Sitting inside a carriage, Hadelus recalled the information he'd obtained from the restaurant owner.
They operate across three cities around here… from black markets to back alleys. Underground deals, secret auctions—all under their protection…
They manipulate local politics and noble houses, especially the younger and inexperienced ones. The prime example being the…
Rumor has it, they rarely target civilians. Their main goal is controlling the underworld itself…
As for their structure, it's divided into four levels.
Level Four—outsiders, errand boys, expendables.Level Three—official members.Level Two—senior agents, those who command the lower ranks and have access to internal information.Level One—the Council, controlling all aspects of the organization.
And then there's "Level Zero." Not an official rank, but a title the members themselves use… to refer to their "Boss." Level Zero has never appeared in public, and no one dares to discuss it with me…
There are whispers that the Boss is a tall man—seen only from afar, observing during major conflicts while being guarded by One Line's elites…
...…
There was a mountain of useful intel on One Line: their sphere of influence, their rivals, their underground dealings, and even the rumors the commoners whispered.
However, due to the restrictions placed on Hadelus's skill, The Eye of Judgment, by his father, he had to give up verifying many of those details.
Even so, the transaction was expensive—so costly that even nobles would hesitate. But Hadelus didn't care. He had already called the police to arrest the restaurant owner on charges of illegal information trade right after leaving.
He'd had to extract as much as possible before the man was silenced—either by arrest or by those who wanted him dead to keep their secrets buried.
Still, something about it all bothered him.How could someone like that slip up so easily?
That question had haunted him since the man's arrest yesterday.
He's young but far too careless. Was it intentional? Is he a decoy—or maybe a puppet for someone else?
"Sir, we've arrived," said the coachman.
Hadelus stepped down and entered the police station.Despite the many older officers there, they all greeted him with visible respect.
"How's the restaurant fire case being handled?" Hadelus asked an officer escorting him to the holding cells.
"When we surrounded the building, it seemed someone had set it ablaze to destroy evidence. I suspect the owner, but he insists it was a kitchen accident and blamed the stove supplier."
"So, you couldn't find proof he did it, and his records burned to ashes?"
"…There are irregularities, yes. But we can't do much until we recover the documents. We've summoned a few mages to restore what's left, and… we'd like you to interrogate him."
They stopped in front of a steel door.Hadelus placed his hand on the lock and opened it—something only those with a magical contract authorized by the state could do. It ensured no prisoner could escape.
As the Supreme Judge's son, Hadelus had unrestricted access to every police facility in the country.
Inside, two figures stood before a cell—a young man and a blonde girl, Promet and Janeus.At the table sat the restaurant owner, shackled and silent.
"What's your name?" Hadelus asked.
"Ron Irus. And that's the fifth time you've asked," Ron replied, sounding bored.
"Ron Irus, orphan, childhood friend of Lunas. Both raised in the Hapol orphanage. Ran away at fifteen. No criminal record…" the officer beside Hadelus read aloud.
"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," Promet snapped.
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—" Janeus frowned, then caught herself.
"That was yesterday," Ron said brightly."Today is different."
"I can enroll at Blue Light Academy anytime I want. I just needed money for tuition, so they granted me a temporary deferment. Blue Light's ranked second nationwide, so… yeah, I've worked hard for it."
Promet looked puzzled. If that were true, Ron should be among the top five in talent nationwide—but his mana level was barely rank three, equivalent to an untrained student.
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.
Time for the last question, Hadelus thought.His eyes throbbed with fatigue, mana nearing depletion.He had to make this count.
"My final question 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."
Everything was a tangled mess.I had to leak just enough information to make One Line stumble—but only enough to seem plausible.
Still, that last question from Hadelus… it's dangerous. I have to tread carefully.
I needed to show weakness—to make them underestimate me.That way, they'd reduce my sentence and maybe even try to use me later.
Of course, exposing too much could make them re-evaluate my worth, but that was fine.I had backup plans.
If my guesses were right, they'd soon try to recruit me—make me their mole.But since I'd be entering Blue Light, that would have to wait.
I was sure of one thing: Princess Janeus had noticed me.She'd forget soon enough, but she was crucial to my plan's success.
I just hoped nothing went wrong.After all the effort I'd spent setting this up, failure wasn't an option.
Oh, right… the written Q&A thing.That was just to make my information seem valuable.Exaggerate its importance. Make it look like the One Line intel was hard-earned.It also made me appear cautious—something I could use later.
It was all an act. A stupid, unnecessary act.But it served its purpose.
Haah… guess it's finally time for the academy life I've been dreaming of…
Of course, it'll never go smoothly.
CLACK.
…But first, another interrogation.I just hope that idiot Lunas didn't screw anything up.
It'll be fine… right?
I wasn't so sure anymore.