The Road to Recovery

Eno's problem was solved.

But there were still other problems to address.

"How did you know about the Confessor's Relic?"

"He told me!" Eno pointed at Sylas without hesitation. "He recognized the Confessor's Relic and warned me!"

Hm?

Only then did Lux look toward the cell beside Eno's, toward Sylas in the shadows.

Eno didn't hide anything. Like beans spilling from a bamboo tube, she repeated almost everything Sylas had told her the day before.

As Eno recounted what had happened, Lux's expression grew increasingly peculiar.

"How do you know about this?" Lux looked at Sylas in the shadows, her tone full of confusion. "The Confessor's Relic... That's one of the Magic Seekers' secrets!"

"Didn't she already tell you? I used to be a Magic Seeker!" Sylas stood up and looked down at Lux. "Everything I told her yesterday was true!"

Was it really Sylas?

Just like Eno, Lux instinctively started to step back—but at Karya's mocking laughter, she stopped awkwardly in her tracks.

"You're the Sylas who killed three Magic Seekers!" To cover her embarrassment, Lux gave him an exaggerated once-over. "You don't look... all that strong!"

"I told you, I didn't kill them." Sylas shook his head at Lux's words. "And among the victims of the explosion, only one was a Magic Seeker. There's no way I could have killed three of them at once..."

"So you really were a Magic Seeker?" Lux's eyes widened in disbelief. "How is that possible? The Magic Seekers don't recruit mages!"

"And the Magic Seekers aren't supposed to take orders from mages!" Sylas sneered. "Yet they still wagged their tails like trained hunting dogs and let you in."

"...That's true." Lux was so used to Karya nagging her every day that Sylas's sarcasm barely ruffled her. "But we both know that wasn't their own choice. It was because of this country's laws."

"You don't feel ashamed at all." Sylas was taken aback by Lux's attitude. He'd never imagined that, faced with his accusations, she'd act as if nothing had happened, heedless of the scorn behind them, and openly admit he was right. "What now? Is our highborn Crownguard lady going to lecture me, the infamous murderer?"

"If I could, I'd be happy to." Lux nodded. "But from what I can see, even if I said something, you probably wouldn't believe or accept it, would you?"

"At least you know that much." Sylas rattled the chains on his wrists. "How could I ever believe a noble who lies through her teeth?"

"Nobles aren't all the same. Some nobles lie through their teeth, but not all of them do." Lux calmly corrected him. "Just as commoners aren't all the same, and mages aren't all the same—you're a murderer, but that doesn't mean all mages are."

"..."

Lux's words left Sylas speechless for a moment. After a long pause, he finally replied, "Most commoners live miserable lives. Most mages have to keep on the run. And most nobles—are a pack of vermin!"

"Well said!" To Sylas's complete surprise, Lux gently clapped her hands, looking thoroughly in agreement. "That's exactly what I believe—and what I hope to change."

As Lux applauded, Sylas felt his blood pressure shoot up. The veins on his forehead bulged, and he lunged forward, reaching the bars.

With a clang, the chains binding him pulled taut.

"You—you shameless noble scum! You spout lofty-sounding lies without a shred of shame. For such lies, you'll have your tongue torn out and your bones broken! You'll die a miserable death!"

"If you believe curses and oaths mean anything, I can swear to you right now that this really is what I want." Lux didn't mind his cursing and threats. She even wore a polite smile. "But judging by the way you're acting, even if I did, you still wouldn't believe me..."

Sylas's blood pressure climbed even higher.

He'd thought his words would expose Lux for what she was and make her fly into a rage. He'd never expected that when she agreed with him, he'd be the one to lose his temper first.

"I really do believe that, Mr. Sylas." Seeing that Sylas was nearly about to pass out from anger, Lux spread her hands and spoke in an innocent tone. "It has nothing to do with my status. Plenty of people are prejudiced against mages, and you seem to be prejudiced against nobles."

"You're a noble. You enjoy all the privileges that come with it, yet you say things like that. Don't you feel ashamed?" Sylas managed to catch his breath. "Is deceiving a naive child what you nobles are proud of?"

"Being a noble does make me feel ashamed." Lux nodded without hesitation. "That's why I'll do my best to use those privileges to help this country and improve things."

"You shameless—if I were you, I'd find a scenic tower and jump off it!"

"That would be pointless, and it would cause trouble for other people." Lux remained calm. "I think using those privileges is a better way to make a difference. If that choice bothers you, would an apology make you feel better?"

"Aaaaah!" Sylas was genuinely furious now. "You're just twisting words!"

"If you catch me lying, you're welcome to call me out." Lux responded with ease, without even needing Karya's help. "But if you can't, then save your breath—the truth is the strongest rebuttal."

"Shameless!"

"Call me what you like." Lux shook her head. "I'll look through the old records, Mr. Sylas. I hope you haven't lied to Eno, either."

After saying that, Lux left another novel for Eno, waved to her, and turned to leave the prison.

Lux had told the truth the whole time. Every word had come from the heart.

For Sylas, that was the cruelest taunt of all. After spending so much time with Karya, Lux had finally picked up some of the negotiation tactics she'd so badly wanted to learn.

Come to think of it, if Sylas hadn't been hostile toward Lux from the start, and had instead emphasized how unjustly he'd been treated, Lux would indeed have felt ashamed when she met him. She might even have offered to help him of her own accord.

But now...

Just as Lux had said, Sylas had grown too extreme.

Considering the way he'd tried to manipulate Eno earlier, Mr. Sylas's motives were probably not so simple.

So as soon as she left the Nullstone Prison, Lux went straight to the files on Sylas's case.

Since it had been a sensation at the time, the Magic Seekers' archives on the case filled a thick stack of files.

Lux spread the records out and, with Karya's help, began skimming through them at a glance.

The files were extremely detailed. Several attachments contained Sylas's full record—from when and where he'd joined the Magic Seekers and his family background, to every case he'd taken part in, as well as the evaluations written by several of his supervisors.

Some of the information Sylas knew; some of it he didn't.

Take the supervisors' evaluations, for example. Sylas was one of the very few Magic Seekers to develop magic, so both of his supervisors had to submit a detailed report on him almost every month.

One of them had gone out of their way to praise him in those reports, even proposing that he be temporarily granted the Confessor's Relic.

Unfortunately, the other supervisor didn't think highly of him, and the Magic Seekers' leadership had responded that "the relic is currently in use, and Sylas lacks sufficient experience."

The background information was already that clear. As for the case itself, the records were even more detailed. Each villager near the crime scene had been interviewed three times.

The attachments also included many quick sketches, outlining the scene after the explosion.

In addition, the medical examiner had produced three autopsy reports—but they contained almost nothing of substance. The bodies had first been electrocuted, then blown away by the explosion, leaving the examiner with nothing to determine.

The records of when, where, and how Sylas was captured were even more precise.

With Karya's help, Lux quickly finished reading all the files.

Comparing them against what Eno had told her earlier, Lux found that Sylas hadn't lied about most things.

Sylas had only told one small lie—but it was a crucial one.