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Chapter 56
After checking the handwriting and content of the letter, Maurice crumpled it up and threw it to the chief steward.
"Is this true?! Rev! It's not enough that you colluded with black mages—now you're trying to kill your own sibling? Have you completely lost your mind?"
“Your Majesty… no, Father.”
“You dare call me Father now—”
“I didn’t write that letter.”
Rather than shrinking back, Rev stepped forward even more confidently.
“Guards! Bring in the criminal at once!”
At his shout, two soldiers entered from a side door, dragging in a man by force.
“Prince! What in the world is going on? I would never—”
“Silence!”
The so-called criminal, now forced to his knees, was none other than Rev’s longtime aide.
With tearful eyes and a look of indignation, he bowed his head to the floor.
“Isn’t this man your aide?”
“He is, Father. The truth is, I discovered a group of black mages infiltrating the kingdom. To root them out, I laid a trap.”
“A trap?”
“Yes.”
“I slowly changed my handwriting and began, from six months ago, to have this aide write and sign all of my letters on my behalf.”
“And how is that a trap?”
It was Jane who questioned his explanation.
“Because I was suspicious of him. So I kept granting him authority, pretending to trust him. And now, the trap has sprung.”
Jane frowned.
That meant the comparison of letters that Trevis and Louise had painstakingly conducted was now meaningless.
“Mmph! Mmph!!”
The aide tried to say something, but a gag kept him silent.
Just as the king was about to order the gag removed, the chief steward returned, bringing samples to compare past and recent handwriting.
“Indeed, the handwriting from a year ago, six months ago, and now all show gradual changes. For the past half-year, they’re almost identical.”
Hearing this, Maurice staggered briefly, overwhelmed.
“Your Majesty!”
Morgan caught and supported him.
Maurice shook his head, signaling that he was fine, and straightened up again.
“So, what’s the conclusion?”
“I had planned to wait until the black mages dug themselves in deeper, but thanks to my dear sister’s mistake, the trap had to be sprung early. Still, we did learn that the Rogers family has been tainted.”
“Your Majesty! This is a terrible mis—”
“Enough. No more arguments. Bring me evidence.”
Maurice's complexion had worsened drastically.
Already in poor health, he wanted to bring this situation to an end quickly.
“Fine. I heard Rogers attended the banquet… Where is he? If he's innocent, bring him here! Kelvin Rogers, head of the Rogers family.”
“Well…”
Ren, hearing Rev’s final words, became certain.
Rev knew exactly what had happened in the dining hall—or at the very least, he knew that Louise had swayed the Rogers family and that Luca Rogers was dead.
‘How does he know that?’
No one inside could have told him.
Luca Rogers was dead, and Jeffman was captured and tied up.
Kelvin wouldn’t have confessed betrayal on his own, so the only possibilities left were Cohen and Jane.
‘There’s no way it was an inside informant.’
That could only mean he observed the situation through some kind of power.
‘I’ve underestimated Prince Rev far too much.’
Whether he borrowed strength from a black mage or installed some artifact-level magic tool in the dining hall beforehand—either way, they had been outplayed.
“Luca Rogers was killed by Head Kelvin Rogers.”
Ren suddenly cut in, drawing a scowl from Maurice.
Even knowing how inappropriate it looked to speak up, Ren had no choice.
‘I was the one who made the biggest contribution. I must speak up.’
Quickly collecting his thoughts, Ren said:
“I was there.”
“You were there?”
“Yes, Princess Jane called me as her bodyguard. I was in that room and protected her from the knight commander Jeffman and Luca Rogers, who had sided with the black mages.”
Gasps and murmurs spread among the nobles once again.
Knight Commander Jeffman was one of the kingdom’s few high-ranking knights, known for his strength.
For those unaware that Ren had been Jane’s bodyguard, this confirmed that Ren’s skill must be at least on par with a top-tier knight.
‘I have no choice. I don’t know how much Rev knows about what happened in that room, so lying would be too dangerous.’
