58. Original (1)
As requested by Bella, the imperial banquet was momentarily suspended.
This was only natural.
Considering the saint had narrowly escaped an attempted assassination.
Although the perpetrator of the assassination attempt was quickly apprehended.
“Here it is, Your Majesty.”
Kyle, who was with Bella, spoke.
He, like Owen, must have been on full alert and could not have missed the movements of the person who attempted the assassination.
“So, the diplomats from the Kingdom of Yuria.”
Although they were far away, Owen was aware of the actions of the people from the Kingdom of Yuria.
He did not step forward first because Kyle was by Bella’s side.
He knew how the original story was unfolding.
‘…But why are the events of the original story happening exactly the same way?’
However, there was indeed a question.
If the starting point and relationships of the original had changed, then the events of the original story should have been affected as well.
‘Is it because the incident was caused by foreign characters?’
That was the only reason that came to mind.
People from the Kingdom of Yuria, who were far from the Empire, might not have been influenced.
‘But…’
However, even assuming that, there was one thing that bothered him, and that was Bella’s attitude.
“The diplomat from the Kingdom of Yuria who threatened to attempt poisoning the king was actually not the source of the poison.”
Unlike in ‘The Empire’s Flower,’ Bella awakened not in the ‘Forest of Mist’ but in the ‘Forest of Snow.’
Perhaps that was why she didn’t know how to properly harness her magical power.
Given that, why then…
“How did she realize there was poison before even tasting the drink?”
In the original work, it was natural for Bella, who controlled magic effortlessly.
Magic could heal wounds and treat injuries caused by external factors like poison.
Therefore, priests and clergy were knowledgeable about poisons, and those adept at using magic were skilled at detecting even subtle poisons.
As a saint, Bella was naturally more sensitive to poisons than anyone else.
“She still seems unable to fully harness her magical power.”
However, the Bella in the original work was not the same as the current Bella.
Unlike in ‘The Empire’s Flower,’ Bella still couldn’t fully harness her magical power.
The faint white aura trickling out was evidence of that.
“She couldn’t fully harness her magic yet she noticed the poison without even tasting it?”
It was hard to believe that she could detect the poison just by looking at it.
If Kyle had mentioned it beforehand, it might have been different, but that wasn’t the case.
While conversing with Lucia, she was clearly aware of their situation.
“I believe a more thorough investigation is necessary this time. It seems like more people are involved than we think.”
While Owen was lost in thought, the incident continued to unfold.
Although it was just one knight from the Kingdom of Yuria who practically carried out the act, several nations and organizations were involved behind the scenes.
In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if two nations and a kingdom joined forces against the empire.
Before the empire, bolstered by acquiring even a saint, became too powerful, they wanted to take preemptive action.
It would have been best to kill Bella, but it wouldn’t have mattered if they didn’t. Simply causing chaos within the empire and stirring up internal conflicts would have been advantageous.
Of course, they didn’t think they would be exposed so quickly, so they could proceed with their plans.
While those within the empire didn’t fully comprehend the strength of a Swordmaster and a 9th-class Master, foreign dignitaries were unaware of their capabilities.
It was a mistake to devise plans without knowing the enemy’s strength.
“Your Majesty, it’s unjust. It’s deeply distressing that such an incident almost occurred to the saint, and that this incident is associated with our diplomatic mission. The incident was merely a rash act by the diplomat!”
The delegation from the Kingdom of Yuria, unaware of the strength of the Swordmaster and 9th-class mage, pleaded injustice.
Not only the Kingdom of Yuria but all other nations did the same.
Without evidence, even if the situation was clear, they couldn’t be held accountable.
That’s why the Emperor personally reached out to the Matop and the Duke of Verdin, whom he feared so much.
“Topju.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“What do you think of their words?”
The Emperor must have been waiting for this moment for a long time.
Having experienced numerous incidents during his time as a prince, he must have been deeply scarred.
“I think it’s blatant nonsense.”
The criticism from Kyle, who didn’t know etiquette, was clear.
“Didn’t the saint say so? That both I and the Duke of Verdin witnessed it.”
The delegation from the Kingdom of Yuria was taken aback by the belated realization.
They must have had fleeting doubts in their minds.
“We also have evidence. If you wish, we can show you.”
Gradually, their expressions turned to astonishment.
It was because Kyle had projected an image using a magic stone in the air.
The holographic image clearly showed the scene where the diplomat threatened the king.
“This, this is a fabrication.”
The diplomat, realizing he had been caught, denied the situation.
Since attempting to harm a saint was a serious offense, he did his best to cover up the situation.
“No matter if there’s a magic stone, it’s impossible to capture every moment within the banquet hall. How could you capture such a crucial scene so clearly? And from such a favorable angle?”
His point was quite convincing.
In reality, magic stones had blind spots similar to CCTV cameras.
