Chapter 33

The room was filled with Ryuje’s loud cries, and the three of them, who had exuded confidence just moments ago, were now drenched in cold sweat, their bravado nowhere to be found.

Grojei, Bebert, and Gyejeck glared at each other.

Their trembling eyes and parched lips betrayed their inner turmoil.

“Am I not making myself clear?!”

Kang!

Ryuje slammed the gear she was holding onto the ground.

A crack spread out from the point of impact with a squelching sound.

Bebert and Gyejeck, facing the same spot, were now in a highly tense situation. Despite the uneasy glances directed at her, Grojei begrudgingly realized it was her time to step forward. There was no other way.

Because among everyone present in this place, she held the highest rank.

“Now, now, Director. Please calm down just a little-”

“Calm down?”

Chelkkung.

Ryuje’s gear—rather, the massive scythe in her hand—was suddenly pointed in her direction, and Grojei’s mouth snapped shut in an instant.

“Did you just say calm down?”

“….”

Had she touched a raw nerve?

Grojei quivered her lips but couldn’t form a coherent word.

“How dare you talk about calmness after kidnapping my student from the Academy without cause and committing such atrocious acts!”

“K, kidnapping? We were merely performing our official duties-”

“Shut up!!”

Before Grojei could defend herself, Gyejeck interjected, perhaps attempting to justify their actions. However, Ryuje’s thundering shout silenced him mid-sentence.

“How can you talk about ‘official duties’ when you abducted a child who hadn’t even fully recovered from her injuries and dragged her here at your whim?”

Ryuje’s piercing gaze fixed onto Gyejeck.

“Do you value your so-called official duties more than human lives? And why, after becoming the head of the Guild, have you been living like a mole, never stepping outside Fangju again?”

“….”

Gyejeck, who had foolishly opened his mouth and received a scolding, now had no choice but to remain silent and listen to her. After all, everything she said was true.

‘That moronic idiot…!’

‘That brainless human…!’

Even Grojei and Bebert, her cohorts, silently cursed Gyejeck under their breaths.

“This child fought for Fangju despite her injuries. If you can’t reward her, do you at least not have the decency to leave her alone? Is this what you call justice?”

“That… That isn’t true, Director. We merely sought to investigate the allegations against her…”

“Then why didn’t you wait until her wounds healed?! Stop spouting such pathetic excuses!!!”

“….”

This time, Grojei’s mouth snapped shut.

Naturally, Bebert and Gyejeck turned their gazes toward her.

‘Such foolishness…’

‘And they call him a physician…’

And so, the two continued their silent curses.

“How serious are these allegations of yours that you had to drag an injured child here and put her on trial?!”

Kung,

The crack in the floor spread even wider.

“Tell me, did you perhaps subject this child to electric torture despite her injuries?”

“….”

Instead of a response, the three swallowed nervously. However, after observing countless people over the years, Ryuje’s sharp eyes missed none of these small reactions.

“You filthy wretches…!”

“But please, Director, wait a moment! There’s a reason we acted this way!”

Sensing an impending storm, Bebert raised his voice in urgency.

“Play that video now, immediately!!”

“Aah, understood. Director.”

At Bebert’s command, Gyejeck quickly operated the device, and the same video from earlier began to play at the center of the room.

“Look! Even from this video alone, doesn’t something seem abnormal?”

“What’s abnormal about it?”

“That it appeared before Fangju in a most unusual manner—”

“Yes, it’s certainly not normal.”

The trio’s faces lit up at her agreement.

“But what does that signify? What conclusion did you draw from watching this video?”

“That….”

Gyejeck hesitated, suddenly sensing that something wasn’t right. He glanced toward Grojei, and Bebert quickly followed suit.

Grojei gritted her teeth in frustration upon realizing the situation had backfired on her, but she couldn’t remain silent forever.

“No, that’s not all, Director. This girl has an unauthorized bio-terminal and her information is also registered in Fangju’s database. Isn’t that strange even at a glance?”

Grojei’s words made Ryuje’s eyebrows twitch slightly, but it was impossible for them to detect such subtle changes in someone as ordinary as she appeared to be.

“You’re right, doesn’t that make her the accomplice of the Invaders?!”

Gyejeck chimed in, reinforcing Grojei’s claims with a confident smirk.

Their expressions revealed the delusion that their argument was starting to sink in, but Ryuje dismissed them with a cold tone.

“I agree with you—it’s not normal.”

Her voice remained calm.

“But I fail to see how that leads to the conclusion that she’s an Invader accomplice?”

“But, surely only they are capable of pulling off such feats, aren’t they?”

Ryuje sighed in disdain, addressing the protesting Gyejeck.

“Did you truly utter those words just now?”

“…”

Only now did Gyejeck realize that Ryuje was not buying into their logic and closed his mouth.