Depending on how things unfold, the Rogers family may need to be abandoned.
“Jeffman…?”
“Yes. I can summon him if you wish. And Luca Rogers was beheaded by Head Kelvin Rogers, who came to the dining room later.”
The hall buzzed again at the revelation that a father had killed his own son.
Kelvin stood still, jaw clenched, looking deeply conflicted.
“Is that true, Kelvin Rogers?”
“It is, Your Majesty. In that room, I learned that my son Luca Rogers had dabbled in black magic. I took his head myself.”
“Then bring me the body. And Jeffman too! Bring them both here and have them kneel. Rev! You confirm their identities and report back.”
“As you command.”
Leaving everything to Rev now—Ren barely stopped himself from sighing.
He stared sharply at Rev.
Rev acted calm, but the subtle twitch in his cheek gave him away.
‘King Maurice trusts the First Prince more than I thought. And his health looks worse… Or maybe he just wants to avoid responsibility.’
The critical mistake was not understanding the royal family’s internal situation better.
Rev’s true capabilities, his ties with the black mages, and the full extent of the king’s declining health.
“Archbishop Mel. Can you determine whether these criminals have been tainted by black magic?”
“Yes. If they’ve dabbled in black magic, there will be lingering traces in their bodies.”
Pale-faced, Maurice held his head and called Kelvin Rogers closer.
“We cannot ignore the contributions of the Rogers family to the kingdom. If it is proven that the deeds of the family and those of Luca Rogers are separate, the punishment for the family will end with the confiscation of some of their lands and properties.”
“Your Majesty! I even went so far as to behead my own son—”
“Silence! The use of black magic is no different from treason! Consider this level of punishment a great mercy.”
With those words, Maurice waved dismissively, as if to say no more needed to be said, then turned and exited the banquet hall.
At that moment, a smile spread across Rev’s lips.
He stepped forward and drew his sword.
Shiiing—
“To think one would dare bring such profane power like black magic into the kingdom! This sinner will be executed immediately as an example.”
Rev swung his sword down, severing the aide’s head.
The severed head rolled, spilling blood, and stopped at the feet of Louise, whose expression had hardened.
“Louise, you don’t look well. Are you feeling sorry for this sinner?”
“...Not at all, brother.”
Seeing Louise’s grim expression, Rev smiled with satisfaction.
Moments later, soldiers brought out the bound bodies of Jeffman and Luca Rogers on stretchers.
“Let me confirm it.”
There was no need for Archbishop Mel to use holy magic on Luca Rogers.
Unlike Ronnie Carr, whose body was only slightly tainted black, Luca's entire upper body was engulfed in a dense aura of black magic.
Mel approached Jeffman to verify whether black magic had touched his body as well.
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Golden holy light flowed from Mel’s palms and spread across Jeffman’s head and body as he knelt.
The divine light, which wrapped around Jeffman's entire body, returned to Mel without revealing anything.
“…There’s nothing wrong. There are no traces of black magic in Commander Jeffman’s body.”
Ren had expected as much.
Jeffman’s status window didn’t display the demonic markings seen on previous black mages.
He hadn’t used any black magic in battle either, relying solely on his own power.
If even the Archbishop’s holy magic couldn't detect anything, then he was merely an accomplice to the black mages at most.
“Jeffman. You spent decades serving the Brillant royal family, underwent countless training sessions, and achieved numerous merits to reach your current position. But did you truly side with the black mages?”
“…Yes.”
Jeffman didn’t deny it.
He merely acknowledged his crime and bowed his head.
“You’ve confessed. However! Considering your past achievements and the fact that you did not accept black magic, I sentence you to imprisonment in the underground prison!”
“Your Highness the First Prince. This man acted with the black mages. How can mere imprisonment be enough, not execution?”
Mel protested, saying it made no sense, but Rev did not listen.
“Archbishop Mel. This is a matter of the kingdom’s internal affairs. Further interference will not be tolerated.”
