Chapter 99: The Scapegoat Finally Screams

“This is a deep conspiracy!” Elric screamed, veins bulging from his forehead as rage and fear twisted his expression. His heart pounded violently against his chest, each beat echoing in his ears like a war drum.

“I’m innocent!”

His plan was to sneak out of the town without anyone knowing but he was wrong. He thought there was still time for him but no.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that his deepest secret would be exposed so abruptly, laid bare in the open without warning.

Although he had indeed colluded with the Slave Trade Guild, he had never done so openly. Everything had been handled through layers of separation, veiled arrangements, and carefully placed intermediaries.

The last time he had met one of them had been the first, and the only, direct contact.

Beyond that, he had never spoken to the other planted members within the Federation Police.

Each side had played their role perfectly, ensuring no trail led back to him.

Until now.

Elric’s gaze swept across the group of officers standing before him, his sharp eyes scanning their faces with desperate intensity.

Yet no matter how hard he searched, he could not find a single familiar figure, no hidden allies, no silent supporters.

They were gone.

Vanished.

Left behind as sacrifices.

His teeth ground together as the realization settled heavily in his chest. He had been abandoned. Cast aside. Turned into the perfect scapegoat.

“Captain Elric,” Green said coldly, a faint sneer tugging at the corner of his lips, “your involvement with the Slave Trade Guild has already been proven.”

He raised his hand slightly, gesturing toward the documents stacked on the nearby table. “This is not a conspiracy. We have hundreds of solid pieces of evidence against you.”

Green’s eyes hardened. “So, cooperate with us and go to the dungeon.”

Dungeon?!

Elric’s eyes widened in horror.

The dungeon was not a place meant for trials.

It was a place meant for breaking people. His mana would be sealed, bound by suppression chains designed to crush the will and rip the truth from one’s soul.

Interrogation methods there were brutal, relentless, and irreversible.

No one entered the dungeon and came out whole.

If he stepped inside, he was finished.

“Why should I go to the dungeon?” Elric shouted fiercely, panic leaking through his defiance. “I need to be tried!”

He slammed his fist against his chest. “As a captain of the Federation Police, only the Chief has the authority to imprison me in the dungeon!”

His voice rang through the hall, loud and confident, filled with righteous conviction. He believed that invoking the Police Chief’s name would make them hesitate.

But he was wrong.

Many of the officers present had long been dissatisfied with his position. His rise to captain had been nothing short of blatant nepotism.

He lacked the strength, the leadership, and the respect required for the role and now, under such a grave accusation, he dared to hide behind authority.

“Shut up!”

A sharp, icy voice cut through the room.

A short female officer stepped forward, her eyes blazing with fury. “If you weren’t a police officer, I would have already broken your arms and legs. So keep quiet before I lose my patience.”

The entire police hall fell into stunned silence.

Every gaze turned toward her.

She was a Level 13 Berserker, a violent dwarf known for settling disputes with her fists rather than words. Authority meant nothing to her.

Rank meant nothing.

She believed in only one thing… strength.

Elric swallowed hard.

’Why is this violent dwarf here…?’

With her present, he knew his chances of avoiding the dungeon had dropped to almost zero.

Fear clamped around his heart like a vice.

He didn’t want to go.

He couldn’t go.

But as he met her cold, murderous gaze, his resistance crumbled.

“F-Fine!” he blurted out. “I’ll cooperate!”

He raised his hands hastily. “But my cell must be different from common criminals. And I cannot be bound with those suppression chains!”

“Until I am tried and found guilty, I have rights!” he added desperately.

Several officials stared at him as if he had just spoken nonsense.

Before Elric could register what was happening, the short officer closed the distance in a blink.

Bang!

Her fist smashed into Elric’s jaw with terrifying force. His vision exploded into stars as his body was sent flying across the hall.

“Ahhh!”

He slammed into the wall with a dull thud, blood spraying from his mouth as his body collapsed to the floor.

Shock rippled through the room.

“What…?”

The dwarf cracked her knuckles, unfazed. “What are you all standing around for?” she snapped. “Arrest him and let’s get this over with.”

She had initially allowed them to handle things diplomatically. But watching Elric spew nonsense about rights and authority had pushed her past her limit.

Two high-level awakeners immediately moved forward, cuffing the still-dazed Elric.

“Y-You hit me…” he murmured weakly, disbelief etched across his bloodied face.

“This isn’t over!” he screamed as they dragged him away. “When the Police Chief returns, I’ll make you all pay for this!”

Even as he shouted threats, deep down, Elric already knew the truth.

What Police Chief?

He was finished.

The short officer didn’t even spare him a glance.

She turned to the remaining officers. “Elric didn’t act alone,” she said firmly. “We continue the investigation.”

She paused before adding, “No officer is permitted to leave the town until this is resolved.”

Every officer nodded.

The entire town was watching now. One wrong move would cost them the last remaining goodwill of the people.

Across the street from the police station, a young man with ash-gray hair observed the scene from the shadows, a deep frown creasing his face.

“This is bad…” he whispered. “With our cover blown, our influence in this town will be severely limited.”

He clenched his fist. “This will affect the grand plan.”

His eyes darkened.

“I need to report this immediately. And Elric cannot be allowed to live.”

With that, his figure dissolved into the shadows, vanishing without a trace.

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