Chapter 197

“Your Majesty, may I request that the passage be opened briefly? I will retrieve the Truth Confession Pills from the main house’s vault.”

[Very well.]

Soon, a high-ranking demon from the Venomous Maga brought forth a box containing the pills.

But once again, Chris raised a strange objection.

“Wait a moment. How can we be sure these pills are truly the Truth Confession Pills?”

“Hmph. What nonsense are you picking at now?”

“I humbly ask, Your Majesty the Demon King, to personally verify that these pills are indeed the genuine Truth Confession Pills.”

Was he enjoying this little game?

The Demon King of Cheongryu let out a soft chuckle.

[Very well.]

With a swift gesture, the box containing the pills appeared before the Demon King.

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

[Hmm. Indeed, all the pills in this box contain the miracle of truth verification.]

“Pardon my boldness, but please swear in the name of the greatest being, His Majesty the Demon Emperor.”

[!!]

Everyone held their breath.

The Demon King’s gaze darkened.

[You don’t trust me?]

A chilling silence fell over the hall, as if the very air had frozen.

The pressure was suffocating, yet Chris pressed on resolutely.

“That is not the case at all. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

[The opposite?]

“Yes. Even though Your Majesty has personally verified the pills, I feared that some scoundrels might refuse to accept the results. So, I thought it best to firmly seal the matter in advance by making this request.”

Chris knelt and bowed his head.

“This incident is a heinous crime—an attempt to massacre the Demon Emperor’s subjects. I believe there can be no room for error in the judgment process. If my request has caused offense, I humbly apologize.”

The Demon King let out a dry laugh.

[You speak well.]

“……”

[Since you insist, very well. I swear by the name of the Demon Emperor that these pills are genuine. But mark my words—if you truly orchestrated this crime, your punishment will not be light. Not even the Venomous Maga can protect you.]

A sharp warning.

Everyone looked at Chris with bewildered eyes.

‘Why would he make such a proposal?’

Chris’s actions were hardly in his own favor.

Ruina swallowed the Truth Confession Pill and then, with fiery conviction, gave her testimony.

“It’s true! That wicked Chris was behind it all! Truly the truth! Long live Marquis Goras! Long live Your Majesty the Demon King! Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!”

Despite her words, there was no unusual reaction.

It meant her testimony was genuine.

[That witness’s statement is not perjury. Do you have any further excuses?]

The Demon King’s cold question hung in the air.

Chris shrugged.

“Actually, I did tamper with the evidence.”

[You admit your crime?]

“Of course not. I only manipulated the evidence to bring Marquis Goras’s crimes to light.”

An utterly unacceptable claim.

Just as the Demon King was about to pass judgment—

“Ah, may I bring forth a witness as well?”

[A witness?]

“Yes. There is a witness who can testify that all of this was a conspiracy orchestrated by Marquis Goras’s faction.”

Everyone in the hall looked puzzled.

Soon, a masked figure stepped forward.

Some of the Venomous Maga demons recognized the witness and widened their eyes.

Chris removed the mask, revealing a young man trembling with fear.

“This is Duke Hubert of the Venomous Maga.”

“!!”

“Duke Hubert, under Marquis Goras’s orders, leaked the poison by exploiting his friendship with Princess Marisa, and fabricated evidence to frame her. Is that correct, Duke Hubert?”

Hubert bit his lip tightly and nodded shakily.

“Y-Yes. It was all my doing.”

Shock rippled through the hall.

Though Hubert and Marisa shared the same father but different mothers, they were known for their close sibling bond.

Yet behind the scenes, he had committed such treachery?

‘It was all a mask.’

Hubert was the black sheep of the family.

Lacking talent and recognition, he was constantly belittled by his kin.

Meanwhile, his younger sister Marisa, though born out of wedlock, had earned respect for her exceptional skill in toxicology, carving out her own place—and Hubert resented her for it.

‘He couldn’t stand up to the others who oppressed him, so he took out his spite on the easy target—his sister.’

Chris clicked his tongue.

This was more than just resentment.

Hubert had betrayed his father and allied with Marquis Goras to survive.

‘Marisa is suffering because of a scoundrel like this.’

Chris glanced toward Marisa, who sat with a stiff expression.

Having been tipped off by Chris beforehand, she showed no surprise.

But the pain of being betrayed by a trusted brother was clear.

“As Duke Hubert’s testimony confirms, this entire scheme was a plot by Marquis Goras to slander Princess Marisa and myself.”

“I cannot accept this.”

Marquis Goras shook his head coldly.

“Look at Duke Hubert’s condition. He is clearly under the influence of dark magic, his mind suppressed.”

Not entirely untrue.

Hubert had been tormented by mental attacks from Marisa and was half out of his mind. A curse forcing confessions had also been placed on him.

But the reason Hubert appeared this way was a performance orchestrated by Chris.

“If you don’t believe me, then use the Truth Confession Pills.”

