After spending the night in Scarlet’s room and meeting Luke Aegis, Sylvia was going through quite a busy period.
It seemed that the aftermath of the recent incident wasn’t quite wrapped up, and as the heir of the Astra family, she had a mountain of responsibilities to show her face for, leaving her with little time to breathe.
Of course, she didn’t harbor much dissatisfaction with her hectic schedule. Even after her unreasonable request to clear her schedule until the afternoon for her overnight stay, they somehow managed to accommodate her.
“…I hope that if there’s ever a situation like this again, you’ll at least give me a heads-up. After all, I’m here to support you, Miss.”
Feeling sorry for Sebastian, who smiled bitterly without a hint of complaint, she couldn’t neglect her duties.
“This agenda concerns the progress on restoring the teleportation gateway in the Boundary Area, disrupted due to construction—.”
“If that’s the case, we’ve collaborated with the mages near the Frontline and completed over 70% of the restoration—.”
However, the continuous series of strategy meetings over several days felt a bit tedious.
Listening in had no significant meaning for her, as she didn’t hold much authority professionally regarding most of the agendas.
Thus, Sylvia pretended to pay attention to the topics being discussed while her mind wandered elsewhere.
For instance, she thought about how to maintain Scarlet’s condition or what kind of help she could offer her.
What snapped Sylvia’s attention back to the meeting was a question from a council member.
“By the way, isn’t it a bit unsettling? The witch that ambushed us was first spotted at the exact moment the teleportation interference magic circle was being set, at that very location.”
“Unsettling? In what way?”
“Teleportation requires precise coordinates. The magic circle set up this time interferes with those coordinates. If that witch didn’t breach the tightly secured Frontline but instead intruded through the Boundary Area, the only possible location at that moment would be where the magic circle wasn’t set up yet. If the witch was already present before the circle was established, she must have been waiting for the moment it was completed so support couldn’t arrive.”
The entire conference room focused on what this participant said.
Perhaps they all sensed that unsettling feeling.
But no one dared to voice it, likely because it represented a too uncomfortable truth for them.
“Either way, it would be impossible without prior information. And the only ones who possess detailed information regarding this are us, the Central Committee.”
“…Does that mean—”
“Could it be that one of us is leaking information to the witch?”
A silence engulfed the room.
However, it wasn’t long before murmurs began to spread throughout the conference room.
Among the ongoing commotion, some people began to shout.
“Are you suspecting that there’s a traitor among us!”
“Can you take responsibility for that statement!”
Sylvia snickered internally as she sensed that most of those shouting were merely watching the reactions of others.
What a bunch of cowards.
Even though they belonged to the same Central Committee, not everyone stood on the same level inside it.
Especially the three major houses: Astra, Aegis, and Dolos held a unique authority even within the Central Committee.
There were some among them who were surviving off the prestige of those families.
Thus, they were acting out of fear that the statement would offend the three major families’ moods.
What does another’s family’s power have to do with possibly committing an offense?
Sylvia felt considerable disappointment watching them, who were supposed to handle the city’s affairs, act in such a manner.
But what could she say to them?
If she weren’t the heir of Astra, she would just be a kid.
So, she kept her mouth shut, and those initially blaming the speaker gradually started raising their voices even louder, as if seeking permission to do so.
“If there’s something suspicious, isn’t it only right to investigate?”
And it was the heavy voice of Diakonos Dolos, the head of the Dolos family, that quieted the outcries.
It seemed those who had been shouting as if they were the spokespeople for the three major families hadn’t expected him to speak so readily and wore surprised expressions.
“Are you suggesting we interrogate the entire Central Committee?”
Someone threw out the question, to which Diakonos replied nonchalantly.
“We don’t need anything so extravagant as an interrogation. As you all know, we have Yoon Si-woo with us.”
“Ah….”
Someone let out a sound as if realizing an altogether simple solution.
Everyone in the Central Committee already knew that Yoon Si-woo had the ability to discern the truth through various experiences.
“We can confirm whether there is indeed a traitor through simple questions. If there’s nothing to hide, there’s no reason to refuse, right? Isn’t that so?”
