Chapter 187

The atmosphere was so tense it felt like a sword fight could break out any second.

The knights surrounding us were silent, waiting only for Valenstein’s command.

…What to do.

The guy who brought in those master-level monsters with such bravado doesn’t seem like he’ll back down quietly.

I carefully pulled my left foot back, tensed my muscles, and slightly leaned my upper body forward.

Ready to draw my sword and charge at any moment.

Even though he must’ve noticed my movement, Valenstein remained calm.

As if he had no intention of starting a fight.

Let’s see what he’s going to say…

“My apologies, but that won’t be possible. Our target… is her.”

…What?

“What on earth are you talking about?!”

Just as Leopold was about to retort, Valenstein removed the helmet from the head he was holding and raised it in front of us.

So that we could all clearly see the face.

“These are the traitors who raided the Imperial Palace and brought it down with strange sorcery. I’m sure Your Highness knows who they are.”

All eyes in the palace turned to Valenstein’s left hand.

Black hair and beard. Prominent cheekbones and sharp eyes. A skin tone closer to yellow, unlike the people of the empire.

Though battered and scarred, no one could mistake who it was.

Ka`har.

Just a year ago, they were the empire’s enemies.

The knights all turned to look at me.

I’ve been had.

A weapon more powerful than a hundred swords had just been swung.

—

A cold chill ran through my breath.

An unexpected situation. Goosebumps ran down my spine.

“Ka`har? Surely you’re not treating her as a criminal just because she shares their race?! Have you forgotten how the princess has devoted herself to the empire’s peace?”

Leopold, sweating cold sweat, tried to defend me.

…It wasn’t very effective.

Valenstein simply shook his head calmly.

“Peace, you say? The agreement she brought was clearly a deception. Right now, thousands of Ka`har troops are advancing toward Berengeiria, and the Margrave of Landenburg has headed there to stop them.”

The shocking report left everyone in the room stunned.

Including me.

Ka`har is attacking the barrier?

No, that can’t be…!

Even if Or-han is a god of war, it’s impossible. Conquering that vast plain in half a year is physically impossible.

And there’s no reason for Or-han, who started the conquest, to suddenly turn his army back.

“What’s the evidence that this report is true…?”

“If the war starts, the entire empire will know soon enough. Why would I lie about something that would be exposed in less than two days?”

Valenstein calmly retorted.

Leopold couldn’t answer. As he said, whether Ka`har was really planning to attack or not would become clear in three days.

“That’s not all. These corpses, though they look like ordinary Ka`har, were different. They kept coming even after we cut off their limbs and tore out their guts. We could only bring them down by cutting off their heads. And inside the severed heads… they were hollow. Instead, there was this.”

Valenstein shoved his hand into the head he was holding, grabbed something, and pulled it out.

“Good heavens…! What is that?!”

The knights, who had been cautiously keeping an eye on me, gasped in shock.

In the Marquis’s right hand was a giant, severed bug. Clearly a monster.

“As you can see, it’s a monster. A parasite that burrows into people’s brains. Your Highness must also be aware of the Sigmillus family tragedy. This bug is believed to be the same species as the ones we exterminated back then. In other words… it’s a monster of the witch, Ophelia Sigmillus. And we’ve also obtained confirmed information that the witch had multiple contacts with Princess Ai-shan Gi-or during her time at Remnant Academy.”

“This is a frame-up! It’s all circumstantial evidence!”

Leopold desperately protested.

I suppressed the urge to reach for my sword hilt and scanned the room.

The knights’ gazes were filled with suspicion and distrust.

They looked ready to draw their swords at any moment, and some already had.

The situation was on the brink of exploding, with dozens of knights ready to charge the moment the order was given.

Just as my hand was about to grasp Durandal’s hilt, Valenstein raised his arm to stop the knights.

“Indeed. It’s all circumstantial evidence. That’s why I’m here.”

Marquis Valenstein pulled out a piece of paper.

Beneath the elegant handwriting was the imperial seal.

It’s still unclear whether Princess Ai-shan Gi-or has betrayed the empire.

However, the circumstantial evidence is clear, so we cannot ignore it.

Under the Special Admission Law, we hereby order the temporary confinement of Princess Ai-shan Gi-or.

Afterward, a thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the truth.

“This is the order of Her Majesty, Empress Isabella. What will you do?”

…There was no way out.

—

I could almost hear Isabella’s laughter.

Who would’ve thought she’d target me instead of Leopold.

I guess if you want to kill a general, you have to kill the horse first.

A damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. Whether I resist or comply, the outcome is ruin.

Resisting would be tantamount to admitting all the charges.

Even if Valenstein swung his sword, it would be framed as an act of loyalty to protect the empire and the prince.

But if I let myself be captured… they wouldn’t investigate the truth, they’d investigate how many offspring I could produce.

The fates of characters who fell into Isabella’s hands flashed vividly in my mind.

I clenched my teeth and gripped Durandal’s hilt.

Fine.

If that’s the case, then I’d rather…!

“Wait, hold on. Something’s off. You said that’s Her Majesty Empress Isabella’s order? That can’t be. Is that really Her Majesty’s order?”

Leopold urgently countered.

“What do you mean? I personally received this order from Her Majesty.”

“Where did you meet her? The main palace is in ruins, and even the knights couldn’t escape the collapse…?”

“The 3rd Prince’s Palace. After the last attack, fearing assassins might strike again, Her Majesty moved her residence to the 3rd Prince’s Palace, leaving a decoy in the main palace. I only found out recently.”

The first argument was immediately refuted.

