Chapter 308
“!!”
The hall was plunged into shock.
Poison from the infamous demonic beings of the Magus Empire?
“It's not true! That can't be!”
“Shut up, you cur!!”
Heinz, having lost his earlier composure, shouted urgently, but it was useless.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“I am fine. However, I doubt this man acted alone.”
This time, Chris shifted his gaze toward Marquis Valmond.
“Check that man's sword as well.”
“W-what...! Do not insult me!”
The imperial knights hesitated, as if reluctant to search their own commander. Just then, Evan moved.
Fwaat!
With lightning-fast skill, he struck Marquis Valmond's hand with his scabbard; the sword spun into the air and landed in front of Chris.
Chris picked up Marquis Valmond's sword, ran his hands over it, and then said something like a bolt from the blue.
“This sword also has the poison of the Venomous Demonic House on it.”
“!!”
“Check it.”
An unbelievable story. But it was soon revealed to be true.
“No! There's no way I, Valmond, would do such a thing!”
“That's right! Absolutely...!”
Seeing the two of them cry out as if they had been wronged, Chris inwardly nodded his head.
‘Well, I'm sure they feel wronged. This is a fraud orchestrated by me, after all.’
When he touched the weapons, he had secretly manifested the poison of the Venomous Demonic House with his Dark Demonic Energy and applied it. It was a perfect fraud that no one could notice.
“Chamberlain, what is the punishment for trying to harm an opponent with poison during a duel?”
“…The death penalty.”
This was an indisputable fact.
“And if the opponent is a member of the imperial family?”
“…It is the same. In such a case, Your Highness can punish them directly, without a trial.”
It meant he could behead them on the spot. The complexions of the two men turned pale.
“So it seems. Do you have anything to say?”
“N-no...!”
“Absolutely...!”
But Chris showed an unexpected reaction.
“Yes, something is indeed strange. Though you two may be lacking, I didn't think you were the kind of men who would do something so heinous.”
He himself had framed them, yet he was saying something completely different.
There was a reason.
“Summon the second and third princes.”
“!!”
“These men wouldn't have done this on their own. I will ask their masters, the second and third princes, for the truth of this matter.”
The complexion of everyone in the hall turned white.
That's right.
From the very beginning, Chris's target wasn't these two.
It was the main players in the struggle for the throne: the second and third princes.
* * *
The second and third princes arrived shortly.
Naturally.
It was clear that both of them had rushed over in surprise.
“What in the world is going on?”
The second prince let out a fierce roar.
Unlike the weak-feeling Crown Prince, the second prince had a strong impression.
“Indeed, brother. What is all this commotion?”
The third prince had a villainous impression. The typical face of a tyrant, full of greed.
“We meet for the first time. Well, this isn't a situation for leisurely greetings, so let's get to the point. I assume you were briefed on your way here.”
Chris asked sharply.
“This incident—did the two of you order it?”
“!!”
The air grew stiff.
Everyone looked at the two princes.
Of course, the princes' answers were obvious.
“No.”
“How could that be?”
“Please think carefully before you answer. Their lives depend on your response.”
For a moment, the two princes flinched.
That's right.
If the two princes denied it, Valmond and Heinz would be executed while still bearing the false charges.
When the two couldn't answer, Chris drew his sword and approached the two who were bound and kneeling.
“If this has nothing to do with you two, then I will carry out the sentence right here on the spot.”
It was pressure.
The second prince glared at Chris as if he could kill him and then spoke.
“It has nothing to do with me.”
“Y-Your Highness?!”
Marquis Valmond cried out urgently, but the second prince paid him no mind. It would have been a problem even if the opponent were a normal royal, but this was the Hero. Since they tried to harm the Hero with poison, in the worst-case scenario, they could be branded as a demon's lackey. No matter that he was the second prince, protecting him was politically impossible.
‘To abandon him so easily. Then again, he's not the type of person to take a loss for a subordinate.’
This time, Chris looked at the third prince.
“Is it the same for you, third prince?”
“I….”
The third prince wiped away his cold sweat. A man who seemed far more lacking compared to the strong-willed second prince. But an unexpected answer came out.
“…I-I don't know anything about it. But this man is my subordinate. I cannot say I have no responsibility, so I will share in his punishment.”
Contrary to his villainous impression, it was a surprisingly bold answer.
‘As expected of a greedy man whose head is always working. He's not to be taken lightly.’
In his previous life, the one who was ultimately victorious in the struggle for the throne was, unexpectedly, the third prince. The third prince wasn't doing this for Heinz out of some sense of loyalty. If he abandoned Heinz here, he would become an enemy of the White Tiger Brigade, so he was protecting him against his will.
Chris shrugged and ordered the awkwardly standing imperial knights.
“I understand both of your stories well. Escort these men to prison. They will be punished after further interrogation.”
The two princes watched with stiff faces as the two men were dragged away. Out of nowhere, they had lost their most important subordinates. The blow to the second prince was particularly large. By turning his back on Marquis Valmond, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, he had also lost the trust of the imperial knights.
“…I'll be taking my leave now.”
the second prince said, his voice filled with displeasure. The third prince also looked for an opportunity to leave.
“No, wait. There is an important matter left to discuss.”
“…What do you mean?”
“To the two of you—no, including His Highness the Crown Prince, it's the three of you. I have something urgent to tell you.”
The Crown Prince, who had been cowering in the corner, had a startled look on his face. The second and third princes showed a sharp reaction.
“I don't want to hear it.”
“Right, what reason do we have to listen to a punk like you….”
“You will have to listen. It is a revelation from the Constellation.”
“!!”
Everyone flinched.
It was something that not even the royalty of the Karn Empire could ignore.
