Astrea asked Hedin, "Umm, sir, why is Mr. Hedin treating us so kindly?"
Faiz responded, "The Chief Justice has always been a puzzling man. There are few who can understand his agenda."
Astrea said, "Wait... Chief Justice? What?"
Faiz said, "Wait, you didn't know? Damn."
Meanwhile, as Hedin was taking a sip of his tea in the moonlight, his butler asked, "Sir, isn't it best if you went to bed? It's already 1 a.m."
Hedin simply said, "I find tonight's moon too beautiful to just ignore and sleep."
And so, the following day arrived. As the former Exist Forger members arrived, so did the Black Lion captain, Xenon, and their vice-captain, Elis.
Hedin said, "After hearing the testimonies of everyone present, as well as investigating the damages, it can be stated that even though the vice-captain of Black Lion, Elis, did not harbor any ill will towards our nation, all the damage so far was due to her blunder rather than her own intent. The decisions taken by Faiz, one of the Exist Forger elites, were acts to ensure the mission was completed rather than an act of rebellion against our nation.
"So, as the Chief Justice, I would like to state that neither the members of Exist Forger, their allies, nor the vice-captain of Black Lion, Elis, are guilty. Rather, this incident can be considered an ideal example of how, even in the most dire of situations, even vice-captains can make a mistake.
"Despite the fact that what was caused by Elis was an honest mistake, her punishment is three months of community service. Additionally, as the Chief Justice, I would like to recommend that Black Lion and its captain reconsider Elis's position in their knighthood and consider a possible demotion for her. That is all. Do you understand?"
Xenon clenched her fists, her anger quite visible, yet she couldn't say anything other than, "We understand, Chief Justice."
Astrea, Faiz, and everyone else simply said, "Understood, Chief Justice."
After hearing the statement, Elis was furious. She screamed, "How can you do this to me?! I'm a royal!"
She then attempted to attack Hedin with a vortex magic spell, shouting, "Vortex Magic: Pierce Strike!"
Hedin remained seated, looking at her with unimpressed eyes. Just as the spell was a mere millimeter away from his forehead, he simply said, "Lightning Magic: Caelus Hildr."
A lightning arrow formed, and a single shot was enough to completely destroy Elis's spell.
Hedin said, "If only this amount of strength, intellect, and morals are needed to become a vice-captain, I'm disappointed.
"And on the charge of attempted assault on the Chief Justice, you are found guilty. Your punishment is one year of imprisonment without the privilege of using any magic. Furthermore, you will not be able to rejoin the ranks of the knights without a proper statement from your psychologist confirming that you are of sound mind.
"From here on out, you are no longer the vice-captain of Black Lion.
"Xenon, clean this filth."