“The demonic beasts didn’t invade; they originated from that place.”

“What kind of nonsense is that…!”

In response to Dwight’s words, someone rebutted, claiming it made no sense.

His reaction was understandable.

After all, demonic beasts spawn in areas with a high concentration of magic, and the boundary region was somewhere people could still walk around unharmed.

While it wasn’t impossible for demonic beasts to emerge in the boundary region, such occurrences were exceedingly rare.

Thus, the demonic beasts that might appear would mostly be lesser ones, with only the most extraordinary circumstances giving rise to a couple of mid-level beasts.

From the start, it was not a place capable of yielding advanced demonic beasts.

Let alone seven of them.

If enough magic were to dissipate to produce that many beasts, the boundary region would have long since become uninhabitable.

Just dealing with the corpses of the demonic beasts that emerged this time was quite a hassle.

Although he was the one shouting such things.

“You may not have known, but there was indeed enough magic to spawn such demonic beasts.”

“Where on earth could that amount of magic exist in this city─!”

“It’s the purification facility.”

Dwight simply answered quietly.

However, because they had been unable to connect the dots regarding the purification facility and its relation to magic, everyone was left with question marks on their faces.

Except for one person.

“Oh, no way…”

Excluding Scarlet Evande, who had quietly been listening beside Sylvia.

At Dwight’s nod in response to her reaction, he began to speak.

“I had previously checked the magic circle set up in the purification facility. It was a complex circle, so I couldn’t be sure, but based on the calculations I made after seeing it, the purification facility can only cleanse about 90% of the magic inputted. That leaves 10% unaccounted for. So where did that 10% go?”

As Dwight spoke, the expressions of those who had been puzzled began to harden.

Everyone was conjuring up various scenarios in their minds.

While they all thought the same thing, they couldn’t help but hesitate after coming to that conclusion.

For the thought that they were implying something about the Dolos family was beyond disrespectful.

“You should know. The first place the demonic beasts were discovered was where the purification facilities are located. The prevailing theory was that the witch intentionally targeted those facilities, sending demonic beasts there to conduct a terror attack. However, the fact that she could breach the teleportation barrier means the demonic beasts could have been sent inside the barrier from the start. If the intent was to attack, that would have been the more effective method. If they weren’t sent directly at the purification facilities but instead emerged from them, everything makes sense.”

However, the more people listened to Dwight’s explanation, the more they felt the hesitation gradually dissipating.

“Is it merely a coincidence that the number of demonic beasts that emerged matches the number of destroyed purification facilities? Seven beasts, seven facilities. It’s too coincidental to simply consider it happenstance.”

Nonsense. Could the Dolos family have done that?

Given how the circumstances lined up so perfectly, it was hard to dismiss.

“The purification facilities have been operational for roughly 300 years. Even if the number of demonic beasts that cropped up in the past was significantly lower than in recent times, over the span of 300 years, even a mere 10% of the magic that went into those facilities would be sufficient for advanced demonic beasts to appear. I believe that answers your earlier question.”

Eyes that were once in doubt began to shift into suspicious glares.

Didn’t they all know?

“And it’s the Dolos family who established and managed those purification facilities. Wouldn’t it be odd not to raise suspicions? I think everyone can understand my perspective on this.”

The owner of the purification facilities that matched all these circumstances was indeed Dolos.

Still, even in this situation,

“While it sounds compelling, we can’t just suspect Dolos! When thinking about Captain Telos who lost his life while defending against the demonic beasts, the very notion of such misdeeds…!”

In a fierce rebuttal, someone exclaimed, unable to fathom suspecting Dolos.

He had invoked the name of Telos Dolos, the predecessor of Yoon Si-woo, in a bid to defend the family.

To think that the family of someone who sacrificed themselves to protect the city could be the culprits behind unleashing those very beasts was simply absurd.

And to his words, Dwight bowed his head slightly and asked.

“…Do you know why the city faced danger back then?”

“Y-yeah…? Because the demonic beasts suddenly attacked…”

“No. While the demonic beasts were indeed a threat, they could have been minimized with the city’s power. But they weren’t. Do you know why?”

“Uh… Ah, ah…”

He recalled an answer to Dwight’s question, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice it.

