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Chapter 720
Chapter 720
The Culprit is Among Us. (2)
Everyone lifted their heads. The mana, now visibly materialized, began to take on various shapes.
Some transformed into birds, others into mice or insects. Some of the insects were so tiny they were barely visible.
Hundreds of mana-formed creatures spread out around Ghislain.
It was a rather grotesque sight, in a way. That was because the smallest bugs were the most numerous.
Еnüm̈ а . і̂d̊
The king asked Ghislain.
“What… what are those things?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“They are spirits that I control as summons. Through them, I have been monitoring everyone inside the castle.”
“You were… monitoring us?”
“That’s right. I might have looked like I was playing around, but I was actually working hard behind the scenes.”
As Ghislain waved his hand, hundreds of Darks began to chatter noisily.
E ň um a . і̂ d̊
“The Chancellor and the Royal Chamberlain are the main culprits!”
“They were the ones who gave the order to poison!”
“The Royal Mage is in on it too! He made sure the poison wouldn’t be detected!”
“The mage under the Royal Mage swapped out the tea and liquor!”
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“The royal chef received a large sum of money! That’s why he added the suspicious ingredient, even knowing it was dangerous! After people died, there’s no way he wouldn’t have known it was poison!”
“The servant in charge of the poison inspection was the same! The poison didn’t kill instantly, so he kept getting antidotes!”
Ě nũ m̆ а̊
“The Minister of Protocol acquired the poison from outside! Then he passed it on to the aide!”
“And then the court physician and the Royal Cellar Master destroyed the evidence…”
From Dark’s mouths came an unending stream of statements detailing each culprit’s involvement.
Nearly half of those working in the royal castle had participated in the crime. Many of them were high-ranking officials.
They had used their power and positions to carry out the poisoning with meticulous precision.
No wonder no evidence had turned up no matter how thoroughly the investigation had been conducted.
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Before long, the Darks gathered together into a single form, a sparrow, and shouted with a smug expression.
“That’s about everything I saw! And while my master was goofing off, I was the one who did all the wor Gwaaack!”
Ghislain subdued the Dark and shrugged.
“What do you think?”
The king exhaled heavily. The more he heard, the harder it became to endure.
That so many people had been conspiring for treason!
Ẃӗbn̆.ӧv̈ е́ĺ Ê n̂ um̀ а̄
“Is this true? Are you absolutely certain?”
Dark cried out loudly again.
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“I swear on my mom, it’s all true!”
“……”
After glaring at Dark for a moment, the king turned to face those who had been dragged in.
Their faces were already deathly pale. Judging by their expressions alone, they looked very much like the real culprits.
Е ńu m̄ а
Of course, not a single one would willingly admit guilt based on the words of some unknown ‘spirit’ creature.
"Your Majesty! It's a lie! Nonsense!"
"How can you believe such words without any proof?"
"It's a trick of that mercenary mage! He's using magic to cloud Your Majesty's eyes and ears!"
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Everyone broke into an uproar. After all, it was easy to fabricate claims without evidence.
Even the king couldn’t deny that. Judging by Dark’s abilities, it seemed plausible, but more solid evidence was needed.
Е̄n ǔm̃а . і̃_d
The king turned to Ghislain once more and asked,
"I believe you. If they’re such insignificant insects, I’m sure you could spy with them on everyone without being noticed. But too many people are involved. I need something more definite."
Ghislain nodded. He, too, didn’t expect the culprits to confess so easily.
With a gesture from Ghislain, Dark began speaking again.
"Search the royal chef’s house! If you tear up the floor, there’s a hidden space with a mountain of gold coins! It’s an amount he could never earn just from being a royal chef!"
"In the royal mage’s study, behind the second bookshelf, there’s a secret compartment! The poison used in this crime is hidden there! And his apprentice..."
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"Under the desk in the Royal Chamberlain’s office, there’s a hidden space too! There’s powder from the poison there as well..."
"In the underground warehouse of the herbalist who deals with the Minister of Protocol, there are gold coins and toxic herbs! Look at their transaction ledgers! The Minister of Protocol made records of purchases using other herbs as cover..."
"And the aide... and that court musician over there... They’ve all been sneaking things in little by little whenever they have time!"
Dark rattled off one hiding place after another, revealing where each culprit had stashed the evidence. With every word, the criminals' faces turned a shade paler.
Then, glaring at the Chancellor, Dark drove the final nail in.
"The most important thing is in the Chancellor’s mansion, a document signed and sealed by all the high officials involved in this, listing their names! It’s to prevent betrayal!"
