chapter 54: Mistrust Toward Each Other
“Show me.”
Sicil hesitated for a moment before walking to the wardrobe and retrieving something. Keeping her distance from Aracila, she extended an object wrapped in cloth.
It was a pendant.
On the front, it bore the crest of the Pattinson barony. On the back, the name “Johnny Pattinson” was engraved.
Aracila stepped closer for a better look, but Sicil quickly recoiled, hiding the pendant behind her back.
She seemed afraid it would be taken from her.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t give you this pendant.”
“Even though it could serve as evidence for your accusation?”
“…This pendant has nothing to do with black magic. I will never hand it over.”
Sicil’s wariness was evident, so Aracila gave up trying to examine the pendant closely.
For a brief moment, she considered forcibly taking it, but upon seeing Sicil’s trembling form, the thought disappeared.
“This is an important piece of evidence, so I can’t just ignore it. I’ll ask for it later—just temporarily. I promise to return it.”
“…Alright.”
Sicil reluctantly nodded. Since Aracila wasn’t demanding to take it immediately, outright refusal was difficult.
Aracila clapped her hands lightly, shifting the focus of the conversation.
“Alright, then. Now, explain in detail what you witnessed about Lord Pattinson using black magic.”
The accusation letter only briefly mentioned that he had used black magic, so a more detailed statement was needed.
After wetting her lips with her tongue, Sicil spoke slowly.
“Lord Pattinson was drawing a black magic circle on the floor. There were several candles placed around it. After completing the magic circle, he recited some strange incantations.”
“But Lord Pattinson was at the battlefield near the border at that time. How did you see this?”
“I was working near the border as well. The place he frequented was there, too.”
“Where exactly did he use black magic? Indoors or outdoors?”
“Indoors. The building I lived in had rooms available for rent, and he did it there.”
Sicil spoke smoothly, as if she had rehearsed. It was clear she was describing a personal experience.
But her response slowed at the next question.
“What did the magic circle look like?”
“…I don’t remember well. I don’t know much about magic.”
“Besides the candles, was there anything else around the magic circle?”
“No… I don’t think so.”
Aracila stroked her chin. Sicil anxiously gazed at her beautiful yet unreadable expression.
“What was the purpose of the black magic he used?”
“…How would I know? All I did was witness it.”
Sicil lowered her eyes as she replied. Since the topic of black magic had come up, she had been avoiding eye contact with Aracila.
Aracila observed her for a moment before asking another question.
“Do you have any evidence that Lord Pattinson used black magic?”
“…No.”
“So, all you have is your eyewitness account? That alone isn’t enough to convict him.”
Up to this point, Aracila had yet to find any solid evidence or even circumstantial proof that Johnny Pattinson had used black magic.
So far, all they had was the anonymous accusation letter Sicil had sent. Given her identity, combined with such vague testimony, even if the truth were revealed, people were unlikely to believe it.
“…He’s truly a bad person. I saw him committing wicked deeds with my own eyes.”
Sicil spoke with an indignant expression, biting her lip so hard that a hint of blood appeared.
“A knight like him… At the very least, shouldn’t he be stripped of his title?”
“If it’s proven that he used black magic, he’ll lose everything.”
At Aracila’s calm response, Sicil’s expression turned melancholic.
The conversation continued in a similar vein for a while, and eventually, Aracila wrapped it up and left Sicil’s room.
Outside the building, Sally was waiting. She tilted her head curiously as she saw Aracila descend with a pensive look.
“How did it go, senior?”
“She lied to me.”
“What? Really?”
Sally’s eyes widened in surprise. Aracila nodded.
“To use black magic, a sacrifice is required. But she said there was nothing around the magic circle except for candles.”
Sicil’s testimony had a fatal flaw that she herself didn’t seem aware of.
For someone without magical power to use black magic, a sacrifice must be offered as a price.
The sacrifice could be a living creature, the user’s own blood, or even an extremely valuable treasure.
But she had stated that there was nothing around the magic circle except candles.
“Does that mean the accusation was false?”
“Well… There’s something bothering me.”
Aracila rubbed her chin with a troubled expression. Her blue eyes drifted back toward Sicil’s room.