“!!”

“If the pills are administered, we will know whether Duke Hubert is telling the truth or not.”

Marquis Goras hesitated.

If Hubert took the pills, his testimony would be proven true.

‘We must oppose this.’

But he couldn’t.

He realized why Chris had suggested using the pills earlier.

It was all groundwork for this moment!

Had Chris demanded Hubert take the pills outright, Marquis Goras would have found any excuse to refuse.

But since the pills had already been used once to verify the truth, there was no reason to reject them now.

Moreover, the Demon King of Cheongryu himself had confirmed the pills’ authenticity—no one could deny their effect.

He was trapped.

“There’s no need to use the Truth Confession Pills unnecessarily when the falsehood is already clear.”

Marquis Goras tried to evade the crisis, but someone interrupted.

“I cannot accept Lord Marquis’s words.”

“!!”

It was Duke Huam of the Venomous Maga, who had remained silent until now.

With heavy eyes, he stepped forward toward Duke Hubert.

“Father.”

In that instant, the disappointment and pain of being betrayed by his son flickered across Duke Huam’s eyes.

“Take it.”

He handed over the Truth Confession Pills.

Hubert swallowed the trembling pill and spoke.

“…Everything I said is true. Under Marquis Goras’s orders, I leaked the poison and fabricated evidence to frame Marisa.”

It was the truth.

Shock spread through the hall.

It was tantamount to a declaration of guilt.

“This… this is—”

Marquis Goras’s face hardened.

Chris smirked.

“I’m curious what lies you’ll try to tell next. But I suggest you choose your words carefully. The one who vouched for the pills Duke Hubert took is none other than Your Majesty the Demon King himself. Sworn by the name of the Demon Emperor.”

Indeed.

With the Demon King personally guaranteeing the pills in the name of the Demon Emperor, no one could deny their effect—not even the Demon King himself.

Marquis Goras fell silent, unable to utter a word.

Chris looked directly at the Demon King.

“I beseech Your Majesty. Marquis Goras not only sought to harm the Demon Emperor’s subjects out of selfish greed but also refused to admit his crimes, instead attempting to slander Your Majesty and the Demon Emperor with lies.”

[!!]

“This is an unforgivable crime. I humbly request that Marquis Goras be given the appropriate severe punishment.”

Everyone swallowed hard.

Especially Marquis Goras’s supporters, who turned pale.

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

The problem was that Marquis Goras’s crimes were no ordinary offenses.

Throughout the trial, Chris had skillfully emphasized that Marquis Goras had committed offenses against the Demon Emperor.

No matter how much the Demon King wanted to side with Marquis Goras, once the Demon Emperor’s name was invoked, he could not let it slide lightly.

A brief silence fell over the hall.

[Impressive.]

“!!”

The Demon King of Cheongryu smiled faintly.

[Thanks to you, Duke Chris, we have uncovered the true facts. His Majesty the Demon Emperor will be pleased to hear of your efforts.]

An unexpected compliment.

No, not just a compliment—there was a scheme afoot.

Indeed, the Demon King spoke thus.

[“This is quite the predicament. Marquis Goras has been a loyal vassal of the Venomous Maga, having devoted much effort to serve His Majesty the Demon Emperor. Grand Duke Christian, what punishment do you believe is appropriate for Marquis Goras? I trust you will make a wise decision.”]

They were asking Christian to decide the punishment!

But the Demon King of Blue Stream added a condition.

He reminded them to consider the merits Marquis Goras had earned as the deputy lord of the Venomous Maga.

In other words, he was urging for a compromise.

From the perspective of the Dark Maga, this was infuriating, but Christian unexpectedly smiled.

‘This actually works in my favor. I suspected the Demon King of Blue Stream would try some half-measure like this.’

He never truly believed they would hand down the harshest sentence to Marquis Goras.

That was fine.

Instead, he could impose a punishment that would still deal a significant blow.

Christian spoke up.

“As His Majesty the Demon King said, Marquis Goras has indeed labored greatly for His Majesty the Demon Emperor, so I find the death penalty inappropriate. However, I do request an alternative punishment.”

[“What might that be?”]

“First, I ask that Marquis Goras be sentenced to six months of penance.”

The hall stirred again.

It was a form of confinement.

But unlike ordinary imprisonment, this penance meant complete isolation—no contact with the outside world, as the name suggests, to reflect on one’s crimes.

“Considering the offense, this is a relatively light punishment.”

Marquis Goras clenched his teeth.

For most, this penance wouldn’t be a major issue, especially since it lasted only six months.

But Marquis Goras was different.

‘Who knows what could happen while I’m isolated?’

He ruled over the Venomous Maga’s minions through sheer terror.

And six months was more than enough time for cracks to form.

Still, he couldn’t refuse.

After all, his crime deserved the harshest penalty.

[“Is that all?”]

“No, of course not. There’s more.”

This was only the beginning.