After conducting a wide-ranging investigation over the past several days, the Holy Theocracy had arrived at the following conclusion.
‘Whitney... could he have been the one pulling the strings behind all this?’
From the disappearance of the Saintess, to the incident during the Prodigy Selection Tournant that shook the world—each of these events had suspicious gaps in their tiline.
And shockingly, once Whitney was placed into those gaps, much of the tiline seed to line up.
However, there was no physical evidence to be found anywhere.
The incidents that did leave behind clear material evidence—such as the Saintess's abduction, the Holy Knight ambush at the inn, or the demon servitude—were all already explained by Saintess Hestia herself.
Thus, with only circumstantial evidence and suspicions, even the Holy Theocracy couldn’t interfere in a matter this serious, especially one involving both the Hero and the Saintess.
In normal circumstances, they would have relied on divine prayer and oracles.
But unfortunately, ever since that shocking prophecy from the goddess a few days ago, she had ceased all responses.
Of course, that didn’t an the Holy Theocracy would simply fold their hands and give up.
If there was no material evidence... they would simply create it.
Through nurous negotiations, persuasion, and investigations, the Theocracy finally secured witnesses who could testify to Whitney's suspicious activities.
If they failed, the Saintess—now in Whitney's hands—would bypass the Pope and beco the top-ranking figure in the Theocracy under his control.
Having listened to and summarized the initial statents of the witnesses, the Theocracy expected that even if things went poorly, they would at least be able to buy ti by pausing the eligibility evaluation of Whitney and Hestia.
“In the incident during the midterms... the supervisor was simply dazzling in his performance.”
“......Excuse ?”
But from the very first mont the interrogation began, the Theocracy’s expectations started to crumble.
“Th-the rampaging monsters inside the dungeon all bowed their heads at the supervisor’s gesture... and the high-grade monster summoned at the core was instantly defeated by white magic without even showing its strength...”
It had originally been the duty of Lady Roxia to testify that Whitney had been controlling the monsters during the midterms—right in front of everyone.
But once she entered the chamber, she instead began pouring praise upon him.
“...So, to summarize—you're saying Sir Whitney defeated the monsters and rescued Lady Adel Felgrave?”
“Y-yes, that's correct.”
“Lady Roxia. Your current testimony seems quite different from what you initially told us...”
As the Inquisitors, their expressions now full of confusion, interrupted to question her, Roxia began rolling her eyes and stamring.
“T-that, that was my mistake... I an, I rembered it wrong! I was just so shocked at the ti...”
“But we confird it with you several tis...”
It was only natural for the Inquisitors’ sharp suspicions to follow her clearly shady behavior.
“My lady, giving false testimony before the eyes of the divine is a grave sin that cannot go unpunished.”
“T-that is...”
“Were you, perhaps, threatened or bribed in so way?”
Glancing nervously in Whitney’s direction, she cleared her throat and began to loosen her collar.
“I-it suddenly feels hot in here... haha...”
“......”
“Mm, hmm hmm! Mmm-hm!”
Whitney’s expression twitched slightly at that mont, but since everyone’s attention was fixed on Roxia’s unexpected behavior, no one noticed.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
“Ah......”
The priests, who had lived their entire lives under strict discipline and were utterly unaccustod to such scenes, all blushed at once and raised their voices in protest.
Lady Roxia’s face turned ashen.
“I may not know what Lady Roxia’s initial testimony was, but it seems there was so misunderstanding...”
“Hiiik.”
“Could it be... you mistook for your horoom professor?”
Seizing that perfect opening, Whitney gave his trademark bone-chilling ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) smile as he asked the question, and Roxia—frozen stiff and forgetting even to breathe—hurriedly nodded in agreent.
“Y-yes, that’s right! Now that I think about it, that must’ve been it!”
“......”
“I-I saw Professor Rebecca leading the monsters through with my own two eyes!”
At that point, even the Inquisitors’ legendary patience had begun to wear thin.
“Then why didn’t you tell us that from the start—”
“Of course, it must have been because she was threatened. Isn’t that so?”
But before the situation could spiral, Whitney swiftly cut in with impeccable timing, forcing the Inquisitors to fall silent once more.
“For reference, I personally discovered and subdued First-Year Horoom Professor Rebecca the day before the tournant.”
“......”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“Naturally, that fact had to remain top secret until now, so I ask for your understanding.”
Even the most experienced Inquisitors couldn’t continue their interrogation without any physical evidence.
Normally, they would have made the witness swear before the goddess during testimony, eliminating the possibility of lies—but since the goddess had entered a sort of strike several days ago, that was also impossible.
“...Next witness, enter.”
“U-ugh...”
But even then, the Theocracy still remained confident.
After all, Lady Roxia wasn’t their only witness.
There were still plenty more who could testify to Whitney Ringaarden’s suspicious behavior.
“Um, excuse ...”
However, just monts later—when the second witness, who had experienced the chaos inside the shadow-filled arena during the tournant, entered the room and said that—
The Theocracy realized sothing had gone terribly wrong.
“Isn’t it unusually warm today?”
The room was neither hot nor cold, and yet he too began fanning himself and unbuttoning his clothes.
“Ahahaha...”
And so, in the silence that followed, Whitney’s low chuckle echoed through the chamber—sending a chill down the priests’ spines.
“......”
Even the Pope, who had watched the proceedings without a hint of reaction until now, was no exception.