Even though the image quality was good, they were expensive and difficult to make, so they couldn’t be used extensively.
However, there were always exceptions.
“Do you know about Transcendents, diplomat?”
They don’t use the term ‘Transcendent’ lightly.
They were called so because they shattered the existing framework.
“There is such a thing among the 9th class magics. It’s a record magic called ‘Eye of Spacetime.'”
“That only appears in legends…”
The diplomat muttered.
Unfortunately, the author seemed ignorant about magic.
It was difficult to know about wizards as well.
Since they often resided in towers.
There were towers in countries other than the Freyon Empire, but the remaining towers also had an isolated nature.
Even wizards belonging to organizations other than towers had a tendency to be engrossed in research.
Just being a wizard and dealing with magic was one thing, but 9th class magic…
As a being that emerged after three centuries, there was much that was unknown.
“It’s a magic that records an entire space as an image. The reason I was present throughout the summer banquet for several days was for that, it’s regrettable that you didn’t know.”
Naturally, the Emperor did not reveal to the public that Kyle could use the record magic known as the ‘Eye of Spacetime.’
That was necessary so that enemies would let their guard down, it was only natural.
Fortunately, the enemies who were somewhat foolish took action at the right time.
He had waited 20 years to ascend to the throne, so it was natural to be pleased.
“So they say. What do you think?”
‘Hmph.’
Owen swallowed a wry smile at the Emperor’s relaxed and sluggish expression.
He looked like a predator who had finished the hunt and was facing its prey.
He seemed to have been waiting for this moment for a long time.
“That… “
The diplomat from the Kingdom of Yuria couldn’t say more.
He must have realized that it was already over.
The other members of the embassy that came with him also turned away from him.
He had to act that way to survive.
Even though it would be useless.
Anyway, thanks to Bella’s actions, not only all members of the Yuria diplomatic mission but also those from other countries would be punished.
And as a result, the two kingdoms and the public kingdom would enter into a new treaty with the Freyon Empire.
Naturally, the treaty was overwhelmingly favorable to the Freyon Empire alone.
“…I apologize.”
The diplomat bowed his head.
Then Bella’s voice echoed.
“Your Majesty, we also request an investigation of the other diplomatic missions. Apparently, the poison mixed in the wine was not from the Kingdom of Yuria.”
“It’s not a poison from the Kingdom of Yuria?”
“Yes, it’s a poison that causes instant death by heart failure when ingested, and it can only be extracted from a plant found in the highlands.”
“Then that’s strange. Doesn’t the Kingdom of Yuria have highlands?”
The left and right fell into a deep silence once again.
The nobles of the Empire trembled in fear, and the atmosphere among the diplomatic missions was tense, fearing exposure.
In the midst of this, Lucia quietly observed the situation.
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“Owen.”
Lucia called out to Owen, who was staring at the scene without any surprise, as if bothered by his calmness.
“Did you know?”
Without further ado, Lucia whispered softly.
Owen nodded to her, meaning yes.
“I see… So that’s why the Emperor welcomed you and Topju willingly. And that’s why…”
Lucia’s gaze pierced through.
Seeing Owen’s puzzled expression under her piercing gaze, she exhaled and finished her sentence.
“So you hated the banquet? You looked tired.”
It was a face that now fully understood.
As Owen blinked, Lucia reached out and held his hand.
“You must have been on edge all this time.”
“Probably.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t have a reason to, since I never mentioned it.”
He didn’t want Lucia to worry, so he didn’t mention it unnecessarily.
After all, this was a part he had to handle himself.
It was his life and duty.
It was bothersome, but not so unpleasant that he couldn’t bear it.
Someone once joked that if Topjuna Verdine, the Duke, refused to obey the Emperor’s orders, it might lead to rebellion. But Owen could assert with certainty.
Rebellion is a million times more troublesome than the Emperor’s orders.
Kyle wasn’t simply following the Emperor’s words for no reason.
The Imperial Family was handling this weighty empire’s politics themselves, and to defy that was unthinkable.
Unless one was out of their mind, they wouldn’t engage in such a bothersome act.
“But Owen, you know, don’t you.”
Lucia replied softly, noticing his unnecessary thoughts.
When he turned his gaze back to her, she continued speaking.
“I didn’t need to say it; you knew it all.”
“That’s…”
It was only natural.
He was someone she had watched over and cherished for a long time.
Yet, how could he not know about her?
Even without words, he could discern her thoughts, worries, and feelings through her actions, expressions, and the atmosphere.
“I was going to say it was also obvious.”
Before Moore could reply, Lucia spoke first.
Her inner thoughts were read as is, surprising him, and she let out a shallow breath.
“I sometimes want to know your version of the obvious. I’ve never experienced that so-called obvious, but for Owen, it’s natural. Always.”