Rey already knew he couldn't win—at least, not absolutely.

He had a pile of evidence against him, and the truth was even a lot more implicating than what he was being tried for.

As a result, he settled for a stalemate.

'The only thing I didn't expect was the entire thing with Lady Vida. She really came at me strongly…'

Fortunately, it didn't completely derail his plans.

'In the end, no one can prove I did anything, and there's no proof I'm guilty.'

That was good enough for Rey.

******

"After reviewing all of the evidence presented here, and considering the testimonies given, as well as the defenses of the accused… we have arrived at our judgment."

The Royal Council, after leaving the Royal Court for about twenty minutes, finally returned with their verdict.

'They were gone for quite a while…' Rey thought to himself as he looked at all their faces.

Per the judicial system practiced here, there had to be a majority vote among the five Royal Council members for a judgment to be valid.

'I guess it takes time for them to reach a reasonable arrangement, even if it's not a consensus…'

Out of the five, Rey only needed three people to take his side. He could already rule out the Lady Vida, so he was left so the only four other options

Taking his time to study their faces, he considered his chances.

'Lord Conrad seems like a reasonable person. He should be able to see sense in this…'

He didn't know too well about the other members of the council other than the fact that they were boomers.

As a result, Rey could only cross his fingers and wait for his judgment.

"Rey Skylar will be placed under house arrest and constant surveillance while an active investigation is conducted on the matter."

The moment Rey heard this, his heart sank.

"This is to determine the truth of what happened, and also to ensure no injustice is meted out."

The good news was that Rey could return to his old room, and could also enjoy all the benefits of being an Otherworlder.

The bad news was… he couldn't do much else.

"Per his responsibilities, he will attend Training every morning, but after that is over, he will return to his room and spend the rest of his time there."

Rey felt a little sting in his heart as he heard that.

'My responsibilities? These guys…!'

He began to grit his teeth, but did his best not to let his inner frustrations out.

It wouldn't be advantageous to show hostility at this rate.

'It's not a terrible judgment by any means. It only makes sense that I'll still be suspected no matter what…'

The problem was the constant surveillance and his restricted movements.

How was he going to deal with his current prospects?

'This isn't good…'

As Rey sighed, Conrad Listrio concluded the verdict in his calm but authoritative tone.

"Rey Skylar… do you have any objections?" He asked.

Rey felt like rolling his eyes.

'I don't know how long this investigation will take. It could take forever, and I'll be trapped without recourse in that period.'

Not only would he be unable to Level Up, but everything he had built up thus far could crumble in his absence.

'Damnit… damnit…'

Still, he maintained a calm facade and smiled gently.

"None."

'I just have to bide my time. If this becomes unbearable, I'll just leave.'

"I have an objection!" Adonis jumped to his feet as his voice echoed within the vast Royal Court.

Rey's eyes nearly popped wide open as he shifted his attention to the rising Hero.

Everyone in the room had no choice but to do so.

"What is the matter, Hero?" Conrad asked with a calm facade, though his tone depicted a slight hint of worry.

"I do not approve of this constant surveillance business! Why are you treating Rey like a prisoner… or some sort of dangerous entity?"

As Adonis' declaration pierced the air, murmurs began to spread within the court.

"It is a matter of necessity, Hero. You have to under—"

"No, I do not understand. Rey is one of us. He was summoned, just like us, to save your world. You can't treat him like this when you don't have a single shred of conclusive evidence against him."

Every supposed proof had either been debunked by Rey's truthful words, or were rendered useless by Adam's hesitance.

Before inflicting punishment on Rey, they had to have sufficient reason to do so.

And right now… they just didn't.

The members of the Royal Council all looked at one another, exchanging nods.

Once it seemed they had made an unanimous decision, Conrad spoke once again.

"Fine, Hero. We will not place him under sufficient surveillance. The House Arrest judgment still stands, though."

For a moment, no side spoke.

"Do understand that this is for the safety of the entire Nation, and also for you all."

Unless Rey had been proven completely innocent, he couldn't be allowed unsupervised freedom.

"I understand. Is that fine with you, Rey?"

As Adonis asked this, turning towards the absolutely stunned Rey, the latter was speechless for a few seconds.

Finally, he snapped out of his shock and spoke.

"N-no… I man, Yes! Yes, that's fine!"

Rey could never have expected Adonis standing up for him in such a way, but he did so.

'I thought Alicia would say something… and she was about to.'

He had spotted Alicia trying to stand up from the corner of his eyes, but Billy had stopped her from doing so.

He placed his hand on her shoulder and tried to calm her agitation.

Somehow, seeing all of that play out irked Rey.

'Thankfully, Adonis came through.'

It wasn't much, but this arrangement was still much better than what the Council initially decided.

'I can still continue my arrangement with Noah, so we can continue to make money. I can probably just train my Stats—

especially my Mana—and see if I can naturally increase it.

Of course, he would have to make sure he wasn't being watched. He would also use his Skill to ensure no one could spot him doing anything funny if they barged in.

'It's not like the Royal Dungeon, but I should be able to get some things done.'

He didn't know when he would be fully released, but knowing Adonis and how he had proved himself so many times already, Rey knew he was in the right hands.

'Hopefully it's before the whole Dungeon Exploration that's happening soon…'

Rey thought about his treasures, as well as the Hobgoblins he had been harvesting for a while now.

'I've been taking care of them all this time. No one is having them except me!'

It sounded selfish, but Rey didn't care. He had done whatever it took to be stronger, and he wasn't about to let others reap the fruits of his labor.

In due time, he would swipe his prize.

'I just have to be productive in the meantime.'

*

*

*