Chapter 197

“Your Majesty, may I request that you open the passage briefly? I will retrieve the Truth Confession Pills from my family’s archives.”

[Very well.]

Soon after, a high-ranking member of the Venomous Demonic House returned with a case containing the Truth Confession Pills.

But then, Christian raised another odd objection.

“Wait. How can we be certain those pills truly are the Truth Confession Pills?”

“Hah. What kind of ridiculous accusation is this now?”

“I humbly request that His Majesty the Demon King of Azure Flow personally verify whether these are genuine Truth Confession Pills.”

Was it because he found the situation amusing?

The Demon King of Azure Flow let out a laugh.

[Very well.]

With a casual flick of his hand, the box containing the pills appeared before the Demon King of Azure Flow.

It seemed simple, but it was a clear display of his authority over space.

[Hmm… Yes, the pills in this box are indeed imbued with the miracle of truth discernment.]

“I beg your pardon, but would Your Majesty swear upon the name of the most supreme being, His Majesty the Demon Emperor?”

[!!]

Everyone held their breath.

The gaze of the Demon King of Azure Flow darkened.

[Are you saying… you don’t trust me?]

The atmosphere in the chamber froze.

An oppressive pressure weighed down so heavily that it made even breathing difficult—yet Christian continued, undeterred.

“That is not my intention at all. In fact, it is quite the opposite.”

[The opposite?]

“Yes, Your Majesty. I only made this request because, despite Your Majesty personally verifying the pills, there may be scoundrels who refuse to acknowledge the result. I thought it best to preemptively settle all doubt.”

Christian knelt and bowed his head deeply.

“This incident involves the heinous crime of attempting to massacre the citizens of His Majesty the Demon Emperor. I dared to make such an insolent request out of a belief that there must be no room for doubt in the process of uncovering the truth. If I’ve displeased you, I offer my sincerest apologies.”

The Demon King of Azure Flow let out a dry chuckle.

[You’re quite the speaker, aren’t you?]

“……”

[Since you’ve said so much—very well. I swear upon the name of His Majesty the Demon Emperor that these are indeed authentic Truth Confession Pills. But remember this—if you truly orchestrated all of this, you will not escape with a mere light punishment. Even the Dark Demonic House won’t be able to protect you.]

A chilling warning.

Everyone looked at Christian with expressions of disbelief.

‘Why would he even make such a proposal?’

What Christian was doing right now wasn’t to his advantage in the slightest.

Ruina swallowed the Truth Confession Pill with a gulp—and once again, spat out a searing, bitter testimony.

“It really was that bastard Christian who made me do it! I’m telling the truth! Long live Marquis Goras! Long live His Majesty the Demon King of Azure Flow! Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!!”

Even after she said all that, there was no abnormal reaction.

Which meant—it was the truth.

[That testimony is not false. Do you have any further defense to offer?]

To the Demon King of Azure Flow’s icy question, Christian simply shrugged.

“Well, I did forge the evidence, after all.”

[Are you admitting to the crime?]

“Of course not. I only tampered with the evidence to bring Marquis Goras to justice.”

It was a claim no one would readily accept.

Just as the Demon King of Azure Flow was about to pass judgment—

“Oh, may I also present a witness?”

[A witness?]

“Yes. Someone who can testify that everything that’s happened was part of a conspiracy orchestrated by Marquis Goras.”

Everyone in the chamber looked puzzled.

Soon, a masked individual stepped forward.

Some of the Venomous Demonic House’s retainers recognized the person and their eyes went wide.

When Christian pulled off the mask, the face of a terrified young man was revealed.

“This is Hubert, High Scion of the Venomous Demonic House.”

“!!”

“Under Marquis Goras’s orders, High Scion Hubert used his connection with Lady Marisa to leak poison and then falsified evidence to frame her. Isn’t that correct, High Scion Hubert?”

Hubert bit his lip hard and then slowly nodded, his body trembling.

“Y-Yes. I did it all.”

A ripple of shock spread through the chamber.

Hubert and Marisa were half-siblings with the same father, and they were widely known for their close bond despite having different mothers.

And yet he had done this behind her back?

‘So it was all just a façade.’

Hubert was always seen as the unremarkable scion.

Lacking talent and never recognized, he was constantly overshadowed and berated by his other siblings.

Meanwhile, Marisa, though born of a concubine, had earned respect for her exceptional skill in toxicology and had made a name for herself, which only fed Hubert’s inferiority complex.

‘He couldn’t say a word to the siblings who tormented him, and instead held a grudge against the one easy target—his sister.’

Christian clicked his tongue in disgust.

But it wasn’t just petty resentment at play.

Hubert had betrayed even his father, aligning with Marquis Goras just to save himself.

‘And to think Marisa was hurt because of someone like him.’

Christian glanced briefly toward where Marisa was seated.

Her face was stiff and unmoving.

Since Christian had already given her advance notice, she didn’t look surprised.

But there was no mistaking the pain of being betrayed by someone she trusted like family.

“As High Scion Hubert has testified, this entire affair was a plot devised by Marquis Goras to frame both Lady Marisa and myself.”

“I cannot accept this.”

Marquis Goras coldly shook his head.

“Just look at the state High Scion Hubert is in. It’s obvious his mind has been dominated by black magic.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Having suffered from Marisa’s mental assault, Hubert was only half in his right mind—and on top of that, Christian had cast a curse to force confession through black magic.

But the reason Hubert had ended up like this in the first place was part of Christian’s deliberate design.

“If you don’t believe him, then let’s use the Truth Confession Pill, shall we?”

“!!”

