IAPAB 10

Chapter 10

“…Huh?”

“What did you say? Is that true?”

“You said she’s a saint candidate—but black magic?!”

In an instant, contemptuous gazes surrounded me.

What are they even talking about? Why would I lie…?

I shot up from my seat and shouted.

“I didn’t do it!”

“Don’t play innocent! I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Even if your eyes were on your feet, that still wouldn’t make it true! Don’t just lie—!”

“Shut up! I told you I saw it!”

That old man!

I glared at the knight, fuming.

And just as I was about to argue further, I noticed Rayne collapsed on the ground.

“Ugh…”

Rayne was groaning in pain, face twisted.

Wait a second.

I grabbed Rayne’s hand again. Clearing up the misunderstanding mattered, but purification came first.

If I’ve already made contact, ordinary purification stones won’t be enough. I need to cleanse this with divine power, even a little!

That’s when it happened.

“Stop this at once! Are you trying to kill him?!”

The knight grabbed the back of my neck and threw me backward.

“Ow…!”

I rolled across the floor.

It hurt—really badly.

“Someone fetch a physician! I will detain this child!”

But there was no time to even process the pain. The knight forcibly grabbed me and pulled me up.

“What is all this commotion!”

At that moment, Tristan rushed over with a startled expression.

The knight saluted and quickly reported.

“This child summoned a familiar, and Rayne collapsed.”

“Lady Winiel did that? That can’t be. Lady Winiel is a saint candidate—she would never use black magic!”

Tristan barked at the knight in shock.

The knight lowered his head and continued.

“But I saw it with my own eyes.”

“That’s impossible… Is this true, Lady Winiel?”

Tristan looked at me with deeply disappointed eyes.

Even if the knight reported it, how could he change his attitude so quickly?

And then I saw it.

For a brief moment, Tristan’s lips curled upward.

Ah.

He set me up.

Realizing the truth, I shoved the knight away and stepped forward toward the servants.

“I didn’t use black magic! I was the one who dispelled the familiar!”

“Silence!”

But the knight cut me off with a shout.

“Haah.”

Tristan sighed as if troubled and pressed a hand to his forehead.

“I understand your statement, Lady Winiel.”

“…Pardon?”

Why are you suddenly—

A completely unexpected person was taking my side.

“However, since black magic has been mentioned, we cannot simply ignore this. Please cooperate until it is verified.”

Of course—it wasn’t really for my sake.

“I regret that such a disturbance has occurred.”

He shook his head in disappointment, then ordered the knight to take me away.

I tightened my body, resisting as I was dragged.

“No! I didn’t do it—mmph!”

But the knight easily subdued me.

With my mouth covered, I watched Tristan grow distant.

…I’ve been completely set up.

I had been thrown into an underground prison.

Framed with an absurd accusation.

It wasn’t hard to guess why this happened.

They’re trying to silence me before Duke Arzent arrives.

Even so, I hadn’t expected this far.

Black magic, of all things.

Wait. Then could the black magic that attacked Cain back then also have been Tristan’s doing?

The type of summoned familiar was similar—too similar to be coincidence.

But even if I know that, I’m already in prison.

I looked around.

Torches on the wall, rusty but sturdy iron bars, moss growing in the corners.

Feels just like the temple prison.

Not unfamiliar. People at the temple used to lock me up for ridiculous reasons too.

Things like: I was “too distracting during an event,” or “I disobeyed orders by playing with a cat that wandered into the temple.”

Still…

Familiar didn’t mean okay.

I hugged my knees and buried my face.

They hadn’t tied me up, probably thinking I wouldn’t escape, but it still felt suffocating.

At this rate, I’ll die before I even save my brother.

I pouted, then forced myself to stop.

…No. Getting upset won’t solve anything.

Now wasn’t the time to be discouraged—I had to clear my name.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself.

What should I do? Even when I said I didn’t do it, they didn’t listen.

They hadn’t even given me a chance to speak before framing me.

A mysterious saint candidate, and Tristan acting as the duke’s proxy.

It was obvious whose side the servants would take.

So I need proof that I was framed and clear my name myself.

Which meant I had to escape first.

Only then could I do anything.

