Chapter 308
“!!”
The entire hall was thrown into shock.
Poison from the infamous demons of the Mado Empire?
“No! That can’t be true!”
“Shut up, you fool!!”
Heinz, who had been calm moments ago, now shouted desperately, but it was useless.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. But I doubt this was done by that man alone.”
Chris shifted his gaze toward Marquis Valmond.
“Check his sword as well.”
“W-what…! Don’t insult me!”
The royal knights hesitated, reluctant to search their captain.
At that moment, Evan sprang into action.
With lightning speed, he struck Valmond’s hand holding the scabbard. The sword spun through the air and landed right in front of Chris.
Chris picked up the sword, running his fingers over it, then dropped a thunderous revelation.
“This sword is also coated with the deadly poison of the Geukdok Maga.”
“!!”
“Verify it.”
It was unbelievable.
But soon, the truth was confirmed.
“No! I, Valmond, would never do such a thing!”
“Absolutely not…!”
Both shouted in protest, their faces full of indignation. Chris silently nodded to himself.
‘Well, they do have a right to be upset. After all, this is my own deception.’
He had secretly infused the sword with the lethal poison using dark magic when handling the weapons.
A flawless trick that no one could detect.
“Chief of the Royal Secretariat, what is the punishment for attempting to harm an opponent with poison during a duel?”
“…Death.”
No one could argue with that.
“And if the victim is a member of the royal family?”
“…The same. In such cases, His Majesty may punish the offenders directly without trial.”
That meant they could be executed on the spot.
Both men’s faces turned pale.
“I see. Do you have anything to say?”
“N-no…!”
“Never…!”
But Chris’s reaction was unexpected.
“Hmm, something’s off. Though you may be incompetent, I don’t believe you’re capable of such a heinous act.”
He was blaming others for his own crime.
There was a reason.
“Summon the Second and Third Princes.”
“!!”
“They wouldn’t have acted alone. I will question the true masterminds behind this incident—the Second and Third Princes.”
The entire hall went white.
That’s right.
Chris’s real target was not these two, but the main players in the struggle for the throne: the Second and Third Princes.
The Second and Third Princes arrived quickly.
Of course—they had clearly rushed out in alarm.
“What is the meaning of this?”
The Second Prince bellowed fiercely.
Unlike the frail Crown Prince, he had a strong, imposing presence.
“Indeed, brother. What is all this commotion about?”
The Third Prince’s expression was sly.
A typical tyrant’s face, full of greed.
“Pleasure to meet you. Though this isn’t the time for pleasantries, I assume you’ve been briefed on the way here.”
Chris asked sharply.
“Did you two order this incident?”
“!!”
The atmosphere stiffened.
Everyone stared at the two princes.
Their answers were predictable.
“No.”
“Of course not.”
“Think carefully before you answer. Your lives depend on it.”
The princes flinched.
If they denied involvement, these two men would be executed, bearing the blame.
When they hesitated, Chris drew his sword and approached the two kneeling, bound men.
“If this is unrelated to you, I will execute them here and now.”
A clear threat.
The Second Prince glared at Chris as if ready to kill, then said,
“This has nothing to do with me.”
“Your Highness?!”
Marquis Valmond shouted urgently, but the Second Prince ignored him.
Even if the victim were a regular royal, this would be problematic—but he was a hero.
Attempting to poison a hero could brand them as a devil’s pawn.
No matter who, the Second Prince couldn’t protect them politically.
‘Still, to discard them so easily… Well, he’s not the type to sacrifice himself for his subordinates.’
Chris then looked at the Third Prince.
“And you, Third Prince?”
“I…”
The Third Prince wiped sweat from his brow.
Compared to the strong Second Prince, he seemed weaker.
But his answer was unexpected.
“I don’t know anything. But he’s my right hand. I can’t deny responsibility either, so I’ll share the punishment.”
Despite his sneering face, his answer was surprisingly bold.
‘A cunning greedy man, not to be underestimated.’
In his previous life, the Third Prince had ultimately won the throne struggle.
He wasn’t acting out of loyalty to Heinz.
If he abandoned Heinz now, he’d become an enemy of the White Tiger Corps, so he was reluctantly protecting him.
Chris shrugged and ordered the hesitant royal knights.
“I understand your statements. Escort these two to the dungeon. Further interrogation and punishment will follow.”
The two princes watched coldly as their key subordinates were dragged away.
They had just lost their most important allies.
The blow was especially hard on the Second Prince. By abandoning Marquis Valmond, captain of the royal guard, he lost the knights’ trust.
“…I’ll be going now.”
The Second Prince’s voice was thick with displeasure. The Third Prince glanced around, as if considering leaving too.
“No, wait. There’s something important to discuss.”
“What do you mean?”
“To both of you—and the Crown Prince as well. I have urgent matters to address.”
The Crown Prince, who had been cornered and silent, suddenly looked startled.
The Second and Third Princes reacted sharply.
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“Yeah, why should we listen to you…?”
“You will listen. This is a revelation from the Celestial Sovereign.”
“!!”
Everyone flinched.
Even the royal family of the Karn Empire could not dismiss such a claim.
Chris smiled slyly and continued.
“You all know I am the hero. The great Celestial Sovereign has sent a revelation to the three princes. You’d better listen respectfully.”
