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Shhhhh—

My declaration echoed throughout the funeral hall.

An abruptly unfolding situation.

Though the nobles were initially taken aback, they gradually regained their composure—just as the knights did.

Even if the Duke of Whitewood had found evidence of a crime in the Celestial Duke's mansion, it would have taken time for her to arrive here.

In other words, the person standing here—me—is nothing more than an imposter posing as the Duke of Whitewood.

I have to stall for time until the real one arrives.

And in that time, I must make sure Iris does not don the emperor's crown.

Just as the Imperial Knights began to move, realizing this fact—

“Father!”

Someone rushed forward and stood in front of me.

Her peach-colored hair, soaked with rain, fluttered in the wind.

The Imperial Knights hesitated.

It was Hania Rapidedia.

The daughter of Hanadin, the commander of the Imperial Knights—she stood between me and them.

“Hania?”

Hanadin looked at her with a puzzled expression.

He had not anticipated that she would step forward at this moment.

“What are you doing there?”

Hanadin gave her a look, ordering her to return to his side.

But Hania stood firmly in front of me and spoke.

“…I am both a servant and a friend to Lady Iris.”

In the pouring rain, she clenched her fists tightly.

“This isn’t for Iris’s sake.”

Hanadin’s face twisted in disbelief.

This imperial coronation was meant for Iris.

But here was Hania—part of the same third princess’s faction—refusing the crown on her friend’s behalf.

“Hania, according to His Majesty’s will—”

“That will!”

Hania cut off Hanadin’s words with defiant resolve.

Her untimely defiance caught even her father off guard.

“Was that really written with the Emperor’s true intentions?”

And her next words made Hanadin’s eyes widen.

A blasphemous remark that mocked the deceased Emperor.

A statement no noble of the Empire should ever utter.

A bombshell that questioned the Emperor’s will.

“How dare—”

“Blasphemy!”

The nobles’ expressions shifted as soon as they heard it.

They began to cast scornful glances, as if she didn’t understand the weight of her words.

But Hania did not retreat in the slightest.

Instead, she stood even straighter, proud like a lioness.

Hanadin showed a distressed expression.

Even if she was his daughter, defending her here would mean his own end.

“Hania, what are you saying? Admit it was a mistake and return to your place.”

“I only spoke according to my beliefs.”

Despite his desperate attempts to persuade her, Hania stood her ground.

For Iris’s sake, she had staked her life on this.

But she must have been terrified too.

She had just denied the Emperor’s will in front of the most powerful figures of the Empire.

Surely, it couldn’t have been without fear.

So I stepped forward, placing a hand on Hania’s trembling shoulder.

“She’s right.”

And I wasn’t the only one to step forward.

Another man came to our side.

“Was that truly His Majesty’s will?”

A man with fiery red hair.

A man who had fought harder than anyone in the imperial household.

The First Prince—Lukraizen Hysirion.

He took advantage of the gap we had created.

Previously, when everything was carefully orchestrated, no one gave any heed to the First Prince’s objections.

But with my lightning, the Duke of Whitewood’s declaration, and Hania’s explosive statement—finally, the First Prince gained attention.

“…Your Highness, do you not see the Emperor’s seal on the will?”

“A seal is merely a tool. Have you all forgotten the recent incident in the Empire?”

The Vampire Mystery incident.

It had been a scandal so large that even common citizens knew of it.

The nobles began to murmur.

The First Prince was suggesting that the Emperor might have been controlled by Vampire Mystery.

The notion that the mighty Emperor had been manipulated—this was a statement that shook the very foundation of the Empire.

Even the First Prince must have wished to avoid such a claim.

To say that the Emperor had been manipulated was to debase the authority of the throne itself.

That’s why he had held back until the very last moment.

But we stepped forward, and so did he.

Right now, preventing the throne from falling into the hands of the Celestial Duke was more important than preserving the dignity of the Emperor.

With even the First Prince now casting doubt on the Emperor’s will…

In the midst of the chaos, when none of the nobles dared to speak—

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Finally, he spoke.

Thump—

Never had the sound of a man's shoe echoed so heavily.

A man loved by the citizens, respected even by the nobility.

Celestial grace incarnate.

The Celestial Duke.

He stepped forward, addressing the First Prince.

“I witnessed the writing of the will alongside Lady Iris.”

And then, the Celestial Duke made a reckless claim.

The First Prince’s eyes widened.

What had he just said?

We had just raised the possibility that the Emperor had been resurrected and controlled by Vampire Mystery.

And now, the Celestial Duke claimed he was present when the will was written.

Which meant—there was room to interpret that he himself had been involved in manipulating the Emperor via Mystery.

Yet, despite this, the nobles looked relieved.

Who was the Celestial Duke?

And who was Iris, the girl he raised?

He was a Grand Duke of the Empire, and she was the Third Princess.

