Imperial University Main Gate.
Erwin naturally stepped forward towards the checkpoint.
Just like always.
“Erwin Rosenthal here.”
“Yes. You may pass.”
*Click!*
The moment Erwin passed through the checkpoint, she felt a pressure wrapping around her wrist.
Startled, she turned around to find handcuffs clamped onto her wrists.
The intense barrier of the handcuffs activated, completely blocking her mana usage.
“What the heck—”
“Yes, Professor. We have apprehended Erwin Rosenthal at the main gate. Would you like to come in person?”
“What is the meaning of this?!”
“It was the chief professor’s orders. Please comply with the protocols, despite the inconvenience.”
“This is not a mere inconvenience!”
The guards were relentless.
No matter how much she struggled, Erwin was quickly overpowered and had her arms twisted behind her back.
Maybe five minutes passed with her face pressed against the wall.
In the distance, she could see Chief Professor Ludwig trudging toward her.
He always seemed gloomy, but he had never looked this ominous.
Erwin shivered, unable to shake the impression that he was like a grim reaper come to take her life.
“Erwin Rosenthal. Explain your actions over the past two days.”
“W-well… I actually spent the whole day partying with friends…”
“Name the addresses. Also, tell me the names of all the friends you partied with. We need to check your alibi immediately.”
“…”
Her mind felt blank.
While she could make some excuses to Professor Sergey, there was no way that would work on the chief professor.
“Y-you need to first tell me what’s going on!”
“You know very well. You planned to free the Untier and assassinate the professors, and then made a cute little escape.”
“Ugh…”
As the chief professor leaned in closer, Erwin found herself hiccupping in surprise.
This was beyond suspicion; it was surety.
But surely, there had to be some way to wriggle free.
She could just say her earlier words were a cover and properly concoct an alibi moving forward…
“You can keep quiet if you like. We can just take a blood sample and verify it. Then we can easily determine whether you received the Majin’s Authority or not.”
“What if I refuse the blood test?”
“Then we’ll have to do it by force.”
“That’s illegal.”
“Did you not know that any investigative method relating to a key suspect without a proper alibi does not carry illegality?”
The chief professor pulled a needle from his pocket.
Oh no.
She hadn’t developed a perfect alibi over the last two days.
What exactly did the Investigation Department know about her whereabouts?
When did they determine she went missing?
Not knowing that made it impossible to hastily create an alibi.
Even if she knew, her mind was blank, leaving no room for thought.
The moment the needle approached her finger, Erwin squeezed her eyes shut.
“Chief Professor, please let me go.”
“Schlus Hainkel…”
Surprised by the hand on her shoulder, Erwin turned to find Schlus Hainkel there.
What was going on? Was he planning to cut her loose?
Erwin stood there, bewildered.
“He is a suspect of the escaped terrorist. The Investigation Department can handle this.”
“There’s an alibi for Erwin, the assistant.”
“An alibi? We conducted checkpoints at every crossing in the New Town over the last two days. But this graduate student hasn’t passed through even once. Can you explain detailed whereabouts?”
“Yes. I was in the Old Town the whole time, so I wouldn’t have been caught in the checkpoints.”
“Where in the Old Town did you stay? Provide an address.”
“I was at the Serena Motel. Just so you know, you won’t gather testimony from the motel owner saying he saw both me and Erwin.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, we both went in using magic to disguise ourselves.”
“And why was that?”
“Because if rumors spread that a knight of His Majesty had spent two days with a woman in such a shabby motel, it would be dangerous.”
“…”
Only then did the chief professor stop the barrage of questions and close his mouth.
Erwin’s head spun as she could not comprehend the meaning of the exchanges.
The chief professor glared at the expressionless Schlus Hainkel—
“Fine. Since his majesty’s knight is personally defending you, I cannot forcibly arrest you for blood testing. You are now excluded from the suspect list, Erwin.”
“Ah…”
*Click.*
As the chief professor mocked, waving his hand, the handcuffs opened and fell *thud* to the ground.
While Erwin rubbed her numb wrists, Schlus gripped her firmly and led her away.
“Ow! That hurts!”
“Are you out of your mind? Showing up at the main gate like that.”
“What do you want me to do? Dig a tunnel to sneak in?”
“You should’ve contacted Professor Sergey beforehand for protection. The Investigation Department is desperate to find that escaped criminal. Other than Professor Sergey and me, there’s no one else to protect you at the Imperial University.”
“Anyway, thanks for creating my alibi…”
When she expressed her gratitude, Schlus shot her a strange look.
Wondering why he was acting like that, Erwin recalled their earlier exchange—
“Ah…! Hey! You crazy idiot! Who do you think would go to a motel with you! For two whole days?!”
