Chapter 34
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Chapter 34
Even the Emperor wore a puzzled expression as he looked at Crown Prince Kiaros.
But that wasn't what mattered right now.
Anyone with common sense would have focused on Oson rather than Crown Prince Kiaros in this moment.
'After all, the accuser had just suddenly shouted that he would confess.'
I had observed Oson for three years and seven months.
Though he kept many secrets, I had grasped his fundamental nature well enough.
The fact that he'd even demanded a teleportation scroll showed he was already terrified out of his mind.
'The mastermind behind the war... Oson... It doesn't fit. But it fits perfectly!'
I had never thought him capable of such a thing.
At the same time, he had consistently been of no help to the Imperial Family.
Come to think of it, when I said six defensive scrolls were far too few, wasn't it Oson who told me to keep quiet?
'An internal enemy lurking in the Scroll Management Department.'
Now that I thought about it, the Scroll Management Department was perfectly positioned for outside infiltration.
Wasn't it the only department that could evade even the great Crown Prince Kiaros's scrutiny?
And being part of the Knight Order, he could even access classified documents...
'Good heavens, it was my department... my superior!'
Had I not recalled the original story, I wouldn't have cared whether Oson confessed or not.
I had learned powerlessness so thoroughly under Oson that nothing could shake me.
'So that's why I didn't even appear in the original story.'
But now Oson was about to spill something from his own mouth.
"I-I-I-I am, I-I-I-I'm r-r-r-really!"
The moment his eyes met the Emperor's, Oson collapsed to his knees.
"I-I-I-I did as I was t-t-t-told..."
I opened my eyes wide and nodded vigorously.
And I cheered for my superior with more enthusiasm than ever before.
'Hang in there, Team Leader! Just like always, with that cunning and cowardly spirit of yours, hurry up and spill who's behind this!'
Oson seemed ready to confess everything without hesitation.
'Yes, you were a mess in this organization, so you'd be no better in that one! Consistent as always, you have my support!'
That's when it happened.
With a sharp whistle, a dagger plunged into Oson's heart.
It was so sudden that the spectators' comprehension seemed to lag behind the actual event.
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
"Aaaaaaaaaaah!"
I too jolted up in shock.
Oson, with a blade lodged in his heart, didn't even manage a scream before collapsing on the spot.
'This can't be happening! This is the Trial Court! Everyone who entered had their status guaranteed...'
The dagger had come from the spectator section.
In such a confined space, apprehending the culprit was only a matter of time.
It was just as the Imperial Palace knights rushed toward the direction from which the blade had come.
The woman who had hidden in the crowd and hurled a dagger at Oson cried out in a shrill voice.
"For evolution!"
Amid the screams of the spectators, the woman collapsed, blood pouring from her mouth.
She had poisoned herself with a drug concealed in her mouth.
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
The surrounding spectators shrieked in alarm and rushed toward the exits.
It was hardly surprising—the person beside them had just collapsed, vomiting blood.
I stood frozen amid the chaos.
The knights hurriedly removed Oson and the woman's corpse.
'Good heavens...'
I had been wrong in my assumptions.
[There's no need to go far. Just let me escape beyond the Imperial Palace walls. All right?]
I had thought Oson wanted to flee from the Imperial Family's knights.
But that wasn't it at all.
He was trying to escape from the organization he belonged to.
'They must be behind the war, then.'
The woman who had killed Oson to silence him, then taken her own life.
That woman and the Unknown Organization that Oson had belonged to.
"Let us conclude the trial for now."
The Emperor, who had been observing the situation, issued a brief command.
"It appears there are many other matters requiring our attention."
No one dared to object to his words.
With events unfolding this way, everyone was forced to believe that the Empress had indeed conducted a targeted investigation into Oson.
And so the trial was concluded.
* * *
After the trial ended in such chaos.
The Empress was immediately freed.
The first thing she did after being released without charges was to summon me.
"Your Majesty the Empress, I understand you wished to see me."
