Chapter 61: Kneel Before Me!
“This is insane! We saved all those trapped children and hostages. Why are you treating us like criminals?” Elidranthia almost shouted when the knights apprehended her and demanded that she pay reparations for the damage.
“Destroying other people’s property cannot be excused, Lady Elidranthia—even if you are a noble and a mage,” the corrupt knight said. “Because of this, you must compensate the offended parties.”
He was lying, of course. If they had been mere commoners, they would have been sent straight to jail or the mines. But fortunately for Elidranthia, she was a noble, and the knight feared formally charging her. Instead, he implied he would let the matter slide if she paid a fine.
“It is supposed to be your duty to uphold justice. Are you going to let those men go? Those kidnappers?” she demanded.
“Ah, we should contact the Mage Association. There were mages imprisoned inside, right?” Alicia whispered. “I thought the law was clear. Mages must not be imprisoned against their will.”
The corrupt knight began to sweat. He leaned toward his lieutenant and whispered something. The lieutenant nodded. With that single exchange, his decision was made. There was only one way he could escape this situation unscathed. He forced a smile and ordered refreshments to be brought to Elidranthia and Alicia.
“Ah, my apologies, Lady Elidranthia. I have confirmed it with my lieutenants. You are certainly a hero. Please, allow me to pour you a drink. And of course, that matter about fines was merely a misunderstanding. There is no way we would fine a righteous hero such as yourself.” The knights bowed deeply.
Eli rolled her eyes. This behavior disgusted her more than anything. It took all her effort not to reach for the sword at Alicia’s waist. Her mana trembled, and the air around her seemed to grow heavy as her emotions surged. Through her crimson eyes, the knights thought they saw something monstrous staring back at them. It was her dark magic, distorting their perception and preying on their fear.
“Just so you know, I am a rank 8 mage. Ah, no—sorry, my mistake. I am officially a rank 7 mage now. I am Alicia, the greatest mage of Shadowstep. She is Elidranthia Shadowstep, a rank 6 mage. She is patronized by Duke Bron. You know Duke Bron and Duke Slane, right? Let me inform you that you allowed criminals to imprison mages within your jurisdiction. This slum falls under your territory, doesn’t it? Do you think Duke Bron and Duke Slane will let this slide?” Alicia said as she lounged in a chair, her feet propped up on the table. There was nothing more satisfying than trampling evil, and Alicia was enjoying every moment of it.
Seeing Alicia act so haughtily cooled Eli’s anger. She joined in at once. She hated the fact that she had to use her status as both a mage and a noble to obtain justice, but there was no helping it in this world. Nobility and mages were power.
“That’s right. I will speak to my father and to Duke Bron about this incompetent knight. You will be executed for allowing such criminals to run rampant in the capital!”
“No! Please! Lady Elidranthia, have mercy! At least demote me. I have children and wives to feed!” The knights abandoned all honor and pretense, kneeling to beg.
“Hah! You think parasites like you deserve to remain in the capital? Why should we forgive criminals like you? What can you possibly offer us? Lady Elidranthia, we should leave and report this immediately,” Alicia said with a cold smirk. The satisfaction she felt at seeing the corrupt knight receive his due filled her with a sense of triumph.
“Guh…” the knight clenched his teeth. He briefly considered taking more drastic measures, but it was futile. Elidranthia and Alicia were already famous. If he let something happen to them, it wouldn’t simply be a demotion or losing his knighthood. He would go straight to the gallows. He had received word that a professor from the academy was on the way. Since he could not intimidate the two girls into admitting they had merely been causing trouble, this matter could no longer be swept under the rug.
If the professors had been from the nobility alone, he could have bribed them. But professors from the Mage Course would never remain silent if a mage had been imprisoned against their will. He knew Alicia’s threat was genuine. The girls didn’t even need to report it themselves. Those professors would surely escalate the matter to the Mage Union and possibly even to the dukes.
The only path left to him was to force a narrative in which these children were heroes and his squad had acted properly. He might receive a reduced salary or be demoted for incompetence, but at least he would keep his life. To achieve that, he needed the children to speak well of his knight order. If they testified that the knights had been in collusion with the criminals, it would be the gallows for him.
“Lady Elidranthia, Lady Alicia—”
“It’s Mage Alicia, you peasant. I am not a noble. Geez, didn’t they teach you manners?” Alicia placed her hands on her hips as she savored the feeling of bullying the corrupt knight.
