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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Mage vs Knight (1)
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Upon arriving at the Magic Tower, Jonny's first order of business was to undergo a mana examination. This was because a typical symptom of Black Magic was for one's mana to turn black.
While waiting for the results, Aracilla sat across from him in the interrogation room.
"Sir Jonny Pattinson, is it true that you used Black Magic?"
"No, it is not. I am a proud and honorable knight. Why would I dabble in Black Magic?"
Jonny protested, sounding deeply wronged.
He was a man who held immense pride in being a knight.
He had never even considered learning simple magic his entire life, so why would he use Black Magic?
"Who on earth made such a false accusation against me? Let me meet that person!"
"That's impossible. The accusation was made anonymously."
"Then someone must be trying to frame me."
"Nothing is certain yet. What were you doing on the night of April 2nd last year?"
"...Why do you ask that?"
Jonny's face subtly stiffened as he silently racked his brain for memories. Aracilla didn't miss that fleeting moment.
"The complaint stated that you used Black Magic that day. Please tell me what you were doing then."
Jonny licked his dry lips, then shook his head.
"I don't remember. It was over a year ago, wasn't it? Do you remember every single detail from last year, Madam?"
"Of course not. But you'd do well to remember, Sir. You'll be in trouble if you can't prove your alibi from that time."
At Aracilla's dry advice, Jonny pressed his lips together.
His hand, hidden beneath the table, began anxiously tapping his fingernails.
"...I don't know. I don't remember."
When Jonny finally spoke after a long pause, he gave the same answer as before. Aracilla didn't press him further to recall.
She didn't know if he truly couldn't remember, or if he remembered something he couldn't say.
Instead, she stood up and said,
"From now on, you will remain in the Magic Tower's underground dungeon and be investigated until these suspicions are cleared."
"What? I'm not a criminal! Where is such a law?"
"Unfortunately, it's in the Cetron Empire law."
To prevent evidence tampering, it was standard procedure to detain those accused of Black Magic use in the Magic Tower, so there was nothing he could do, even if it felt unjust.
"However, I'll specifically instruct them to give you the cleanest room."
"..."
Leaving Jonny sitting in despair, Aracilla closed the interrogation room door and exited.
Back in the research lab, Rudy, who was waiting with the test results, approached her.
"The test results show no mana detected in Sir Pattinson. It seems he doesn't have any innate mana."
"Is that so?"
Aracilla wasn't surprised, as if she had somewhat expected it.
Knights typically had no mana. That's why they learned swordsmanship instead of pursuing magic.
However, one of the reasons Black Magic was dangerous was that even ordinary people without mana could use it.
Black Magic spells arbitrarily infused black mana into anyone, allowing them to use magic, provided they paid the corresponding price.
Though, the longer and more frequently it was used, the more that black mana accumulated in the body, leaving traces.
If Jonny Pattinson had only used Black Magic once that day, all traces of mana might have evaporated over such a long time.
Aracilla suddenly noticed an empty seat belonging to one of her juniors and spoke.
"Is Sally not here yet?"
"No, she seems to be diligently tracking down the anonymous accuser."
Aracilla had assigned Rudy to assist her and Sally to investigate the anonymous accuser among her two juniors.
A Black Magic accusation was too serious to respect the accuser's wish for anonymity. All involved parties had to be identified.
"Rudy, prepare to send requests for reference interviews to all members of the Red Hawk Knights."
"Yes, Senior."
Rudy returned to his seat, and Aracilla leaned back in her chair, lost in thought.
She was very curious as to who accused Jonny Pattinson and for what purpose, and why they specifically named her as the investigator.
* * *
As Aracilla entered the entrance hall, she spotted Demian leaning against the stair railing and stopped.
It seemed he was indeed waiting for her, as Demian strode towards her.
"Let's talk for a moment."
"Go ahead."
"I heard the person who accused Jonny is anonymous. And that only the date was specific, with no other detailed circumstances."
Demian casually mentioned information that hadn't even been publicly announced yet.
It was proof that he hadn't been idle while his subordinate was being dragged away.
"Such anonymous accusations significantly lack credibility. And the Magic Tower's credibility also drops for immediately arresting Jonny based solely on such an accusation."
Aracilla frowned at his words, which contained an implicit criticism of the Magic Tower.
"Release Jonny. We will investigate within the Knightage to determine if Black Magic was used."
"No. The Magic Tower simply arrested Sir Pattinson according to the law, and managing Black Magic is our responsibility to begin with. What do knights know about investigating Black Magic?"
"And what do mages know about knights that you're investigating Jonny?"
An uncomfortable silence, more tense than ever, settled between Demian and Aracilla.
This was the Vandermir mansion where they lived as a married couple, but the atmosphere was sharp as they currently perceived each other as a mage and a knight.
"Transfer the investigation to the Knightage."
"I said no."
"Then I will formally protest this matter to the Imperial Court."
Demian wasn't blindly defending his subordinate, claiming he was innocent.
He simply felt it was unjust for a knight under his command to be detained and investigated by the Magic Tower without proper evidence.
"Don't complicate things, Demian."
