Chapter 86: A Formal Investigation and an Unfair Revenge

The summons from the investigators that Ferrent had mentioned did not take long.

As Ferrent had explained, it seemed to be more of a formal investigation, and the academy staff member who came to call me even adjusted the time to accommodate my schedule.

Since there was no real reason to delay it, I quickly scheduled the appointment for the next day.

I made my way to the administrative building to find the temporary office where the investigators were stationed.

“Ah, hello.”

“Oh, it’s you. I didn’t expect to run into you here, but it’s nice to see you.”

The person I ran into at the entrance of the administration building was one of the staff members I frequently saw at the magic department’s reception desk whenever I visited to meet Presia.

“Isn’t there a call from the professor, the one they call ‘the boss’?”

“I have some work to do. I told the boss beforehand, so I intentionally didn’t schedule anything for today.”

Since it was just a formal investigation, I figured it would be over quickly, but just in case, I told Presia in advance and cleared my schedule.

“Ah, you’re going for an investigation too? Anyway, higher-ups have no flexibility. The student’s a hero, yet they’re making you go through an investigation…”

“Haha… well, they’re just doing their job. As for me, I’ll just talk a bit and be done with it, but they’ll probably be busy with reports and everything, so I understand.”

“Guess it’s because you’re a hero? You’re very understanding for a student. Anyway, good luck. I need to go back to work now.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll see you next time. Take care.”

Since we had started seeing each other from mid-semester, she was one of the few staff members I knew.

After the light exchange, I headed to the third-floor corner office where the investigation team was temporarily set up, following the directions I had received earlier.

As it was an office set up temporarily for this investigation, the room was mostly empty, with just a few desks scattered around.

“Sigh… how did the demons figure this out? Hey! What do you think?”

“I don’t know. There’s really no connection. It must have just been a coincidence?”

One woman, looking frustrated, spoke sharply, while another gently stroked her glasses with one hand and held some papers in the other.

“Hello. I’m Elysia Frentz.”

The two women were too absorbed in their conversation to notice me at first.

Not wanting to stand by the door any longer, I quickly interrupted their discussion and greeted them.

Only then did they notice me, their gazes shifting toward me.

“What…?”

“You haven’t even looked at the list? Elysia Frentz, the hero of this generation.”

“No, I know her. But what I’m saying is, why is the hero here?”

“Ah, didn’t they tell you? I called her. Anyway, we need to submit a report.”

It seemed that the one who appeared to be the superior hadn’t explained to her subordinate why I was being called before bringing me in.

“What? You’re calling the hero chosen by the goddess? You’re not calling the Saint too, are you?”

“Hey, do you think she’s the same as the Saint? The Saint had been a Saint long before this incident, but the hero… Ugh, that sounds so cheesy. Can I just call you by your name?”

“Uh? Oh, yes…”

The woman who had spoken suddenly sought my permission before continuing her sentence.

“Elysia, you became a hero because of this incident, so you were a civilian before, right? That’s why an investigation is necessary.”

“But the goddess chose me…”

“Like I said, it’s for the report. I’m not really asking you personally, it’s just a few formal questions. If you’re so upset, you could always take my position.”

“…You know, when I see the team leader constantly getting scolded by higher-ups, it makes me lose any desire for a promotion.”

“…That’s exactly what I’m saying. Please, take my position.”

“No thanks. Even if I get paid less, I’ll work under you forever, team leader, using you as a shield.”

“Damn… how can this guy be my subordinate…”

Why are they chatting away like this after calling me in?

“Excuse me?”

“Oh! We’ve had you standing here for so long. Sorry about that. Come, come, sit here. What would you like to drink? Tea? Coffee? Or juice?”

“I’ll take whatever you have…”

“Ugh. How can we treat the Hero like this? Hey! Check the back of the fridge, there should be some orange juice deep inside. Pour a cup. No, wait—make that two. And if you want some, make it three.”

Following the superior’s orders, the subordinate retrieved the juice from the fridge and filled three glasses to the brim.

Placing them on a tray, he handed one to me, one to his superior, and kept the last for himself.

“Here, here. This is really expensive juice. It’s pure fruit juice without any unnecessary additives. I originally bought it to drink by myself, but go ahead and try it. There’s no way it won’t taste good.”

“Oh… okay…”

As I lifted the cup and took a sip, I finally understood why he had been making such a big deal about it.

I had visited many cafés and tried plenty of juices, but nothing even came close to this.

“Wow, team leader. So you’ve been drinking something this good all by yourself? I’m really disappointed.”

“…That’s why I’m giving you a cup now. This stuff is expensive, you know.”

How expensive could juice possibly be that he was being so stingy with his subordinate?

It oddly reminded me of a certain Saintess.

“It costs a whopping five gold per bottle.”

“Cough—!!”

“Elysia? Are you okay? Here, take this tissue—”

“Cough, cough… I-I’m fine. I just choked a little, that’s all…”

Wait, five gold? For juice?

That’s more expensive than the highest-grade holy water I bought from the Saintess.

