Chapter 113
People murmured as they watched, and Grand Duke Lancelot Obier of Montella slowly walked forward and stopped before me and Etias.
He bowed politely to Etias, showing respect toward a neighboring emperor, then looked at me.
His emerald-green eyes shone with the same intelligence as before, which let me feel relief.
I had worried he might suffer some mental damage from being too long in a beast’s body, but thankfully he looked fine.
“Grand Duke Lancelot Obier of Montella greets His Majesty the Emperor of Oswell, and greets Your Grace, Duke Katrin Elemore.”
I placed my hand over my chest and lowered my head slightly to accept his greeting.
“Are you well?”
“Yes, thanks to Your Grace.”
His deep gaze stayed on me.
“And your memory?”
“Yes. I remember all circumstances. Every event.”
“I see.”
I nodded. It clearly meant he remembered even the events of the Beast Peak period.
“See you shortly.”
Lancelot whispered in a low voice, then turned away from us.
He approached the two standing nearby.
Prince Dale Ordens of Gran Orden, as he had introduced himself.
The prince’s eyes showed clear panic at Lancelot’s appearance.
“Ah, nice to meet you for the first time.”
“For the first time?”
At Lancelot’s raised brows, Dale Ordens shrugged.
“Yes, for the first time, Your Grace.”
“I am not meeting His Highness for the first time. We certainly met—at the border between Montella and Oswell.”
“I don’t know what you mean at all…”
“When the wizards under your command noticed I was not an ordinary dog, you gave the order to kill me.”
At Lancelot’s cold, sharp voice, the murmuring around us grew louder.
**> Beast Peak.
The Grand Duke no longer intended to hide his secret.**
“Wh-what do you mean? I only just arrived here. You must be mistaken, Your Grace…”
“Even after seeing this, you don’t remember?”
Lancelot raised a small blood-stained cloth.
Attached was a medal, torn from a uniform, the kind fit for royalty, in gold.
The name of the giver and receiver were engraved.
“Given by the Emperor of Gran Orden, and received by you, Dale Ordens.”
“…!”
The prince’s eyes shook.
‘Well done keeping evidence, Grand Duke.’
I smiled slightly, watching.
The Grand Duke’s voice grew rough.
“Before losing consciousness, I bit off your medal and swallowed it. Looks like you couldn’t check inside my stomach.”
The murmurs grew louder as it spread that a Western prince had attacked Montella’s Grand Duke. Etias’s lips curled faintly.
He stepped forward, one by one, until he stood before them.
Taking the medal from the Grand Duke, he said:
“Sure enough, it is Gran Orden’s medal. Montella’s Grand Duke does not speak falsehoods. Can you explain what happened on the Oswell-Montella border?”
At Etias’s cold aura, the prince flinched as if chilled.
Barzenka’s foreign minister, Gomels, also looked tense.
“Y-Your Majesty, this must be a misunderstanding…”
She tried to help the prince, but could not silence the furious Grand Duke.
> “Attacking a leader on foreign soil is an act of war. Has your empire declared war on Montella and Oswell?”
The prince’s face turned pale. He scrambled for excuses.
“N-no, Your Grace. Truly I…”
Making an enemy of Montella now would be disastrous. The empire’s minerals, exported across the continent, were crucial for the ongoing war.
“I-I didn’t know it was Your Grace… I thought an enemy was following us.”
“So you admit to the attack.”
At Etias’s calm words, the prince flinched.
Etias then ordered in a steady voice:
“Bring them in. It’s time to show Gran Orden’s true face.”
At his command, Caron signaled, and imperial soldiers brought in five prisoners, their mouths gagged.
As soldiers and prisoners entered the grand hall, noble ladies gasped and stepped back in shock.
But the real focus was not the nobles—it was the foreign envoys invited to become allies.
This gathering was planned to expose the West’s schemes and propose an alliance.
“…!”
The prince’s eyes shook as he saw the pale-skinned Westerners dragged before him.
“H-how…!”
“These men infiltrated the Great Temple. We also have testimony from Padelmon Elemore that they attacked the imperial prison.”
“…!!”
“Tell us—who are they?”
“Th-that…”
“They seem to know who the prince is.”
Etias’s shadow rose, wrapping around one prisoner, who groaned in fear.
“…Ugh.”
Etias’s overwhelming aura broke their will to resist.
“I-I don’t know them!”
Dale stumbled back, face full of fear.
“Then are they Barzenka’s spies? Only two Western nations could raise assassins of this level.”
The Barzenka envoy shook her head quickly.
“N-no, not us.”
Better to let Gran Orden take the fall than be accused herself.
“They are assassins of Gran Orden.”
“…!”
The prince glared at her with fury, but it was too late.
Etias’s lips twisted coldly. He addressed the hall:
> “Search the temples, and you will find assassins. Gran Orden’s ambition spreads across the continent. They have assassinated important figures abroad. For example—”
Etias’s voice dropped.
> “Duke Luciano Elemore, father of Duke Katrin Elemore.”
“……!!”
Gasps and shock filled the room.
I nodded once, confirming Etias’s words, and heard sorrowful murmurs.
Hatred toward Gran Orden spread rapidly among the guests. If they could kill one of Oswell’s great dukes, they could target anyone.
Even Montella’s Grand Duke testified to nearly being killed by them.
“It is improper to detain or interrogate a diplomatic envoy, but if the envoy directly threatens national security, it is permitted.”
Dale tried to escape, but Camel seized his arm from behind.
“Damn it, let me go!”
“Let go of my friend’s killer? Never.”
Barzenka’s envoy looked pale as if about to faint.
Camel shouted loudly to the hall:
“Gran Orden must be punished for threatening the continent’s peace!”
Lancelot nodded in agreement.
“They use monsters of evil power. Surely they will stretch their cruel hand to other nations besides Oswell. I agree.”
He turned to Etias.
“Montella gladly becomes Oswell’s ally, Your Majesty.”
Etias smiled slightly and nodded.
My gaze shifted to the corner, where Caron had brought Yucubis’s High Priest—the second most powerful man in the Holy Kingdom, commander of its armies.
Yucubis hated Gran Orden, but their pacifist nature made them the hardest to convince.
Yet—
‘Placed in this situation, even Yucubis must join the war.’
The High Priest stepped forward.
> “The Holy Kingdom of Yucubis will also join this war.”
He glared at Dale, declaring:
> “The temple is sacred. To send vile assassins there is blasphemy. For peace of the continent, we shall restrain Gran Orden’s ambition!”
‘Perfect.’
I hid my smile of joy. Etias answered:
“We welcome the Holy Kingdom’s decision.”
Then, eyes gleaming with cold resolve, he spoke solemnly:
> “The imperial army and our allied nations will punish them in the name of justice.”
The nobles in uniform all saluted firmly.
In that silence, Etias looked every inch the perfect emperor. Even I, who expected him to succeed, felt my chest tremble.
‘Well done, Etias.’
He suddenly looked at me.
I seemed to hear again his vow to protect me and the empire.
“Long live the Emperor!”
“For victory!”
Cheers erupted in unison.
At the center of that roar, as I felt my heart swelling from the heat of it, I heard Lancelot’s voice beside me.
“Lady… no, Your Grace, Duke.”