Ẁеbn̄о v еl̈ Ěṅu ḿ а̇
The Chancellor trembled violently.
"N-No! That’s not true! Where did such lies... Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This is a conspiracy! You must not believe this!"
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Before the Chancellor could even finish, the king roared,
"Search the homes and offices of every one of them immediately! Bring me the evidence!"
Looking at the king, Ghislain added,
"I’ll send some of our mercenaries along. There might still be accomplices we haven’t caught."
W ėb̃ n óvе̌ĺ Е̃ n̂u m̊а
"Do so! I grant the Julien Mercenary Corps full authority to oversee every step of the process!"
The Royal Guard moved out alongside the Julien Mercenary Corps, who had been standing by.
They thoroughly searched every location Dark had mentioned. With the Julien Mercenary Corps watching, no one dared to pull anything suspicious.
And from every place Dark had named, incriminating items appeared without exception.
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The Royal Guard brought them and laid them before the king.
With a trembling voice, the king said,
Ëṅ ù m̆ ӓ. іd
"Verify these."
The mages and herbalists who hadn’t been taken away stepped forward to examine the vials of poison and the toxic herbs.
After a brief moment, they bowed their heads and spoke.
"It... it is poison, Your Majesty. It is a mild toxin, but prolonged ingestion would lead to physical harm."
The king glared at the bound individuals, fury blazing in his eyes.
They writhed and screamed in protest.
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"Your Majesty! No! It’s all a setup!"
"That wretch is still pulling tricks!"
"We’re innocent! Please, recheck—"
But by now, the mood had shifted entirely. Even those who had been doubtful now realized, these people were the culprits.
It was far too difficult to fabricate hidden caches of wealth.
The most decisive evidence was the signed and sealed document found at the Chancellor’s mansion.
Е n u m̈ а
Even though the contents were not particularly elaborate, the mere presence of the high officials’ names and seals was damning.
Except for a few who continued to thrash about in denial, the rest finally bowed their heads. They had given up.
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The king ground his teeth and demanded,
"To think so many were involved in treason! Why! Why would you do such a thing!"
"……"
"Speak! Why! Why not target me directly first!"
Еn ũm̄ ă
At that, Ghislain stepped forward and spoke.
"Their aim was to leave only the young Third Prince alive and eliminate every other member of the royal family."
"Why would they do that?"
"So that, with the Chancellor at the helm, they could seize power and rule as regents."
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"Then you mean…"
"Yes. With the Third Prince as the sole successor and no one left to interfere with his accession, they planned to poison Your Majesty afterward."
W̌_е bň о̇ v̂ ѐl̄ Е̄n̊u ḿ ӓ
"I-Is that true?"
It was Dark who answered that question.
"I overheard the Chancellor and the Royal Chamberlain having a secret conversation! Every word of it!"
"You... bastards… grrgh…"
The king, consumed by rage, attempted to rise, but clutched the back of his neck and collapsed. His aged body had been overwhelmed by the shock.
Ghislain quickly reached out and cast a healing spell.
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Saaa…
A warm energy enveloped the king’s body. Only then was he barely able to regain composure.
But the magic was only a temporary measure. His condition had already been weakened by age, and the added shock had worsened his complexion.
The king, unable to hide his fatigue, spoke.
"Detain them all for now. And arrest their households and any outside collaborators as well. After a thorough investigation, they shall all be executed."
Everyone involved in the poisoning was dragged away by the Royal Guard and locked in prison.
Е̇ ǹ um̀ ӓ_
The king stared in the direction they had disappeared for a long while before slowly opening his mouth.
"Thanks to the Julien Mercenary Corps, we were able to resolve the issue. Had we not, we might’ve fallen for their schemes and dismissed it as just an illness."
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“At first, I thought it was an epidemic. The victims had suffered for a time before dying.
But when only members of the royal family began dying, I started suspecting poison.
A full-scale investigation was launched, but no trace of the culprit was found. So, eventually, the narrative shifted toward it being a disease that only afflicted those of royal blood.
From the Chancellor to many high-ranking officials and even royal mages, everyone took part in manipulating the case, leaving me, the king, powerless.”
E n u m̄а̇ . і̊d
The king looked at Ghislain with a self-deprecating smile.
"I'm truly fortunate you came at the right time. If it hadn’t been for you, everyone but the Third Prince would have died."
Just as the case was about to be quietly buried, Ghislain appeared.
In a private meeting with the king, Ghislain boldly declared he would capture the culprit. He insisted on being trusted completely.
