Earl Harris shifted his gaze toward Mephia, his expression growing increasingly sharp.
He carefully scrutinized the Inquisitor from the Imperial Capital, the dissatisfaction on his face almost solidifying into something tangible.
“Lady Inquisitor,” his voice was polite, yet it carried an inexplicable chill.
“Tia possesses no strength. To take her out of the city during such a dangerous time — if something happened, would you be responsible?”
Mephia met his gaze without flinching.
“With me there, nothing would naturally happen to her.”
Then, her gaze shifted slightly, landing on the spot where the East Commander had disappeared.
With a profound tone, she added, “On the contrary, Earl Harris, for a mere East Commander to possess the power to easily slay a Silver-rank Monster… if word of this got out, the entire Imperial Capital would be shocked.”
Earl Harris narrowed his eyes instantly.
He understood perfectly what Mephia meant.
She had pointed out the abnormality of his subordinate’s strength, and what the Imperial Family of the Imperial Capital feared most was nobles possessing the Power to contend with them.
Historically, nobles who had been annihilated by the Imperial Family were often in such positions.
After a long silence, Earl Harris let out a cold snort.
“I dared to reveal him before you because I have a clear conscience. As for why he became my subordinate, it is simply because I saved his life a long time ago.”
Mephia watched him quietly, not pressing further.
“It is for the best. Otherwise, I fear those in the Imperial Capital might overthink things.”
“Heh,” Earl Harris sneered, no longer looking at her, his voice carrying undisguised contempt.
“That is because they are narrow-minded.”
Having said that, he redirected his gaze toward Tia, who had remained silent until now.
This time, his voice was even deeper.
“Tia, you have truly disappointed me.”
Tia lowered her head and did not argue. She merely pursed her lips and remained silent.
“For the next 1 month, do not leave the manor. I will have Margaret keep an eye on you.”
Earl Harris snorted and waved his hand.
As he walked toward the interior of the manor, he said coldly, “If you dare to sneak out, do not blame me for being heartless and breaking your legs!”
This was the first time Tia had seen Earl Harris so angry.
As his pampered “canary” daughter, she naturally had to appear frightened.
Her delicate frame trembled, and her hands unconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt.
‘A punishment like confinement can’t actually hold me, but my future outings will be affected to some extent. After all, Margaret is there to supervise.’
As a strict Etiquette Tutor, no matter how much Margaret liked her, she would not disobey the Earl’s orders.
Moreover, Margaret would believe that confinement was for Tia’s own good.
As for Mephia, after seeing Tia’s pitiful expression, she only shook her head silently and said nothing.
After all, this was a conflict between father and daughter.
What could an outsider like her do?
She was powerless to help.
—
After Earl Harris returned to the manor, silence fell over the courtyard.
The Experimental Subject Monsters wreaking havoc in the West District of Hela City had been wiped out by the City Guards from the East and North Districts.
Zane’s rebellion was considered completely over by the following day.
As time passed, the residents of Hela City gradually returned to their daily routines.
The devastated West District was rebuilt, and the underground organization known as Snake Eye was brought to public attention during this period.
Knowing that the previous rebellion was orchestrated by Snake Eye, the hatred the citizens of Hela City felt for them reached an extreme.
Gradually, “Snake Eye” almost became a derogatory curse.
During this time, Tia assumed her Witch avatar, Celeste, and had Lily disguise her identity to visit the Star-Dew Church.
They used the Faith Gold they had collected to exchange for a Magic Crystal, claiming it was her reward for saving the Daughter of a Count.
At this point, she was only three Magic Crystals away from reaching 3-star Bronze strength.
—
Meanwhile, in the hall of the Inquisition 3 days after the rebellion, there was a clamor.
East Commander Parker, dressed in his commander’s uniform, arrived at the Inquisition with three or four officers.
He scanned the Inquisitors in the hall and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, his expression exceptionally cold.
Clearly, they were not there for a negotiation.
At the same time, the Inquisitors, who were usually arrogant toward civilians and looked down on the City Guards, bowed their heads to avoid his gaze or pretended to be busy shuffling documents.
No one dared to stand up and meet his eyes for more than 3 seconds, and no one dared to ask why he had come to the Inquisition.
Finally, the Director of the Inquisition stepped out from the corridor of the hall.
As the Director of the Inquisition, his robes were more ornate than those of an ordinary Inquisitor, with two extra gold stripes on the edges.
Upon seeing Parker, a polite, practiced smile appeared on his face as he said loudly, “Is this not Commander Parker? Do you have some important business at the Inquisition today?”
Parker had no intention of making small talk.
He pulled a neatly folded piece of parchment from his coat and handed it directly to the Director of the Inquisition, saying coldly, “According to my investigation, several Inquisitors within your Inquisition participated in the rebellion a few days ago. This is the list.”
The air in the hall seemed to be sucked out for a moment.
The Director of the Inquisition froze.
He looked at the list but did not reach out to take it, appearing somewhat hesitant.
Seeing this, Parker said in a low voice, “Do you need me to read their names out loud, one by one?”
Someone in the hall gasped.
The whispering in the corners came to an abrupt halt.
A young Inquisitor frowned, and after a while, he squeezed out a rebuttal that even he did not quite believe.
“Could there be a mistake? Why would we Inquisitors… participate in such a rebellion?”
His voice grew softer and softer, sounding entirely lacking in confidence.
Parker glanced at him, making the young Inquisitor instinctively take half a step back.
“Why?”
Parker let out a soft snort through his nose.
“Because they are members of Snake Eye.”
“What?!”
The Director of the Inquisition’s eyes narrowed, looking shocked.
But Parker simply watched him coldly, as if he were looking at a clown on a stage.
Parker believed the Director knew very well what connections the Inquisitors under his command had with other organizations; it was just that no one knew whether he had the ability to change it or even wanted to.
“This… how could this be possible…”
The Director muttered.
He looked at the list in Parker’s hand with trembling eyes.
Just as he was about to reach out a shaky hand to take it, an Inquisitor on the other side of the hall suddenly turned and bolted toward the corridor!
Seeing this, Parker flicked his thumb, and the longsword at his waist instantly cleared its scabbard.
A moment later, it was sheathed again, so fast it seemed as if he had never struck at all.
However, the fleeing dark figure froze just before reaching the corridor.
He looked down but did not see a blade.
He only saw blood spraying from his chest.
His consciousness gradually blurred, eventually falling into darkness, never to wake again.
Silence filled the hall, but in the corner, Irene’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.