742 -732- Truth and Fabrication

"What... what's happening?"

"What's going on?"

At this moment, not only the students in the audience but also the members of the "Kreuzrittern" on the battlefield, whose automata had been destroyed and were completely incapacitated, were in turmoil.

"Ding!"

The bell signaling the Night Party's temporary pause rang for the second time, telling everyone that the situation had changed.

The first to react was Shin.

"Miss..."

Silently, Shin moved to Alice's side, looking somewhat serious and tense, as if he had a bad premonition.

"Don't panic," Alice warned Shin in a low voice, but her brows were deeply furrowed, and she, too, had a sense of impending trouble.

Although her personality was very unpleasant, Alice was undoubtedly a strategist with exceptional intelligence. She enjoyed deceiving others more than her daily meals. In terms of pure threats, she was quite skilled.

But precisely because she was a strategist, when she saw developments in the situation that were beyond her expectations, the sense of foreboding in her heart was stronger than that of others.

Her sharp mind told her that something was happening that she didn't know about.

Otherwise...

"The security squad and the disciplinary committee are here, and even the Night Party has been suspended..."

This was enough to indicate that something significant had occurred.

Shin had this feeling, so he probably wanted to take Alice away and break through before the situation fully developed.

Alice's intuition was also telling her that this was the best course of action.

However, from the very beginning, the young man in front of them had been looking at Alice with a playful expression, making her feel pinned in place, unable to move at all.

Clearly, that person would not allow Alice to escape so easily.

In this situation, the members of the security squad and the disciplinary committee, each with their own automatons, surrounded the entire battlefield.

Shortly after, a woman walked out slowly from the middle.

She was a woman dressed in military uniform with a sword at her waist. Not only Rozen, but all the students present knew her.

When Rozen had a fierce battle with Magnus, the headmaster had intervened, and she had also appeared alongside the headmaster.

She was the headmaster's secretary, and although she couldn't be called the second in command of the Academy, she was the person closest to the headmaster within the entire Academy and frequently represented the headmaster at various events.

Her name was Avril, and true to her appearance, she was a very cold and proud woman.

Now, this woman, along with many guards and members of the disciplinary committee, had completely surrounded the entire battlefield.

Soon...

"Alice Bernstein."

Avril made a declaration to Alice with a cold tone and expression.

"In the name of the Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart's Board of Directors, I hereby arrest you on charges of murder and disrupting the academy's order."

This was a declaration made by the academy's autonomous personnel, and it was their rightful duty.

"Charges of murder and disrupting the academy's order...?"

Alice's eyes narrowed slightly, and she fell silent.

Beside her, Shin's expression became increasingly serious.

As for the students watching the scene unfold, they were all shocked.

"Murder...!?"

"And... disrupting the academy's order...?"

"She... She actually did something like that...?"

"No way?"

The students were in an uproar.

Even those who had been observing from the shadows narrowed their eyes and became more focused.

Only the three individuals on the VIP seats, Hinowa, Subaru, and Yuge, exchanged glances.

"It has begun."

Those were the words that simultaneously appeared in the minds of the three.

And so, the Night Party took an unexpected turn, unfolding with this development.

Alice remained silent for a moment and then began to smile.

"Is there something wrong with this accusation?" Alice calmly asked, "How could I possibly commit murder, let alone disrupt the academy's order?"

Her words were spoken with great certainty and conviction, even displaying an air of righteousness that made the surrounding audience doubt the accusations.

To this, Avril responded, "Slyly defending yourself won't work."

"This morning, an anonymous letter was sent to the academy's Board of Directors, listing your crimes with accompanying evidence. Furthermore, after our confirmation, it is highly likely that the Night Party Executive Director, Cedric Granville, has gone missing and may have been harmed."

"And you..."

Avril drew her sword from her waist and pointed it at Alice.

"You, disguised using magic, impersonated Cedric Granville and manipulated student rankings and the Night Party. These actions have also been reported with substantial evidence. You won't escape this with clever words."

Avril's words left everyone in the room wide-eyed. Even Alice's complexion changed, and she couldn't help but speak up.

"That kind of thing...!"

How could such a thing be possible?

That was what Alice wanted to say. But Alice wasn't trying to deny the crimes, rather to question the existence of evidence. She was aware that although Cedric Granville's murder was a fact, she was not the one who did it. Even if she was an accomplice in some sense, there should be no evidence linking her to it. How could there be conclusive evidence?

Alice held back her words as if she had realized something, and she turned her gaze towards Rozen, who was watching coldly.

"Is it you...?"

Alice stared intently at Rozen and asked quietly.

And Rozen...

"It's me," Rozen admitted very calmly. "I'm the one who sent the anonymous report and provided the evidence to the Board of Directors."

"You...!" Alice couldn't help but be overwhelmed.

There was no other explanation.

The anonymous report was one thing, but what about the evidence?

How did Rozen find it?

No, Alice thought to herself, she could never have been careless enough to leave evidence. This was simply an impossibility.

Unless...

"Fabrication..."

Yes.

Fabrication.

All the evidence had been fabricated.

It wasn't a difficult feat to accomplish.

With Rozen's current abilities, forging so-called criminal evidence was a straightforward task. For example, Rozen could create an incredibly lifelike dummy to impersonate Cedric's body. Additionally, Rozen could use magic to fabricate a crime scene, ensuring there were no traces of forgery that anyone could detect.

Then, Rozen, in coordination with Alice's situation, left some hidden clues, meticulously organized them, and submitted them to the Academy's Board of Directors.

Rozen had done exactly that.

After all, Alice had given Rozen a whole half month's time.

With that much time at his disposal, Rozen naturally put it to good use.

Moreover, Rozen made a claim that had everyone in the room shocked, including Avril.

"Not only the Executive Director of the Night Party, but there's a high probability that even being the heiress of the Bernstein family is her disguise."

As Rozen spoke, he addressed Avril and everyone present.

"She is currently maintaining magical disguises, and once we dispel them, the whole truth will come to light."

At these words, Alice's complexion finally changed significantly.