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Still unable to shake off the suspicion of poisoning, he entrusted the entire investigation to Ghislain. And in the end, he captured every single perpetrator.
"As promised, I shall grant you the reward you seek. What do you desire?"
Ẅe̊ b̂ nóv̀ēl̀ Е̌numа
To the king’s question, Ghislain bowed slightly and replied.
"I wish to transcribe the grimoires of the Royal Mage. As a mage myself, I find I require many grimoires."
"Very well. What else do you need? If it's wealth, I’ll give you as much as you want."
"I do not need any other wealth. However, I would like artifacts that are rich in mana."
"I shall grant you those as well to the best of my ability. Is there anything more?"
The king wanted to reward Ghislain generously. If Ghislain hadn’t helped, the royal family truly could have perished in that perilous affair.
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Ghislain smiled pleasantly and shook his head.
"That will be more than enough. I hope this incident marks the beginning of a strong bond between me and the Kingdom of Arsena."
"Of course. How could I neglect a benefactor of the royal family? The Kingdom of Arsena shall always welcome the Julien Mercenary Corps."
The Julien Mercenary Corps had traveled through many kingdoms, resolving their troubles and building a solid reputation.
Through this incident, they gained the support of the Kingdom of Arsena as well.
After praising Ghislain several times, the king rose from his seat. Having suffered a great shock, he needed time to rest.
W е̊b nо vе l Е̂ n̊ um̌_å.
Those gathered in the building dispersed and returned to their posts. As they left, they looked upon the Julien Mercenary Corps with awe.
"They really live up to their reputation."
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"They say there's no problem they can’t solve once they take on a job..."
"I heard even nobles can’t stand against them, it’s true."
Most of those whispering were of low status. The nobles simply bowed their heads in silence.
The nobles, humiliated by lowly mercenaries, seethed inside, but they had no way to retaliate.
Ё n ú ṁа̌
It was now certain that the royal family of Arsena would side with the Julien Mercenary Corps no matter what. After this incident, they wouldn’t trust the nobles any longer.
The Julien Mercenary Corps themselves were exceptionally skilled. A 6th-circle master, the supposed deputy commander, had subdued one of them in a single move. Rumors abounded that the other officers were just as formidable.
So, it was best to stay out of their way as much as possible especially during such turbulent times.
Once the matter was settled, Ghislain and his companions received even more generous treatment than before.
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Having gathered all the rewards he needed, Ghislain intended to leave at once. But an inexplicable unease held him back.
"This is strange. Really strange."
En̄ ùm а. і̃d̄
"What is?"
Kyle asked, watching Ghislain pace the room and mutter to himself.
Ghislain tilted his head slightly before throwing the question back.
"Isn’t it seriously weird?"
"I’m asking you, what is?"
"There’s always some kind of incident or accident, no matter where we go. In every kingdom."
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"That’s because you’re the one causing them... Sorry."
Kyle turned his head mid-sentence, a chilling feeling warning him that finishing it might lead to disaster.
Osval, who had been listening to their conversation, chimed in.
"Brother! The world’s always been filthy! Since the old days! Nobles only chase their own greed and oppress the people! Even knights turn into bandits! Everyone’s corrupt! Ugh! This rotten world! It all needs to be overturned! We need a revolution!"
"I know that. But... still, something feels off."
"Osval, the man! I’ll never fall into corruption! I’ll live only for justice!"
Ẁěb̄ no ṽ_е ĺ Е n ü mа
"...Sure."
Ghislain remained deep in thought as he continued pacing.
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He knew the times were dangerous. People no longer valued life and chased only personal gain.
This incident was no different. They had conspired to wipe out the royal bloodline altogether.
But for power struggles to erupt in every kingdom he visited, something about that felt wrong.
"Hmm..."
Ẅе̂ b nоvel̃ Ӗň ũmа
At first, he had chalked it up to the nature of the era. After all, everyone’s ambitions were clear.
But at some point, a nagging unease had started growing. It was a suspicion born purely from intuition.
"I need to speak with the Chancellor."
Without hesitation, Ghislain headed to the prison where the Chancellor was being held.
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Being favored by the king, no one stopped him.
The Chancellor was confined in the deepest part of the prison. He had grown despondent, as though he had already given up on life.
È n̂ ūm а .î d
Even with Ghislain, his sworn enemy, standing before him, he didn’t so much as glance up.
Ghislain stared at him for a moment, then asked.
"This wasn’t your idea, was it?"
"..."
Only then did the Chancellor slowly turn his head to look at Ghislain.
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