***
“L-Lord Whitney... did everything he could to protect us when the chaos suddenly broke out...”
“I-I saw it too! L-Lord Whitney used strange—no, he used white magic to p-protect everyone...”
“S-so that’s why... Everyone fought like their lives depended on it, and yet no one was seriously injured. Haha...”
Contrary to the Holy Theocracy’s desperate hopes, the witnesses—each of whom had complained of the heat upon entering—soon wore resigned expressions and unanimously began to defend Whitney.
“T-the supply room in the waiting area? There’s... n-nothing there.”
“I-I went in today to clean. H-haha...”
“......It must have been a small quarrel between Lord Whitney and the maid that got twisted into a baseless rumor.”
Of course, this included the nurses and teachers who had witnessed the ruckus in the infirmary on the day of the tournant.
“Um... in that case. Before bringing in the next witnesses, we will take a short break.”
Naturally, sensing sothing suspicious, the Holy Theocracy declared a recess and began inspecting the witnesses—but nothing unusual could be found.
“...And you still say you’re not the Demon King?”
“Haha... But I’m seriously innocent this ti...”
Only Hestia, who kept narrowing her eyes while staring at Whitney’s chest, whispered sothing quietly to him.
“Well then... we shall resu.”
After a full hour-long recess, the Theocracy, still unable to find a reason for the witnesses’ strange behavior, grew desperate and began summoning backup witnesses they had prepared just in case.
“Priests, please bring in the witnesses gathered in the second chamber...”
These were, for example, the servants of House Ringaarden—those who could be called Whitney’s close aides.
“Th-the Young Master... treats all his servants equally!”
“Y-yes, and—and the wages he pays us are several tis higher than anywhere else...”
“The basent? I-I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
What the Theocracy had failed to consider was that these long-abused servants had already developed their own survival manuals for just such a situation.
“I-I-I’m just a normal maid, assigned to Lord Whitney...”
“I’m just a regular butler who passed the household entrance exam!”
“Lord Whitney is the benefactor who repaired my mana circuit. The rumor that sothing strange happened in the basent is, of course, nothing more than a malicious falsehood.”
Naturally, Whitney’s trusted aides all gave testimonies that were blatantly in his favor.
If the Theocracy had summoned Bergen, who had casually slipped out of the Academy during the incident, or Alfred, who had disappeared for a ti after receiving a bribe, the story might have been different.
But ultimately, unable to obtain any aningful testimony from Whitney’s inner circle, the cornered Theocracy resorted to indiscriminately summoning every individual involved in the tournant.
“During the last tournant, Professor Rebecca definitely hid and confined us while we were injured.”
“Lord Whitney is the man who rescued us from the black mages.”
“We are well aware that the use of doppelgangers is forbidden, but Lord Whitney explained it was for a greater cause and asked for our understanding. We humbly ask for leniency.”
Robin, Charlie, and Hayden—whose health had recently improved—took Whitney’s side with simple and irrefutable logic.
“Not objecting to Lord Whitney’s qualification as judge... was not my personal decision, but the unanimous will of the Commoner Assembly.”
Pierre, the chairman of the Commoner Assembly, glanced cautiously at Whitney the mont he entered the chamber. Upon seeing his chilling smile, Pierre turned pale and followed suit in siding with him.
“The final witness... please co forward.”
Backed into a corner, the Theocracy finally played its last card, calling in the one witness they had kept hidden until now.
“...My brother is a hero.”
That was the fatal blunder that sealed their defeat.
“He’s never done anything suspicious—not once, ever since we were kids.”
Despite originally being excluded due to her position, Adele’s testimony made it clear: Whitney’s younger sister, Cecil—who had supposedly considered him an enemy—was now defending him with a trembling voice.
“So please... just let my brother go...”
With that final testimony, the interrogation of Whitney—conducted by elite Inquisitors and priests—ca to a complete end.
“......That concludes our investigation.”
Naturally, the result was the total defeat of the Holy Theocracy.
***
“From this mont forth, the Holy Astra Theocracy officially recognizes Whitney Ringaarden as the Hero...”
Amid the priests, their faces filled with grief, the Pope alone remained calm as he solemnly read the declaration aloud.
“...And we likewise officially recognize Saintess Hestia’s position.”
Even he could not completely hide the faint furrowing of his youthful brow.
“Well then, may I be excused now?”
Of course, that was none of my concern. Physically and ntally exhausted, I stood to leave this suffocating room as quickly as possible.
“There is still one matter left to discuss.”
“...Ah, yes.”
“The reason the Emperor and Saintess were summoned to this place... is precisely to address the next topic. So we ask that you please remain a mont longer.”
Apparently, the Theocracy wasn’t quite done keeping here.
“According to long-standing history, the partner of the Saintess has always been the Hero.”
Just as I exhaled and began to sit back down, the Pope—now fully composed—made a statent that froze in place.
“For the stronger their bond becos, the stronger they both grow...”
“Excuse , Your Holiness?”
Unable to bear it, I interrupted the Pope mid-speech, drenched in cold sweat as I spoke.
“I already have a fiancée I promised to marry...”
“We are aware of that. But we ask that you consider the greater good.”
Shaking his head silently, the Pope then declared—his voice firm and resolute:
“Please marry Saintess Hestia, Lord Whitney.”
And with that, a heavy silence settled over the chamber like a shroud.
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