Sevis looked at Rosalind beside her and reached out a hand.
“Did you bring it?”
In the darkness, Rosalind fished out a glowing pink potion and handed it over.
“Take her over first. I'll be right behind you.”
Sevis pointed to the bound girl on the ground.
After Rosalind left, Sevis threw back her head and drank the potion. A haze of mist suddenly rose around her.
As the mist dissipated, her delicate, feminine body transformed back into her usual appearance of a young boy, and her voice returned to its neutral, androgynous quality.
No one noticed this transition.
With mixed emotions, Sevis walked into the familiar Titan Prosecution Office.
The place was packed with students seeking refuge. When Sevis appeared, a brief commotion rippled through the crowd. But within seconds, as if confirming his identity, the whispering stopped. In an instant, they surged toward him like a tidal wave.
Seeing this, Sevis couldn't help but grow tense.
Had the higher-ups already pinned the blame for this incident on him?
Well, he would have to face it sooner or later. What was the use of being afraid now?
As if resigning himself to his fate, Sevis lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly.
“I'm sorry, everyone. I—”
“Senior Sevis! It really is you! Heavens, when I saw those magical beasts, I thought I was a goner. Thank goodness you showed up in time! Oh, and thank you so much for pulling me out of the ruins!”
“Senior! Senior! A friend of mine was trapped over by the old academic building. Someone said you rushed in and dealt with those Tier 3 magical beasts. I didn't believe it at first—how could you happen to be in our building? But then someone else said you saved people over in the East Wing too! Heavens, Senior, how many buildings did you run through tonight?!”
“Senior, one of my friends was chased by a magical beast in the South Wing. She's easily frightened and kept crying. She even lost a shoe on the way. She told me you carried her on your back all the way to the safe zone! You even gave her a flower to comfort her! Senior, you're just too kind!”
Huh?
The expected torrent of abuse never came, leaving Sevis's mind momentarily blank.
Wait, what were they talking about?
“Senior! Me too! You left right after saving me, and I didn't even get a chance to say thank you!”
“Senior must have been too busy rushing to save others!”
“Why don't you take a break, Senior? You've already done more than enough tonight! You even captured several criminals!”
“Yeah, those guys in black! I saw with my own eyes Senior casting several Tier 3 spells in a row, blasting one of them flat on the ground!”
“Was the bound girl from just now the seventh or eighth one caught tonight?”
“Don't make Senior look bad! Count properly! That was the tenth! No wonder Senior is a Tier 4 Mage! His strength is absolute domination!”
Sevis stood frozen.
He hadn't slept in nearly two days, and his mana had been completely depleted. If not for the potions keeping him going, he probably would have collapsed by now.
Then who was it?
Suddenly, Ain's figure flashed across Sevis's mind.
“Also, who was it that said Senior was harboring criminals?”
“What? Senior has been working himself to the bone, and there are still people spreading rumors about him?!”
“Abuse of power, slandering students, declining strength... there have been so many rumors lately! Who knows which group of bastards started them!”
“People like that should be locked up in the interrogation room!”
“That's too lenient! They should be thrown straight into a potion cauldron and burned to ashes!”
“If anyone talks bad about Senior in front of me from now on, I'm going to punch them right in the face!”
“Exactly! Why treat Senior Sevis like this? If it weren't for him, I would have...”
Raised voices and muffled sobs intertwined as the students passionately demanded justice for him.
Some slammed their hands on tables to voice their indignation for Sevis, while others recounted their rescue stories with red eyes. The deafening noise nearly blew the roof off. Yet Sevis, standing at the very center of this storm, was frozen like a puppet, his eyes wide with utter disbelief.
No way... Surely not?
How could he... go to such lengths for me?
An astonishing realization grew larger and larger in Sevis's mind. Finally, pulling himself out of his chaotic thoughts, he pushed through the crowd and found Rosalind standing not far away.
“Rosalind, those things just now...”
As if knowing what he was about to ask, Rosalind smiled and gave a gentle nod.
“He has been doing that from the very beginning.”
Sevis's pupils contracted sharply before dilating. He instinctively raised a hand to cover his mouth. For a moment, ecstasy and shock clashed violently in his mind, leaving him completely rooted to the spot.
No wonder he disguised himself as me! No wonder he acted so warm and reliable!
“So, everything he did...”
“...was for me?”
...
Outside the Chamber of Judgment.
“You still plan to plead for him?”
Tina looked at Cyril in utter confusion.
“Tina, your thinking is always stuck on such a shallow surface. All I see in your eyes is...”
Cyril narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone laced with blatant mockery.
“Stupidity.”
“Sevis is such a young Tier 4 Mage. Don't you think it's a waste to just throw him away? Is this really the only place his value can be utilized?”
“Right now, he's not only ostracized by his family, but also shunned by his colleagues. He can barely even protect what little reputation he has left. You probably don't know this, but as of this morning, nearly fifty resignation requests have been submitted from his squad alone.”
“Once tomorrow's trial results are announced, what will those students think? What will the academy's instructors think?”
“‘So all of this was because of Sevis's poor management? So all of this was because he shirked his duties?’”
A faint smile played on Cyril's lips, but a hint of cunning flashed in his eyes.
“Trust me, he is currently at the center of public scrutiny. People will only think the worst.”
“And the pleading you mentioned? No, no, no. Under these circumstances, I only need to offer him a tiny sweet, and then casually mention that the Prosecution Office has a dead end that even a Senior Arbiter can do nothing about...”
Cyril spoke vividly, his gestures growing animated. As if struck by a thought, his voice suddenly rose, portraying an irrepressible fervor and excitement.
“What do you think he will think? What would a drowning man think?”
“He is desperate to be acknowledged, desperate to prove himself! Even if it's a cup of poison, he will treat it as his last saving grace and drink it without hesitation!”
Tina froze for a moment, seemingly finding his words highly logical.
“A person at rock bottom is most easily attracted to a rope thrown down to them. And I am the one holding that rope!”
“Oh, my! Sevis, what else can you do? Are you going to root out those so-called evil forces in one fell swoop tonight to wash away the sins destined to fall upon you tomorrow?”
Tina frowned slightly and asked, “What if he actually pulls it off?”
Cyril scoffed, waving his hand dismissively.
“So what? Can he wash away the stains on his character? Can he wash away the prejudices people hold against him?”
Just then, an untimely voice echoed down the corridor.
“Arbiter Cyril.”
The newcomer was a young man in uniform.
“What is it?”
“The number of students coming for refuge has far exceeded our expectations.”
Cyril couldn't help but roll his eyes.
“Tonight's unrest was destined to happen. What's the big deal if there are more students seeking refuge? You came all this way just to tell me such a trivial matter?”
“No.”
The young man shook his head.
“It's because they arrived far faster than anticipated. We originally thought it would take until the early morning for most of the academy's members to assemble, but right now, with more than three hours to go, the crowd has already mostly gathered.”
“And those students are saying that someone rescued them.”
Cyril's expression turned annoyed as he snapped, “Didn't I tell them not to rescue people so quickly? Just ensuring they don't die is enough!”
“No, no, no, Lord Arbiter. It wasn't our people.”
Cyril froze.
“Someone from the academy? That shouldn't be.”
The young man rubbed his forehead awkwardly and said, “Not them either.”
Puzzled, Cyril asked, “Then who was it?”
The young man thought for a moment before speaking. “The students seemed to call him...”
“Sevis.”
Rate on N.U.