“If we use the Truth Confession Pill, we’ll be able to tell whether High Scion Hubert is telling the truth or not, won’t we?”

Marquis Goras faltered.

If Hubert took the pill, it would reveal that his testimony was true.

‘I have to object.’

But he couldn’t.

Only now did Marquis Goras realize why Christian had previously suggested using the Truth Confession Pill in the first place.

It had been a setup for this very moment.

If Christian had suddenly proposed giving the pill to Hubert without any pretext, Langham would have surely found some excuse to oppose it.

But now that the pill had already been used earlier to verify a testimony, he had no grounds to refuse.

Worse, the Demon King of Azure Flow had personally confirmed the pill’s authenticity—swearing on the name of the Demon Emperor himself—so no one could question its effectiveness.

He was cornered.

“There’s no reason to use the pill when it’s clear that this is a lie.”

Marquis Goras tried to wriggle out of the situation.

But another voice cut in.

“I can’t accept the Lord Marquis’s argument.”

“!!”

“As the head of the Venomous Demonic House, I believe this is exactly the moment where the Truth Confession Pill is most necessary.”

It was Duke Huam—who had remained silent until now!

Duke Huam stepped forward, eyes heavy with disappointment, and walked toward Hubert.

“F-Father…”

For a brief moment, the pain of betrayal and sorrow flickered in Duke Huam’s eyes.

Then—

“Take it.”

He handed the pill to his son.

With trembling hands, High Scion Hubert swallowed it and slowly opened his mouth.

“…Everything I said is true. Under the orders of Marquis Goras, I leaked Marisa’s formula and forged the evidence to frame her.”

It was the truth.

Gasps of shock spread throughout the chamber.

It was tantamount to a formal declaration of guilt.

“Th-This is…”

Marquis Goras’s face stiffened.

Christian’s lips curled slightly into a smirk.

“I wonder what lie you plan to tell now. But I’d advise you to choose your words wisely. The one who vouched for the pill High Scion Hubert just took—was none other than His Majesty the Demon King. And she did so in the name of the Demon Emperor himself.”

That was right.

The pill’s authenticity had been guaranteed by the Demon King of Azure Flow—with the name of the Demon Emperor as collateral.

No one, not even the Demon King himself, could now deny its effects.

Marquis Goras shut his mouth, unable to say anything.

Christian then raised his head and looked directly at the Demon King of Azure Flow.

“I beseech Your Majesty. Marquis Goras not only sought to harm the citizens of the Demon Emperor out of personal greed, but even now, refuses to admit his crimes and dares to defile both Your Majesty and His Majesty the Demon Emperor with lies.”

[!!]

“This is an unforgivable, treasonous crime. I humbly request that Your Majesty pass a fitting death sentence upon Marquis Goras.”

Everyone in the chamber swallowed nervously.

Especially Marquis Goras’s close aides—their faces had gone pale.

‘If His Majesty the Demon King passes judgment, then even Marquis Goras will have no choice but to comply.’

The problem was that the crime Marquis Goras had committed was no ordinary offense.

And Christian had cleverly emphasized throughout the entire trial that Langham’s transgressions were not just personal but direct offenses against the Demon Emperor himself.

No matter how much the Demon King of Azure Flow wished to shield Marquis Goras, once the Demon Emperor’s name had been invoked, she couldn’t simply brush it aside.

A brief silence hung over the chamber.

[Impressive.]

“!!”

The Demon King of Azure Flow gave a faint smile.

[Grand Duke Christian, thanks to you, we’ve uncovered the truth. I believe even His Majesty the Demon Emperor will be pleased when he hears of your contributions.]

An unexpected compliment.

No—this wasn’t a compliment. she was trying to maneuver the situation in his favor.

Sure enough, the Demon King of Azure Flow continued:

[However… this is a bit troublesome. Marquis Goras has long served loyally as the Vice-Lord of the Venomous Demonic House for the sake of the Demon Emperor. Grand Duke Christian, what punishment do you think would be appropriate for Marquis Goras? I trust that you will make a wise decision.]

He was placing the judgment in Christian’s hands!

However, the Demon King had added a clear caveat: to consider the merits Marquis Goras had accumulated as Vice-Lord of the Venomous Demonic House.

In other words, she was subtly urging Christian to settle on a moderate punishment.

From the Dark Demonic House’s perspective, it was infuriating—but Christian’s lips curled into an unexpected grin.

‘Even better. I figured the Demon King of Azure Flow would try to pull something like this.’

Christian had never truly expected Goras to be sentenced to death.

And that was fine.

As long as she could impose a punishment that caused real damage.

Christian spoke up.

“As Your Majesty said, Marquis Goras has served His Majesty the Demon Emperor with great loyalty. Therefore, I believe a death sentence would be excessive. Instead, I ask that he be punished in another way.”

[And what would that be?]

“First, I request that Marquis Goras be sentenced to six months of Penance Confinement.”

The chamber stirred again.

It was a form of imprisonment.

But unlike ordinary confinement, the intent of Penance Confinement was clear in its name—repentance. All external contact would be completely severed for the duration.

“Given the severity of his crimes, I believe this is a very light punishment.”

Marquis Goras clenched his teeth.

For most others, six months of confinement wouldn’t be too significant. It was a short period, and the sentence wasn’t harsh.

But for Goras—it was different.

‘I don’t know what could happen while I’m cut off from everything.’

Marquis Goras ruled over the Venomous Demonic House through sheer terror and dominance.

Six months was more than enough time for cracks to form in his control.

Yet he couldn’t reject the sentence.

His crime was one deserving of death, after all.

[Is that all?]

“No, of course not. That’s only the beginning.”

This was just the opening move.