The carriage rattled through dimly lit streets as Hadelus sifted through the intelligence he had acquired—fragments of influence, whispers of blood markets, shadows of power stretching across three cities.
The syndicate known as One Line operated like a silent empire.Their hierarchy, carved in the underbelly of society, consisted of four tiers:
Fourth Tier: drifters, disposable hands.
Third Tier: sworn members.
Second Tier: overseers commanding the shadows.
First Tier: the Council—unseen, unapproachable.
And above them, spoken only in rumor: Tier Zero, the unseen sovereign.
Hadelus wished to test these claims through The Eye of Judgment, yet the seal his father placed upon the ability strained each use. Mana bled from him with every activation.
He had to choose his questions wisely.
The carriage halted.The police station greeted him with stiff bows and eyes sharpened by exhaustion and fear. Officers whispered: the restaurant had been torched—evidence swallowed by flame.
Within the interrogation chamber sat a young man named Ron Irus, shackled but profoundly unshaken.
As the Supreme Judge's son, Hadelus had unrestricted access to every police facility in the country.
"What's your name?" Hadelus asked.
"Ron Irus. And that's the fifth time you've asked," Ron replied, sounding bored.
"Is that correct?""…Yes," Ron answered calmly.
Hadelus nodded slightly. To prove guilt, he had to broaden his focus before narrowing in.
He wanted to ask about Ron's crimes directly—but that rarely worked.Most criminals didn't believe they were guilty, and others were often mind-manipulated or mentally distorted, confessing for crimes they didn't commit.
And for such people, even The Eye of Judgment faltered—it couldn't judge uncertainty itself.
"Do you have ties with One Line or any other organization? If so, what's your rank?"
It was a test—to gauge Ron's value or see which forces might intervene for him.
"There are three. Tartari—they exchange information with me, nothing more. Red Oval—they help find clients through advertising channels. One Line—I'm Level Four, though I rarely participate. Mostly I pay for protection."
Hadelus frowned.So obedient? Other than the fact they're all underworld syndicates, nothing unusual…
He only had two uses of his Eye left today.Though the limit was five per day, his father had modified the seal—not by restricting use, but by greatly increasing mana cost.
If he used it again tomorrow, he'd risk mana exhaustion.He needed to finish this today.
"When you were caught, you must've had an escape plan. What was it?"
Ron hesitated, then asked instead,"You have a way to know if I'm lying, don't you?"
"What a dumb question. Of course we do. This is an interrogation room,".
Ron smiled faintly and met Hadelus's gaze—straight into his dark eyes.
"The Euni Law clearly states: any individual under twenty, belonging to a national division of Level Two or higher, or enrolled in an academy ranked in the top ten, may receive sentence mitigation for minor offenses."
Hadelus knew that law—it was designed to give the nation's talents a second chance.But still, something didn't add up.
"But you're not part of any government division or academy. How—" Hadelus frowned, then caught herself.
"That was yesterday," Ron said brightly."Today is different."
Even he faltered at that.
Yet his mana was meager.His demeanor unremarkable.How could such a man earn a place at the nation's second greatest academy?
Hadelus felt the threads tangle.
Hadelus stood silently.Ron's answer didn't match any scenario he'd anticipated. He'd expected the man to call on other organizations for rescue, not claim elite student privilege.
"My nextquestion is…"
"I'll answer what I can. But saying too much will get me killed immediately. So I'll say only what I'm able to say… right now."
Inside, Ron was calculating everything:How much to reveal.How much to hide.How much to twist.
He needed them to underestimate him—and eventually use him.
The written Q&A?Just bait.Make the intel look valuable.Make him look cautious.
He was already planning for Blue Light Academy. All this was just to smooth the path.
He exhaled.
And then the door unlocked again.Another interrogation.Another risk.
Ron just hoped Lunas hadn't screwed up.
He doubted it.