When Eren and his team stepped out from that transparent barrier of the White Forest, the ancient silence of the woods had been replaced by the clatter of armor and a tense wait. The scene before them was like the collision of the two different faces of the kingdom: on one side, the pitch-black armored private guards of Lord Pitrosg; on the other, the Royal Guards in snow-white cloaks, standing tall under the silver banner of the Great Witch.

  Lord Pitrosg was in a state of fury atop his horse. He held the reins so tightly that his horse was neighing restlessly. However, the figure right next to him locked all his moves: High Auditor Lord Valerius. A slender man with a monocle in his right eye, Valerius was known as the most meticulous, most honest, and equally uncompromising man of law in the kingdom.

  “Auditor!” Pitrosg roared, pointing his finger at Eren. “I am telling you! This goblin half-breed and the rabble with him have severely damaged the kingdom's property by triggering a forbidden dungeon! I demand their immediate arrest and imprisonment!”

  Lord Valerius adjusted his monocle and answered in a calm but ice-cold voice: “Calm yourself, Pitrosg. Those pitch-black plumes of smoke rising to the sky from the heart of the White Forest and the river suddenly turning the color of ink whisper of much more than mere ‘property damage’. Let Inspector Eren speak. He is one of the rare men who has emerged alive from the belly of that dungeon.”

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  Eren stepped forward, leaning on his mace under his soot-stained cloak. He was covered in oil, rust, and black mana stains; yet his gaze shone with the hardness of a man who had survived that mine pit ten years ago.

  “Lord Valerius,” Eren said, his voice weary but authoritative. “Under the White Forest, there was not just a dungeon. We found a massive, pressure-operated rogue dam that was stealthily stealing the Great Witch’s sacred mana. And I have irrefutable proof that this dam was providing fuel for the enemy elves at the kingdom’s border to manufacture mana weapons.”

  Pitrosg’s face turned white as chalk in an instant. “Lies! This is a conspiracy! A lowly slander!”

  Eren pulled the killer’s blood-red origami paper from his pocket and held it high. The paper began to spin right in front of Valerius, broadcasting that treasonous voice recording not just to the room, but to the entire forest border. Lord Valerius’s face grew as hard and cold as a marble bust as the details of the betrayal spilled out.

  “It seems, Pitrosg,” Valerius said, turning his gaze slowly to the trembling noble. “What you call ‘property’ was a rusty dagger plunged right into the heart of the kingdom. Guards! Confiscate Lord Pitrosg’s weapons immediately. He will be taken into custody until the investigation is complete and the high council reaches a verdict.”

  As the guards surged forward, Eren took a deep breath. Justice, for once, had not been lost in the darkness of the dungeons.