Chapter 7: [Test of Will]

Simon left the council hall and headed straight for the Department of Legal Affairs.

“Captain, we suspect this incident was not caused by human hands.”

The investigator in charge of the related case handed all the current information over to Simon, adding the warning uneasily.

“I understand.”

Simon nodded.

If they had found a body, perhaps the matter wouldn’t have escalated to him.

However, two teams in succession—including a special operations unit—had vanished without a trace.

No living people, no corpses.

In the Magic World, this was a terrifying event.

In this world, Gods existed, and even more dreadful were the Evil Gods lurking in darkness and shadows.

No one knew what horrors the Cultists would commit to please their Evil Gods.

Simon didn’t want to assume the worst, but the lack of bodies inevitably sparked countless suspicions.

With this information in hand, Simon quickly deduced the common point of the two missing teams—both had gone to the Rune Apartments on Seventy-Two Avenue and never returned.

—

By the time Simon arrived at the Rune Apartments, the place had already been cordoned off and designated a restricted area.

To prevent anything bad from happening—such as being unable to leave due to some indescribable being—Simon simply kicked the door open and went inside.

As soon as he entered, the phone by the door rang.

Simon immediately wore an expression as if to say “just as I thought,” walked over, hesitated for a few seconds, and then picked up the phone.

“Captain Simon, I’m glad you chose to answer this call.”

The voice on the other end was distant and ethereal, as if speaking across a vast distance.

“I hope you can spare me a few minutes. Believe me, this could change your future.”

Simon stood silently by the phone, listening to the voice.

Countless voices flashed through his mind as he tried to identify anyone similar.

“Queen Alexia is tyrannical and decadent, ruling for her own selfish desires. Countless nobles have died in vain under her reign.”

“She acts alone, ignoring the will of the people and the safety of the nation, and started a war that still hasn’t been won to this day.”

“Yet Alexia has not reflected on her actions. Instead, she continues to act as she pleases, ignoring the people’s cries and the pleas of loyal ministers, repeatedly amending Imperial Law under the pretense of restoring the Empire’s greatness.”

“Her tyranny has not only caused enormous economic loss but also countless innocent deaths.”

“This war with the Eastern United Kingdom is meaningless and has plunged the nation deeper into crisis.”

“Does such a person truly deserve to be Empress of the Empire? No, she does not!”

“Captain Simon, ask yourself—as a member of the Empire, can we watch it decline before our eyes?”

[Your will is being tested…]

[Your contract with Alexia is in effect. This Mental Bewitchment has been completely nullified.]

Simon looked at the two messages that appeared before him.

Even if they hadn’t appeared, he felt he was being targeted by Mental Bewitchment.

These words were too hollow and pretentious—a clear attempt to provoke emotions.

After Simon remained silent for a long time, the other side seemed to realize the words had no effect.

They changed their tactics, trying again to bewitch Simon’s mind.

“If—I mean if—you were given another chance to choose, would you still support such a cruel Empress?”

“From the beginning, the right to choose was in your hands. Don’t you want to stand above all others and rule the Empire?”

“With your strength, serving beneath the Empress is too humiliating, isn’t it? You could easily take her place!”

[Your will is being tested…]

[Your contract with Alexia is in effect. This Mental Bewitchment has been completely nullified.]

Simon looked at the continuous Will Tests before him and began to understand why the previous legal officers had gone missing.

With such frequent Will Tests and the emotional manipulation of the words, it was hard not to imagine something bad happening.

And with so many people in a team—even if the captain resisted, the others might not.

The only pity was that he truly couldn’t identify the speaker’s voice.

It was likely someone he had never met.

“You’re right. Being under the Empress does make me uncomfortable. But someone like you, too cowardly to even show your face, shouldn’t be talking to me. You’re just a rat hiding in the sewers.”

With that, Simon hung up.

Then he strode deeper into the house, kicking open rooms one after another and searching.

He didn’t know what was hidden inside the Rune Apartments, but there had to be some secret passage. Otherwise, he couldn’t explain how people vanished after entering.

—

“Pandas, he seemed a bit shaken.”

The disheveled middle-aged man by the radio turned to the well-dressed man behind him.

“Are you sure he was really shaken? And not just pretending to trick you?”

Pandas spoke anxiously.

After all, on the other end of the phone was the Empress’s loyal hound—the most dangerous man in the Empire.

Alexia was, in the end, just a normal person wielding great power.

Even as Empress, she had only one life.

And her physical abilities were no different from an ordinary person’s.

As long as they got past Simon, she could be killed easily.

But Simon was different.

It was rumored that the Empire’s Captain of the Knights had already transcended the mortal flesh—no ordinary person could defeat him.

“He only said that one sentence. I can’t judge his condition. But I can say, few people in this world can resist my words.”

As they discussed whether Simon would betray the Empress and join their revolution, someone burst into the room.

“Lord Pandas, something terrible has happened!”

The newcomer shouted to Pandas, barely able to catch his breath.

“Lady… has been killed!”

“What?!”

Pandas’ thoughtful expression turned ghastly.

“What did you say?!”

He lunged forward, gripping the messenger’s shoulders tightly.

“What happened to the Lady? Speak!”

The man sobbed in panic.

“The Lady… was beheaded. Her body was dumped by the city gate. And… and it looked like she was violated before she died…”

Pandas shoved the man aside and ran out, roaring in rage.

“Alexia, you’ve gone too far!”