“…”
Mel hardened his expression and stepped back.
“I would like to apologize to all the guests for the unpleasant events during the banquet. However, now that the disturbance has been resolved...”
As Rev wrapped up the banquet, he further reinforced in the minds of the nobles who was most fitting to be the next monarch.
After his closing words, Rev stepped down from the stage and approached Jane.
“Are you hurt, little sister?”
“…I’m fine, brother.”
“That’s a relief.”
Gently brushing Jane’s shoulder and tapping her arm, Rev leaned in and spoke softly, so no one else could hear.
“The trap you and Louise devised was quite impressive. Losing the Rogers was a painful blow. But my position has become even more secure, little sister.”
Jane clenched her lips, trying not to show emotion.
“However, there’s something odd… My instincts keep telling me that you two couldn’t have come up with this plan alone. You’re not someone’s puppet… are you? Heh.”
Rev’s gaze swept across the banquet hall and briefly stopped on Ren Arzen before returning.
Smiling kindly, he smoothed Jane’s disheveled hair.
Her face contorted slightly.
Finding her expression amusing, Rev scoffed and walked away.
“Louise, your and your sister’s pointless stunt has made the succession struggle even harder. You already did this to Ellie, and now look at this mess.”
Allan Heretia, watching Rev with him, approached Louise and spoke.
Feeling the bitter sting of defeat, Louise found his reproach all the more painful.
“We need to talk later. I don’t think we can let things continue like this.”
“Understood.”
Allan followed Rev toward the other nobles.
Ren, watching Louise’s troubled face, considered offering him some comfort—but then turned away.
‘If he can’t endure even this much, then no matter how capable Louise is, he’ll never sit on the throne.’
In his previous life, the crown had ultimately gone to Rev.
Louise had only taken the throne years later—after Rev’s death.
Louise needed to grow on his own.
The events at the banquet had also given Ren much to reflect on.
Despite his knowledge and experience from before his regression, he had failed to deliver a fatal blow to Rev.
No—he might as well have lost.
Everything had gone so smoothly lately, perhaps he’d grown arrogant.
Ren was forced to reflect on himself as he returned to Decaine.
– You’ve come.
“Ancestor, have you ever lost before?”
– What’s with that sudden question? Hmph, you look like someone who’s been thoroughly beaten.
Havenberg, seeing Ren’s unusually troubled expression, scolded him with a dissatisfied tone.
– Tsk, that arrogance of yours is the problem. Why make a fuss over one defeat? Of all people, you who preach the importance of remembering the past are the one who forgets the most.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
– Think about your life before you regressed. Didn’t you suffer even greater defeats back then?
Those words snapped him awake.
It really felt like a blow to the head.
What a disgrace to fall apart over a single failed plan.
“Sigh… As expected, this is where I belong.”
– What a luxury to say that.
“I need to clear my head. Time to get back to work.”
Though his body felt heavy as lead, Ren picked up a shovel from the graveyard.
– What are you doing?
“I left it all to Raymond for too long. This place is a mess. The graveyard only looks good when I manage it myself.”
– Hmph… You’re right. That fool is too sloppy. This place is a disaster.
Ren cleaned the dusty gravestones, pulled up the weeds, and trimmed broken stones.
[Spiritual Energy +0.1]
He also pruned petals and branches that beautified the grave.
“Whew…”
Catching up on all the neglected work alone took a lot of time.
When he looked up, the once-dark night sky had turned into a clear, blue dawn.
Ren then tidied up the secondary graveyard where he had relocated the remains of other heroes.
[Spiritual Energy +0.1]
“It rose again? So my spiritual energy is now…”
With the +0.2 increase, his spiritual energy had reached 4.5.
While compacting the earth where the 17th hero’s remains lay, Ren felt an odd intuition—as though he could awaken the hero there.
He poured spiritual energy into the grave.
[Using Spiritual Energy to awaken the Grave’s Wraith.]
And astonishingly, it worked.
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