Two days later, the Magic Tower.
Hogg sat at his workbench, holding a silver short wand etched with runes. Before him, a mass of unformed mana polymer floated within a crystal vessel.
A faint acrid smell lingered in the lab—the residual scent of lightning mana after prolonged contact with the air. He had barely closed his eyes over the past two days, spending most of his time researching mana circuits for new spells. The conversation that night in the old hall had given him a new direction, leading him down a path he had never before imagined.
He raised his wand, about to layer the third tier of magic runes, when a flurry of urgent footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor. A moment later, the laboratory door was pushed open, the wood slamming against the wall with a heavy thud.
“Teacher!”
Napa stood in the doorway, clutching a thick stack of documents, his breath coming in sharp gasps. For the usually steady Napa, such a display was extremely rare.
Hogg unhurriedly lowered his wand, and the mana polymer in the crystal vessel slowly dissipated without his guidance. He took off his glasses and set them on the edge of the workbench, his expression unchanged as he asked, “What is the cause for such haste?”
“The Legal Department found it.” Napa strode to the workbench and placed the documents on the table, his finger tapping the red wax seal on the cover. “The true supporter behind the Blood Moon Cult!”
Hogg was somewhat surprised. He picked up the stack of documents and flipped to the first page. There, written in bold, was a name—
Second Prince—Adrian von Augustus.
His fingers trembled slightly over the words before he turned to the second page.
Duke Cecil’s name was prominently displayed, followed by a dense list of personnel who had been in close contact with the two during that period. A rough count showed at least a hundred names.
“Is the intelligence accurate? Have you verified it?” Hogg frowned.
“I haven't had time to go through it all myself, but Intelligence also ran a check, and it matches up,” Napa said, straightening his back and regaining his usual composure. “We did a spot check on the intelligence from both sides, and there were no issues. Everyone on this list had direct or indirect contact with His Highness and the Duke around the time of the attacks.”
Hogg did not speak immediately. He flipped through the names, his brow furrowing deeper. The scope of the involvement was broader than he had anticipated. He eventually closed the file.
“What does the Legal Department say?”
“They hope you will sign the relevant arrest warrants.” Napa paused, his tone shifting slightly. “However, regarding the Second Prince and Duke Cecil, they delicately expressed a wish to first seek a royal decree from His Majesty.”
“A royal decree?” Hogg let out a snort of laughter. “In the end, they’re just bullies who fear the strong.”
Napa did not respond, quietly waiting for his teacher’s instructions.
Hogg put his glasses back on, drew a dip pen from a holder, and signed his name in the authorization column at the end of the first page. He then handed the documents back to Napa. “Take this to the Legal Department. Tell them to handle the case strictly and not to wrong a single innocent person.”
“Yes, sir.” Napa took the documents, bowed, and quickly walked out of the laboratory.
The door closed softly behind him. Hogg leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, but before he could organize his thoughts, another set of footsteps sounded in the corridor. Angela pushed open the lab door and leaned halfway in, holding a clipboard.
“Teacher, the cleanup of the Outer City streets is complete.” She walked to the workbench and placed the clipboard on the table. “Next is the reconstruction. We need you to sign the reconstruction permits and the related funding applications.”
“Understood.” Hogg took the pen and signed the documents she presented before changing the subject. “I will arrange for Marz to take over this matter later; you should coordinate with him. Then, take some men to Duke Cecil’s estate and invite the Duke’s family to the palace. Be polite—say that His Majesty the King has invited them to stay for a few days.”
Angela nodded and left without asking further questions.
Hogg took his robe from the back of the chair and draped it over his shoulders, buttoning it as he headed for the door. As he walked through the palace corridors, the servants he encountered stopped to bow. He merely nodded slightly, his pace never slowing.
...
Evening, Duke Sebas’s estate.
It was already dark by the time Li Yuan returned from the Outer City. He had visited the old site of the teahouse today; the construction crew was making good progress, having already laid a new stone foundation over the original pavement, which was much faster than he had expected.
As he approached the estate gates, he saw a black carriage parked in front and several people dressed in white ceremonial robes. A shield-shaped royal crest was embroidered on the left chest of their garments.
The leader was a young man who looked to be in his late twenties. Seeing Li Yuan approach, he took a step forward and drew a folded piece of parchment from his sleeve, unfolding it with both hands.
“Mr. Li Yuan, I am Lester from the Legal Department field team.” The young man displayed the contents of the paper, his tone polite but firm. “You are suspected of collusion and providing assistance during the Blood Moon Cult’s attack on the kingdom. We are here to arrest you based on the arrest warrant signed by Royal Preceptor Hogg.”
Li Yuan took the document and scanned it from beginning to end. The format was standard, the wording rigorous, and Hogg’s signature was clearly visible in the authorization column.
His first reaction, however, was to wonder what Hogg was doing. But on second thought, he realized there must be some misunderstanding; most likely, Hogg hadn't carefully checked the list when signing a batch of warrants. With over a hundred names squeezed onto a page, anyone might fail to check every line.
