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The magus calmly stepped forward, her purple robe flickering behind her. Maybe it was his brain playing tricks, but for a moment, things felt slow.

The vibration in the air increased, slightly making his heartbeat grow faster.

The constant hum brought him back from the inner battle between the truth potion and the Blursage potion; though his eyes stayed glued on her.

As she crossed the threshold into the room, the oppressive aura that had emanated from her lessened as she hid all her energy in her mana heart, her demonstration of strength ending temporarily.

Two figures flanked her, both of them shielding their mana from him, but he could guess their strengths by their robes— the one on the right wearing a green robe, being an adept and the one on the left wearing a blue robe, probably being a savant.

The adept wore a silver signet ring that was a carefully carved star, its lines aligned perfectly while the savant wore the ring with a swirling amethyst pendant that pulsed faintly in time with its wearer’s breathing.

Kai’s eyes went from the two Mages to Veridia, and she was the first one to break the silence.

A gentle smile played on her lips as she gestured towards a chair opposite her. "There’s no need to stand, Mage Arzan. Please, take a seat. As you might have probably guessed, I’m Magus Veridia, master of Archine Tower and the witch of the night sky. "

Following her introduction, the Mage with the signet ring stepped forward, "Archon Theobald at your service," he said in his deep voice. "A third circle adept and learner of the arcane wards."

His sharp chin nodded at him slightly. He was the youngest among them, being a middle-aged man and was probably someone who was looked up to as a bright prospect.

The other Mage, who had eyes as sharp as obsidian and a mane of fiery red hair, inclined his head in a curt nod. "I am Jasper Miknight," he said, "Fourth circle savant and one of the members of the council of the tower."

Kai’s ears perked up at that. So, he was going to be interrogated by two members of the council. "It’s an honour to meet you all, I’m Baron Arzan Kellius," he replied nonchalantly, showing proper courtesy.

He settled himself back on his seat, his eyes roaming through the three Mages before him.

All of them took their seats in front of him, a silence descending on them as he waited for them to begin whatever questions they were going to have for him. At the same time, his mind worked to figure out ways to subdue them if they tried to make it a contest of strength.

It wasn’t likely, but with Veridia here, he had to plan for everything. Even if he couldn’t face her head-on with the large gap between them, he could still be a worthy opponent.

Veridia cleared her throat. "While my schedule is usually packed, a fortunate alignment of events freed up my afternoon. Consider it serendipity that brought us all together today."

Her voice was sharp, bold, strong and held years of experience. If a mountain could speak, it would have her voice. Kai wasn’t surprised at that, to say the least, and he guessed that she was at least a hundred years old. Yet she looked half of that.

A snort escaped Archon. "He should be honoured to be in the presence of Magus Veridia." He fidgeted his signet ring.

Jasper, the redheaded Mage nodded, his gaze flickering between Kai and Veridia. "Indeed. Even if it’s an interrogation, not many get the chance to talk to her."

Veridia waved their comments away with a dismissive flick of her wrist. "The circumstances surrounding this case are… intriguing. The loss of a third circle mage, particularly one as esteemed as Actra, is a significant blow. That’s why I felt it warranted my attention."

Her eyes locked on Kai. There was no hostility in them, but he knew it was a facade of politeness. He barely stopped himself from snorting at the thought of Actra being esteemed.

He wasn’t bad at fighting and holding things, but he hadn’t seen anything that might make him esteemed.

As if on cue, a parchment materialized near Jasper, its surface glowing visibly. A delicate tendril of energy snaked from his outstretched finger, poised to write words on the parchment. The black ink marked almost every word that was leaving Veridia’s lips.

With that, the interrogation started and Archon bristled. He had a cold glare that landed squarely on Kai. "Explain yourself, young man," he said, "How, precisely, did you manage to kill Mage Actra?"

Kai opened his mouth to respond. He had thought of this question before— he had thought of answers. The right ones. But before he could utter a word, Veridia intervened. Her hand rose in a placating gesture, her gaze silencing Archon with a quiet strength.

"Patience, Archon. Accusations can wait. First, we need a clearer picture of the events that transpired. Arzan, would you be so kind as to recount the details of your encounter with Actra? You’re allowed to picture what exactly happened with him. From the start."

Her request hung in the air, a silent invitation for Kai to tell his side of the story. The accusation still lingered, heavy in the air, but for the moment, Veridia had granted him a reprieve. The parchment shimmered expectantly.

Kai met Archon’s glare with a measured smile, his mind racing. As he looked at Veridia, she gave him an expectant look.

