Chapter 156
K6zI9WBThe nobles of the court, lined up on both sides, felt as though their hearts had stopped.eGlh
qSF6hAHe 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.e3qA
6cXThis was no longer merely “suspected treason,” but treason in its purest form, with no possible escape.Fda
9Kxf“…Are you aware of what you are saying right now?”1q6Tcr4
lTtCedric looked at Fritz with an indifferent expression, as if the doubt were so absurd that it was not even worth taking seriously.EEqpULa
owxuHowever, Fritz continued pressing him with the “truth.”3T4b1Og
sQJHQbR“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.”Nx0b
ynkSnE5“Be quiet.”gmVQ8x0
N8OQ“Therefore, the second prince should also be able to use them. You must prove it right here. Otherwise…”4zvzTMs
gWjabRQ“Will you not shut up already?! How dare you?!”1QqRX5
8n27Unable to endure the constant barrage of truths, Cedric exploded into a shout.7uDn
2AnHis 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,eqqiTkR
NEUcVz“Do you intend to kill me here?”GWcY
xqJ1DpY“Do you think I am incapable of killing a mere envoy?”RXszm
fk7“No. I only meant that even if you kill me, nothing will change.”jgR7
qj75“…”xvnyFlY
5b4“I have already said everything I needed to say. Now it is Your Highness the second prince’s turn to give an explanation.”6aMGwCj
GJi“An explanation?”TRj
TfP32GaWhat 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.nOIr
YByRcGSuppressing a fury on the verge of eruption, Cedric began to think rapidly.5QTJ
ACZOOWhether what the other man said was true or not, refusing to give an explanation would only deepen the suspicions.E6O
XwpHe had to invent, by any means necessary, a convincing justification for why he could not use the magical artifacts.UM5I
uFQ“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?”MrFDqwF
6CDoI“It sounds as though you are saying that I am mistaken.”RpeUcUa
KTf3“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.”wOqSH1
xyCOMIt 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.QV905D
ldIWith the emperor’s permission, they could draw out their power, as had been demonstrated during the suppression of the Krephelt rebellion.Zjd
kHGgsx“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.”jZzy4
NcqBDmr“Then are you saying that you did not receive that authority from the former emperor?”H4VIRqm
HLXFmQ9“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.”D2ZAcjn
6RxLUVIn other words, with the intention of handing the throne to the first prince, he might have transferred all the rights to him in advance.9g5ki1r
hsqBut whatever the former emperor’s will may have been, the one who held power now was Cedric. Bringing up the past would change nothing.u0P8V
HC1O“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?”MVVU
LwaEtCedric smiled coldly as he mentioned Glenn, who had been dispatched by order of the former emperor.lmNlh9
DNXrIf only direct relatives could use the artifacts, then it would be impossible to explain how Glenn had used them.gZp
VWXlDespite Cedric’s rebuttal, Fritz shook his head with complete composure.QFw
hfEeG“With all due respect, Your Highness the second prince, the one speaking nonsense right now is you.”UXz
ORO2o“What did you say?”KlKGm3z
GDE“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.”ZjKF2
7cPaG“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…”8he
eBJAs the two of them clashed fiercely without either yielding an inch, the nobles of the court looked at one another, at a loss.hRx
aAFycThey did not know enough about magic to determine who was telling the truth.9pbrj
QOoX7LAt that moment, Marius, who had been disguised as an attendant alongside Fritz, stood up.GlKCVJ9
WMhDgZ“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?”DqkU
mVD“And who are you?”0hMaH29
MX1rrHp“I am Marius, chief mage of Asagrim.”MXJoko8
z7OCedric’s face twisted with irritation. To think that even the authority granted by the former emperor was being exploited just to spew such nonsense.4PBQ
aZCLetting out a deep sigh, Cedric looked toward Blasker.z2i
rqk“Duke Blasker. It seems this old man wishes to hear your opinion, so please explain—”YA5yp
JkB4The instant he saw Blasker, Cedric froze.57X
1peleWhile the other nobles hesitated, Blasker alone was pale as a ghost, visibly trembling.HnySAqw
OG8TFOBMarius smiled at the sight and asked calmly,oOnF
Alz5O“Duke Blasker, could you explain to us the operating principle of the imperial magical artifacts?”WF8OBu
T13P***yp7F1
WehBlasker Linveil, the highest authority among the court mages, shut his eyes tightly.JAifee
NueOIsUFor the first time in his life, the knowledge he had always been so proud of felt utterly detestable.cHBb
XiYPrecisely because he knew more than anyone else, he could not turn his gaze away from the truth.10IP2
aOkHY“Say it in your own words. What exactly does it mean that His Highness the second prince cannot activate the imperial magical artifacts?”EBnVS
ZaEZDsB“……”TfJ
nk0“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?”kwOEYyi
wuw1DBlasker could not answer.OQ1dXWU
H8m5Among the countless ancient artifacts, there existed no house that defined ownership of magical artifacts in such an absurd manner.8USN
YZFtZRfThat 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.0EN84
rcYNRIBy 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.LxB1f7
x3sEJ‘If only I were the only one who knew this.’D6NOd45
qpPbIf he could lie to avoid chaos, if he could deceive everyone with a single falsehood, how much easier everything would be.OLRVH