The answer to Dwight’s question was.

“…Because Captain Telos Dolos couldn’t stop the demonic beasts and died.”

It was too, a cruel answer.

It was a profound desecration of the fallen hero’s sacrifice who perished protecting the city.

Thus, people glared at Dwight with sharp expressions, questioning how he, an aspiring hero, could say such things. However,

Creak…

They could see it.

Dwight, who appeared to be in agony over speaking such words, biting his lips hard enough to draw blood.

So, they couldn’t bring themselves to condemn him.

Because in that expression, they could tell how he felt about saying it.

After a brief silence, Dwight opened his mouth.

Recalling the figure of Telos he had seen at the academy.

“I have seen Captain Telos before.”

He was a man like a mountain, someone who would never fall.

“That man wasn’t someone who could die like that.”

Dwight believed in Telos.

Because he was a magician.

Magicians believe only what they see with their own eyes.

And to Dwight, Telos was a man worth trusting.

Thus, he believed.

That he would never lose.

That he would successfully protect the city from the demonic beasts.

Yet Telos died at the hands of the beasts.

“Just to a single advanced demonic beast. Someone who had defended against advanced beasts before wouldn’t die to one…!”

After a cry as though he were spitting blood, Dwight quietly took out a piece of paper from his pocket and murmured through his tears.

It was the document bearing the signature of Telos Dolos.

“Um, the person in the witness stand is officer Rhea Abella from the Department of Public Safety, who possesses psychometry abilities. After confirming with her—”

To be precise, it was the signature Telos Dolos had received from Joseph, the manager of the purification facility, before giving it to his children.

“We discovered that Captain Telos Dolos had visited the purification facility just before the demonic beasts appeared.”

Dwight believed in Telos.

“Captain Telos, no, Telos wouldn’t die at the hands of mere demonic beasts.”

As a magician who believes absolutely in what he has seen, Dwight trusted him the most.

“But he died.”

Because he trusted him the most, only Dwight.

Could think of Telos, betraying that trust.

“Making the city fall into danger.”

Telos, the one who placed the city in jeopardy.

His death, questioned and doubted.

“To bring danger upon the city.”

The only one who could discern the intention behind his death.

“To the very demonic beasts he released.”

That was the truth he didn’t wish to know and didn’t want to accept.

And those who learned it unconsciously turned their eyes toward Dolos.

“Am I wrong…?”

Dwight asked Diakonos.

“If not, please convince me…”

Clenching his fists tightly enough to draw blood.

“Please, convince me it’s not so…”

Begging, pleading.

However,

“……”

Diakonos offered no response to those words.

His silence gradually reduced the commotion in the hall to nothing.

Doubt, betrayal, confusion, shock.

It was so quiet and cold that one might think their blood had run cold.

At that moment,

“Oh, no…!”

A girl shouted.

“That’s not it…!”

Flolene, the daughter of Dolos, raised her voice to the people.

“Oh, no! We didn’t do that… Don’t look at us like that…!”

With an expression of genuine grievance, tears streaming down her face, she pleaded towards Dwight and Marin.

“Please, believe me… I didn’t do anything wrong… My family didn’t do anything wrong… Please, please don’t doubt us… We’re friends, right…? Huh…? Dwight, Marin… guys…”

Flolene, always energetic with a smile on her face, was now begging with tears flowing down her cheeks, shocking the children.

But the one who was most shocked was Marin.

“…That’s right, a friend. You and I are friends, Flolene.”

Her voice was filled with disbelief.

“We’ve been childhood friends for almost 15 years now…”

Her voice trembled as she spoke.

Seeming touched by something, Flolene gazed at Marin.

“Marin…”

“Since we’ve known each other for 15 years… You’re the kind of friend who’s irreplaceable to me…”

And then, watching Flolene,

“I know that when Flolene refers to herself, she doesn’t say ‘I’ but uses the term ‘Flolene’…”

Marin murmured, her face drained of color.

“…Ah.”

At Marin’s words,

Flolene let out a heavy sigh.

“…Who are you?”

At Marin’s question,

Flolene wiped her tears.

“Ah…”

And toward Marin,

Flolene responded.

“It’s been discovered.”

No.

Someone else laughed.