The three princes hesitated, and Chris’s voice turned cold.
Speaking as the Sovereign’s envoy, he lowered his tone.
“Do you find my words laughable? I am not just a royal—I am the hero, the Celestial Sovereign’s representative. What is with that attitude?”
“!!”
“Or are you daring to reject the will of the great Sovereign? Could it be you harbor some wicked darkness in your hearts?”
The princes’ faces changed.
That implied devil worship.
They gritted their teeth and knelt before Chris.
“…We will obey the Sovereign’s will.”
Chris smirked arrogantly and nodded.
“Your reverence for the Sovereign is lacking—especially you, Second Prince. Have you not even learned the rites of the holy war? Why do you hold your head so arrogantly? Do you think, as a Karn royal, you stand above the Sovereign?”
The Second Prince ground his teeth and bowed his head to the floor.
The crowd watched in stunned silence.
They suddenly realized Chris was not just any prince, but the hero.
Chris scanned the hall and raised his hand toward the sky.
A brilliant light shone down.
“Holy power?!”
“Whoa!! The light of the Sovereign!”
As the sacred light bathed Chris, the crowd gasped.
‘Of course, it’s a fake created by my own holy power.’
Chris, having created a grand atmosphere, looked down at the three princes.
“I will now deliver the Sovereign’s revelation.”
“…Speak.”
“Before I do, I ask: will you swear to accept any revelation as servants of the Sovereign?”
The three princes’ faces hardened.
They sensed this would be no ordinary message.
But refusing the Sovereign’s revelation was unthinkable.
“…We accept.”
“Good.”
Then,
“The Sovereign reveals that among you three, one harbors the wicked darkness of Gehenna in their heart.”
“!!”
Everyone’s eyes widened as if they would burst.
What was this?
That one of the three was a devil worshiper.
Chris’s stern gaze fell on them.
“As the hero, I have been commanded to identify and punish this one. You will cooperate fully with the investigation.”
It was a shocking declaration that would shake the Karn royal family to its core.
The hall erupted.
“Th-this is nonsense!!”
“Stop spouting nonsense!!”
Everyone protested.
But—
“How dare you call the Sovereign’s revelation nonsense? Who are you to say that?”
No one could answer.
They risked being branded devil worshipers themselves.
And there were those who lent authority to Chris’s words.
“This man is the true hero and the Sovereign’s representative, as guaranteed by our Holy Sanctuary.”
A high priest from the Holy Empire, sent by Holy Estanya.
But that wasn’t all.
[I also vouch for him.]
“!!”
A girl’s image appeared on the magical device broadcasting live.
It was Pope Olivia.
[As the Pope who inherits the Sacred Blood, I declare: to doubt the hero is to doubt the Sovereign. Remember this sin well.]
The hall fell silent at the Pope’s declaration.
‘…I didn’t ask her to appear in person like this.’
Chris cleared his throat inwardly.
Olivia wasn’t just here to help—her gaze burned fiercely at Chris.
As if she had something to say, her eyes were sharp and determined.
‘…Looks like I’ll have to pay her a visit sometime.’
Chris shook his head and fixed his gaze on the three princes.
“To be honest, I didn’t believe in the celestial prophecy at first. But just now, during the duel, when those two tried to poison me, I became certain—there is a darkness of Gehenna festering within the Karn Empire’s royal family.”
“!!”
“Of course, those who are innocent have nothing to fear. I swear by the name of the celestial throne that no innocent person will suffer unjustly.”
Chris’s eyes locked onto the Second Prince.
“Isn’t that right, Second Prince?”
Under Chris’s piercing gaze, the Second Prince clenched his fists tightly.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m just looking. You’re overreacting. You’d better be careful. What if someone misunderstands?”
“Damn it!!”
The Second Prince’s composure cracked as he opened his mouth to shout but suddenly snapped it shut.
Everyone in the banquet hall stared at him with a mix of shock and suspicion.
—Could it be?
That was the unspoken question in their eyes.
Grinding his teeth, the Second Prince spun around abruptly.
“I’m leaving!”
The Third Prince glanced nervously, then forced a smile.
“Ha ha, I-I’ll be going too… right? Ah, I have nothing to worry about! I’m completely innocent. I’m perfectly confident!”
Chris nodded in response, his tone noticeably softer than when addressing the Second Prince.
“Yes, please leave. We will meet again soon.”
“Ha ha… Why bother meeting? Let’s just never see each other again. It’s better for us royals to live without crossing paths.”
“I will come to see you soon.”
The Third Prince’s face twisted into a scowl, as if he’d just bitten into something foul.
With the Third Prince retreating hastily as well, Aslan, the radiant swordbearer, turned to the Crown Prince with admiration.
“The hero is truly remarkable. Such resolve and drive.”
In truth, Aslan had some inkling of the darkness lurking within the royal family.
She had never dared to intervene before, but this kind of decisiveness—
Yet the Crown Prince’s reaction was strange.
“Y-yeah.”
“Is something wrong, Your Highness?”
“I-I’m going to leave too. I, uh… I’m not feeling well.”
His face went pale as he stammered, then he abruptly disappeared.
Aslan’s expression hardened.
“…Your Highness?”