“Mage Alicia. I humbly apologize for my incompetence. But we of the 31st Knight Squad definitely had no involvement with this criminal organization.”
“Then why were you trying to fine us? You never cared about those kidnapped children, did you? Tell me—who are you working for?”
“We simply believed you were disrupting local businesses. Those buildings usually house casinos and brothels. I know they are distasteful, but they are legal establishments, so we had no choice but to turn a blind eye. We never imagined they would commit something as heinous as imprisoning mages,” the knight said.
Eli frowned deeply. Even until the very end, the knights only seemed to care about the imprisoned mages—not the other children. She realized that even she and Alicia had initially focused on the kidnapped mages first. Eli sighed. The weak would always be the first to be ignored.
“What about the other kidnapped people? What about the poor children in the slums who were forced to work for them?” Eli asked directly.
“We will return them to their villages, of course. If they are unwanted, we will release them.”
Basically, no one would care for them. They would be left on the street, helpless. Eli sighed. She would have to take matters into her own hands.
“Give them to me, then,” Eli said.
If no one else is going to care for them, I have to step up.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Those villagers who were sold or kidnapped—if they are rejected by their hometowns, and if these slum dwellers were forced to work against their will, give them to me. I will try to find work for them in Shadowstep,” Eli said. Alicia immediately snapped her attention toward her lady.
No! You can’t just accept these illegal migrants! They are poor and unemployed for a reason! Some of them might be good people, but most of them could be trouble! You can’t just take all of them in!
Such were Alicia’s darker thoughts. She found it difficult to care about the fate of strangers, even though she herself had once been ordinary before transmigrating into this world. No—she had been a law-abiding citizen on Earth. She was not a troublemaker. Just a NEET. Not a criminal.
“Erm… Lady Elidranthia, are you sure you want to employ them?” Alicia muttered. “It’s not just about the cost—do they even want to work for us?”
“They can at least till the fields. If they can do that much, I will ensure they have proper housing and enough to eat,” Eli said. Her voice wavered slightly, supported only by sheer willpower. She wondered if she could truly uphold that promise. After giving it some thoughts, she decided she could. She was a mage with earth affinity. If she had to, she could build the houses herself and Shadowstep has abundant of land.
“I see… Understood.” Alicia sighed in relief. As long as they worked and did not become burdens, she could accept it.
“If you handle this properly, I will speak well of you. I will say you were merely negligent in your duties—not in collusion with those criminals.”
“Understood, Milady! Your wish is my command!” The knights bowed deeply. For the first time since the confrontation began, he saw a sliver of hope.
“Alicia, let’s leave.”
“Not so fast, Milady.” A professor in mage robes entered. Elidranthia looked at him in surprise. This was the headmaster of the mage course! Why was he here?
“Not even a year in, and you have already caused trouble, I see.” The professor smiled. He then shooed the knights away and dismissed them without asking any questions.
“Am I in trouble?” Eli frowned. Wondering why the vice rincipal came here. She thought they would merely send a teacher.
“Well, if medals and recognition are considered trouble, then yes. But if you are talking about suspension or scolding, then no. After all, you have freed captive slaves. Some were mages. Slavery is illegal—for mages and peasants alike. Yes, I know society usually focuses on mages. But just for your information, it is illegal for ordinary peasants to be turned into slaves,” the professor said.
“So, can I leave now? Our job here is done, right? Adults such as you, Mage Alistar, can handle it, right?”
“Erm… No. I am here to talk about something important. It’s about those captives you wished to take under your wing. As I said earlier, slavery is illegal.”
“Well, they can refuse me if they want. It’s not like I am forcing them. Employing them is legal, right?”
“Good. Then we have an understanding. Can you leave the process to us instead of the knights?” the professor said.
“Well… I suppose. But why?”
“You certainly wouldn’t trust these knights after what they did, right?” the professor asked. Eli frowned.
“I don’t trust them one bit. But I am asking why you want to take on this burden. What is in it for you?” Eli asked.
“Ah, what a smart and precocious girl. You are smarter than you look. I wonder if I should teach you politics so soon…” The professor rubbed his white beard. “Alright. Come closer. Please keep what I am about to tell you a secret, alright?”
“I am not going to support any criminal activity, Professor.” Eli frowned.
“Hahaha. Understood. You may do as you wish. I trust you to treat this information with the care it deserves.”
The professor then began to explain his reason.