I had barely finished 30 handstand pushups when the cop flung open the door to the cell and brought me to an interrogation room, at which point I was promptly subjected to an unpleasant amount of threats, promises, attempts at small talk, and some interesting but completely off the mark theories about my mental state.
"Don't fuck with me. We already have evidence that you colluded with the Light Temple mage!"
She was lying. I remained silent.
"Do you have any idea what sort of sentence you're looking at?"
"A hefty fine?"
Probably not the wisest answer, but I was really getting fed up with this. The cop's expression turned awful.
"You piece of shit!"
She tried to slap me. I caught her arm.
"So now you're going to add 'assaulting a cop' to your list of charges?"
She tried to pull her arm away. I kept my grip firm and looked straight into her eyes.
"Do you really think I don't know that you threw me into the wrong cell deliberately?"
She flinched and tried to look away. Must've hit the nail on the head.
"I don't know what you're talking about! And why the hell are your cuffs unchained?"
"I'm feeling generous, so I wasn't going to pursue it, but you should know very well that I won't be in here for long."
It wasn't an explicit threat. I didn't tell her I would torture her and her family for revenge, or anything like that. If I actually wanted to do something, I'd file a report like a normal person; she really wasn't worth my time.
But this woman was convinced I was some sort of deranged sadistic monster. Suddenly, she realized that I wasn't the same as the regular criminals she had dealt with before. There were people she cared about. An angry mage was capable of things best left not described.
She tried to hide it, yet I saw in her eyes the traces of fear.
I let go of her hand. She continued to try question me for a bit longer, however she was clearly shaken. She didn't try to hit me again.
After she had put on a show enough to satisfy her pride, she escorted me back with a mixture of anger and wariness.
What an annoying waste of my time. If I heard any more about how I shouldn't even be considered a member of my own species, I'd probably throw something.
Forget looking a gift horse in the mouth, this was more like calling it a rat and trying to burn it.
After about a day, they let me out and put me in a different cell. This time, it was a proper one for dangerous suspects, not convicts. Apparently rumors had spread, and my cellmates left me alone.
I wasn't really bored, as I had lots of theoretical problems memorized that I could work on solving. I did, however, have a few visitors.
One of them was Delaney, whose reason for coming was understandable. Curiously, one of the other students in his lab also came to visit after, informing me that it wasn't because she was worried about me.
That was understandable too, I guess. It isn't quite my style, but coming to gloat when you see someone you hate in trouble is a pretty normal thing.
My third visitor was the princess. Unlike her previous anger, she seemed quiet and withdrawn. She only asked me one thing.
"Did my knight say anything to you, at the end?"
"She said that it was her own choice and that you aren't to blame."
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She nodded quietly and left.
Soon after, I went through the court trials. The legal representative Delaney found was quite good, and I ended up only getting charged with a few misdemeanors related to safety regulations.
However, everyone now knew that I was the summoned hero.
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He was the Light Temple's hero. The hero!
The invaders were the enemies of the Iron temple and Light temple alike. So, despite their conflicts with the Temple of Light, the Temple of Iron would support him anyway.
Even worse, he had the backing of the mage faction.
The royal faction couldn't touch him without just cause or there could be an uprising.
His very existence would make the iron priests and the mages grow in political power by the day.
Princess Rosalyn thought of Astor's dark eyes and beautifully taunt skin, adorned with the scars of her battles.
Many of those scars had come from protecting Rosalyn.
Astor had always been there with her, ever since the beginning. She was her best friend and, while Rosalyn hadn't realized it before, something more.
She finally understood how frivolous and selfish she had been. And it was too late.
The most important person to Rosalyn had died due to her request that she risk her life for a petty grudge. Her best friend had died because Rosalyn couldn't tolerate a few rude words.
Astor had said it was her own choice, but Rosalyn knew well what had happened. It was all her fault.
She shouldn't have made Astor duel him in the first place. When Rowan insisted it be to the death, Rosalyn should've forfeited her claim on the spot. Rowan had even said he'd accept the forfeit, but she had persisted. As much as it was Rowan's fault, it was also Rosalyn's.
Despite this, even at her end, Astor was still worrying about her.
Rosalyn had done nothing to deserve a knight like Astor and she might as well have killed her with her own hands.
She had thought the shockingly sharp pain of loss would dull over time, but instead it had deepened and spread, taking over everything.
She could not be forgiven. She could not live on with this guilt.
"Don't worry, Astor, I'll come join you soon."
She was crying, but also had a strange smile.
She could not be forgiven, but that bastard who killed Astor could not be forgiven either.
The royal family couldn't touch the hero without just cause. That just meant she had to make one.
The princess wasn't under any delusion that her father cared for her as anything aside from a tool, but the king surely would jump at the chance to prevent the mages and priests from gaining power that encroached on his royal authority.
She would give the king his opportunity. If Rowan still escaped, then that was fate.
"I'll avenge you. I'll destroy the ones who killed you."
She'd already made the preparations. It was time to put them into motion.
Even the hero would not get out of this unscathed.
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I'll admit it now. I was impressed by the Princess' resolve and determination. However, it did create a lot of trouble for me.
I didn't think she'd go as far as to die to frame me. She even used a remarkably painful method.
She must have really hated herself.
While she might have had an awful personality, at least her loyalty was respectable.
But whatever was going on in her head, she was now dead, and I was wanted.
When the soldiers had marched up to my door in the middle of the night and told me that I was under arrest, it had stunk of a plot.
Did you know that for convicted mages who committed major crimes, instead of mana restricting cuffs, they embed mana inhibitors directly into their bones?
I was willing to cooperate with the legal system, but I wasn't going to walk straight into a trap.
Based on the number of people and their attitude, I'd have to be an idiot to go along with them. All of them looked like mana warriors at the very least and the captain was radiating significant power.
Fortunately, they had tried to attack me in my own home.
Johan had done quite a number on the defenses, but he hadn't completely eliminated them. There were lots that were only slightly damaged that I could, and did, repair as soon as I returned from jail.
It doesn't always pay to be cautious, but if you aren't, you can end up dead.
I activated some formations. Some of the soldiers died, others were thrown back, and more were knocked unconscious or fell into hallucinations. A shimmering barrier appeared around the room.
The captain had managed to avoid the worst of the explosions and mental spells. He lead the ones still capable of fighting to assault the barrier.
They'd be through within minutes, but that was fine.
I had a teleportation formation set up for this sort of event. It was already drawn, so I just needed to activate it. It also had auxiliary formations that would cause it to self-destruct and eliminate all evidence of where it had sent me.
I took the items that I considered to be of value and vanished from the country.
Temple of Iron clergy were known for their observation magic and it wouldn't be prudent to stay within their range.
Some time later, Delaney contacted me to tell me what had happened. He didn't advise me to come back or run away or anything, just that the king was accusing me of having murdered the princess and had apparently strong evidence. They had been allowed to examine the body and it was authentic.
I was wanted dead or alive but they'd probably give me the death penalty anyway.
I could interpret this as the king trying to kill me, right?
Then it should be fair to respond in kind.
In the Iron Kingdom, I had established a comfortable position from which I could research magic with one of the best teams on the continent and learn whatever I wanted. All that was left was to look into the methods the priests used for connecting with their deities.
The king had taken that from me. He was trying to take even more.
I had no intention of letting him do whatever he wanted.