If it were alcohol, I could understand. There are all sorts of ridiculously overpriced luxury liquors. But juice? Five gold?

At least I managed not to spit it out. That would’ve been a disaster—not just because it would’ve been embarrassing, but because wasting even a single drop of this juice felt like a loss.

“There’s no way orange juice costs five gold per bottle. Team leader, you must be joking…”

The subordinate dismissed it as a joke.

However, despite his disbelief, the hand holding his cup of juice was trembling slightly.

“This isn’t just any orange juice. It’s made from the highest-quality fruit, a luxury breed that only yields a small harvest each year. You can tell from the taste.”

Well, I had to admit, the flavor was amazing. But was it really worth spending five gold per bottle?

“That may be true, but… If you have money for this, you should at least spend some on fixing yourself up! This is exactly why you can’t get a girlfriend or get married!”

“Ugh…”

“Wait… So the reason you said you had no money to go drinking last month was because you spent it on this juice?”

“Ugh…”

“Wow… I had a feeling, but to think it was actually true. Team leader, how much do you even make that you’re blowing it on luxury goods like this…”

“If you don’t want to drink it, just give it back!”

“Oh no, I’m good. Thank you for the juice, team leader.”

Not wanting to risk having his drink taken away, the subordinate quickly gulped it down.

The so-called team leader glared at his subordinate before turning back toward me.

“…Sorry you had to see that. I haven’t properly introduced myself yet. My name is Erin Wezley.”

I took Erin’s outstretched hand and shook it.

“Elysia Frentz.”

“This here is…”

“I’m Stella. I don’t have a surname since I’m a commoner.”

Before Erin could introduce her, the woman spoke up on her own.

She gave me a slight bow, and I nodded in return.

“Thank you for taking the time to meet with us, Elysia. As I mentioned earlier, we called you in regarding the Saintess’s assault incident.”

Unlike her laid-back demeanor from earlier, Erin was now all business.

“Yes. Please, go ahead.”

“To be honest, we’ve already finished investigating the others. Most of the report is nearly complete as well. We understand that you’re the Hero now, but at the time of the incident, you were still considered a civilian… That’s why we needed to call you in. Thank you again for your cooperation.”

“Of course, it’s something I should do.”

“It’s really just a formality, so there’s no need to worry too much. Hey, hey! Elysia’s cup is empty. Hurry up and pour her some more juice.”

As Erin spoke, Stella reached for the juice bottle again, preparing to pour more into my cup.

I quickly waved my hands to stop them.

“No, no! It’s really fine. I mean it.”

The orange juice was indeed delicious, but after seeing Erin carefully rationing her expensive purchase, I couldn’t bring myself to accept more.

Her salary must have taken a hit from this splurge.

When I refused, I noticed the corners of Erin’s lips curl up slightly in relief. I chose not to point it out.

With a bottle costing five gold, just one cup must be worth a ridiculous amount.

“Oh, then I’ll just take another glass inst—”

Before Stella could even finish her sentence, Erin shot her a glare.

“—I was *thinking* about drinking more, but actually, I’m not a fan of sweet things. I’ll just put it back.”

As Stella quickly shoved the juice bottle deep into the fridge, Erin’s expression returned to normal.

“Ahem! Alright, let’s continue.”

Their silly exchange ended, and the actual investigation began.

As expected, the questions I was asked were just basic ones. Unlike Ferrent, who complained about being grilled, I was simply asked to confirm the facts from that day.

“Thank you for your cooperation. This was very helpful.”

“Oh, no problem. It’s you investigators who are working hard. If you need anything else, feel free to call me anytime.”

“Ah, just hearing that is already appreciated.”

“By the way… this isn’t really related, but I’m just curious.”

“Yes?”

“Did Celian… also have to go through questioning?”

Of course, I already knew she had been investigated, but I wanted to hear it directly from them.

“Ah, yes. Since she was directly involved in the incident, we had no choice but to call her in, just like you.”

“And… did she—?”

“Oh, right. You and Celian are friends, aren’t you? Don’t worry. Since you were still a civilian before the incident, your questioning was purely procedural. On the other hand, Celian was a Hero candidate before the incident, so hers was also just a formal investigation.”

Hearing Erin’s confirmation reassured me completely.

“Thank you for telling me. I guess I was just a bit worried since we’re friends…”

“Haha. You two have such a close bond—I’m honestly jealous. Just look at the kind of people I have around me…”

Erin turned her gaze toward Stella, who merely shrugged in response.

“Alright, then, I’ll be going now. Take care.”

“Yes. Thank you for making time for this, Elysia. Have a good day.”

“See you next time!”

Leaving them behind, I stepped out of the office.

Thanks to Erin’s reassurances, I felt more at ease about Celian.

Still, I couldn’t let it slide that she went through questioning and didn’t tell me about it.

As revenge, I decided that during dinner, I would steal Celian’s favorite side dish.

However, for some reason, when dinner arrived and I took her favorite food, Celian didn’t get angry.

Instead, she stuffed even more of her food into my mouth.

To make things worse, Yuri and Anne, who had been watching, decided to join in.

…I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.