"Would you say that if your colleague was groundlessly accused and dragged away by the Knightage?"
"..."
Aracilla was speechless. In fact, if the situation were reversed, she would never have stood by idly.
The thought of Sally or Rudy being dragged away and imprisoned like that... made her blood boil.
"Alright, then let's do this."
Aracilla raised both hands. If he was determined to push, she would be in a difficult position too.
"How so?"
"I will share the investigation process with you. I will reveal everything transparently, without any suspicion."
Demian weighed whether that would be better than fighting over investigative authority.
He concluded it wasn't a bad outcome.
In truth, it wouldn't be easy to wrest the Black Magic case from the Magic Tower, and his subordinate might suffer more in the process.
"Alright."
"However, Demian, you must not conduct your own separate investigations, starting today."
It would be a headache if the Red Hawk Knights conducted their own separate investigations into the Magic Tower, causing confusion.
Aracilla wanted to prevent such a situation preemptively. Demian nodded with a displeased expression.
Aracilla immediately shared the details of Jonny's interrogation and the mana test results from that day. She was the type to keep her word as much as possible, so there was no deceit whatsoever.
"Do you happen to know what Sir Pattinson was doing at that time?"
"I don't know that, but April last year was when the Knightage was stationed at the border."
At that time, the Red Hawk Knights had been stationed at the border since the beginning of the year, supporting the war of their allied nation, the Carter Kingdom.
The Carter Kingdom was a country adjacent to the southern border of the Cetron Empire, so the Knights were dispatched by imperial order to aid their ally and prevent the war's damage from reaching the Empire.
Jonny, being a member of the Red Hawk Knights at the time, had also gone to the border with them.
'Why couldn't Sir Pattinson tell me this fact?'
The experience of being conscripted for war was not easily forgotten, so the probability of Jonny not remembering this was low.
Yet, it was somewhat puzzling that he couldn't even say a single word like, 'I was at the border then.'
"What are the plans for the investigation going forward?"
Demian asked Aracilla, who was lost in thought with a troubled expression.
"Ah, I'll call in the Red Hawk Knights for brief interrogations. And I plan to meet the anonymous accuser once my junior finds out their identity."
"I see."
"By the way, what I'm telling you, Demian, you must keep it to yourself. Do not disclose any information you hear from me to your subordinates."
Aracilla warned him sternly, as there was a risk that they might conspire to hide unfavorable testimony for Jonny.
Knights were known for their strong collective loyalty and exceptional camaraderie, so caution was necessary.
Even if someone had harmed another, many would protect them if they considered them an excellent knight.
In that sense, Aracilla sharing the investigation process with Demian was a significant concession on her part.
"Understood. Just make sure you conduct the investigation properly."
"We'll do a very good job, as long as the knights don't interfere."
Even after reaching a certain compromise, their power struggle didn't cease.
The two turned sharply and went their separate ways.
* * *
The Red Hawk Knights arrived at the Magic Tower for reference interviews.
Knights swarming a space usually frequented only by mages was, in a way, a rare sight.
Aracilla deliberately divided the area, having the knights wait individually and preventing them from speaking to each other.
And she called them in one by one for interrogation.
The knights generally had poor attitudes and eyes full of defiance. It felt like she was an academy instructor dealing with rebellious teenagers.
Aracilla asked two common questions to each knight she interviewed.
"What kind of person is Sir Jonny Pattinson?"
And this:
"Does Sir have any grudges against anyone?"
This was it.
Black Magic was a wicked form of magic predicated on harming someone.
Especially when ordinary people like Jonny Pattinson dabbled in Black Magic, it was usually because they hated or loathed someone and wanted to curse them.
So, if his character was bad or if he held a grudge against someone, he could certainly have resorted to Black Magic.
However, the knights gave surprisingly similar answers.
To the first question, they unanimously praised him as "naive, loyal, and a good person," and to the second, they all shook their heads.
It seemed Jonny Pattinson had a very good reputation among his colleagues.
'This makes objective testimony impossible.'
Aracilla suspected that the Red Hawk Knights were exhibiting their characteristic "protecting their own" tendency.
She watched with a displeased expression as the next knight entered the interrogation room. This was the one who had been testified as being close to Jonny Pattinson.
Perhaps that's why his posture was noticeably poor and his speech was rough.
"Sir Hopper, what kind of person is Sir Jonny Pattinson?"
"He's foolishly kind and loyal. He wouldn't even go near a drinking party with women because he has a fiancée."
From Aracilla's perspective, that was such an obvious thing that she nodded without much reaction.
"Does Sir Pattinson have any grudges against anyone?"
"No. An excellent knight like Jonny only earns trust and respect. Oh, unless it's mages who are jealous of outstanding knights, then I don't know."
The knight added, sneering.
"Perhaps some female mage like Lexy Ritterson framed Jonny?"
His manner of speaking forgot that Aracilla, standing before him, was his superior's wife, and also a female mage.
Aracilla looked at him without a change in expression and leaned back in her chair.
"Sir Hopper."
"Yes."
"If you're stupid, why don't you just shut your mouth?"