But how…

“Grrrr…”

A loud snoring sound echoed.

It was the knight guarding me.

You lock someone up with lies and still sleep?

I frowned at the sight of him dozing off in a chair, drooling.

He was probably one of Tristan’s men. I didn’t even want to look at him.

“Huh?”

Just as I turned away, something glinted under the chair.

Is that… a key?!

Now that I thought about it, the knight had put the key in his pocket after locking me up. It must’ve fallen out.

If I get that, I can escape!

I reached through the iron bars—but it didn’t reach.

My short arms felt unfair for a moment.

No choice. I need a tool.

But there was nothing inside the cell. Not even a twig.

The only usable object was the knight’s sword, but it was leaning against the wall outside the cell.

If I knock him over, I’ll definitely get caught… something I can throw… ah!

The temple insignia!

I pulled the dangling emblem off my wrist and aimed.

Calm down. One chance only. Aim low so it comes toward me.

I took a breath and threw it.

Clang!

Got it!

The sword wobbled, lost balance, and fell.

I quickly reached out through the bars and caught it before it hit the ground.

I checked the knight.

“Grrr… ugh…”

Thankfully, he was still deeply asleep, head tilted back.

Phew…

I exhaled in relief.

Let’s get out of here. My heart is going to burst.

After that, it wasn’t difficult. I used the sword to hook the key, opened the door, and slipped out quietly.

I returned everything to its place and ran out of the dungeon without looking back.

I’m out!

Fresh air after hours underground.

I took a deep breath, though my breathing was still uneven from tension.

It’s already night. I must’ve been locked up for a long time.

I looked at the dark sky and ran toward the main mansion.

If I wanted to prove my innocence, I had to catch the culprit.

And judging from the situation, the most likely suspects were Tristan—or that knight.

I don’t know the knight’s room, so I’ll start with Tristan’s office.

I had a lead.

I just need to find it.

Black magic uses magic circles. The caster draws them, but anyone can activate them.

And within three days, the activation time can be preset, and the paper burns afterward.

But there was one flaw.

Black magic leaves traces.

Because ordinary people couldn’t fully handle the magical residue.

To activate it, the user must sign their name, and that pen retains traces of black magic.

A small but fatal flaw.

If investigated, it could even reveal the signer’s identity.

Perfect evidence for someone trying to hide black magic usage.

But this hasn’t been discovered yet in this timeline.

Which meant the culprit might still be holding the pen unknowingly.

There are no mages in the mansion…

As soon as I entered the main building, I headed to Tristan’s office.

It was late, and the mansion was quiet—no one crossed my path.

“Alright… I’ll find it.”

I rolled up my sleeves and searched the office.

After a while, I found three pens.

Let’s investigate.

I focused divine energy into my fingertips—not enough to purify, just enough to sense traces.

One by one, I examined them carefully.

But—

“…None of them.”

There were no traces of black magic.

There aren’t any more. Did the knight sign it?

My head spun thinking about how to track him down.

Let’s rest for a moment.

I sat on the sofa to calm myself.

Then—

Huh? There’s another pen there.

A pen lay under the opposite sofa.

I crawled on the floor and pulled it out.

A luxurious fountain pen.

There’s a name on it!

[Tristan Nelson]

Handmade? Looks expensive.

I didn’t know why it was there, but it was another lead.

I gathered divine power again.

Please… be it.

The moment I activated it, I felt a dull, tainted energy.

“!”

This was it.

I found it—the evidence!

My hands trembled as I gripped the pen tightly.

I would need a mage to identify the signature, but I already felt lighter.

Even if it turned out not to be Tristan’s signature, it still proved I wasn’t the culprit.

I didn’t think he would lend such an expensive pen to anyone anyway.

I put it in my pocket and tidied the room.

“All done. That’s everything.”

Then I shut the drawer beside the desk.

Flap.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Something slipped out of the drawer. A letter.

I carefully opened the envelope.

Oh… this is…

I should keep it.

I put it in my pocket. This could be useful.

Alright, I’m done here.

After checking the room one last time, I dusted off my hands and left.

“Just what are you doing here?”

And immediately, I ran into Cain.