With the "true Aurora Elder Council meeting" concluded, the outcome of the afternoon’s inquiry was now clear. Kano lingered in the illusory realm for a moment longer, exchanging opinions with representatives from the Tower of Thunderstorm and the Tower of Primordial Earth in preparation for the upcoming Noble Conference.

Leaving the illusory realm, Kano found himself back in his heavily warded office. He picked up the documents submitted by the investigation team, and the worthless papers burst into flame, burning to ash in an instant.

...

Strangely enough, the inquiry was to be held in the top-floor hall of the Guild Building—the very same place where Rorschach had received his medal. Now, he and Pascal were to face aggressive questioning, like common criminals.

’How fickle are honor and disgrace!’ Rorschach had deliberately worn the ceremonial magic robe from the award ceremony and even pinned on the "Moon-Feeding Stork" medal—a token that amounted to an empty promise.

Unlike the last time, when the hall was brightly lit and resplendent, the venue was now exceptionally dark and gloomy. The lighting was sparse. Furthermore, the audience seating had been raised, forcing Rorschach and Pascal to descend into a pit to be judged.

Dozens of mages sat above them, about half of whom were attending via owl stand-ins.

Whether by coincidence or conscious decision, the mages who were physically present sat on the left side of the hall. Rorschach spotted Yina among them; she gave him a nod. The others whose expressions he could make out looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and smiles.

On the right, however, was a large flock of owls. They constantly swiveled their heads, their large eyes darting back and forth to stare at the three entrants with apparent hostility.

Rorschach couldn’t resist a joke. "Well, this environment is certainly more suitable for owls."

Today, Guild Chairman Morel was certainly not waiting at the door to eagerly welcome Rorschach. He was even lukewarm toward Master Kano. Instead, he directed all of his fawning attention to the head of the inquiry panel. Seated there was Lord Granor—a new member of the Aurora Elder Council, president of the Mason Brotherhood, and the Count of Shaleanna!

"I wasn’t aware we’d have so many guests today," Kano said casually. Instead of taking one of the elevated seats, he remained standing with his students.

Granor replied, "The jury for this inquiry has been expanded from the Elder Council to all Middle Level mages and above in Northern Valois, precisely in accordance with your own philosophy of transparency. My apologies, Master Kano, we didn’t have time to inform you. After all, you’re only ever lucid in the afternoon."

"No matter." Kano corrected him on one point. "I am, however, clear-headed at all times."

"Is that so?" Granor opened a file that looked like a legal case, playing the part of the judge on this stage. "Mage Rorschach, take one step forward... I will ask you a series of questions. You are to answer only with ’yes’ or ’no.’"

Chairman Morel beckoned another mage forward. "Mr. Rorschach, to ensure the validity of this inquiry, this gentleman will cast a [Truth-telling Skill] on you. This will guarantee that your reactions are genuine. Please do not resist it with your willpower."

"May I remain silent under certain circumstances?"

"Of course. However, your silence will also be taken into consideration by the jury."

A spell enveloped Rorschach. The mage responsible for casting it nodded to Granor, signaling that the spell had taken hold.

"Mage Rorschach, are you from the Empire?"

"Yes."

"One year ago, you graduated from the Empire Royal Magic Academy."

"No." Kano flinched, but thankfully the [Truth-telling Skill] didn’t literally restrict Rorschach to single-word answers. He added, "Strictly speaking, it hasn’t been a full year yet."

Granor paused, then posed the most critical question. "Mage Rorschach, were you sent by the Empire? Do you have other tasks in the Holy Kingdom besides your studies and research?"

This was a direct accusation: that the Middle Level Mage was a spy sent by the Empire! If Rorschach answered "yes," it would become a major scandal for the head of the Tower of Stars to be caught harboring a spy.

At these words, not only the jury, but even Kano fixed his gaze on Rorschach’s back.

Under everyone’s intense scrutiny, and despite being under the influence of the [Truth-telling Skill], Rorschach remained perfectly composed. He answered clearly and without the slightest hesitation, "No."

Granor shot a look at the caster, who shook his head, confirming that the [Truth-telling Skill] was still active.

Inside Rorschach’s inner pocket, a small pearl was glowing faintly. It represented the will of Quilimo, the protector of merchants and travelers... as well as the God of Change and the God of Fraud!

Having anticipated a tactic similar to a Truth Serum, Rorschach had "charged" Balan’s Pearl before entering the hall.

’This thing has been a huge help twice now. I shouldn’t reward it openly, but I’ll give it a little something on the sly...’

’Nothing at all?’ Granor changed his line of questioning. "Have you ever received financial support from the Empire?"

"Yes." Rorschach added, "I come from the countryside. Without that support, I couldn’t have even afforded the travel expenses to get to Valuva."

This surprised everyone, except for Kano, who had already learned of it from Caroline. Rorschach didn’t care. ’These people could never understand the true weight behind the title ’son of a farmer.’’

A low murmur of whispers rippled through the hall. Granor silenced the noise and repeated, "Mage Rorschach, please stick to ’yes’ or ’no’ answers."

However, the core questions he’d prepared for Rorschach had failed to yield the desired result. After a few more attempts, Granor realized this kid was no pushover. Instead of hastily trying to frame Rorschach, he changed tactics and called Pascal forward.

"My turn?" Pascal looked worried; he hadn’t expected them to use a [Truth-telling Skill].

Just then, Kano, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. "Hold on!"

All eyes turned to the chief mage standing below. Granor sensed a shift, but Kano gave him no time to react. "Since this is a public and fair trial, I don’t believe any of you should be hiding behind the curtain, should you? Everyone should meet face to face. Only then will the final vote have any credibility!"

To everyone’s astonishment, Kano began casting. The full power of a Great Mage made the Ether in the hall feel as if it were about to boil. Far away, in the Starlight Torch Tower, Snow seemed to receive a signal. He directed "Reactor" Two to output a surge of Ether, which activated the antenna that ran through the Starlight Torch Tower. A pre-set spell was then "broadcast" out.

In the hall, everyone could only watch Kano’s actions with fear and trepidation. A moment later, the owls on the right began to shriek and thrash about, sending feathers flying everywhere.

"What are you doing!" Granor roared. But the spell was already complete. The owls began to twist and distort. Spatial rifts tore open where they sat, and an invisible force dragged the "unavailable" mages through them.

Some were dressed in formal noble attire, others were still in their night robes, and a few even had to use their own limbs to cover their private parts. But without exception, they were all panicked, terrified to find they were utterly powerless to resist Kano’s summons.

That’s right—Kano had "invited" every mage attending via an owl stand-in to the meeting hall. He glanced around, his tone still casual. "I never thought so many people would attend such a serious meeting without being properly dressed."

Rorschach shuddered at the thought. It was like taking a class online, only for the teacher to suddenly drag your physical body right into the classroom. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Insolence! Utter insolence!" Granor shrieked, pounding the table. "Your student acts this way because the rot starts at the top! I impeach you! I will never allow Lionel Kano to serve as head of the Tower of Stars and represent the mages of our Holy Kingdom!"

Kano paid the hysterics no mind. Though he stood on the lower floor, his silhouette seemed to tower over the dim hall. Though shrieks echoed beside him, his voice carried clearly to every person present:

"Now that everyone has arrived, the real trial begins."