He returned the document. Just then, a flurry of urgent footsteps came from behind him.
Setis ran over from the porch and hurried to Li Yuan’s side, a look of helplessness on her face. “The Legal Department arrived at noon and has been waiting at the gate. I went to the Magic Tower to find the Royal Preceptor, but he wasn't there. My parents were also called to the palace earlier—they said the King requested an audience.”
She glanced at the young legal officer named Lester and lowered her voice. “I saw that list. There are so many people on it; the Royal Preceptor might have missed some names during the verification. They won't budge; they say they only recognize the arrest warrant.”
Reinhardt followed behind his sister, his expression equally grim.
Li Yuan, however, was not particularly worried. It made sense for his name to appear on a list of associates—Lanqiu and Krieger were his former employer and colleague, and he had indeed entered that hotel suite during that period and had contact with many of the people involved.
As for collusion and providing assistance, in a broad sense, he had indeed been Lanqiu’s attendant during that time, though his daily work consisted of brewing and serving tea, having absolutely nothing to do with the Blood Moon Cult. Once he reached the Legal Department and explained things, everything would be cleared up. As soon as Hogg saw his name, he would realize the mistake.
Looking at Setis’s worried face, he gave a soft smile. “It’s fine. I’ll just go and explain things. Since it’s an arrest warrant signed by the Royal Preceptor, it’s only right to cooperate with the investigation.”
Setis wanted to say more, but seeing his calm and composed expression, she swallowed her words. She stared at Li Yuan for a long moment before nodding reluctantly.
Reinhardt opened his mouth as if to speak but ultimately said nothing, merely giving Li Yuan a slight nod as a farewell.
Li Yuan bowed to the siblings and then turned to the people from the Legal Department. Lester tucked the document away and made a “please” gesture, leading him into the carriage.
The carriage drove toward the palace. Setis stood at the estate gates, watching until the carriage turned the corner and vanished from sight.
...
The Legal Department’s holding cells were located in the basement of the palace’s West Wing, separated from the Imperial Guards’ barracks by only a corridor. Lester led him down stone steps and through a heavy iron door, which the guards on either side unlocked after confirming the warrant.
Behind the iron door was a row of individual cells built from anti-magic stone, each equipped with an iron-grated gate and a tiny ventilation window. The air held a faint smell of mildew, mixed with the distinct chilly scent of stone floors that never saw the sun.
Lester brought Li Yuan to a cell further down the corridor. The cell was small, with a stone bed built against the wall, a low stool, and a tin water jug in the corner. A thin layer of straw padding lay on the stone bed, looking relatively clean.
Once Li Yuan stepped inside, the legal officer locked the grate, gave him a nod, and left with his subordinates.
He sat down on the stone bed and looked around. The environment reminded him of several cells he had occupied in his early years on the Kyushu Continent. Back then, shortly after he had begun his path of cultivation, he had been framed for “disrupting market bazaar order” after offending a deacon of a minor sect. He had spent ten days in a stone cell even narrower than this one... compared to that, this was quite decent.
He adjusted the hem of his cyan robe, sat cross-legged on the stone bed, and closed his eyes to rest his mind.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Yuan opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, his tone flat. “Why are you here?”
The shadows in the corner of the ceiling went still for a moment before a petite figure flipped down from the darkness, landing steadily on the stone floor. Angela looked up at Li Yuan, her face filled with curiosity. “How did you find me again?”
Li Yuan didn't hide it from her. “Perhaps your technique isn't quite proficient enough yet.”
She pursed her lips, though she didn't seem too discouraged. The memory of being nearly scared to death by a palm strike from across the room at the teahouse was still fresh—the sheer pressure of his aura alone had left her unable to move.
Since then, she had known that this tea shop owner was definitely no ordinary person; his strength was at least at the Heroic Spirit rank. In front of such a person, her little invisibility tricks were probably no different from being transparent.
She sat on the low stool, curiously surveying the cell, and then asked, “How did you end up getting caught? Don't tell me you walked in here yourself.”
“I wasn't exactly wronged,” Li Yuan said with a smile, briefly recounting the arrival of the Legal Department.
Angela tilted her head. “If you’re so strong, why didn't you run?”
“Wouldn't running just confirm the charges?”
Angela nodded in realization and then pressed, “What charges?”
“Something about... colluding with the enemy during the Blood Moon Cult attack.”
Angela’s expression visibly froze. Although she didn't know how the Legal Department had conducted their investigation, she had personally experienced this man’s strength. If an expert of this level truly wanted to collude with the enemy, would the Blood Moon Cult have needed fifty years of painstaking preparation?
If this man simply stood on the capital’s walls, the entire kingdom would have to consider sending someone to sign a peace treaty.
She immediately stood up from the stool. “This isn't right. The teacher signed the list, but he definitely didn't look at it closely—I’ll go ask him.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she merged back into the shadows in the corner, her entire form quietly vanishing like a ghost.
Li Yuan watched her leave, thinking it was unnecessary, but she was gone before he could speak.
He sat back down cross-legged on the stone bed and resumed his meditation.
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