Chapter 130
Olivia felt tears welling up uncontrollably, and she bit her lip hard to hold them back.
What was even more unbearable was the fact that she could have stopped Chris’s suffering and death.
Chris was not the devil’s spawn.
Olivia knew this all too well.
But she was powerless to save him.
If only she had had the strength.
No, if she had just tried harder to uncover the truth, could Chris have survived?
These thoughts gnawed at her, filling her with endless self-reproach.
‘I couldn’t even save the person I cherished most. What kind of saint am I?’
With that heavy heart, she had been neglecting her duties as a saint—but now, it was time to rise again.
For Chris.
“I will fully cooperate in resolving the plague, as we agreed. But you must keep your promise to clear my brother’s name.”
“Don’t worry. I will uncover the truth, no matter what.”
Chris answered without hesitation.
After all, when this case was over, all the truth would come to light.
“But are you sure that’s wise?”
“What do you mean?”
“I doubt the others in the Law Kingdom will easily accept a princess working with a mine.”
Olivia shared that concern.
There would be fierce opposition.
“…Still, we have to try.”
“Hmm.”
Christian crossed his arms.
“If it gets difficult, I’ll help you.”
“…Help? How could a mine like you influence the Law Kingdom’s internal decisions?”
Olivia reacted as if it were absurd, but Chris just smiled slyly.
“In my own way. Though it might be a bit rough, so please understand.”
It was a cryptic answer.
And so, their pact was sealed.
But things did not go smoothly.
The vassals of the Law Kingdom opposed them fiercely.
“This is outrageous! The princess siding with those mine scum?!”
“Unthinkable!”
“We should never have let those mines in! They must be driven out immediately by the Dark Mages!”
Olivia’s face tightened.
She had expected resistance, but it was worse than she imagined.
“This is for the people of Gold Cross. Though they are mines, they possess deep knowledge of curse magic and can help resolve this crisis.”
But her argument fell on deaf ears.
“The princess is too young to understand how treacherous those mines truly are.”
“She’s so kind that she even sees warmth in those monsters. But mines are worse than beasts. They cannot be trusted.”
Though it sounded like an insult to the mines, it was really a veiled attack on Olivia’s youth and inexperience.
This was always the case.
‘I have no power at all.’
Though revered as the saint who awakened the sacred bloodline, she was still just a child.
Whenever trouble arose, she represented the Law Kingdom publicly, but it was all for show—she held no real authority.
“The Law King has been secluded for a long time, receiving revelations from the celestial seats, so he cannot attend this meeting. But he would oppose this as well.”
“That’s right. Imagine how heartbroken the Law King would be if he heard the princess was working with mines.”
Olivia bit her lip hard.
“People are dying from the plague right now. Are we just going to stand by because we dislike mines?”
“It’s not just that.”
A figure stood up.
A tall, handsome man.
Miek, the Law Kingdom’s representative paladin who had clashed with Chris before.
The Law Kingdom was not a nation that fought on the front lines; its military was weak, and strong knights were rare. Miek was a precious asset, a beacon of strength.
He wielded considerable influence within the kingdom.
“We oppose this only because we care for the princess.”
Miek strode toward Olivia, then knelt on one knee and kissed the back of her hand.
“As your Fair Knight, I must object.”
Fair Knight—the title given to the knight paired with a lady.
Olivia coldly pulled her hand away.
“I never gave you the title of Fair Knight, Sir Miek. Don’t be so rude again.”
Her icy rejection stiffened Miek’s expression.
‘Damn insolent woman. How dare she.’
But he couldn’t show his true feelings.
Miek planned to win her favor and become the kingdom’s second-in-command.
His hypocritical paladin act was all for power.
‘Damn arrogant woman. I’ll just go home and relieve some stress. Luckily, I got a good “item” from the slave market.’
He thought of his secret hideout and smiled darkly.
Outwardly, he spoke with feigned nobility.
“My feelings for the princess are sincere. Please reconsider working with those despicable mines.”
“Reconsider!”
The vassals shouted in unison.
Olivia bit the inside of her cheek.
Their pressure was overwhelming.
‘I can’t. I have to do something.’
While she was sinking into despair, countless people were dying.
She had long since abandoned her duties as a star-blooded saint of the Law Kingdom.
Above all, if she cooperated with that mine, she could clear Chris’s wrongful accusation.
‘I have to escape the kingdom secretly and go. But how?’
