Are you kidding me? If Sevis got kicked out of the Prosecution Office, who was going to fight the boss of Act Five?
Although Sevis had ascended to the high position of Arbiter much earlier than in the original timeline, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Taking his seat early meant he could start planning early, which might even minimize the casualties in Act Five.
Ain was counting on Sevis to carry him, yet someone had to come along and muck things up. Talk about a complete nuisance!
His own current mana pool was heavily restricted by Mordred. While it was manageable for the early game, by the mid-game, playing with those stats would feel like running a Soulslike on hard mode.
He still didn't know of any other ways to increase his mana capacity. Since he had a chance to win Sevis over early, there was no way he would let this opportunity slip by.
Besides, this incident was tied directly to the plot of Act Two. He had to uncover the truth.
“I'd like to see who dares to mess with my future boss!”
Rosalind parted her lips slightly, but the words caught in her throat.
Recalling her previous shameful thoughts, the young girl's cheeks flushed a delicate shade of crimson.
“How could I have thought of using such a sordid method to entice him?”
“It would have been an absolute desecration of the man standing before me!”
“How dare I doubt my lady's judgment!”
At that thought, Rosalind sank to one knee. Placing her right hand over her heart, she lowered her head and spoke with utmost sincerity. “Please forgive my previous insolence.”
“From this moment forth, I am willing to do whatever you require of me.”
When her lady was at her most isolated and helpless, the one who had reached out to help was a stranger she had known for less than a single day!
With that, Rosalind stood up slowly, drew the curtains, and cast one last look at Sevis.
“Please let the Young Master rest here. Without special authorization, ordinary people cannot enter this room.”
“Now, I shall lead the way.”
Leaving the office, the two traversed a long, narrow corridor before finally stepping into the grand hall of the interrogation rooms.
The hall was exceptionally quiet. Aside from the staff members stationed at their posts, there were only a few mentors pacing back and forth.
Rosalind led Ain to a reception counter and stated their purpose.
“By order of Arbiter Sevis, we are here to interrogate the suspect.”
“May I have the suspect's registration number, please?”
“136.”
Rosalind handed over an authorization form.
“Please wait a moment. Arbiter Erich happens to be interrogating this prisoner right now. Let me go inform him first.”
With that, the student on duty headed toward the depths of the interrogation rooms.
“Erich? Why is he here?”
Rosalind's brow furrowed, her expression hardening as if she were facing an archenemy. She unconsciously raised a hand to bite her nail, her irritation palpable.
Ain asked, puzzled, “What's wrong?”
Rosalind said in a low, grim voice, “Erich Valen. He belongs to one of the many factions who would love nothing more than to see Young Master Sevis fall.”
“After the Young Master took office, he used the connections he established during his training at headquarters to secure a budget allocation far exceeding the standard share.”
“This surplus budget was originally supposed to be divided equally among all active Arbiters. However, under the pretext of ‘encouraging the youngest Arbiter in history,’ headquarters approved the entire sum directly for the Young Master.”
“When Erich applied for his own budget increase back then, he received less than forty percent of what Sevis got. He convinced himself that the Young Master had stolen the funds that rightfully belonged to him.”
Ain rolled his eyes. “So it's just pure, unadulterated jealousy.”
“Furthermore, when Erich applied for promotion to Senior Arbiter, the Young Master happened to be promoted to Junior Arbiter. Whether it is entering the junior ranks or advancing to the senior ranks, the Prosecution Office only has a limited number of promotion slots each year. The Young Master's promotion ended up taking his spot, which only fueled his resentment,” Rosalind added.
“But in truth, headquarters simply deemed Erich to have reached his limit and rejected his application. It had absolutely nothing to do with the Young Master.”
“The illicit substance case involving Belinda is highly severe, with far-reaching implications behind the scenes.”
“The higher-ups are currently evaluating personnel restructuring within the Prosecution Office. The Arbiter who makes the first major breakthrough will have the upper hand in the upcoming reassignments. Because of this, he won't let us see Belinda without a fight.”
Ain now had a clear picture of the situation. Suddenly, a booming voice echoed from the depths of the interrogation corridor.
“Where is Sevis?”
Ain looked up to see a middle-aged man of about forty approaching. He wore the exact same male uniform as Sevis, and his eyes were locked onto Ain as he walked over with heavy, deliberate steps.
“Lord Sevis is currently occupied with official duties. We will conduct the interrogation on his behalf.”
Rosalind stepped forward, her gaze calm and her voice entirely flat.
“You? Heh, he certainly loves putting on airs.”
The man's face was a mask of impatience.
“Interrogations must be personally overseen by an Arbiter. Has he forgotten the regulations? Tell him to get his ass over here in person!”
Rosalind gestured toward Ain and said calmly, “This is the Swordbearer personally appointed by Lord Sevis. According to the regulations, he has the authority to act on the Arbiter's behalf when the Arbiter is unavailable.”
“A Swordbearer?”
Erich eyed Ain with deep skepticism.
“Is this another one of your family's little tricks? Promoting your own relatives to high positions to hoard power and status? Let me think... are you that Silas fellow?”
Ain's expression soured.
“How on earth did this guy jump to that conclusion?”
Before Ain could open his mouth, Rosalind spoke up. “Lord Sevis did not rely on Lord Wesley's influence for his promotion. The high regard the headquarters holds for him is proof enough of his capability.”
“High regard? Heh. If those recent rumors are any indication of his performance, I'm sure the higher-ups are absolutely thrilled.”
The man deliberately dragged out the last word, dripping with sarcasm.
Sensing the tension rapidly escalating between the two, Ain stepped in front of Rosalind to stop her from retorting further. “I am not Silas,” he said.
“My name is Ain. It is a pleasure to meet you, Arbiter Erich.”
A flicker of recognition crossed Erich's mind. He felt as though he had heard that name somewhere before.
“I would rather not waste time on pointless pleasantries. Given the urgency of the situation, I must ask you to step aside. I need to enter the interrogation room.”
Erich's lips curled into a faint smirk, but his eyes remained cold, filled with nothing but casual disdain.
“Today is Audit Day, which means all personnel files are locked down. I'm afraid your status as a Swordbearer cannot be officially registered today.”
Ain clicked his tongue inwardly.
“This guy is truly hell-bent on making things difficult for Sevis.”
“Furthermore...”
Erich looked down at him with a condescending sneer. “Belinda's case involves the recent illicit substances. Even after employing specialized magical tools, we haven't been able to pry any key information out of her.”
“If someone like you goes in there, you won't even be able to squeeze a single word out of her.”
“If you truly value your time, I suggest you pack up and leave. Don't get in the way of my progress.”
Erich maintained an aloof posture, but beneath his nonchalant mask lay absolute, utter contempt for Ain.
A mere academy student wearing an ordinary uniform had somehow turned into a Swordbearer overnight?
A bookworm who did nothing but bury his head in academic magic papers, lacking both combat experience and professional competence... and Sevis had actually handed such a crucial position to him?
It was utterly preposterous!
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