As Diakonos glanced around, his indifferent gaze implied that anyone refusing would be considered as having something to hide.
With a silence hanging in the air that dared no one to complain, the atmosphere naturally flowed toward consensus, leading to Yoon Si-woo being summoned to the conference room.
What would unfold because of this,
Sylvia had no idea at that moment.
*
“Please, Yoon Si-woo.”
“…Then I will begin the questioning.”
The questioning of everyone in the Central Committee began with Yoon Si-woo’s arrival.
The method was simple.
“Are you innocent?”
When Yoon Si-woo asked that way,
“I am innocent. I can assure you I have committed no acts of treason related to witches.”
“That is the truth.”
The person being questioned merely needed to assert their innocence.
Yoon Si-woo would simply determine whether it was true or not—a straightforward method.
“Are you innocent?”
“I am innocent. I loathe witches. There’s no way I could collude with those who snatched away my child.”
“That is the truth.”
The questioning began with those whom the committee had less influence over, gradually pushing those with greater influence further back in line.
For a time, the questioning continued.
Until most of the members finished, no suspected traitors were found.
What remained were only those affiliated with the three major families or those holding equivalent influence.
More and more people were confirmed innocent, yet Sylvia felt the tension in the conference room grow even tighter.
If among those remaining there happened to be a traitor, it would indeed be an incredibly significant incident.
And the first to respond among those remaining was Eve, the illusionist serving as a teacher at the Academy.
“Teacher, you didn’t do anything bad, right?”
“…Yeah, I’m innocent. As a teacher, I wouldn’t do anything that would harm my students.”
“Yes, luckily that’s the truth.”
With a faint smile as she answered, Yoon Si-woo also smiled, proving her innocence.
Next was Mark Aegis, the principal of Aegis Academy.
“Principal, are you innocent?”
“…Like her. As the principal, I wouldn’t commit any disgraceful acts in front of the students.”
“I see. That’s the truth.”
Yoon Si-woo nodded at his answer, which seemed to merely reflect how troublesome the situation was for him.
Following that was Diakonos Dolos, head of the Dolos family.
“Are you also innocent, head of the family?”
“I live solely for the happiness of humanity. I wouldn’t do anything that would harm humanity.”
“Yes, that is the truth.”
Then, it was Sylvia Astra, the heir of the Astra family, her turn.
Among those receiving questions, she was likely the one with the deepest connection to witches.
In that sense, she couldn’t say she had no qualms, but since the questioner was Yoon Si-woo, she felt no tension.
He was, in a sense, on her side, so she felt reassured that even if something were to come out as a lie, he would cover for her.
“Is there anything you’re feeling guilty about?”
“No, I am innocent.”
“Well, that’s the truth.”
With those words, Sylvia felt the tension that had been floating among the people dissipate.
Since Astra had also proven her innocence, the concern about the traitor was nothing but a false alarm.
However, in the midst of the relieved atmosphere, Sylvia saw it.
The face of the last person who had yet to answer, the First Elder of the Astra family.
The always kind smile he wore was replaced by a self-deprecating expression.
Seeing that, Sylvia let out a soft gasp.
She had absentmindedly overlooked that, while revealing one’s innocence regarding treason was the goal,
There was someone who had much more to hide than anyone else.
When such a person is asked if they are innocent,
What thought will cross their mind?
No, don’t.
Sylvia urgently shot a pleading look at Yoon Si-woo.
But that glance didn’t reach him in time, and eventually, the question was posed to the First Elder.
“Are you innocent?”
“……”
Unlike others, the answer didn’t come right away.
The atmosphere that had been loosening suddenly tightened again.
Perhaps, the gaze turned to them was filled with suspicion.
Sylvia felt the Elder’s gaze on her.
She sensed the regret and apology buried within.
“I haven’t done anything wrong in this matter, but to say I’m innocent with my own mouth would be a lie. There is something I’ve been hiding from you all. I will reveal that secret here.”
With that gaze, he opened his mouth in a voice that felt oddly relieved.
“About the experiment called the Witch Weaponization Project, carried out under Astra’s guidance.”
Astra’s secret was thus unveiled to the world.
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