“One doesn’t necessarily have to draw the magic circle themselves to use black magic, right? Especially for those without magical power—it would be difficult for them to handle magic directly.”
“That’s true. They could have used a magic artifact created through black magic. And even hiring a black magician would warrant the same punishment.”
Sally nodded as she listed different ways black magic could be utilized. Aracila, approaching the carriage, muttered softly.
“She might not have been lying completely.”
The two boarded the carriage to return to the Mage Tower. Sally hesitantly asked about their next steps.
“What do you plan to do now, senior?”
“We have to continue the investigation.”
To prevent an innocent person from being wrongfully accused, a more thorough inquiry was necessary.
But Aracila wouldn’t be given any more time.
The very next morning, Rudy rushed to her, clutching a newspaper in distress.
“Senior, look at this!”
“What is it, Rudy?”
Aracila, puzzled, took the newspaper from him. The moment she read the headline on the front page, her eyes widened.
“Exclusive: The Accuser of Johnny Pattinson Is a Woman from Fourth Street?!”
The article explicitly revealed that the person who had accused Johnny was a woman named Sicil, who worked at a shop on Fourth Street.
It claimed she had falsely accused an innocent man with ulterior motives, and that the Mage Tower had either knowingly covered it up or had been too incompetent to uncover the truth.
It further alleged that Aracila, the investigator handling the case, had been chasing ghosts, failing to see what was truly important while needlessly stirring up innocent people.
The article even speculated, as if it were fact, that Sicil had done all this in pursuit of money.
Aracila shot up from her seat. The identity of the accuser had been kept strictly confidential.
Yet somehow, it had been leaked to the press.
“What the hell? Who leaked this?”
“I don’t know. They said it came from an anonymous tip-off.”
“That’s impossible! Only the three of us knew about the accuser’s identity. How did anyone else find out and report it?”
Sally spoke as if she couldn’t understand Rudy’s answer. However, at that moment, Aracila recalled another person who knew this secret.
Damian Vandermere.
He wasn’t the type to normally do such things, but he had a strong motive to report it.
The accusation didn’t just affect Johnny Pattinson alone—it impacted the entire knightly order and the mage community.
Among them, the knights, who were suspected of using black magic, were naturally viewed more negatively by the public.
If the identity of the accuser was exposed in such a situation, the credibility of Johnny Pattinson’s charges would decrease, and the dishonor of the Red Hawk Knights would naturally disappear.
Since knights were particularly obsessed with honor, it made sense.
Once she began to suspect that he was the anonymous informant, it took only a moment for that suspicion to turn into certainty.
‘This traitor.’
He promised not to say anything, yet he stabbed me in the back like this?
Aracila wanted to confront Damian immediately, but before that, an emergency meeting of the Mage Tower’s senior officials was convened, and she was summoned.
Even from the corridor leading to the conference hall, the angry voices of the mages echoed loudly.
“The Mage Tower being manipulated by the lies of a vulgar woman! What a disgrace!”
“This incident has already tarnished the image of our mages! We look like a bunch of fools who blindly believed the words of such a woman!”
“Ugh, those damn knights will become even more arrogant now. How are we supposed to stand that?”
“This incident is a humiliation for the Mage Tower! We must release the detained knight immediately and cover up the case!”
An elder mage, who valued reputation, shouted with veins bulging in his neck. Other mages nodded their heads in agreement one after another.
Aracila, frowning as she took her seat, spoke up.
“Wait a moment. The accuser may be a woman from the streets, but it has not yet been clearly determined whether Sir Pattinson used black magic or not. The investigation must continue.”
Releasing Johnny Pattinson was one thing, but covering up the case entirely was out of the question.
The fact that a man who supposedly had no interest in debauchery because he was engaged had his pendant in Sisle’s possession… something about this case felt off.
She wanted to uncover the truth at all costs, but the other mages seemed to think differently.
“Aracila, are you thinking at all right now?”
Fernando, who had looked displeased since she entered, scolded her harshly.
“How far do you intend to drag the Mage Tower’s reputation through the mud?! You were in charge of this case from the beginning, yet you failed to identify the accuser in time—what were you doing?!”
“I already knew the accuser’s identity.”
Aracila answered calmly.
