Chapter 117: Innocence Revealed

The royal palace of Emperor Seo Daehyuk of Ledation.
He smiled with satisfaction as he reviewed the documents.

“Good. If the Magic Research Institute hadn’t changed their stance, it would have been embarrassing for the Magic Tower. Fortunately, they decided to change their opinion in the end.”

Then, Knight Commander Park Sungmin bowed his head and spoke.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Until now, they kept insisting that using the Mana Database for such a trivial matter like the stalker incident was excessive. But now they’ve granted permission, which is quite surprising.”

“You didn’t apply any pressure on them, did you?”

“No, we didn’t. All we sent was the official letter Your Majesty instructed us to deliver. That was it. Even though they suggested they would review it positively, they still refused to grant permission for quite some time…”

“Hmm… Strange. But in any case, it worked out well, so let’s not dwell on it. It’s already in the past, and what’s important is what’s ahead.”

Emperor Seo Daehyuk smiled with satisfaction. It was understandable, as this incident had allowed him to gain a favor from the Magic Tower.

Emperor Seo Daehyuk’s father, the former emperor Seo Manyong, was attacked by an unidentified monster in a labyrinth and had been in a coma ever since.

No one knew whether it was a disease or a curse, and the cause remained a mystery. In situations like these, magic was the only thing they could rely on. And among those who wielded magic, the Magic Tower, known for its top-tier magicians, was the most reliable option for the emperor.

‘Father…’

Strict but warm-hearted. A man who loved his people and treated them kindly. He wanted to see his father’s smiling face once more. Pushing back the tears that were about to fall, he spoke to the Knight Commander.

“Use the Mana Database to identify the mana trace left on the evidence. Once you obtain the result, personally deliver the document to the Academy, Knight Commander.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will carry out your order.”

Knight Commander Park Sungmin then contacted the headmaster of the Academy and received the evidence. Using the Mana Database, he traced the mana residue.

“This… This is…!”

Upon checking the results, he was shocked.

“Hileon…”

The perpetrators were identified as two members of the Hileon organization.

‘Why would Hileon frame Lee Hyun-seung in this way?’

The relationship between Hileon and Artemis was already strained, so it was somewhat understandable that they would target Yoo Hee-yeon, the daughter of the Artemis Guild Master.
But what reason did they have for framing Lee Hyun-seung? That part was incomprehensible.

‘Lee Hyun-seung really got caught up with some vicious people.’

Until now, it was unclear why Lee Hyun-seung’s name had been so heavily implicated, but now the missing piece was found.

Hileon, that ruthless group, was behind it.
With the exception of the mana trace, it was nearly impossible to find any other evidence.
Lee Hyun-seung had no choice but to endure the false accusations and the suspicion directed at him.

To prove his innocence, the real culprits needed to be exposed. But Hileon was meticulous, leaving no trace behind.

‘Mana trace…’

A mana trace cannot be erased once it comes into contact with an object. It also cannot be removed through magic. However, it can only be compared through the Mana Database.

Hileon likely never expected the Mana Database to be used for something as trivial as a stalking incident.

‘Could the recent terror attack also be…?’

During the recent terror incident, Hileon had specifically targeted Lee Hyun-seung. The headmaster had securely hidden the evidence related to the stalking case, so it was plausible that Hileon intended to kill Lee Hyun-seung to halt the investigation.

Currently, Yoo Hee-yeon was framed as the culprit in the Academy terror incident, but considering the circumstances, it was far more likely that Hileon was responsible.

‘The terror incident is still under investigation. For now, I need to correct this first.’

Knight Commander Park Sungmin resolved to clear the name of the man who had been falsely accused, endured the injustice, and had even almost been killed by Hileon.

The personnel dispatched by the Emperor of Ledation – the Knight Commander and a few magicians – arrived at Broad Academy.

The people at the Academy started whispering as soon as they saw them.

“What’s going on? Did something happen?”
“Isn’t that the Royal Knight Commander? Why would he be here…?”
“Did they come to investigate the terror incident from the other day…?”

The students of Broad Academy assumed that the Knight Commander and the magicians from the royal palace were there to investigate the recent terror attack.