zY9R3SBut knowledge about the transfer of ownership of magical artifacts was a basic principle even among mages.sE4
QeW1fLying here would be pointless; the other court mages would discover it immediately.3G7
HBMyDH“……It is not impossible.”cAy
c0pIn the end, an ambiguous statement came out of Blasker’s mouth.Ln0jWtf
LRduIt was not something common, but neither was it completely impossible.QkaQjOq
vNcHowever, 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.0bH
9fw0Marius raised the corner of his lips in a mocking smirk.12hb
mcKf“Of course, it’s not impossible. I’ve never seen a magical artifact with such conditions, but it seems you have.”d1sJ
f82xw“……”QfaBj
Q36mKrBlasker fell silent once more. Lying again would only make him be exposed even faster.pJGsqc
thPplSeeing Blasker unable to refute anything, the nobles of the court were left horrified.YPI2q
MPrIkIn practice, it was equivalent to acknowledging the doubt that Fritz had raised from the very beginning.ZmbBaf
abI6xKdAmid the general commotion, Cedric’s voice suddenly exploded.wiXD
K3n3wD“Seize them!”14e
L6wou“Huh?”upr8H4R
WLTqnBL“Catch them! Capture those people right now!”Yv6
tZBCedric’s furious shout echoed through the hall.SCJqoN
yy39gIt 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.FnXB
p0wWMHe planned to capture them immediately and torture them until they begged to die.Pn5
8AoJust as the knights began to move to seize Fritz’s group—oJu5g
rDfLwX“We are grateful for the hospitality of His Highness the second prince, but it is time for us to take our leave.”RGb4K8
4liS62Fwaaaash!kTd
i6R61n“W-What?!”0pv
VmDC“It’s a barrier!”nHV2V
hZQCx2With a bluish flash, a magical barrier appeared, forcing the knights to recoil in alarm. Realizing it was a barrier, Cedric shouted toward Blasker.P4JTVA
HjP1p“Duke Blasker, deactivate the barrier!”28eoB
6Uz“I-I can’t!”sXzu
EN1s“What nonsense are you saying?! You are a mage as well!”1Frp
zKEqd“The opponent’s capability far surpasses mine. Not only is it impossible to deactivate it, I cannot even destroy it.”0aPMU
rtwJkDAs he spoke, Blasker lowered his head in shame.VYXlX
4nVdgfZHe 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.XGs3D9
hlc1qUAll the confidence he had accumulated over the years collapsed at once.evR9m
gMoyAs Blasker sank into humiliation, an irritatingly calm voice reached Cedric’s ears.MJXYkrD
Gnshxx“Then we shall take our leave. We leave the rest to His Highness the second prince.”NtFdK
ZOGjWnN“You damned sons of—!”xcF
tfns8Flash!W88b8S
t6pCDt9Before Cedric could finish cursing, a blinding light erupted. The glare was so intense that everyone instinctively turned their faces away.y18GNI
ArO6gUdWhen the light faded enough for them to open their eyes again, Fritz’s group had already vanished.oYdJcX
gGGAIn the silence that followed, the nobles of the court glanced sidelong at Cedric.zVUKN
XvlJust as they expected, Cedric’s eyes, brimming with palpable murderous intent, were fixed on them.bwiur7r
fYQHY6n“What happened today must never leave your mouths.”es3
ERPwGc“……”eFyRy
F8f1Qd“No response. Is there perhaps a family member you wish to tell?”pe0iX
uMsNtp“N-no!”d80oV
z48mv4J“We swear by the Eight Gods, we will not say anything!”OrNi6M
Z2oAs the nobles hurried to swear their oaths, Cedric closed his eyes.nEA9c
vY26GmJNo 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.bGDH6
gTaaOy“Duke Blasker, come here for a moment.”AeIJ
cgr***QCvDsM
ic9EJust as Cedric had anticipated, it did not take long before rumors began to circulate.h0qzK
LbaBRThe 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.QgdjN7
7RAbrRnMoreover, the meeting with Fritz’s group was a matter the entire empire was watching closely.amszH
KU9OYThere had been a meeting, but the outcome was unknown, so investigations began everywhere.G6C
I0JMThe partial truth was soon uncovered, and one of the first to learn of it was Marquis Bernhardt.RXK
0ZR7b“The duke’s envoy said that the second prince’s blood is suspicious? Is that true?”UNlq03U
8S5“Yes. And it seems it is not an unfounded accusation.”pf6K
fHBo53I“What? Then is the second prince not truly the son of the former emperor?”mts
HnC“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?”NHujekW
hafa“Oh…!”kCgyWJ0
Ns1267TUpon hearing the spy’s report, Marquis Bernhardt trembled with joy.HvrTIcg
4kFnYByHe 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.NKEwR0
BQYBut the first prince was such a disaster that he had had no other choice.9YgN
0NyAnd now it turned out that the second prince’s bloodline was in doubt.ZclR3
xYs2hsuFaced with such unexpected fortune, the marquis’s mind began spinning at full speed.iQ2mx
xEXZ‘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.’S53
exEThe throne would remain vacant for a time, followed by great chaos brought about by the second prince’s desperation.c4ZxIsW
SQetAmid 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?GQtn
MUtoeIf he succeeded, he would rule as absolute regent, with a puppet emperor at the front.qK2n3ly
cH7x67With a bit of luck, in two or three generations, the imperial family of the empire would cease to be Astria and would become Roglan.aGBoZS
OGW5CZFaced with such a thrilling future, the marquis smiled deeply.PceJ
F5964E2“The Eight Gods are on my side.”ApPwgY
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Suk Flores
MortalAja conozco a un viejo soñador que terminó muriendo por tener esos sueños infundados