“Hey, are you seriously still thinking of working for that guy?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I heard from others that Sevis has a target on his back right now. Some people are even putting together a joint petition to report him!”
“If you stay with him, watch out that you don't get burned yourself!”
“Then why are you here?”
“I'm here to apply for a transfer! A ton of people came today. Take my advice and get out early, you won't regret it!”
“Don't worry about what's happening at the top, just don't drag yourself down with him!”
“If you wait and try to transfer later, nobody might even want you!”
Inside the room, Sevis propped his head up with his right hand, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
“You know, I can hear everything...”
He had already woken up and seen the note Rosalind had left for him.
The door was left slightly ajar, allowing every word of the conversation outside to drift clearly into his ears.
From the moment he became an Arbiter, there were plenty of people in the Prosecution Office wishing for his downfall.
This incident had merely given them an outlet to vent their malice.
“Ugh...”
Sevis massaged his temples in pain, unable to suppress a click of his tongue.
“I actually passed out... what a dereliction of duty.”
He had just picked up a pen to review some official documents when he realized his arm was too heavy to lift. His fingertips trembled so violently that even holding a pen was a luxury.
“Why now of all times... Tsk, where did I put the medicine?”
With his head lowered, Sevis opened the drawer beside him and frantically rummaged through a chaotic pile of documents.
Finally, his fingertips brushed against a cold object.
It was a white-and-blue potion.
After drinking the potion, his spirit recovered slightly, and the weakness in his limbs receded.
“I think I'm only supposed to drink one bottle a month?”
“Whatever. I'll deal with the consequences when they come.”
While Sevis was still muttering to himself, an abrupt, urgent knock on the door rang out.
“Come in.”
It was the two students who had been waiting outside.
“Lord Sevis, I'm here to submit my transfer application. I need your stamp of approval.”
The student presented the document with both hands, head bowed low, his entire demeanor radiating cautious reverence.
“Leave it here. I'll hand it in for you.”
Seeing the student leave, Sevis turned his gaze to the other student.
“And you?”
“I'm here to submit the investigation records. This is the report from Group Six. I've already compiled the data, please take a look.”
“Thank you.”
Sevis took the report and asked subconsciously, “Do you want to apply for a transfer too?”
“A transfer? I...”
Seeing the student stammer in conflict, Sevis realized what a foolish thing he had just done.
What kind of superior put their subordinate on the spot like this?
Sevis then waved his hand, signaling that the other could leave.
“Just pretend I didn't say anything.”
The door closed once more, leaving Sevis alone in the room.
“Three days?”
Uncovering the truth behind the recent anomalies within three days was simply an impossible task.
The best-case scenario was that he would be stripped of his Arbiter position but allowed to remain in the Titan Prosecution Office.
The worst-case scenario was nothing more than being kicked out by those who hated him, completely losing his footing.
“But at the very least, I can't let the academy's students...”
Before he could finish his sentence, the door was pushed open by a large, calloused hand, revealing a solemn and familiar face.
“Even your subordinates want to abandon you? Sevis, what can you possibly do now?”
“Father?”
Sevis stood up, clearly not expecting this person to appear here.
“This is the judgment handed down from above. They demand the return of your Scale of Astral Judgment, and you will be officially stripped of your position tomorrow.”
“Wait, why? Hasn't the deadline not arrived yet?”
Sevis's face was filled with astonishment.
Yet, not a single ripple of emotion could be seen on Wesley's face. He simply walked straight to the desk, set the document down, and spoke in a flat but crystal-clear voice, “I was the one who requested it.”
“Did you honestly think that if you made progress in this case, the higher-ups would show you mercy?”
Sevis froze.
Wesley was right. Just as he had thought earlier, even without yesterday's incident, those people would have targeted him in other ways until he was forced out.
“Belinda has been removed from the family register. And as for you, Sevis, in three days, I will transfer you to the southern branch. At that time, you will have a new name.”
“A new name? Wait, what does that mean!”
Sevis breathed heavily. His already fragile mental state completely collapsed upon hearing this news, leaving him without even the strength to recover.
The so-called "south" was not just a remote place on the map, but the very edge of exile where he would be completely forgotten by the family, severed from all connections.
That meant he would be completely stripped of his voice, reduced to a mere spectator on the fringes of the family, never again qualified to touch any core affairs!
Wesley was cutting ties with him!
Then what on earth had he struggled so hard to reach this point for?
“Why? Even though I became a Tier 4 Mage, even though I gained the recognition of the Scale of Astral Judgment...”
Wesley interrupted him.
“Compared to those things, the family cares far more about its reputation and prestige.”
“You are a genius, of course, but you are not the first in the family, nor will you be the last.”
Sevis froze on the spot, his eyes locked onto his father. It was as if all his capacity for speech had been drained away; he couldn't make a single sound for a long time.
He had once naively believed that he was the exception, that he had already established a firm foothold in the family, possessing unquestionable prestige and authority.
In the end, all that special treatment and prestige were nothing but a mirage. At best, he was merely an insignificant pawn on his father's political chessboard.
He was like a marionette, pushed to the front stage when useful—such as his sudden title of Junior Arbiter—solely to secure benefits and power for the family.
Once useless, he would be discarded without mercy, all to make way for the family's interests.
How many puppets like him did the family have?
In all of Sevis's memories, he had never cried.
A massive wave of bitterness welled up in his heart. He tried to hold it back, but a hazy mist of tears still stubbornly filled the corners of his eyes.
He had exerted every ounce of his strength to show his worth just to prove his value to the family. He had gone to great lengths to display his abilities, all just so his father would look at him for a few moments longer.
“Imeve. That is your new name.”
“Once you assume her identity, you will no longer need to hide who you are.”
Sevis clenched his fists, his lips curling into a desolate arc as he choked out, “Is this the final value you want me to extract from this new identity?”
Wesley nodded without the slightest hesitation.
“Yes. There will be a marriage alliance with the royal family. The partner is their youngest son, who is about five years younger than you.”
“This is key to the family entering its next phase. I hope you can feel proud of this.”
Under normal circumstances, Sevis would have absolutely been able to control his emotions.
But now, his physical exhaustion combined with the extreme pressure of going without sleep for two days had pushed him to the brink of a mental breakdown.
He wanted to call out Rosalind's name, but the words caught in his throat.
Because she wasn't here.
A chest full of grievances and bitterness stifled him; he desperately wanted to find someone to pour his heart out to.
But there was no one around him.
“Yo, Boss, I'm back!”
The door swung open, and Ain walked in with a light step, his eyes shining with an unsuppressible smile.
If Sevis knew what he had managed to pry out of Belinda's “mouth,” who knew how thrilled he would be?
Cough, Erich and that bunch of useless fools had researched all night without finding an answer, yet your Swordbearer had uncovered the entire truth with just a little effort.
This was the greeting Ain had prepared in his mind.
Along the way, he had racked his brains to construct the most perfect speech, eager to show off in front of Sevis.
But just as he was about to speak, he noticed the tears welling in Sevis's eyes, and a middle-aged man in his late forties or early fifties standing nearby.
“Wait, so you're the one bullying my boss, huh?”
Rate on N.U.
