This one was known to be particularly close to Johnny Pattinson.
Perhaps because of that, his posture was especially bad, and his tone was rough.
“Sir Hopper, what kind of person is Sir Johnny Pattinson?”
“He’s stupidly kind and loyal. He wouldn’t even step near a bar with women because he has a fiancée.”
From Aracila’s perspective, that was expected behavior, so she simply nodded without much reaction.
“Does he have any enemies?”
“No. A great knight like Johnny is only met with trust and respect. Oh, unless you count jealous mages.”
The knight, who had been speaking so arrogantly, added another comment.
“Perhaps a female mage like Lexi Litterson framed Johnny out of jealousy?”
He had completely disregarded the fact that Aracila, standing before him, was both a mage and the wife of his superior.
Aracila leaned back in her chair, her expression unchanging.
“Sir Hopper.”
“Yes?”
“If you’re an idiot, it’s better to keep your mouth shut.”
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
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