Of course, to bring down the main palace and move around without suspicion, they’d have to prepare such excuses in advance.

But Leopold didn’t give up, persistently pointing out flaws in Valenstein’s statements.

“…If that’s truly Her Majesty’s order, it’s even more bizarre. Her Majesty wouldn’t persecute the princess over Ka`har’s attack.”

“What do you mean…?”

“It’s not yet time to reveal this, but… Ka`har’s…”

The betrayal was already foreseen. It was none other than the princess herself who relayed the information through the Margrave of Landenburg. The peace agreement was merely a false pretext; her true purpose for entering the country was to inform the empire of Ka`har’s plans and seek asylum.

The timing wasn’t right to reveal this. I had planned to announce it once my position was secure and the empire’s turmoil had subsided. If Or-han were to hear even a whisper of this rumor, who knows how he might react? But now, it doesn’t matter anymore. For some reason, Ka`har’s attack has begun.

“Asylum? I haven’t heard anything about that.”

“If this fact were to become known, it would cause chaos. Only the imperial family and the electors were aware of it. In other words, even if you didn’t know, the Empress certainly did.”

“…An interesting story. If only there were evidence to prove it.”

Leopold was at a loss for words.

Evidence of my asylum. They probably kept it in some confidential document… but where exactly would the imperial confidential documents be stored?

His gaze subtly shifted toward the ruins of the main palace. …Yes, it must be there.

“The evidence… is probably buried in there now.”

“Then all we have to rely on is Your Highness Leopold’s testimony. The Empress and Crown Prince Ernst never mentioned such a thing… but if you cooperate with the investigation, we’ll take it into consideration.”

Valenstein’s resolve was firm. No matter what Leopold said, his plan to detain me wouldn’t change.

“…Those assassins, you called them monsters, right?”

“Yes. It must be Ophelia’s doing. So…”

Leopold cut off Valenstein and spoke up.

“Do you know what people call the princess? ‘Knight of the Goddess,’ ‘Divine Punishment.’ Even the Elpinel Church hasn’t refuted this. Would Elpinel bless someone who has joined hands with a witch?”

“It’s just the rumors of the ignorant. That’s why the Church didn’t bother to respond. At least as far as I know, Princess Ai-shan Gi-or has never performed miracles like a paladin, radiating holy light.”

Well… that’s unavoidable. I can’t worship Elpinel like the priests do.

Holy light is a power that manifests from faith. Without true faith, it’s impossible to wield that power.

“……Even though she is a descendant of the Twelve Knights?”

Leopold let out a deep sigh, as if he hadn’t wanted to bring this up.

“The Twelve Knights…?”

“Yes. Her maternal family, the Medians, are descendants of the Twelve Knights. The sword she inherited from her mother is proof of that. That sword is the legendary blade of the Twelve Knights.”

The knights gasped in shock at the prince’s words.

The Twelve Knights. The term itself was often mentioned, but the appearance of a recognized descendant was an entirely different matter.

However, Valenstein merely tilted his head slightly, showing no sign of surprise.

“…Even if it’s a joke, it’s hard to believe. A sword is just a sword, after all. True, it’s a rare item, but… that alone isn’t proof. I also have a sword made of Jin, so does that make me a descendant of the Twelve Knights?”

The sword’s characteristics were its downfall. A plain hilt, no different from an ordinary longsword. An inscription that only reveals itself to its true owner. Except for the blade made of Jin, the Oath Sword looked no different from a regular longsword.

“…Moreover, even if that were true, it wouldn’t change anything. I, too, respect the Twelve Knights, but a descendant is just a descendant. The child of a good person isn’t necessarily good. At least, what I see before me now is just a warrior shrouded in thousands of life forces.”

Valenstein took a step forward.

“Originally, the Empress’s order wasn’t to interrogate the criminal. It was to confine her until the suspicions were clearly resolved. This is a standard procedure under imperial law. For the time being, her movements will be restricted… but if she’s proven innocent, the confinement will be lifted immediately. At that point, I’ll have to apologize for the rudeness.”

Neither Leopold nor I believed his words. Sure, she’d be released from confinement. After they’ve had their fun and finished brainwashing her, that is.

“Frankly, I don’t understand why Your Highness Leopold is so opposed to this. If the princess is truly innocent, then there’s no problem, right?”

Valenstein’s words flowed smoothly, countering all of Leopold’s protests and even turning the attack back on him.

“Conversely, if the princess’s guilt is proven, her purpose would have been to harm the empire… so Your Highness should consider it fortunate that this was uncovered before any harm was done. Surely, Prince Leopold wouldn’t conspire with a witch to assassinate other members of the imperial family, would he?”

It was the same tactic Leopold had used. If he opposed any further, he too could be accused of conspiring to assassinate the imperial family.

—

A brief silence.

What was Leopold thinking now? What decision would he make? …It was hard for me to guess.

Finally, Leopold, his expression stiff, turned his gaze toward me.

“…There’s no other choice.”

Yes. People always have no choice.

In the end, Leopold chose to draw a line between us.

I could understand. If he continued to block this, he too would be dragged down and ruined.

For him, even if it meant losing me here, surviving was the best option. As long as the electors were still intact, he could wait for another opportunity… but if he died, that would be the end.

Yes. I could understand.

That doesn’t mean I can forgive him.

Just as I was about to draw Durandal—

“Isabella Veness—! Assassin of the imperial family! Did you think this was the end?”

Leopold looked up at the sky and shouted.

“The last bloodline of Carolus, Leopold Wittelsbach, will never kneel to a witch!”

With a battle cry, Leopold drew his sword.