Episode 99: Evidence (3)
“Your Majesty! This matter cannot be overlooked!”
Alexander Apple stormed into the audience chamber, flanked by nobles from his faction.
“Do you realize how much was wasted on the failed expedition? And how many knights were lost?”
The king listened in silence, his expression one of deep sorrow.
“Even if he is the crown prince, this cannot be ignored!”
“I understand. When he returns, I will reprimand him severely…”
“That won’t suffice.”
Alexander Apple spoke with unwavering resolve.
“What do you mean?”
“Your Majesty, it’s time to acknowledge the truth. Oliver is not fit to be the crown prince.”
The king’s eyes widened, but Alexander Apple pressed on.
“You must think rationally. Consider whether he can lead the kingdom when he inherits the throne.”
The king glanced at the nobles Alexander had brought. They remained silent, tacitly agreeing with him.
“Your Majesty, you must make a decision!”
Alexander Apple urged again, and the king let out a deep sigh.
After a long pause, the king finally spoke.
”…You’re right. Oliver is not suited to inherit the throne.”
As those words left the king’s lips, a gleam of triumph flickered in Alexander Apple’s eyes.
“We should strip him of his title as crown prince…”
At that moment, the doors to the chamber burst open, and a group of people entered.
“Your Majesty! Please, wait!”
Alexander Apple scowled at the interruption.
“Oliver? How are you here?”
“Uncle, it’s been a while.”
Oliver Apple’s greeting caught Alexander off guard. The nephew who had always cowered before him now stood with unexpected confidence.
“How dare you show such audacity after failing the expedition!”
Alexander Apple couldn’t hide his irritation. In fact, he didn’t need to.
“You should brace yourself! His Majesty has promised to hold you accountable for this failure…”
“The expedition was a success.”
Oliver Apple stated calmly, leaving both Alexander and the king in shock.
“What? A success? Is that true?”
“Yes, it is.”
“But you sent a report saying it failed!”
“There were reasons.”
Alexander Apple shouted, dismissing Oliver’s words as nonsense.
“Don’t be fooled, Your Majesty! He’s trying to escape responsibility with lies…”
From the back, Damian stepped forward and emptied a large sack in front of the king and Alexander Apple. Out spilled a heap of large fangs, enough to leave the king aghast.
“What… what is this?”
“These are the fangs of the orcs and ogres we defeated in the expedition.”
Damian tossed the empty sack aside.
“As you can see, they’re all fangs. Four fangs per creature. Can you imagine how many we must have slain?”
The king and the other nobles stared wide-eyed at the pile.
“Then… why did you report it as a failure?”
The king asked, bewildered. Oliver Apple raised his voice to answer.
“We needed evidence to expose the traitor who has been deceiving the kingdom and the royal family.”
“A traitor? Who is it?”
Oliver Apple pointed directly at Alexander Apple.
“It’s you, Uncle.”
Alexander Apple’s face twisted, but he forced himself to speak calmly.
“Oliver, what are you saying? How could I be a traitor? You know how much I’ve dedicated myself to the kingdom.”
Oliver gestured, and knights dragged three women bound in ropes to the floor. At the sight of their faces, Alexander Apple turned pale.
“You conspired with dark sorcerers to create chaos in the kingdom, using it as a pretext to expand your power and influence.”
Alexander Apple’s eyes darted wildly, and he protested vehemently.
“Your Majesty! This is slander! I don’t know these people at all!”
The king looked confused, struggling to process the successful expedition and the accusation against Alexander Apple, whom he had trusted.
“Your Majesty! Oliver Apple is fabricating lies to avoid responsibility for the failed expedition. Arrest him immediately to uphold the royal dignity!”
“Prince Oliver speaks the truth.”
All eyes turned to the back of the room, where Alexander Apple muttered in disbelief.
”…Sir Liam?”
Liam Bluegreen spoke in a calm tone.
“Before I captured this dark sorcerer, she confessed to her connection with Lord Alexander Apple.”
He pointed to one of the sorcerers.
“Sir Liam! What are you saying? I am innocent!”
“Lord, there’s no point in hiding it any longer. I heard it with my own ears.”
With Liam Bluegreen, a high-ranking knight devoted to the royal family, supporting Oliver, the balance tipped decisively.
”…Soldiers, arrest Alexander Apple immediately.”
The king commanded, and the soldiers began to surround Alexander Apple.