“What a ridiculous argument. In short, you’re connecting anything unconventional with the presence of Invader involvement?”

“It’s not exactly that…”

“Then tell me, what about me?”

“Huh?”

Caught off guard by this sudden question, Gyejeck responded with a blank stare.

“An old eater of time, a figure of another form, the Princess of the Night, the Bloody Moon woman, the Crimson Tide of Truth, and the monster.”

Ryuje dredged up long-forgotten memories from the past.

“Do you not recall? Those were the nicknames you gave me before the world became what it is now.”

“….”

“To put it simply, I understand this girl is not ordinary. However, to jump to conclusions so rashly, crafting a biased narrative from a mere video, brings to mind a most unpleasant memory.”

The mana radiating from Ryuje was palpable.

Even though the courthouse had devices to suppress mana, the sheer intensity of her power went beyond reason—truly a monster.

“Oh, Director?”

“Do not forget, the greatest flaw of your short-lived kind is the tendency to ostracize anything that defies your narrow logic.”

Her composed voice carried the weight of countless years of experience far surpassing anything the three could fathom.

“Moreover, this child fought fiercely, risking her life in defense of Fangju when it was invaded by enemies. By your twisted logic, even this would’ve been deemed an accusation.”

The trio exchanged uneasy glances, recognizing the truth in her words.

“So, may I ask you something? Where were you when Fangju was under threat and the Academy was under attack?”

“That was….”

“How ridiculous. You, who pushed for the reduction of unnecessary force at the Academy, now reveal yourselves to be incapable of defending anything in its time of need, relying on a mere girl to save you. Preposterous.”

“…”

“I may be speaking late, but I’ve already investigated the cause of all this by venturing out and treading upon the earth.”

With that, Ryuje casually tossed something. It was a bio-terminal, its insignia unmistakably engraved as the magnifying glass symbol of the Explorer’s Guild.

“Wha….”

Bebert and Grojei instinctively turned toward Gyejeck, who now looked ashen-faced.

“I’ve long acknowledged the looseness of your structure, but this is an embarrassment. The management of your personnel appears so lax that I can’t discern any traitors. Yet here you are, tormenting a young girl after failing to express gratitude….”

The three only gulped, unable to utter anything in response.

Breathing deeply to suppress her anger, Ryuje raised her gear once more and delivered another blow to the ground.

Kung.

The three flinched as they looked at her.

“Do you understand? This is your first and last warning. If I ever find out you’ve laid a hand on this girl or any of my students again—”

Flick.

Ryuje’s gear suddenly shot out, and its emanating light struck the tall podium, shattering it with a squelching sound.

Kurrung, Kwang!

“Uaaaaaah!?”

“Kyaack!!”

The three screamed in agony as they tumbled on the floor. Ryuje, watching them coldly, added a final remark.

“This won’t be the end next time. I’ll personally show you how meaningless your paltry power truly is.”

“…”

Grojei looked at Ryuje with the expression of someone who had bitten into their own feces. Under her unwavering gaze, Grojei finally bowed his head.

And then, Ryuje turned and walked out of the room.

“But, but! She could still be an accomplice of the enemy, right?!”

Even in this situation, Gyejeck shouted desperately.

“If she truly is, then I will take responsibility.”

“How exactly do you plan to take responsibility?”

“I will hand myself over to you.”

“Huh???”

Ryuje indicated her chest with the hand holding her gear, addressing the trio.

“You’ve long desired my life, the so-called ‘monster.’ Consider this my promise to surrender it to you.”

“…”

An oppressive silence fell over the room. The trio was speechless in the face of such audacity, and Ryuje resumed her walk after observing them.

“I will take that as your understanding.”

Ryuje strode out of the courtroom, with the small girl in her arms clutching onto her collar.

“Edu?”

“Why…why are you going to such lengths for me?”

“Hmm.”

Ryuje paused in thought before looking at Edu, her face wearing a bright smile unlike the one she had shown the trio.

“Didn’t you confide in me with a secret you found hard to share? It’s only fair I show this level of trust in return.”

“But….”

“It’s fine, little one. I’ve lived enough. Don’t worry about it.”

Saying this, Ryuje leaped out of the courthouse in a single bound. Even though it was from a considerable height, she landed without feeling the slightest impact.

And there—waiting for us at the battered entrance of the courthouse were Diana and a waiting vehicle.

Seeing them, the fear that had gripped my heart finally subsided, and sleepiness began to overtake me.

“Yes, don’t worry and rest well. You’ve worked hard.”

“Th, thank you…”

“Hmm.”

Ryuje handed her gear to Diana and continued stroking the sleeping Edu’s head.

Her skin was still deathly pale, but her touch radiated warmth, the warmest sensation I had ever experienced.