Veronica, who had been sitting quietly with her eyes closed, also opened her eyes slightly upon hearing these words.
She thought to herself: “The Church's previous intelligence indicated that something escaped from the dungeon six months ago, which seems to perfectly coincide with the time this steward appeared by Finn's side. That means... everything Lord Greg said was indeed true!”
Thinking of this, her admiration for Greg deepened yet another level.
“As expected of Lord Greg. He had already thoroughly grasped and understood intelligence that even the Church had not fully mastered, and he has even laid out his plans in advance... Is this the true strength of a Heroic Spirit?”
Meanwhile, Greg was thinking: “What the hell? If you knew exactly who it was, you should have said so earlier! Then I wouldn't have had to drag so many people into this massive brawl!”
He was equally shocked.
When Finn heard Wendy mention the steward, his expression finally spiraled completely out of control. He knew that the lord did not want to attract too much attention. Moreover, he was worried that if someone more powerful than him discovered that lord's identity, they might snatch away the position that rightfully belonged to him.
Thus, a flash of panic and anger crossed Finn's face. He suddenly spun around and shrieked hysterically at the nearby soldiers, “Light the fire! Light it now! Don't let this witch deceive people with her evil words anymore! Execute her immediately!”
Although he acted quickly, his panicked and exasperated state made everyone see right through his guilt. If he had nothing to hide, why would he be in such a desperate hurry to silence Wendy?
The commoners in the square looked at Finn with increasingly deep suspicion. The Emperor also wore a thoughtful expression. Even Prime Minister Marcus, who stood on Finn's side, couldn't help but frown at this moment.
Because he had met that steward before. At the time, he felt that the man was not simple, but since he was the Crown Prince's man, Marcus had not probed further.
But now, after hearing Wendy's words... even he couldn't help but wonder: what exactly was that steward's background? To make the Crown Prince rely on him so heavily, yet remain so secretive about him?
It seemed he would have to send someone to investigate this thoroughly when the time came. If it turned out to be true, then the throne might just have to be reluctantly occupied by himself. After all, the other nobles would certainly not want a puppet controlled by someone of unknown origin.
“Y-Yes, Your Highness!”
The soldier holding the torch hesitated for a moment, then walked quickly toward the execution platform.
Greg's pupils contracted slightly, and he prepared to take action. But just then—
Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!
Continuous explosions suddenly rang out from various streets within the Imperial Capital. The explosions occurred one after another, accompanied by shockwaves of mana, causing the entire Imperial Capital to tremble slightly.
The crowd instantly fell into panic and confusion.
Greg froze, his brow furrowing deeply. “What the hell? I don't think I told anyone to do something this extreme?”
“R-Report!” A soldier stumbled over, shouting loudly, “The Demon King Cult! The people of the Demon King Cult are active again!”
The Demon King Cult?!
A figure instantly flashed through Greg's mind—Melina.
He immediately understood the current situation: Melina had intentionally ordered her people to act at this time to beat him at his own game. By confirming the rumor that the Fifth Imperial Princess was one of hers, she could seize the opportunity to boost the Demon King Cult's influence.
Greg gritted his teeth and cursed silently in his heart: “That damn bad girl! How dare you try to mark my Chief Steward as yours! Absolutely unforgivable!”
“...This is...”
Wendy's face instantly turned deathly pale. This was a situation she had completely failed to anticipate. The people of the Demon King Cult had actually chosen to strike at this exact moment.
She thought frantically, but under these circumstances, it seemed almost impossible for her to prove her innocence.
Seeing this, Finn was instantly ecstatic. He pointed at Wendy, his voice filled with a nearly maniacal smugness: “Look! You all saw it, right?! She really did collude with the Demons! Everything she said earlier was nothing but slander! Lies she fabricated to escape her crimes!”
Because of the series of explosions echoing through the Imperial Capital, panic spread through the crowd like a plague, and their judgment plummeted rapidly due to fear.
More and more people began to believe Finn's words. After all, if Wendy really hadn't colluded with the Demons, why would the Demon King Cult, which had been silent for days, launch an attack at this exact moment?
People in the crowd began to question Wendy loudly:
“Princess Wendy, we believed in you so much! Why did you betray us?”
“Could it be that everything you just said was also a lie to deceive us?”
Faced with the questioning of the people who had once believed in her, Wendy shook her head desperately, her voice trembling slightly: “No... that's not true... I didn't... I don't know why this is happening either...”
But her defense seemed incredibly weak and powerless amidst the explosions and shouting.
Boom!
An even louder explosion erupted at the edge of the square, sending debris and dust flying.
Several Demon King Cultists dressed in black robes rushed through the smoke. As they charged toward the crowd in the center of the square, they shouted loudly, “Princess Wendy, please hold on a little longer! We are coming to rescue you now!”
These words were like a poisoned dagger, completely piercing through Wendy's last hope.
All color drained from her face, her lips parted slightly, but she could not make a sound. She knew that no matter how she defended herself now, it was useless. The words of the Demon King Cult had completely sealed her guilt of colluding with the Demons.
“Fools, how dare you cause destruction in the Imperial Capital.”
Roland, who was standing behind the Emperor, finally moved. He reached for the hilt of his sword at his waist, his gaze locking onto the rushing Demon King Cultists.
But just a moment before he could draw his sword, a dazzling flash of lightning and a sharp wind blade sliced through the sky, precisely striking the cultists.
The lightning crackled, and the wind blade howled. Once the dust settled, those cultists lay dead on the ground, devoid of life.
Roland looked up and discovered two figures hovering in midair.
They wore highly abstract masks. One had a crooked smiling face painted on it, while the other had an exaggerated crying face, making them look incredibly comical.
However, Roland could sense that the strength of these two was not inferior to his own.
Although he did not know why such powerful experts would wear such strange masks, seeing that they had stepped in to kill the Demon King Cultists, he deduced that they were likely allies.
Thus, he released his sword hilt and cupped his hands, “Thank you both for your assistance. The Empire will remember your kindness.”
However, the two in midair glanced at each other, and mana began to gather in their hands once more.
The one wearing the smiling mask spoke in a casual, playful tone:
“Good grief, who helped you? We're here to rob you—hands up!”
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