He understood the game they were playing. The hostile accusations from Archon and Jasper; the opposite of Veridia’s seeming neutrality, were designed to throw him off guard, to make him feel safe with Magus so he’d blurt out anything he hid.

The truth simulant would do the rest of the job and he had to say it was a good strategy, but sadly for them, it wouldn’t work.

"Perhaps you haven’t considered all the facts, Mage Archon," Kai began, his voice calm and collected. "I assure you, I had no desire to harm Actra. In fact, it was the other way around."

Veridia’s brow furrowed slightly, she leaned forward. Her lips pursed as she clasped her hands on the table in front of them. Jasper’s disdainful expression remained unchanged, while Archon’s scowl deepened.

"Explain yourself," he said, his voice carrying a sharp tint.

Kai took a deep breath, his gaze locking onto Archon’s. For a moment, he focused and found that his voice simmered with magic and he felt the tension inside of him growing.

It was either a spell to make him restless or fear him. He took a calm breath, dispelling it before he opened his mouth.

"Actra," he started, enunciating each word carefully, "was in the service of my father, the previous Duke. When I inherited my Barony, my father tasked him to be my retainer for his remaining service to assist me with growing my newly obtained fief. However, even then, I sensed a darkness beneath his affability."

The parchment shimmered faintly as Jasper, seemingly unfazed, began inscribing the first lines of Kai’s narrative.

"There were… inconsistencies," Kai continued, his voice steady. "He subtly pushed me towards reckless spending, attempting to saddle me with debt. Back then, naive and trusting, I allowed myself to be manipulated, thinking it to be for the better of the territory." He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.

Archon slammed his fist on the table. "Inconsistencies? What kind of flimsy excuse is that?" His lips twitched but Kai shook his head, unfazed.

He pressed on. "Over the months, Actra’s behaviour became increasingly erratic. It prompted me to investigate further. What I discovered was a disturbing web of deceit." He paused, letting the tension build. The Mages were playing a game, but Kai had been the one to manipulate it better. His voice control and his eyes supported his story. "Actra was in collusion with the Tradeheart merchant association. They aimed to cripple me with debt, seize my farmlands and mines."

Jasper’s hand moved with unnatural speed across the parchment, the quill seemingly etching words by itself.

"Though they initially succeeded," Kai continued, "I managed to extricate myself from their clutches. And began my own investigation," he added, a smile flickering on his lips. "I uncovered evidence of the Tradeheart’s involvement in highly illegal activities."

He reached into his satchel, retrieving a worn envelope. He flipped it open and pulled out a stack of documents, his gaze didn’t move from Archon as he placed them in front of him slowly. The parchment beside Jasper vibrated slightly, but the inscription remained unseen.

Veridia’s eyes moved towards the documents, she looked… surprised? Couldn’t say as she hid her emotions with her neutral face. But neither of the other Mages made a move to read them.

"What does this have to do with Actra’s demise?" Jasper finally spoke.

"When I confronted him," Kai replied, his gaze meeting Archon’s unflinchingly, "the man transformed. Not like using a temporary spell to change shape, mind you, but a grotesque… creature." He shuddered, a wave of genuine fear momentarily replacing the resolve in his eyes. It was of course a show, but his acting wasn’t bad. At least he hoped so. "It rampaged with high rage, intent on destroying everything in its path, including me. And I was right in front of him."

A heavy silence came after his words.

"Self-defense, then," Archon stated blankly. Kai looked at the man’s emerald eyes.

"That’s precisely how it went."

"Absolute nonsense! You expect us to believe this fantastical tale?" he spat, his voice dripping with disbelief. "He’s lying through his teeth!"

Kai couldn’t help but chuckle internally. Here they were, the ones who’d administered a truth serum, accusing him of fabrication. The irony was delicious.

"There’s no reason for me to lie," he countered, his voice calm and steady. "And besides, there are witnesses."

Jasper scoffed. "Witnesses? Your retainers or the ones working for you, no doubt. Easily swayed or bribed."

Undeterred, Kai reached into his envelope again, this time pulling out a stack of parchment tied with a red ribbon. "These," he declared, placing them on the table with a decisive thud, "are sworn witness reports. Not just from my retainers. And these reports, they act as good evidence according to the law of the kingdom."

"Magus Veridia, look at this young man lie! These are his people. His lackeys! You… These people work for you, don’t they?"

Kai huffed. "Several saw Actra transform. Travelling merchants, a traveller named Ansel passed through the territory and even a mercenary group who happened to be in the vicinity. Hardly my ’lackeys’."