“But I don’t care what kind of person she is. What matters to me is—”
“What could be more important than the fact that the accuser is a woman from the streets?! Are you out of your mind? You knew this and didn’t even report it? If this incident ruins the Mage Tower’s reputation, it’ll be entirely your fault!”
Fernando’s thunderous voice rang painfully in her eardrums. He wore a nasty smile, unable to hide his satisfaction at having found an excuse to attack her.
The senior mages sitting around them all sided with Fernando.
To Aracila, the situation was utterly infuriating.
These stubborn old men…
To make matters worse, Philip was absent from this meeting, leaving her at a severe disadvantage.
In the end, by majority vote, the case against Johnny Pattinson was unceremoniously closed.
Since Aracila was the only one who insisted that the investigation must continue, the result was inevitable.
—
The Red Hawk Knights were in a celebratory mood.
Their comrade, who had been unjustly imprisoned, had cleared his name and was released—it was only natural.
The knights swarmed Johnny to congratulate him, hoisting him into the air. Johnny let out an indistinguishable sound, somewhere between a scream and a cheer.
Damian stood a little apart, watching his excited subordinates.
Johnny, having barely escaped his comrades’ grip, approached him.
“Commander, I’m back.”
“Yes, congratulations.”
Damian patted Johnny’s shoulder as he saluted.
Johnny hesitated for a moment, glancing around nervously before cautiously speaking.
“But… are you all right? Your wife…”
“That’s none of your concern.”
Damian cut him off immediately.
It was true that this incident had created some tension between him and Aracila, but it wasn’t something his subordinate needed to worry about.
Johnny’s eyes darted around nervously before he asked in a tense voice,
“…Now that the Mage Tower has closed the case, Lady Aracila will let it go too, right?”
“Of course.”
Hearing this, Johnny’s face lit up.
He bowed his head and was about to turn away when Damian grabbed him.
“Johnny, I have one question.”
“…Yes, sir. Please ask.”
“Do you know the woman who accused you?”
For a brief moment, Johnny’s expression stiffened. But he quickly answered,
“No, I don’t.”
Then, with a somewhat sarcastic tone, he added,
“She probably just picked a random knight, hoping to make some money, like the papers said.”
“If that’s the case, then you were unlucky. You’ve been through a lot.”
“Thank you. I’ll take my leave now.”
Bowing his head in farewell, Johnny hurried back to his comrades.
His steps were so rushed that it almost looked like he was running away.
Watching his subordinates chatter excitedly about the celebration party, Damian quietly slipped away when the moment was right.
After all, a superior who lingered too long at such gatherings would only kill the mood.
Late at night, upon returning home, he dismissed the servants’ greetings and went straight to his office alone.
He intended to finish reading some unfinished documents.
Opening the office door absentmindedly, he was startled to find someone sitting on the sofa, head tilted back, hair cascading down.
With the lights off, she looked like a vengeful ghost, which gave him a genuine, albeit unnoticeable, shock.
“…Wife? What are you doing there?”
Recognizing the lavender hair, Damian asked.
Aracila slowly lifted her head.
Her blue eyes gleamed intensely.
“You’re back, liar?”
“Liar? What are you talking about—”
“How do you feel? Does it feel good to deceive me and save your subordinate? Do you feel like a hero? Did they finally praise you for defeating a mage?”
Her mocking words made Damian frown.
He had never deceived her, nor had he ever felt triumphant over mages.
“Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden? Is this because Johnny’s case was closed?”
“Yes! It’s because you broke our promise and leaked the accuser’s identity! Are you satisfied now? Do you feel relieved?!”
Damian let out a dry chuckle in disbelief.
Thinking she was unfairly accusing him out of wounded pride, he responded sternly.
“I never did that. If anyone failed to keep their mouth shut, it was on your side. Why are you blaming me?”
Enraged by his shameless retort, Aracila shot to her feet.
“Don’t be ridiculous! Someone figured out that the anonymous informant had a connection to Sir Pattinson. And you were the only one who knew her identity!”
“Stop saying nonsense. You’re just trying to pin your own side’s mistake on me. Everyone knows mages are loose-lipped.”
“Are you done talking?”
The two of them glared at each other in silence.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
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