The Empress's Chamber was quite remarkable.
Ornate and beautiful wallpaper was plastered with weapons.
I had a private audience with her there.
"Namia Loapi!"
She lifted me into her arms and spun me around.
I was so startled I couldn't even scream.
It felt as though I had been transported back to when I was six years old.
"Thank you, thank you so much!"
The Empress even tossed me into the air before catching me again.
My vision spun dizzily, making me quite lightheaded.
"I'm glad I didn't die in that prison that day! If I had, I never would've caught that bastard!"
I descended to the floor with a cough, barely managing the movement.
The Empress's eyes gleamed with an eerie light as she recalled the previous trial.
"That man—seeing him in the Trial Court with my own eyes today, there's definitely something off about him. Suspicious as hell, if you ask me."
The Empress spoke through gritted teeth.
I asked in surprise.
"Why? Do you have some kind of evidence?"
"No. Just my instinct."
The answer was anticlimactic, yet the Empress appeared utterly serious.
"I've encountered countless criminals. I've grown sick of seeing those who hid their identities for years to harm the Royal Family. That's the instinct of someone with my profession."
"Well... I see..."
"I became Empress by chance, but I'm better suited to being a knight. If I were a knight instead of Empress, I would've cut that bastard's throat on the spot."
"What?"
"In situations like this, it's usually more efficient to move first and think about justification later."
She swung her arms threateningly in wide arcs.
I had no doubt she could spin not just me, but even Oson around like that.
"I know it seems a bit reckless, but that's what it takes to corner rats."
The Empress laughed heartily and patted my shoulder.
My original plan had been full of holes.
From the suspiciously altered tone to the flimsy logic—there was no way this could have passed naturally.
Yet it seemed the Empress, sensing something amiss herself, had allowed matters to proceed this far.
I had nothing to say, so I simply smiled awkwardly.
"Namia Loapi."
"Yes?"
She had begun calling me by name with casual familiarity at some point.
"Though I may look like this now, I was quite an excellent knight. I risked my life to protect the current Crown Prince."
A deep sense of pride flickered across the Empress's eyes.
"That day, His Highness even came to thank me personally."
"Ah..."
"The truth is, the reason I don't perform my duties as Empress is... I was worried it might become a burden to Crown Prince Kiaros."
The Empress continued, her gaze unwavering.
"If I overstepped and ruined things, that would tarnish the Imperial Family's honor. And if I became too competent and built my own faction, I might become a threat to Crown Prince Kiaros."
"A threat? How could you say such a thing..."
"I could never be a threat. But Jayden is different."
Jayden—the original protagonist and Fron's son.
Her eyes grew distant as she mentioned the still-young Young Prince.
"If my influence grew, someone could attach themselves to that immature child and plant absurd ambitions in his head."
"That's..."
"I've spent my entire life looking at nothing but a sword. It's dangerous for me to even think I could be good at politics."
"..."
"Without realizing it, I could be manipulated by cunning schemers. In times like these, it's better to remain useless to them. It's basic mercenary strategy."
I couldn't speak and merely parted my lips.
Of course, she would know well enough that people whispered behind her back, calling her an incompetent and vulgar Empress.
"The Empress's position was always meant to remain vacant anyway. So I thought it best for only me to be ruined, for the sake of the Imperial Family. I didn't want to cause the slightest trouble for the Crown Prince. I..."
She smiled faintly.
"I'm still an excellent Imperial knight who can do anything for the Imperial Family."
Her solid muscles, her broad shoulders—they looked trustworthy.
They seemed more beautiful than any elegant dress I had ever seen.
"So I like you, Namia Loapi."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I like people who excel at their work. And you seem to be a truly excellent civil servant. The way you've memorized every clause and know all manner of official documents."
My heart raced.
Caught in this strange feeling, I blinked as the Empress continued.
"I swear it. Thanks to you, I was able to avoid falling into the schemes of those who would harm the Imperial Family. I will certainly grant whatever wish you have, to the best of my ability."
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