However, the royal palace had already conducted a confidential investigation during the early hours when the Academy was closed. Therefore, they weren’t there for that purpose.
Their sole reason for visiting was to deliver the evidence.

The Knight Commander shouted toward the main gate in a booming voice.

“We are here under the authority of the royal palace of Ledation to announce the findings of the Mana Database investigation. Open the gates!”

Yoo Hee-yeon’s mother, Kim Heera.
Upon hearing the news that the royal palace had conducted a Mana Database investigation, she rushed to the Academy.

“Damn it… How did they complete the investigation so quickly?”

She mumbled nervously, biting her nails.
Her secretary, who was sitting next to her, spoke up.

“Madam… You don’t need to worry too much. The investigation might still conclude that Lee Hyun-seung is the culprit, right?”

But Kim Heera didn’t seem to hear her secretary’s words.
The secretary watched Kim Heera nervously biting her nails and shaking her leg anxiously.

– Screech.

“We’ve arrived.”

As soon as the driver announced their arrival, Kim Heera burst out of the car.
She thought to herself:

‘No. If it turns out that Lee Hyun-seung is not the culprit…’

To be honest, Kim Heera hadn’t thought Lee Hyun-seung was the culprit from the very beginning.
She only considered it a possibility. However, after hearing his rude remarks over the phone, she decided to make him pay and deliberately pushed him further into a corner.

Since the moment Lee Hyun-seung requested a mana trace analysis and insisted on his innocence, a part of Kim Heera’s mind started to suspect that he might actually be innocent.

In fact, she was almost certain he wasn’t the real culprit.
Mana trace analysis was impossible to fabricate.

Moreover, when she used her connections at the Magic Tower to send a request to use the Mana Database to the government, she was nearly convinced that Lee Hyun-seung wasn’t the real culprit.
But even then, she couldn’t stop herself.

‘No… He has to be the culprit….’

Yoo Hee-yeon had consistently lost the top spot in written exams to Lee Hyun-seung, and now, she had received below-average scores in the recent practical exam.

Her daughter, who always had to be the best, the one who should have only shown her most perfect self and upheld Kim Heera’s reputation, was being ruined because of that Lee Hyun-seung.

If the permission to use the Mana Database had not been granted, Kim Heera was planning to use her influence and connections to frame Lee Hyun-seung as the real culprit.
She intended to paint him as a pathetic stalker who preyed on women, get him suspended from the Academy, and eventually expelled.

If she did that, her daughter Yoo Hee-yeon would regain her top position at the Academy, and the obstacle blocking her path would be gone.
And her daughter’s accomplishments would naturally become a shining medal for Kim Heera herself.

At least, that was the plan.

‘But with the Mana Database analysis permitted, that plan is no longer possible….’

Her plan might soon be shattered.

If it was revealed that Lee Hyun-seung was not the real culprit, Yoo Hee-yeon’s honor, which had been ridiculed and despised because of him, would be utterly destroyed.

She had already caused enough trouble with various irregularities during the Class Annihilation Battle, so Kim Heera could not stand to see her status fall any further.

– Tatatatak

Kim Heera started running like crazy.

‘Right now, Yoo Hee-yeon is already bearing a strange false accusation… If another problem arises here, it will spiral out of control.’

At present, during the Class Annihilation Battle, Shin Junho’s friend had falsely testified that Yoo Hee-yeon had ordered Shin Junho, who consumed the mana poison, to carry out the terror attack.

It was clearly a false accusation since Yoo Hee-yeon wouldn’t have taken revenge by even using mana poison. But because of her conduct, everyone believed it to be true.

If another incident happened now, the false accusations against her would become even more deeply entrenched.

Kim Heera thought she had to stop it by any means.

Upon arriving at the Academy, she saw the Knight Commander and the magicians standing magnificently before her.

At the center, the Knight Commander shouted.

“The results of the mana database analysis requested by the Magic Tower have confirmed that the two mysterious mana traces found on the evidence belong to members of the Hileon organization.”

Then, with a solemn expression, he added:

“Based on the evidence, the royal palace hereby declares Lee Hyun-seung innocent of this incident.”