She couldn’t move alone.
Guards followed her everywhere.
They were like shackles on her freedom.
And the kingdom’s knights were under Miek’s control, making escape nearly impossible.
“My feelings for the princess are genuine. Please understand.”
Then, unexpectedly, a voice rang out from outside the chamber.
“Such fresh nonsense.”
“…What?”
Bang!
The chamber doors burst open, and the vassals’ eyes widened at the figure who appeared.
“A mine?!”
Dark hair, bloodshot eyes.
An arrogant, unpleasant expression.
It was Christian.
“How dare you dirty these hallowed halls with your footsteps?!”
“Ah, I apologize for intruding on this gathering of the Law Kingdom’s noble ones, but I have something to say.”
“Get that scum out of here immediately!”
“Enough! Everyone, be quiet!”
Olivia’s sharp voice cut through the room.
She glared around, then addressed Chris.
“What business do you have here?”
Chris scanned the assembly.
“I heard you’re arguing because you don’t trust us mines. So I’ve come to offer the Law Kingdom some help to earn your trust.”
“…Help?”
The vassals murmured in confusion.
“What kind of help are you talking about?”
“Nothing special. I happened to witness a terrible crime happening in the kingdom. I will tell you what I saw.”
The assembly exchanged uneasy glances.
Chris’s words were unsettling.
An elder shouted, dismissive.
“What crime could possibly be happening here? Our Law Kingdom is blessed by the great Law King and the celestial seats!”
“Yet, I saw something so horrific I could hardly believe my eyes. I never imagined witnessing such a disgusting scene in the kingdom.”
Olivia asked.
“…What exactly are you talking about?”
“Illegal child slave trading and abuse.”
“…….”
The room fell silent.
Olivia blinked, struggling to grasp Chris’s meaning.
“W-What did you say?”
“Illegal child slave trading and abuse.”
“!!”
Shock rippled through the chamber.
Voices rose in disbelief.
“What nonsense is this?!”
“You scoundrel! How dare you insult our kingdom with such vile lies!”
Then, an unexpected figure burst in.
“P-Please, everyone calm down! This man is not lying!”
It was Viscount Roy.
“You’re from the Bursen Duchy? Weren’t you monitoring those mines? How can you say this is true?”
“It’s exactly as he said. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“!!”
Viscount Roy hurriedly explained.
Chris and his group had been tracking clues to uncover the truth behind the curse in the kingdom. During their investigation, they sensed suspicious dark magic and followed it, only to witness the horrific scene.
“…T-This is impossible.”
The vassals looked incredulous.
But they no longer shouted.
Viscount Roy, heir to the Bursen Duchy, was not someone to be ignored.
“Who in our kingdom would commit such a terrible act?”
“Well, we’ll find out soon enough.”
Chris crossed his arms.
He then fixed his gaze on the pale-faced man who had been silent until now.
“Isn’t that right, Sir Miek?”
“!!”
Miek swallowed hard.
‘Damn bastard. How did he find out my secret?’
Indeed.
The horrific scene Chris had uncovered was Miek’s secret hideout.
Chris had uncovered Miek’s secret so easily thanks to knowledge from the future.
‘It was once a scandal. The kingdom’s representative paladin committing such devilish acts behind the scenes.’
Chris taunted the frozen Miek.
“So, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“To think someone wearing a human face could commit such a horrific act. Even our kind wouldn’t stoop to this. Sir Miek, do you have any suspects in mind?”
“…I don’t know.”
The crowd exchanged puzzled glances at Miek’s strange response.
Chris twisted his lips into a mocking sneer.
“You don’t know? Then how do you explain this?”
“!!”
It was the emblem worn by the paladins of the Law Kingdom.
Not just any emblem—it signified a top-tier knight.
At this moment, only one active knight in the Law Kingdom bore that symbol.
Miek himself.
“We found it where the victims were held captive. Don’t you think you owe us an explanation for why this was there?”
“…….”
A suffocating silence fell over the room.
No one dared speak, stunned by the horrifying truth.
Miek’s eyes bloodshot with desperation.
‘No! If this goes on, I’m finished. I have to fix this somehow!’
There was only one way out.
“To accuse me of such slander… truly fitting of a despicable Ma-in.”
The only saving grace for Miek was that the one who uncovered this was a Ma-in.
In the Law Kingdom, Ma-in were the embodiment of evil.
They could pin this entire vile scheme on that treacherous Ma-in.