Chapter 61

Intermission: The Last Straw
Thunderous applause echoed from the McCreed estate’s grand ballroom.
With his back turned to the sound, Hank Delant left the mansion, his face contorted in rage.

His carefully crafted plan—a desperate attempt at a comeback—had collapsed completely.
Within the Knights Order, most now believed Hank's testimony in the embezzlement case to be unreliable. Under the leadership of Vice-Commander Bellows, an independent investigative team had been steadily working to uncover the truth.

Until now, Hank had relied on his family’s influence to twist the facts to his favor, but even that was reaching its limit.
He had tried to bring Commander Solard—who outranked Bellows—over to his side, but Solard was already backed by forces more powerful than the Delant family, making him impossible to manipulate.

Cornered, Hank had staked everything on a final last resort—this ball, and an engagement with Alyssa.

But of course, such a desperate, makeshift scheme was bound to fail, and it collapsed almost instantly.
What infuriated him even more was that the one who had brought the notoriously difficult Alyssa out of her room was none other than the lord of the region where Justin had been exiled after being set up and banished from the royal capital.
Hank had scoffed at the thought—surely someone like Justin would rot away in such a rural backwater.
But instead, Justin held his head high, earned the trust of the locals, and fulfilled his duties as a knight at the Curtis Village station.

That dedication is what ultimately led to the events of today—but Hank failed to realize this.
If Justin had neglected his work at the station, the farmers of Curtis Village would have remained victims of a corrupt merchant group in Gracela, and there would have been no ball to speak of.
In fact, Alyssa likely would have been kidnapped by thugs, causing a public scandal.

Now, the only thing driving Hank was an irrational hatred toward Justin.
Determined to utterly destroy him, Hank began to devise a new plan—but before he could take action, three figures stepped in his path.

“Oh? Heading home already?”

“Wh—!? V-Vice-Commander Bellows…!”

It was none other than Vice-Commander Bellows, the very man Hank had just been dreading.
Flanking him were Gary and Miracca, fellow knights from the same intake as Hank—and both known to be working to clear Justin’s name.

The three called out to him.
To make matters worse, the Royal Council was set to take place in just two days.
Hank’s heart clenched with anxiety.

“D-Do you need something from me? As you said, I was just on my way out, so if you could make it quick, I’d appreciate it…”

“But of course.—That said, I suspect you already know why we stopped you, don’t you?”

“Guh…”

Hank winced, feeling as though his heart had been read like an open book.
Meanwhile, Bellows let out a hearty laugh. “Hah, hah, hah!”

“I’m just messing with you. We were nearby, so I figured I’d check to make sure you weren’t slacking off on your security duties.”

With that, Bellows started walking toward the mansion—but as he passed Hank, he spoke again.

“Two days until the Royal Council… I hope you’re looking forward to it.”

His words were calm, but carried undeniable weight.
Gary and Miracca followed behind silently, though their eyes radiated both anger and pity.

“Guh… nngh…”

Hank collapsed to his knees right there.
Worried Delant servants rushed over, but he shoved them away in fury, shouting, “Don’t come near me!”

“I’m not… I’m not letting it end like this…”

There was no longer any trace of the elite knight he once was in Hank’s face.
With unsteady steps, he climbed into a carriage and left the McCreed estate without saying goodbye to anyone from the Order.

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