Ino's problem was resolved.
But there were other problems that remained unsolved.
"How did you know about the Confessor's Relic?"
"He told me!" Ino pointed at Sylas without hesitation, "He recognized the Confessor's Relic and then warned me!"
Hmm?
Only then did Lux look at the cell next to Ino, at Sylas in the shadows.
Ino didn't hide anything; she spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube, almost perfectly recounting what Sylas had told her yesterday.
And as Ino recounted the story, Lux's expression became increasingly subtle.
"How would you know that?" Lux looked at Sylas in the shadows, her tone quite puzzled, "The Confessor's Relic… that's a secret treasure of the Demon Searcher!"
"Didn't she already say it? Because I used to be a Demon Searcher!" Sylas stood up, looking down at Lux, "Everything I said yesterday was true!"
It was really Sylas?
Like Ino, Lux instinctively wanted to retreat at first—then, amidst Klein's mockery, she awkwardly stopped.
"You're the Sylas who killed three Demon Searchers!" To alleviate the awkwardness, Lux put on a show of scrutinizing him, "You don't look… very strong!"
"I said, I didn't kill those people." Lux's words made Sylas shake his head, "And among the dead in the explosion, only one was a Demon Searcher; I couldn't have killed three Demon Searchers at once…"
"So, you really were a Demon Searcher?" Lux's eyes widened in disbelief, "How is that possible? Demon Searchers don't recruit mages!"
"Demon Searchers shouldn't obey mages' orders either!" Sylas sneered, "Yet they still wagged their tails and let you in, like well-trained hounds."
"…That's true." For Lux, who was accustomed to Klein's daily nagging, Sylas's sarcasm was like a gentle breeze, completely unruffled, "But you and I both know that wasn't their own will, but because of the order of this country."
"You don't seem to feel any shame at all." Lux's attitude stunned Sylas; he never expected that, faced with his accusations, Lux would act as if nothing happened, completely unconcerned by the mockery, and instead generously chose to admit it, "What, our nobly born Crownguard young lady is now going to lecture me, a notorious murderer?"
"If I could, I'd be happy to." Lux nodded, "However, from the looks of it, even if I said something, you probably wouldn't be willing to believe or accept it, would you?"
"At least you have some self-awareness." Sylas swung the chains on his hands, making a clanging sound, "How could I possibly believe a noble full of lies?"
"Nobles are not one person, and nobles are not all alike; some nobles are full of lies, but not all nobles are like that." Lux calmly corrected his mistake, "Just as commoners are not all alike, and mages are not all alike—you are a murderer, but that doesn't mean all mages are."
"…"
Lux's words left Sylas speechless for a moment; he was stunned for a long time before he reacted: "Most commoners have a hard life, most mages need to hide, and most nobles—they're all just a bunch of worms!"
"Well said!" Completely to Sylas's surprise, Lux gently clapped her hands, looking quite approving, "That's exactly what I believe—and what I hope to change."
As Lux's applause rang out, Sylas felt his blood pressure rise sharply; veins bulged on his forehead, and he lunged forward, reaching the bars.
With a snap, the chains binding him were pulled taut.
"You—you shameless noble scum, speaking sanctimonious nonsense without any sense of shame, such lies, you shall surely have your tongue torn out and bones broken! May you die a terrible death!"
"If you believe curses and vows are effective, I can certainly swear in person to prove this is indeed what I desire." Lux paid no mind to his curses and threats, even maintaining a polite smile on her face, "Unfortunately, from your state, even if I really did, you wouldn't be willing to believe it…"
Sylas's blood pressure rose even higher.
He had thought his words would expose Lux's true colors and make her furious, but he never expected that, as Lux expressed agreement, he would be the one to break first.
"I truly believe this, Mr. Sylas." Seeing Sylas almost faint from anger, Lux spread her hands, saying in an innocent tone, "This has nothing to do with my identity—many people are prejudiced against mages, and you, it seems, are prejudiced against nobles."
"As a noble, enjoying the privileges that come with noble status, yet speaking such words, don't you feel ashamed?" Sylas barely caught his breath, "Deceiving an innocent child, is this the pride of being a noble?"
"Being a noble does make me feel ashamed." Lux nodded without hesitation, "Therefore, I will also strive to use this privilege to help this country and improve this situation."
"You're shameless—if I were you, I'd choose a well-located city wall and jump off!"
"That would be meaningless, and it would cause trouble for others." Lux was calm, "Comparatively, I believe utilizing this privilege is a better method—if this choice displeases you, would you feel better if I apologized?"
"Ah ah ah ah ah!" Sylas was truly agitated, "You're just sophistry!"
"If you find me lying, then feel free to point it out." Without even needing Klein's help, Lux easily responded, "But if you can't, then save your energy—the truth is the most powerful retort."
"Shameless!"
"Say what you will." Lux shook her head, "I will go and review the past archives, Mr. Sylas, I hope you didn't lie to Ino earlier either."
After speaking, Lux left Ino another novel, then waved to her and turned to leave the prison.
.........
From beginning to end, Lux spoke nothing but the truth, and her heartfelt thoughts.
And for Sylas, this was the most ruthless mockery—after spending a long time with Klein, Lux had finally mastered some negotiation tactics she greatly desired.
Speaking of which, if Sylas hadn't been hostile towards Lux from the start, but instead emphasized that he had been treated unjustly, Lux would indeed have felt ashamed upon meeting him, and might even have actively offered help.
But now…
As Lux said, Sylas was already very extreme.
Considering his previous incitement of Ino, it is likely that Mr. Sylas's intentions are not so simple.
Therefore, after leaving The Forbidden Magic Prison, Lux immediately sought out the archives of Sylas's case.
Because it was a sensational case, there was a thick stack of internal Demon Searcher files regarding the matter.
Lux spread out the archives and, with Klein's help, began to read quickly.
The content of the archives was very detailed, with many attachments also showing Sylas's detailed file—from the time and place he became a Demon Searcher, his family background, to all the cases he participated in, and many evaluations from his disciplinarians.
Some of these things Sylas knew, and some Sylas didn't even know.
For example, in the disciplinarians' evaluation section, because Sylas was one of the very few mages tainted by magic who became a Demon Searcher, almost every month, his two disciplinarians had to submit a detailed assessment report, reporting on Sylas's situation.
And in these reports, one of the disciplinarians spoke highly of him, even proactively suggesting that he could temporarily be granted the [Confessor's Relic].
Unfortunately, due to the disapproval of the other disciplinarian, the response given by the high-ranking Demon Searchers at the time was "the relic is currently in use, and Sylas lacks sufficient experience."
The background information was already so clear, and as for that case, the data was even more detailed; merely the testimonies of villagers near the crime scene were collected by questioning each person three times.
Within the attachments, there were also numerous quick sketches, outlining the situation at the crime scene after the explosion.
In addition, the forensic doctor also issued three autopsy reports—however, the reports contained almost no substantive content, because the bodies were first electrocuted and then blown up, so the autopsy could not examine anything.
And regarding the time, place, and process of Sylas's arrest, the records in the archives were even clearer.
With Klein's help, Lux did not take too long to quickly read through these materials.
Comparing it with what Ino had said earlier, Lux found that on most issues, Sylas had not lied.
Sylas had only told one small lie—however, this lie was very crucial.