Chris continued, a smug, detestable smile on his face.
“You all know that I am the Hero. The great Constellation has given a revelation concerning the three princes, so show the proper respect and listen carefully.”
As the three princes hesitated, Chris spoke in a cold voice. Since he was acting as an agent of the Constellation's will, he dropped his formal speech.
“Do my words look like a joke to you? Right now, I am not simply a royal, but the Hero, acting as an agent of the Constellation's will. What is with that attitude?”
“!!”
“Or, don't tell me you intend to ignore the will of the great Constellation? Surely you're not harboring some wicked darkness in your hearts, are you?”
The complexions of the three princes changed. It meant that they were worshiping demons. They gritted their teeth and knelt before Chris.
“…We will receive the will of the Constellation.”
Chris gestured with his chin with an arrogant expression.
“I don't feel much reverence for the Constellation from you. Especially you, second prince. Did you not even learn the sacred etiquette properly? Where did you learn to hold your head up so arrogantly? Do you think that being a royal of the Karn Empire places you above a Constellation?”
The second prince ground his teeth and then bowed his head to the floor.
The people in the banquet hall stared at the sight with shocked eyes.
They were reminded anew that Chris was not just a mere prince, but the Hero.
Chris scanned everyone in the hall and then raised his hand toward the sky.
Paaaaah!
“Holy Power?!”
“Ooooh!! It's the light of the Constellation!”
As a sublime light descended upon Chris, everyone let out a cry of admiration.
‘Of course, it's a fake I produced with my own Holy Power.’
Chris, having created a thoroughly majestic atmosphere, looked down upon the three princes.
“I shall now deliver the Constellation's revelation.”
“…Please speak.”
“Before the revelation, I will ask. Do you swear, as servants of the Constellation, to accept whatever revelation is given?”
For a moment, the three princes' faces hardened.
They had a feeling that this would be no ordinary revelation.
But to not accept a revelation from a Constellation was unthinkable.
“…We will accept it.”
“Good.”
And then.
“The Constellation has revealed that among you three, there is one who harbors the wicked darkness of Gehenna in his heart.”
“!!”
In that moment, everyone's eyes widened as if they would tear.
What in the world did that mean?
It meant that among the three, there was a demon worshiper.
Chris's stern gaze fell upon the three of them.
“It has commanded me, as the Hero, to find and eliminate this person, so cooperate with the investigation from now on.”
It was a shocking declaration that would shake the Karn Empire's imperial family to its very core.
***
The hall erupted.
“W-what nonsense!!”
“Stop with this rubbish!!”
Everyone, without exception, protested.
But.
“Who dares to call a revelation from the Constellation rubbish? Who was that? Can you take responsibility for those words?”
At that question, everyone had no choice but to shut their mouths.
If they misspoke, they could be branded as a demon worshiper.
On top of that, there were those who lent authority to Chris's words.
“The Holy Emperor's Palace guarantees that this man is the true Hero and an agent of the Constellation's will.”
It was the highest-ranking priest of the Holy Empire, sent by Holy Emperor Istanya.
That wasn't all.
[I, too, shall guarantee it.]
“!!”
A great shock spread through the hall.
The image of a young girl had appeared on a real-time video transmission magic tool.
It was Law King Olivia.
[As the Law King who has inherited the Sacred Blood, I issue a divine command: know that to doubt the Hero is a crime equivalent to doubting the Constellation.]
At the Law King's declaration, the hall grew silent.
‘...I didn't ask her to show up in person like this.’
Chris cleared his throat inwardly.
It seemed Olivia's purpose wasn't simply to help, as she sent an intense gaze toward Chris.
A look that said she had something to say, that she was waiting for something.
‘...I suppose I'll have to go see her at some point.’
Chris shook his head and looked at the three princes.
“To be honest, I didn't believe the Constellation's revelation at first either. But after seeing those two try to poison me during the duel just now, I am certain. The darkness of Gehenna has taken root in the Karn Empire's imperial family.”
“!!”
“Of course, the innocent have nothing to worry about. I swear on the name of the Constellation that no guiltless person will be harmed.”
As he said this, Chris stared directly at the second prince.
“Isn't that right, second prince?”
Under that seemingly penetrating gaze, the second prince clenched his fists tightly.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just looking. You're overreacting. I'd be careful if I were you. What if someone gets the wrong idea?”
“You!!”
The second prince lost his composure and was about to raise his voice, but caught himself and snapped his mouth shut.
Everyone in the banquet hall was looking at him with eyes mixed with surprise and suspicion.
-Could it be?
That was the kind of look it was.
Grind, the second prince ground his teeth and spun around.
“I'm leaving!”
The third prince watched the situation and then spoke with an awkward face.
“Haha, I-I can leave too... right? Ah, I'm not worried! I'm innocent, after all. I'm completely clean!”
Chris nodded and replied.
His tone was much softer than when he had addressed the second prince.
“Yes, you may leave. I will see you soon.”
“Haha... why see me? Let's just never see each other again. For royals like us, it's better not to see each other.”
“I will visit you shortly.”
The third prince's face twisted as if he'd bitten into something foul.
As the third prince also turned tail and left as if fleeing, Asran, the Sword of Light, spoke to the Crown Prince beside her in a tone of admiration.
“The Hero really is incredible. To have such resolve and drive.”
In truth, Asran had some inkling about the darkness that had taken root in the imperial family.
She hadn't even dared to think of taking action, yet he showed such decisiveness.
But the Crown Prince's reaction was strange.
“Y-yes.”
“What's wrong?”
“I-I'm going to leave too. I-it's just... I'm not feeling well.”
He stammered with a pale complexion and then quickly disappeared.
Asran's face hardened.
“…Your Highness?”