Empress Borough, Sodela Palace.
Wearing his crown, with a resolute face, George III listened solemnly as the Earl of the Palace reported to him. Only after the latest intelligence regarding Edessak was fully delivered did he raise his hand to interrupt:
"So you're saying an unknown witch took Edessak away?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the Earl of the Palace answered with his head lowered.
"Have you questioned the representative sent by the 'Demoness Sect'?" George III asked expressionlessly.
"Madam Panatiya has already been confirmed to have been erased by the Church of the Evernight Goddess' sealed artifact '0-17'... so..." The Earl didn't dare look at His Majesty's expression and instead continued, "However, we do have a suspect."
George III said nothing. He merely looked down at the Earl from above, waiting for his answer.
The Earl quickly continued, "There are two demoness with the highest suspicion... One is Leland, the youngest daughter of the former Count of Lorena. She... no, he—no, she—and Prince Edessak were childhood friends. She has every reason to take the prince away in such a situation...
"The other is Vice Admiral of Ailment Tracy. After the 'Daniel Labyrinth' incident on the Southern Continent, she was once aided by Prince Edessak, so she too has a clear motive..."
"That boy seems to be quite favored by demoness," George III commented with an oddly wistful tone, then asked again, "Who do you think is more likely?"
"It's Leland... After the 'Affliction Demoness' incident, she publicly declared a falling-out with Prince Edessak... but in truth, it was just to protect his reputation, to avoid letting her identity as a witch affect him... She was truly thinking for his sake.
"As for Vice Admiral of Ailment... I cannot judge her character."
George III nodded after hearing this. He pondered for a moment, then stated directly, "Edessak colluded with a demoness and had secret dealings with Intisian spies. After being exposed, he tried to flee but was ultimately backstabbed by the witch and killed by Vice Admiral of Ailment Tracy.
"And the reason he got involved with Intisian spies in the first place was because he was seduced by a demoness Tracy into privately meeting with the traitorous Baron Larry from Intis.
"Baron Larry and Tracy had long been conspiring together. That's how they were able to snatch the most important artifact from the 'Daniel Labyrinth' and offer it up to Intis in exchange for asylum."
He used a declarative tone, as if all he said were indisputable facts.
The Court Earl wiped away cold sweat and cautiously asked, "But... will the Church believe this version of events?"
"Intisian spies indeed funded Larry—this is backed by solid evidence. And Larry really did contact Edessak's butler. While that isn't hard proof, it still makes it difficult for Intis to distance themselves from the matter.
"Besides, since the 'Goddess Eye ' has already seen Duke Grall, the Church's attention is definitely focused on him now. They won't pursue Edessak's case too relentlessly.
"And once Edessak's death is officially declared, even if he shows up again later, we won't acknowledge his identity. Plus, he knows very little to begin with...
"In short, since he managed to escape, let him go."
At this point, George III glanced at the Court Earl.
The Court Earl immediately grasped His Majesty's meaning and carefully asked, "And what about the explanation for the people from the Three Great Churches?"
"Duke Grall committed suicide out of guilt. We'll give them the body for verification! Hmph, the fall of a Sequence 3 demigod—surely that's enough to satisfy them?
"And it's not like the royal faction contributed nothing to the recent Great Smog incident! Vera was on the frontlines, stopping the descent of the 'True Creator.' The Church of the Evernight Goddess should be well aware of this...
"So this entire incident is just a small faction within the royal family, led by Duke Grall, conspiring with Intis and evil cults in an attempted rebellion," George III said suddenly with irritation.
"Your Majesty... Is Duke Grall really dead?" Though he didn't want to ask, the Court Earl forced himself to speak.
After all, he would be the one negotiating with the Three Great Churches next. Every bargaining chip had to be clear.
"Dead, completely. Even his soul has been obliterated." George III's tone showed some discomfort as he spoke. He hadn't expected Duke Grall, a 'Chaos Hunter,' to use a 'Grade 1' sealed artifact to curse an angel... and such a peculiar angel at that.
He took a deep breath, regained his usual stern expression, and ordered:
"Also tell them this—no matter how someone obtains the corresponding title of nobility, they will be eligible for a seat in the House of Lords. Property restrictions on elections will be relaxed, and ineffective constituencies will be eliminated. This is a concession to those factory owners and bankers.
"Likewise, the Air Pollution Investigation Committee will issue its conclusions immediately. Relevant bills will soon be passed. Minimum welfare guarantees and working hour limits will be codified into law shortly!
"The Poor Relief Act will be reformed as they demanded... and the three major Churches will be allowed to assign personnel into the military!"
"Your Majesty…" The Earl of the Palace was shocked.
These concessions were far beyond what he had imagined—especially that last one.
George III snorted and said, "Just tell them this! This is the price our Loen Royal Family must pay! But Intis, who was also involved, mustn't get off scot-free either! They, too, must pay a corresponding price."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The Earl didn't dare bring up the fact that all this about Intis was pure fabrication and quickly withdrew from the palace.
After he left, George III looked toward the other side of the grand hall and spoke to the seemingly empty air: "Hvin, I remember Vera agreed during the last negotiation to hand Larry over to you… How is he now? Can he provide a flawless testimony in our favor?"
As his voice fell, the image of an elderly man appeared in the hall, wearing a shirt, vest, formal coat, and striped blue-gray trousers, with a dark red cravat at his neck.
It was Hvin Rambis, a member of the Council of the Psychological Alchemy Society.
Of course, he had long been mentally cleansed by a certain mind dragon and turned into a puppet.
He bowed to the king first, then replied calmly, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Baron Larry will swear he's been colluding with military attaché Bianca from the embassy all along.
"And Bianca disguised herself as Baron Larry's mistress. After the Duke Negan assassination attempt, the Church of the Storm confirmed this with solid evidence!
"According to my intel, that Miss Bianca managed to evade being silenced by Intis and has now fled... They won't be able to find her to confront Larry."
"But that Owen fellow won't admit it so easily, and we still lack decisive proof… Of course, considering this is a setup, it's already nearly perfect," George III said with a smile, none of his earlier rage remaining.
"Intis won't want to go to war immediately. They'll surely offer us an explanation and try to mend relations." Hvin pointed out Intis' most likely response. After all, the three major Churches were also exerting pressure.
"Heh, I wonder which family in Intis will be sacrificed as the scapegoat," George III sneered.
"Most likely the 'Sully' family."
.....
In a resting room inside the Bravehearts Bar, old Kohler suddenly woke from a deep sleep. His last memory was of himself, deathly ill and being taken away by a beautiful 'angel'...
"I didn't die? Or did I arrive at the Lord's divine kingdom?" Kohler looked around, only to find that the environment was quite different from what he imagined Heaven would be.
Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he hurriedly searched the room. In the corner, he spotted the bag containing his ham.
He rushed over in a few steps, picked up the now dirt-covered ham, and took a big bite without hesitation.
"Truly... delicious! Thank goodness, you're still here!" Kohler murmured contentedly.
He was now certain he hadn't died and had likely been rescued.
"Who could've saved me?" Kohler was just pondering this when his gaze froze. At some point, a young lady with exquisite features—so beautiful in his eyes she seemed like an angel—had appeared, sitting quietly on the room's sofa, watching him.
(End of chapter)