Chapter 156

The nobles of the court, lined up on both sides, felt as though their hearts had stopped.

He was casting doubt on nothing less than the bloodline of the imperial family—and on that of the second prince at that, who in practice was no different from the next emperor of the empire.

This was no longer merely “suspected treason,” but treason in its purest form, with no possible escape.

“…Are you aware of what you are saying right now?”

Cedric looked at Fritz with an indifferent expression, as if the doubt were so absurd that it was not even worth taking seriously.

However, Fritz continued pressing him with the “truth.”

“Direct relatives of the imperial family can use the magical artifacts employed by the former emperor. No—rather, it would be more accurate to say that all imperial magical artifacts exist precisely for blood relatives in the direct line.”

“Be quiet.”

“Therefore, the second prince should also be able to use them. You must prove it right here. Otherwise…”

“Will you not shut up already?! How dare you?!”

Unable to endure the constant barrage of truths, Cedric exploded into a shout.

His reddened face overflowed with murderous intent, as though he might cut Fritz down on the spot. Yet Fritz did not even blink and asked calmly,

“Do you intend to kill me here?”

“Do you think I am incapable of killing a mere envoy?”

“No. I only meant that even if you kill me, nothing will change.”

“…”

“I have already said everything I needed to say. Now it is Your Highness the second prince’s turn to give an explanation.”

“An explanation?”

What on earth was he supposed to explain, and why? That was what Cedric wanted to shout, but he could not. The nobles of the court were already watching him with confused expressions.

Suppressing a fury on the verge of eruption, Cedric began to think rapidly.

Whether what the other man said was true or not, refusing to give an explanation would only deepen the suspicions.

He had to invent, by any means necessary, a convincing justification for why he could not use the magical artifacts.

“I do not know what misunderstanding you have, but everything you say is false. That only direct relatives of the imperial family can use magical artifacts—where did you get such nonsense?”

“It sounds as though you are saying that I am mistaken.”

“Imperial magical artifacts can be used by anyone who receives the authority of the previous owner. One need only look at the armor and weapons of the Order of the Red Wings.”

It was not a lie. The Order of the Red Wings, the emperor’s personal guard and considered the strongest in the empire, used equipment composed exclusively of magical artifacts.

With the emperor’s permission, they could draw out their power, as had been demonstrated during the suppression of the Krephelt rebellion.

“As planned, I too was supposed to receive from the former emperor the authority to use the artifacts, but there was no time. No one expected him to depart so suddenly to the side of the Eight Gods.”

“Then are you saying that you did not receive that authority from the former emperor?”

“That is correct. I do not know how it was with my brother, but even if he could use them, would that be strange? To be honest, the former emperor favored him a little… no, quite a lot.”

In other words, with the intention of handing the throne to the first prince, he might have transferred all the rights to him in advance.

But whatever the former emperor’s will may have been, the one who held power now was Cedric. Bringing up the past would change nothing.

“By the way, the more I think about it, the stranger it seems. The duke saw with his own eyes Sir Glenn using a magical artifact, did he not? Then why are you spouting such nonsense? Do you intend to spread lies by taking advantage of the many who are ignorant of magic?”

Cedric smiled coldly as he mentioned Glenn, who had been dispatched by order of the former emperor.

If only direct relatives could use the artifacts, then it would be impossible to explain how Glenn had used them.

Despite Cedric’s rebuttal, Fritz shook his head with complete composure.

“With all due respect, Your Highness the second prince, the one speaking nonsense right now is you.”

“What did you say?”

“Direct relatives are the owners of the house who possess the key. Everyone else is merely someone to whom the owner lends the key. It makes no sense for someone who should be the owner to say that he never received the key.”

“So even if I had not received the rights from the former emperor, I should still be able to use it? Are you now going to invent things to threaten me? Ridiculous. To dare debate the rights of magical artifacts before the imperial family…”

As the two of them clashed fiercely without either yielding an inch, the nobles of the court looked at one another, at a loss.

They did not know enough about magic to determine who was telling the truth.

At that moment, Marius, who had been disguised as an attendant alongside Fritz, stood up.

“If you doubt it so much, why not ask Duke Blasker, head of the Flame School? There is no greater expert than him within the imperial family, is there?”

“And who are you?”

“I am Marius, chief mage of Asagrim.”

Cedric’s face twisted with irritation. To think that even the authority granted by the former emperor was being exploited just to spew such nonsense.

Letting out a deep sigh, Cedric looked toward Blasker.

“Duke Blasker. It seems this old man wishes to hear your opinion, so please explain—”

The instant he saw Blasker, Cedric froze.

While the other nobles hesitated, Blasker alone was pale as a ghost, visibly trembling.

Marius smiled at the sight and asked calmly,

“Duke Blasker, could you explain to us the operating principle of the imperial magical artifacts?”

***

Blasker Linveil, the highest authority among the court mages, shut his eyes tightly.

For the first time in his life, the knowledge he had always been so proud of felt utterly detestable.

Precisely because he knew more than anyone else, he could not turn his gaze away from the truth.

“Say it in your own words. What exactly does it mean that His Highness the second prince cannot activate the imperial magical artifacts?”

“……”

“Is it true that they only function with the permission of the former emperor? Does that mean that if an emperor dies suddenly without granting that permission, no one would ever be able to use the magical artifacts again?”

Blasker could not answer.

