I want to leave you.
The words echoed in his head, and William finally woke up.
"Dammt!" William's fist hit the stone floor. A sharp edge cut into his knuckles, but the pain seemed insignificant to him. His anger was boiling in his blood.
"Damit!"
"That cowardly snake!"
"That bitch!"
"Die!"
"I'll kill you, I swear!"
- cough-cough...
A cough cut off his words. Panting, he finally looked around him. The stench of rotting fungus and waste scratched his throat. Iron chains, wet straw, and a dirty wooden collar around his neck—lightly illuminated runes carved on it.
Magic-suppressing seal. He instinctively reached for the knife hidden in his shoe. Of course, that wasn't there either.
Footsteps approached slowly. William stiffened, but he wasn't afraid. Just ice-cold fury.
"William Graves," a guard shouted, banging on the prison door. "Get up."
William didn't recognize the man.
The man was wearing the red-and-gold insignia of the Imperial Guard. No ordinary prison guard
Although he didn't want to follow orders, he followed through while having a disgusted face, the Iron chain's were making it difficult for him to move but he still got out of the prison.
"What does this mean?" he growled. "Where is Eliza? Where—"
His ribs almost broke with the hit, he collapsed on the ground, he gasped for air.
"Shut up, traitor," the guard sneered. "Everyone is waiting for you. You dare to strike the Emperor's son."
The Emperor's son?
William's mind raced.
The Guard broke the Iron Chain's first, then the guard dragged him down a dark corridor into the bright sunlight. Before him rose the obsidian spire, its sharp peaks scraping the sky. This was not a prison.
Heavily armed soldiers guarded the entrance. It's...
"What's going on?" William asked again as he was led further.
There was a large crowd of soldiers and in the middle of them, a high platform flanked by armoured troops. A figure sat on a throne above the platform. And next to him, dressed in silk and smiling like a wolf, stood Kael Veyra—the emperor's heir. Beside him was Eliza, her eyes fixed on the ground like a maid of honour.
"El…" William's throat caught.
"Kneel," a grave voice roared.
An armoured boot kicked the back of his knee. William fell, gnashing his teeth. Above him, a grizzled man in a commander's uniform shook his head.
"You bastard!"
"Shut up, prisoner."
Emperor Cyrus III sternly rebuked the agitated William.
It was enough to make William's blood run cold. He was a commoner, an adventurer. The power of the Emperor was enough to make him tremble. He found himself falling to one knee, his head bowed…
"William Graves. Adventurer, Rank A. Formerly a member of the Iron Ravens. The charges against you—conspiracy against the Imperial family, assault on royalty, and…" He looked at Eliza, who shivered. "…binding your wife into slavery with dark magic."
"Magic?" William jumped, chains clanking.
A soldier struck William from behind, silencing him. William fell with his hands outstretched.
"Fool! You are in front of the emperor!"
William immediately recognized whose voice it was.
Guildmaster!?
Garrick, Guildmaster of the Iron Ravens.
This man named Garrick was muscular and strong. It was said that he was a descendant of the Holy Sword who fought with the heroes thousands of years ago. Although he had not shown his swordsmanship for a long time, many people thought that he was very brave and strong. In fact, he was a former commander and once a general in the Imperial army. So he was much more powerful than the adventurer.
"Ma... Master! What are you doing? They! It's all their work!" William shouted excitedly, pointing at the arrogant Prince and Eliza.
The Prince laughed. "So much imagination for a common cutthroat."
Garrick held William tightly so that he could not move or speak.
"I'm sorry about this, Your Majesty. Please continue"
"Hmm… Now I will read the charges. William Graves cruelly controlled his wife, Eliza, and constantly put her life at risk. He accused the woman of adultery and publicly attacked Prince Kael and attempted to take her life. This crime is considered a first-class crime. Treason."
After finishing his speech, the Emperor calmly looked at William.
"What are you saying? This is complete nonsense, Your Majesty!"
William struggled desperately as the Guild Master held him down.
After receiving the Emperor's signal, the Guild Master released him.
"Continue"
"Your Majesty! Violence against my own wife?.. Never, not once! I have never done anything like that. But it is true that I publicly attacked the Prince. But I did it because he had a secret affair with my wife. He insulted me when I caught them red-handed and deliberately provoked me!"
That's right. It's true!
The Emperor listened and looked worried. However, William's hopes of getting justice were very low. Because Kael was the Emperor's own son.
The Emperor looked at Kael.
"What's the matter?! Kael"
At this moment, William's wife and Kael are kissing on stage.
"What!? Why are you listening to a commoner!? Isn't that obvious to you?"
The emperor touched his bushy beard.
"No, no, no, look! Your Majesty!" William shouted, "Look how close they are!"
Eliza is looking at Kael, tears welling up in her eyes as she speaks foolish words of love!
"She's also carrying Prince Kael's illegitimate child! Ask your priests—use the Truth Stone!"
It's a nightmare not just for William but for any man, where their wife has sex with another man in their absence. And also want child
A murmur rose in the crowd. Kael's smile faded.
The high priest, a bony man in white, raised his hand. "Lady Eliza says the child is yours, Graves. And no one can lie in the divine light."
"Then test her!" William roared.
Eliza's head jerked up, eyes wide. For a moment, fear flashed across Kael's face.
The Emperor raised an eyebrow. "The oath will settle this. Priest Loras?"
"No!" Eliza cried out suddenly, clutching her stomach. "I… I can't bear the shame! This is all his fault—!"
Kael stepped forward. "Enough. Should we torment a helpless woman further? This criminal has confessed to attacking me without cause." He pointed to his cheek, where a faint scar gleamed.
Garrick gripped William's shoulder tightly. "You raised the sword against the Prince. By any law, the penalty is death."
William looked at Eliza. His hands were shaking, but he didn't meet her eyes. Coward. Liar.
"We also heard from your wife that her father borrowed a lot of money from you, and you forced her to marry you because she couldn't pay it back."
"Ha! These are lies! All lies!"
"What a shame!"
"How could he do this!?"
"Bastard!"
Everyone here was blaming William for everything.
Finally, William realizes what is happening.
Everything was a set-up.