“Your Majesty, no, brother! You’re making a mistake! How can you believe these fools over me?”
Alexander Apple pleaded desperately, but no one listened.
He gritted his teeth, scanning the room. Liam Bluegreen spoke again.
“Lord, if you’re thinking of calling the knights, give it up. I’ve already subdued them.”
Liam’s calm words left Alexander Apple in shock.
“Sir Liam, why are you doing this? Didn’t you say you supported me?”
“Yes, I did. I truly believed you were the future of the kingdom.”
“Then why…?”
“But I cannot support someone who allied with dark sorcerers to become king.”
Faced with this undeniable truth, Alexander Apple fell silent.
“Lord, surrender peacefully. It’s the honorable thing to do.”
Alexander Apple looked around, but no one stood by him.
”…It’s over.”
He sighed deeply.
“Are you admitting your guilt?”
“There’s no point in denying it. Yes, it’s all true.”
The king staggered at the admission.
“Why… why did you do it?”
“Brother, why pretend you don’t know? You’re the root of all this.”
Alexander Apple sneered.
“Remember our childhood? Father said he’d make the more capable of us the crown prince. So I worked tirelessly.”
He continued.
“While I was recognized as a knight, what were you doing? You were buried in books at the palace. Anyone could see I should have been the one to ascend the throne. But Father chose you as the crown prince.”
Alexander Apple’s voice rose.
“I accepted it as Father’s decision! I endured! But when that fool Oliver was born, my patience ran out!”
His gaze turned to Oliver Apple.
“A spoiled brat who took the crown prince’s title just because he was an only child, wasting time with foolish antics! Yet you kept him as the crown prince!”
Oliver bit his lip, shocked by his uncle’s true feelings.
“Can you imagine how I felt watching that? It was like lava boiling inside me!”
”…So you allied with dark sorcerers?”
“Yes! I used their power to build my influence! I gathered supporters! Everything was going smoothly until…”
Alexander Apple glared at Damian.
“You! You ruined everything! It’s all your fault!”
“Then you should have done better.”
Damian replied nonchalantly, leaving Alexander Apple speechless.
“What… what did you say?”
“You should have planned more thoroughly. Why blame me for your failure? Now I see why the late king didn’t choose you as crown prince.”
As Damian spoke, Alexander Apple’s eyes burned with rage.
”…Watch your mouth. Do you know who you’re speaking to?”
“I’m speaking to a traitor about to be imprisoned, waiting for execution. You sure talk a lot for someone in your position.”
At that, Alexander Apple’s fury reached its peak. He reached out into the air, shouting.
“Return to me!”
A sword pierced through the wall and landed in the hands of Alexander Apple. It was none other than the legendary Thornblade.
“Sir, are you really thinking of resisting?” Liam Bluegreen asked, his eyes sharp and probing.
“Sir Liam, have you forgotten? I’m high-class now too.”
“Not all high-class individuals are on the same level,” Liam retorted.
As one ascended the ranks, the disparities within each class grew more pronounced. The gap between the extremes of the middle class was wider than that of the lower class, and the high class was even more so.
Liam Bluegreen had reached the high class long ago and had continued to hone his skills, becoming even stronger. He was on a different level compared to someone like Alexander Apple, who had relied on the power of an artifact sword to elevate his status.
“Is that so?” Alexander Apple replied, unfazed, as if he knew something others didn’t.
“You fool. This is no time to be sleeping. Get up quickly,” he suddenly said, seemingly to no one in particular.
“Can’t you hear me? I need your strength. If you don’t wake up now, we’re both doomed.”
Liam Bluegreen looked puzzled. The words seemed completely out of context.
“Who are you talking to…?”
Just then, something extraordinary happened.
A mouth appeared on the crossguard of the Thornblade in Alexander Apple’s hand.
“What the…!”
“What on earth is that?!”
Everyone took a step back in shock, including Liam Bluegreen, who couldn’t hide his surprise.
-You idiot, what did I tell you? I never wake up before sunset.
“You fool. Does this look like a time to be sleeping?”
-Keh, making a fuss over nothing.
The sword was speaking. More astonishingly, Alexander Apple was conversing with it.
The bizarre scene left everyone bewildered, except for one person.
‘So it wasn’t an artifact sword after all.’
Damian quickly realized the true nature of the talking sword. The unease he had felt before was no illusion. This was no artifact sword.
‘It’s a demon sword.’
A cursed object, known as a fragment of a demon, stood before them.