Among the countless ancient artifacts, there existed no house that defined ownership of magical artifacts in such an absurd manner.

That the transfer of ownership would obligatorily depend on the permission of the owner meant that, if that owner died prematurely, the artifact would end up as nothing more than a relic, regardless of whether there were heirs.

By contrast, identifying the owner through blood was such a common method that, in ancient times, there was practically no lineage that did not use it.

‘If only I were the only one who knew this.’

If he could lie to avoid chaos, if he could deceive everyone with a single falsehood, how much easier everything would be.

But knowledge about the transfer of ownership of magical artifacts was a basic principle even among mages.

Lying here would be pointless; the other court mages would discover it immediately.

“……It is not impossible.”

In the end, an ambiguous statement came out of Blasker’s mouth.

It was not something common, but neither was it completely impossible.

However, that ambiguity was a fatal blow to Cedric. Anyone could tell that he was trying to cover up something that, clearly, had no real possibility.

Marius raised the corner of his lips in a mocking smirk.

“Of course, it’s not impossible. I’ve never seen a magical artifact with such conditions, but it seems you have.”

“……”

Blasker fell silent once more. Lying again would only make him be exposed even faster.

Seeing Blasker unable to refute anything, the nobles of the court were left horrified.

In practice, it was equivalent to acknowledging the doubt that Fritz had raised from the very beginning.

Amid the general commotion, Cedric’s voice suddenly exploded.

“Seize them!”

“Huh?”

“Catch them! Capture those people right now!”

Cedric’s furious shout echoed through the hall.

It did not matter whether they had fabricated lies or revealed an imperial secret; in either case, they had touched the very foundations of the imperial family, something unforgivable.

He planned to capture them immediately and torture them until they begged to die.

Just as the knights began to move to seize Fritz’s group—

“We are grateful for the hospitality of His Highness the second prince, but it is time for us to take our leave.”

Fwaaaash!

“W-What?!”

“It’s a barrier!”

With a bluish flash, a magical barrier appeared, forcing the knights to recoil in alarm. Realizing it was a barrier, Cedric shouted toward Blasker.

“Duke Blasker, deactivate the barrier!”

“I-I can’t!”

“What nonsense are you saying?! You are a mage as well!”

“The opponent’s capability far surpasses mine. Not only is it impossible to deactivate it, I cannot even destroy it.”

As he spoke, Blasker lowered his head in shame.

He had always considered himself one of the five greatest mages of his time, yet he had never imagined someone could exist at such an elevated level.

All the confidence he had accumulated over the years collapsed at once.

As Blasker sank into humiliation, an irritatingly calm voice reached Cedric’s ears.

“Then we shall take our leave. We leave the rest to His Highness the second prince.”

“You damned sons of—!”

Flash!

Before Cedric could finish cursing, a blinding light erupted. The glare was so intense that everyone instinctively turned their faces away.

When the light faded enough for them to open their eyes again, Fritz’s group had already vanished.

In the silence that followed, the nobles of the court glanced sidelong at Cedric.

Just as they expected, Cedric’s eyes, brimming with palpable murderous intent, were fixed on them.

“What happened today must never leave your mouths.”

“……”

“No response. Is there perhaps a family member you wish to tell?”

“N-no!”

“We swear by the Eight Gods, we will not say anything!”

As the nobles hurried to swear their oaths, Cedric closed his eyes.

No matter how much they promised, sooner or later someone would spread it. That was why, before that happened, there was something he needed to confirm with absolute certainty.

“Duke Blasker, come here for a moment.”

***

Just as Cedric had anticipated, it did not take long before rumors began to circulate.

The nobles of the court tried to restrain themselves, but too many ears had heard it. No matter how strict the censorship, information always ended up leaking out.

Moreover, the meeting with Fritz’s group was a matter the entire empire was watching closely.

There had been a meeting, but the outcome was unknown, so investigations began everywhere.

The partial truth was soon uncovered, and one of the first to learn of it was Marquis Bernhardt.

“The duke’s envoy said that the second prince’s blood is suspicious? Is that true?”

“Yes. And it seems it is not an unfounded accusation.”

“What? Then is the second prince not truly the son of the former emperor?”

“It is not certain, but the excessively strict silence and the complete lack of explanation make it highly suspicious. If it were something easy to refute, they would have actively denied it and used it to their advantage, don’t you think?”

“Oh…!”

Upon hearing the spy’s report, Marquis Bernhardt trembled with joy.

He had never wanted to support the second prince, knowing that once he ascended the throne, the first thing he would do would be to keep him under surveillance.

But the first prince was such a disaster that he had had no other choice.

And now it turned out that the second prince’s bloodline was in doubt.

Faced with such unexpected fortune, the marquis’s mind began spinning at full speed.

‘If this information is true, the second prince will not be able to ascend the throne. And the first prince, who has already lost all support, has no chance of returning either.’

The throne would remain vacant for a time, followed by great chaos brought about by the second prince’s desperation.

Amid that disorder, if Marquis Bernhardt were to present a prince from a convenient secondary branch and establish himself as an independent third force, who could stop him?

If he succeeded, he would rule as absolute regent, with a puppet emperor at the front.

With a bit of luck, in two or three generations, the imperial family of the empire would cease to be Astria and would become Roglan.

Faced with such a thrilling future, the marquis smiled deeply.

“The Eight Gods are on my side.”