The two of them stood together and vouched that the Emperor had no ties to Vampire Mystery.

“I too witnessed His Majesty writing the will.”

“As did I.”

Two more Grand Dukes—the Duke of Gentle Calm and the Duke Ironwall—lent their support.

History is written by the victors.

Power is wielded by those who possess it.

Even if something is false, it can become truth if powerful people declare it so.

The Celestial Duke understood this better than anyone.

And so did the First Prince.

His own residence had been raided by Duke of Whitewood.

Even in this situation, Duke Robliage declared that the Emperor’s will was genuine.

And this situation instead gave more strength to Duke Robliage.

Innocence.

He had nothing to hide and spoke only the truth—he had nothing to fear from suspicion.

Was he making a reckless gamble just to survive this moment?

Or had he already prepared for everything?

If everything was already in place—

‘Then that mansion…’

It was bait designed from the beginning to keep Duke of Whitewood away from this place.

My eyes widened.

‘That lunatic…’

He had placed not only himself but even Iris onto the gambling board.

And the one who laid out the board was none other than Duke Robliage himself.

Three dukes and the Third Princess were present.

Moreover, the nobles, the imperial knights, and even the Tower Master in this place had all raised their hands in favor of Duke Robliage.

“Sir Hanadin, please continue.”

Just cause and power.

What could we do against a man who held both?

Once again, the tide was turning toward Duke Robliage.

“It was a request from His Majesty, so ending it at the funeral would be proper.”

“Understood.”

Hanadin resumed reading the will.

Hania looked at me urgently.

Since my arrival, Iris had not spoken a word.

The First Prince shouted something, but his words did not reach.

Our claims held no weight here.

Presumption of innocence.

Until clear evidence and a guilty verdict are given, a person is not deemed a criminal.

Duke Robliage left no evidence.

He intentionally stirred trouble using the vampire mystery.

That was a calculated mysticism, not just to frame someone else, but to ensure no evidence would be left behind.

The mansion was bait to exclude Duke of Whitewood, who held equal power.

There was likely no evidence there at all.

The only certainty was this:

That Iris’s mother was safe.

Even that could be twisted into a lie, claiming Iris had been struck by the vampire mystery and was hiding the truth.

There had been countless cases of people being affected by the vampire mystery, noble or commoner alike.

That was why he had so recklessly wielded the mystery.

Then why hadn’t Duke of Whitewood appeared here directly?

‘The Celestial Echo Squad.’

It was likely that they had bound Duke of Whitewood’s movements once again.

There was no evidence that he used the vampire mystery.

Nor was there any proof of involvement with Demon Sovereign.

Therefore, by the principle of presumption of innocence, Duke Robliage was not guilty, despite being suspicious.

However, being not guilty can be a double-edged sword.

No matter how innocent one claims to be, proving it still requires additional evidence.

There is no proof that Duke Robliage is connected to the vampire mystery or Demon Sovereign.

But there’s also no proof that he isn’t.

In the face of power, the words of a witness become meaningless.

But in the face of equal power, a witness’s words hold a completely different weight.

So—

“Wait.”

I brought forth a new just cause—and power.

Inside the Emperor’s funeral hall.

A group of people stepped forward.

Hanadin, who was about to read the will again, hesitated.

As soon as he saw the people arriving, Duke Robliage’s eyes narrowed.

Luckily, we weren’t too late.

Now begins the conversation I had prepared.

A man with deep blue hair stood at the front.

The Blue Tower Master, Emperadion Sazaris.

His daughter, Sharin Sazaris, and Xenia Niflheim also walked forward with dignity.

At their center stood one man.

Eurozen, vice-leader of the Mysticism Society and the one who started this mess.

The man who had sealed himself in a crystal of mystic glass had finally been brought into reality.

Together with Nia, Nikita arrived in the form of Sekita, dragging along another man.

The head of the palace mages and the one who had assaulted the Zerion Academy.

Arcadium.

And the final two arrivals made the nobles freeze and swallow hard.

Even in the rain, their divine energy pierced through.

The noble Saintess, Acrede of Saint Narea.

The Saint, Sirmiel of Saint Eden.

The two divine envoys representing the Church had arrived.

And in addition, one more person appeared.

In this world, gods exist.

And thus, divine influence is unmatched in its power.

The warrior chosen by the goddess.

Isabel Luna.

She appeared before everyone, spreading the wings of the goddess.

The holy light radiating from those wings captivated everyone’s eyes.

The divine power flowing from her proved she was truly the goddess’s chosen warrior.

Duke Robliage held both just cause and power.

He didn’t hesitate to gamble with himself.

And that’s why I brought this.

A power beyond human authority—divine authority.

For the first time today, a sharp edge appeared in Duke Robliage’s eyes.

He must’ve believed everything was going according to his plans.

Divine power.

You bastard.