Archon remained silent, his gaze flickering between Kai and the documents. Jasper, however, still harboured doubts. "And how can we believe these reports are anything but fabricated lies?" he challenged.

Kai met his glare head-on. "Read them," he challenged back. "You’ll find testimonies from independent witnesses. If you wish, these individuals can be questioned directly."

Another moment of silence descended upon the room. Jasper’s fiery retort died in his throat as he stared at the reports. Archon stroked his chin thoughtfully. Kai had clearly prepared for this interrogation. They probably hadn’t anticipated such meticulousness.

Veridia, however, remained the most curious of the three. She had skimmed the reports— all the while her expressions remained the same. When her eyes met Kai’s again, he knew she was about to ask an important question.

"There’s one point you haven’t addressed," she stated, her voice devoid of accusation but laced with genuine curiosity. "Even with witnesses, something doesn’t quite add up. Actra was a third-circle Mage. Even assuming your story of a demonic transformation is true, his power would have been formidable. Yet, you, a second circle mage, supposedly defeated him. And you haven’t been trained by the tower or anyone, but we will come back to it later. Explain that discrepancy first."

Kai held her gaze, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

He knew the most critical part of his story was yet to come. The truth about his victory over Actra, the secret that had him walking into this lion’s den with such confidence, was about to be revealed.

Veridia cranked up the pressure a notch. Her aura, a potent storm brewing just beneath the surface, pressed down on Kai. While his outward expression strained, a sense of perverse satisfaction played behind his eyes.

Lowering his rank to a second circle mage for this interrogation had been a gamble since he didn’t know if there was anyone in the tower who would be able to dive deeper into his mana to know his truth strength, but it seemed to be paying off.

But then, he thought about the question.

He couldn’t reveal it was the Mana Bane. An accusation of dealing with forbidden poisons would complicate things further. Truth, as he knew, could be a double-edged sword easily twisted to fit an agenda. So, he needed a different approach.

"Before this whole incident, he was tasked with clearing a monster nest. Actra sustained a serious injury during the fight." He paused, letting the implication sink in. The story would made more sense with a wounded and vulnerable Mage.

"Now, when he… transformed," Kai continued, using the neutral term to avoid any immediate accusation of demonic possession. "It seemed like a desperate push against his weakened state. But it backfired. Unstable and chaotic, his own mana turned violent, exploding him from within. My fire spells might have triggered it too."

The lie hung heavy in the air, yet none of them seemed completely convinced.

Veridia’s expression remained mostly unreadable, while the other two Mages masked their emotions well.

They believed he couldn’t shake the effect of the truth potion, its power forcing them to accept his narrative, even if parts didn’t quite fit. The reports corroborated his story— they could verify the monster hunt, even Actra’s injury.

A tense silence stretched between them. Kai, capitalizing on the awkward lull, decided to go on the offensive. "Now that I’ve explained myself," he said, his voice firm, "I have a few questions of my own."

Veridia and the two Mages exchanged surprised glances. "Questions?" Jasper was quick to ask.

"What?" Veridia questioned.

Without missing a beat, Kai launched into his list. "Why was a Mage under your tower so hostile towards me, someone he was supposed to serve as a retainer?" He paused, letting the accusation hang in the air. "There’s a law in the kingdom, isn’t there? One that holds the tower liable for their Mages?"

He pressed on, his voice gaining momentum. "And even if I did ’attack’ him," Kai added, "the fact remains, he transformed into a demon. Doesn’t that tell you something? A Mage of the adept rank, an esteemed one of the tower turning into a demon. I believe that’s a far bigger problem here."

Kai forced them onto the defensive, exposing a potential chink in the tower’s armour. Whether they were truly invested in uncovering the truth behind Actra’s demise, or simply trying to pin the blame on a convenient scapegoat, remained to be seen. But one thing was certain— his gamble had just raised the stakes in this high-powered game.

There’s one more thing.

Kai saved his most potent question for last. He reached into his seemingly bottomless pouch once more, this time retrieving a slim stack of paper tied with a yellow ribbon.

"Finally," he said, his voice ringing with accusation. "Who in the tower was trying to have me killed?"

He slammed the letters onto the table, the force echoing in the tense silence. The dates on the worn parchment were damning— communication between someone from the tower and Actra, predating even Kai’s awakening as a Mage. This wasn’t mere happenstance.

His gaze locked with Veridia’s, a challenge burning in his eyes. "Is the esteemed Archine Tower now a breeding ground for assassins rather than Mages?"