Turning Chapter 1037

Chapter 1037

"I apologize, but does Your Highness, the Crown Prince, know how the one who called himself a 'sage' died in the South?"

"..."

That question certainly had the effect of stopping Katchian's nonsense before it continued further. Katchian, who had been babbling on, suddenly shut his mouth as if frozen.

After a moment, he narrowed his eyes and responded in a dreadfully sunken voice, "...What does that have to do with me?"

As expected of Katchian. Even though the murderous intent in his eyes was evident as soon as the word 'sage' was mentioned, his reflexive pretense of ignorance was a sight to behold.

'Even though Kiolle said that the brainwashing hadn't been undone yet, it seems unexpectedly different here... It was just a disguise after all.'

Katchian had been continuously confined to Kiolle's accommodation in the south. The only time he had properly come out was on the day of the hail. Even then, he had fainted quickly and was carried away, so he would have had almost no substantial information.

'In other words, Crown Prince Katchian neither met the sage that day nor saw him die, so his grasp of reality must have been extremely slow.'

Of course, he would have squeezed Kiolle considerably to find out what had happened on the way back to the capital, but he probably hadn't been able to extract any useful information from him.

'If he had been able to do that, it would be appropriate to acknowledge that Crown Prince Katchian possessed greater abilities than the entire Cavalry's intelligence department combined.'

For someone who had run away to the south without permission for the sake of the sage, it was a truly unsightly conclusion. However, the important thing was that, because of this, there was a high possibility that the reality of the sage's death still didn't feel truly real to Crown Prince Katchian.

If he had properly grasped reality, he wouldn't be holed up in the Bright Palace by now, but should have contacted Duke Diarca somehow. At the very least, he wouldn't have come here alone, without even bringing a servant, on the pretext of having heard the story of the Cavalry returning from the south.

And, above all, he wouldn't have tried to meet Yuder Aile alone with such eyes.

Like a child trying to grasp a coveted weapon in his hands, he muttered flattery, only to immediately reveal his true colors and express resentment upon hearing a misstep. Who was he trying to seduce with those eyes?

"As far as I know, it seems to be related. Quite a lot, in fact," Yuder said.

"You speak as if you're trying to test and threaten someone. Are you daring to slander me?"

"Why would I slander the magnanimous Crown Prince?"

To be precise, it was closer to a tone of 'Why would I even have a reason to slander you?' Katchian's eyes darkened, as if he had noticed this.

The bitter malice revealed beneath the pretense of normalcy.

The cold gaze that replaced the dazzling smile he always wore when playing the role of the Crown Prince in front of people was all too familiar to Yuder.

"...Haha... I see. If you're trying to talk about my healers, they claimed their innocence. Yet, isn't it His Majesty and you people who didn't conduct a proper investigation and listen to them? They merely met with me for treatment and exchanged health advice, never engaging in any slanderous conversations. This is the truth you don't know."

It was a clever remark that indirectly revealed that the Crown Prince still believed in the sage while completely shifting the responsibility away from himself.

And with that single answer, Yuder obtained a very useful piece of information.

'As I thought. Katchian La Orr still doesn't know that what the sage truly wanted was Duke Diarca, not him.'

Even though he had guessed, Yuder was curious whether the strong remnants of brainwashing were shielding him or if he still didn't know. If it was the latter, it was simple.

Because Katchian La Orr pathologically hated and became enraged by situations where his subordinates deceived him.

Yuder spoke clearly and emphatically, looking straight at him.

"Then allow me to share with you a truth unknown to Your Highness. The sage was killed by the hands of a young Awakener who once followed him. The one with a scar on one ear, whom you may remember. The reason was that the young Awakener was abandoned as soon as he became useless, despite using his ability to the point of side effects and suffering severe injuries for the sage's sake."

"...Stop."

Katchian muttered, furrowing his brow. Yuder continued speaking without stopping.

"Then why did the sage have to exploit that Awakener to such an extent? In fact, there were quite a few who were used by the sage and either died or were discarded. What the sage wanted, even at the cost of such sacrifices, was to establish connections with a high-ranking nobleman in the capital and gain his trust. He mercilessly exploited the lives of those who believed in and followed him for his own selfish desires."

"I told you to stop babbling!"

"According to information received by the cavalry, the sage did everything possible to meet with that nobleman, even daring to show himself in public amidst a chase after causing an explosion in the capital, kneeling before the nobleman, believing him to be the only one who could save him. Doesn't that convey a strong belief in that noble alone?"

Not the Crown Prince.

Katchian's eyes became fierce as he read the hidden meaning.

"Enough!"

"You probably know by now who that nobleman is, but I shall not say. It wouldn't be bad for you to verify it yourself."

Of course, that nobleman was Duke Diarca.

Rationally speaking, it wouldn't be surprising at all if the sage followed Duke Diarca, since he was the one who sent the sage in the first place. However, Katchian froze as if he had witnessed a huge betrayal.

'Since he met and clashed with Nahan's side in the capital and became a fugitive, he directly sought out Duke Diarca and begged him to save his life, but he didn't do the same for the Crown Prince and only sent letters. Even that stopped once he went to the south.'

The letters found on the sage's dead body proved that. To him, Katchian was nothing more than a stepping stone to gain Duke Diarca's trust and a lifeline for emergencies. Even he knew that Katchian had no power and that Duke Diarca was the real authority.

And that fact was the very ignition point that Katchian La Orr found most horrifying.

Yuder remembered the words from his past life.

“Yudrain Aile. I wish to break free from the loathsome Diarca. I want to show them who is above and who is below, so that those wicked people cannot dare to monitor and control my every move. Punish them without getting caught. Destroy their homes. Cause unexpected accidents and make them tremble in fear, unable to sleep!”

“Even after losing everything dear, that detestable old man seems determined to live on without losing a bit of his vigor. However, I will grant that toothless old Duke the freedom to sleep beneath the ground, just as he desires!”

During the early days of Emperor Katchian's reign, it was not yet the time when he trusted Yudrain as his own limbs. The specifics remained uncertain, but one thing could be deduced with clarity.

In his previous life, soon after Katchian's ascension to the throne, the old Duke Diarca, who had died rather quickly and vanished, had likely fallen victim to Katchian's schemes.

'The poison that Emperor Katchian first used began to spread around that time.'

It was unknown whether Duke Diarca was really poisoned or not. However, excluding Kishiar, who had to be dealt with somehow as the last descendant of the former imperial family, Duke Diarca was undoubtedly the first to face Katchian's true murderous intent.

By dealing with Duke Diarca in such a way, Katchian was able to quickly gain the upper hand against the other four ducal families.

"Aren't you curious about how that person was able to exploit others to such an extent? Just as all the others around him were Awakeners, he was actually an Awakener himself. He was never a sage or a great figure. He was just an ordinary man who lived in this capital, awakened his ability, and had to flee."

Katchian muttered as if screaming, "...How dare you, how dare you...!"

"Since Your Highness told me first that you knew nothing, I merely shared what I knew. Did you not say you would extend your generous understanding even to this insolent commoner?"

Yuder uttered the last words in an utterly emotionless voice.

"It seems to me a fine opportunity for Your Highness to show me what kind of trust you seek and what kind of new era you wish to create."