“Sorry…”
After seeing her disciple rush away anxiously, Vyea slowly appeared from around the corner.
She leaned against the wall, watching the staff who had been calmly going about their work suddenly spurred into action, all rushing in the same direction as if something had triggered them.
One after another, they hurried past Vyea without noticing anything unusual.
Standing at the corner, Vyea closed her emerald eyes and waited silently.
She had been to all the Arbitration Offices before this one, others in the Capital, and some in other cities.
Not quite knowing everything by heart, but knowing them well enough.
As time passed, the impact of her sudden disappearance was growing.
The Arbitration Knights on patrol quickened their pace, seemingly searching for something.
They even used tracking hounds to follow Vyea’s scent.
But all of this was in vain.
Vyea knew very well that in her current hidden state, only a replica of the All-Seeing Eye could detect or track her.
Unfortunately, the All-Seeing Eye was off duty today, and no human eye, no matter how powerful, could replace it.
Too much time had passed without finding the target, and the Court was unable to convene on schedule, breeding impatience among them.
Upon discovering the Death Sentence had been delayed, the Arbitration Office appeared to have encountered an unprecedented crisis in a hundred years.
The awaiting demons locked inside the Prison Cage began to laugh, which in turn drew the Arbitration Knights’ baton strikes.
“Hehehe, where’s your judgment? Has the god you worship gotten screwed?”
“Shut up!”
Smack! Smack!
“Hehehe, such weak blows are useless! When I get out, I’ll tear you all to shreds, cut you into a hundred pieces, and feed you to the Goblins!”
Suddenly, a golden streak of light pierced through the heart of the shouting demon.
The demon in the cage fell with a thud, its ferocious face still bearing a mocking smile.
A high-ranking knight clad in a holy golden Arbitration Robe approached, spear in hand.
The once chaotic scene immediately quieted down.
“All death sentence demons, execute immediately!”
Everything seemed to have been set off by a coincidental event, which then triggered a strange chain reaction.
Lania didn’t understand what Vyea’s purpose was in disappearing was it evasion or something else?
The longer she remained unfound, the deeper the unease growing in Lania’s heart.
The longer a disturbance lasted, the greater the goals of its instigator usually were.
“Purple Brave, what’s going on here? You went to Fengxiang Town and came back, but can’t even watch over a single person?”
The Director of the Arbitration Office refrained from using any curse words, but the anger in his tone was unmistakable.
Lania snorted lightly and didn’t respond to the Director’s sarcasm.
The iron door to the Monitoring Room opened, and Lania stepped inside first, pushing past the staff to personally search through the footage records.
The more she searched, the more uneasy her expression became.
In the high-definition footage, from the moment she entered, she was alone the entire time.
She alone greeted the passing Arbitration Office staff, who responded without any sign of abnormality.
“How is this possible?”
Lania’s fingers tightened gradually, her eyes cold as she stared at the screen.
Such a method, such a premeditated act…
“A necromantic demon?”
The Arbitration Office Director waiting nearby grew serious as well.
Though he had been skeptical of the Yin-Yang Braveries, he still respected the professional qualities of every Brave.
The Hero’s Mark wasn’t easy to obtain, and a demon that could outwit a Brave was not to be underestimated.
“Purple Brave-sama, with your noble eyes, truly nothing seemed out of place all along?”
“…” Lania took a deep breath and said coldly, “I’m sorry, but no.”
“I see…”
Deep thoughts swirled in the Director’s eyes as he looked at the screens showing nothing abnormal.
In that instant, he thought of many possibilities.
“In any case, this matter must not be reported to other Arbitration Offices.
Otherwise, the record that the Arbitration Office has never been breached by demons since its founding hundreds of years ago will be broken on my watch.”
“If word gets out, I, as Director, will be remembered forever albeit as a joke!”
He glanced coldly at Lania and said, “No matter what, this demon is entirely your responsibility, and so is the accountability.
The Arbitration Office will give you full support, but you must capture the demon yourself.”
“We will give this damn demon that scorns Arbitration’s laws a punishment it will never forget!”
“Hmph.” Lania sneered. “I haven’t seen your skills in anything else, but you certainly have a knack for passing the blame.”
“See for yourself.” The Director pointed at the footage in the Monitoring Room.
“There is no evidence to prove that demon ever entered our surveillance range.”
Then the Director turned to the trembling staff inside the Monitoring Room and asked seriously:
“Have any of you seen our revered Purple Brave-sama bring that demon into the Arbitration Office?”
“N-no!” the bowed staff answered honestly.
The Director laughed heartily and immediately ordered his attendants, “Alright, with things at this stage…”
“Seal all entrances and exits to the Arbitration Office immediately, and fully cooperate with Purple Brave-sama’s investigation.
I believe Brave-sama will give us a satisfactory answer on this matter!”
The Monitoring Room door opened once more as a light shone inside, but the attendants’ footsteps stopped at the threshold.
A figure stood at the entrance, as if expecting the quarrel and blame-shifting that had taken place inside.
“Wait, wait, you can seal the entrances and exits, but Director, you can’t just wash your hands of everything.”
“Senpai Shigure?” Lania was taken aback.
“I’m younger than you; you should call me kōhai!”
Shigure Hana stepped into the Monitoring Room, tapped the Brave’s arm, then looked coldly at the Director and said:
“You know that adorable demon entered the Arbitration Office, so how can you say things that hurt unity? We need to work together!”
The pink-haired girl smiled brightly, folding her arms.
“If you don’t agree, then I’ll have no choice but to notify the Arbitration Office Headquarters in the Capital for reinforcements.”