“Shut it. It’s already been established.”
“Ugh…!”
Realizing the meaning of that alibi made her face flush red.
That embarrassment turned into anger, leaving Erwin fuming.
“I won’t let this slip!”
“The little siblings are quite adorable, weren’t they? Robin and Louise, was it?”
“Hey! You! Cowardly… ugh?!”
Just as she was about to yell in outrage, Schlus’s hand covered her mouth and shoved her against the wall.
With a finger blocking her tongue’s movement, she couldn’t make a sound.
Meanwhile, the voices from beyond the wall grew nearer, only to fade away again.
Once the sounds had sufficiently receded, Schlus released her mouth.
“Phew!”
“Still not getting the point? You are not my employee. Just a servant. You must completely obey my commands. Understood?”
“Ugh…”
“If this happens again, your little siblings will pay the price. There will be no second warning. Do you understand? Answer me.”
“…”
“Good.”
As Erwin nodded vigorously, Schlus finally stepped back with a faint smile.
That man only thought of using her.
While it looked like he was helping her, in the end, it was just a defense to use her as a spy.
Erwin felt pathetic and foolish for briefly misreading his intent and feeling grateful.
“By the way, are you sure it’s okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if they ask more specific questions? You seem like someone who hasn’t even crossed the threshold of a motel… Won’t it all fall apart immediately?”
Schlus Hainkel’s steps, which were about to leave, halted.
Then he turned back, wearing an expression that suggested he found it bothersome.
It seemed like she had hit the nail on the head.
No one would ask Schlus Hainkel about the details of that encounter.
But she had certainly succeeded in taking a stab at Schlus Hainkel’s pride.
Feeling a moment of satisfaction, Erwin relished the small victory.
“Should I prepare my responses to be ready for questioning?”
“Huh? How so?”
“I could reenact the alibi situation myself. For the next two days, we could say we stayed together at that shabby motel. Then, I wouldn’t even need to fabricate an alibi. I could just recount exactly what happened today.”
“…”
As Schlus Hainkel stepped back toward her, Erwin turned her head, blushing to her very ears.
She couldn’t bear to meet his gaze.
She hated that empty look demanding acts of her as if it were nothing.
“Whether I’m a virgin or not can be verified directly, don’t you think?”
“Th-that’s…”
“It was a joke. If we stayed at that motel for two days, your little siblings would starve.”
“…”
“Don’t think of provoking me again.”
After making that point, Schlus Hainkel tightened his tie and departed.
Only then did Erwin’s body relax, her legs giving way under her.
She leaned against the wall and slowly slumped down.
“Damn that guy…”
– I can hear everything you say, you know.
That’s right.
I didn’t even have the right to gossip behind him.
Tears began to well up again.
.
.
.
“How many times has it been…”
The thought of wanting to kill Schlus Hainkel crossed her mind.
Ludwig picked up a cigar and let out a deep sigh.
“What are you planning, Schlus Hainkel?”
The Imperial University had already been attacked twice by a single faction.
Once from the outside, allowing an infiltration, and another from within by a mole.
In both instances, the one who had been targeting them persistently was none other than Schlus Hainkel.
So they clearly recognized Schlus Hainkel as a threat and intended to eradicate him, yet strangely enough, Schlus was extraordinarily uncooperative with the investigation.
Of course, there might not have been a lie in defending Sergey’s assistant.
If one took seriously the absurd notion that Schlus Hainkel, who had a commoner attendant, would go out of his way to relieve his sexual urges by seducing a graduate student to spend two days in an Old Town motel.
Even if that was entirely true, Schlus’s behavior was somehow strange.
There was no physical evidence, yet he seemed to have more knowledge than the Investigation Department while not sharing any information.
“Am I paranoid…?”
With how Schlus Hainkel strutted around, he probably seemed omniscient.
Ludwig shook his head, clearing all doubts about Schlus from his mind.
He couldn’t just recklessly provoke a hero of the system, decorated with the Black Eagle, or His Majesty’s knight, without any evidence on him, as it could backfire badly.
Now, Schlus Hainkel had grown so enormous in stature that he could not be touched as the chief professor of the Imperial University.
“More importantly, the Artifact is an even bigger problem.”
An artifact capable of detecting a Majin’s Authority through blood.
It was half useless now.
While it could still immediately check if blood sampling was successful, those who had received the Majin’s Authority wouldn’t easily give up their blood.
“A nationwide mandatory inspection is needed.”
If compulsory blood sampling was not possible, this artifact would be worthless.
Thus, he needed to propose to the Emperor to provide legal grounds for compulsory blood sampling.
Ludwig clenched his fist firmly, determined.
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