Raon clenched his fist, unseen by anyone.
'It worked perfectly.'
The lengthy explanation that made his mouth ache was worth it.
When Glenn had asked what happened moments ago, unlike usual, he vividly explained all the facts.
Especially, by speaking in a slow tone about how much Judiel missed Jubel and what kind of life Jubel had lived, he gradually stirred the emotions of the executives in the audience chamber.
The executives here are as cold as blades, but like clothes getting wet in a drizzle without noticing, they gradually became immersed in Judiel and Jubel's circumstances while listening to my story.
Now that the story is over, the executives were showing anger as if their own siblings had suffered.
The sound of Judiel and Jubel sobbing seemed to act as a hammer breaking down the emotional walls of the executives. It was really good that I had them practice acting beforehand.
'Now for the finale...'
Raon raised his trembling eyes to look at Karoon, as if frightened. Even he thought there could be no better acting than this.
The executives' eyes, following Raon's gaze filled with anxiety and sadness, turned towards Karoon, whose complexion had hardened like plaster.
"Uh...?"
"N-No way?"
"The Central Martial Palace Master?"
"Is it true...?"
The executives trembled their lips as they alternately looked at Raon, who covered his mouth, and Karoon, whose jawline tensed up.
"Grr..."
Karoon glared at Raon, who was sitting down, while chewing his lips.
"Hey."
Alice raised her chin, blocking Karoon's gaze towards Raon.
"What did you do?"
It was a short sentence, but it was so filled with her anger that just hearing it was enough to make one's hair stand on end.
"Don't tell me you actually did it?"
Balder also widened his eyes in disbelief.
"This is too much! Even if you do it, there should be limits!"
He clenched his thick fingers as if about to grab Karoon's collar.
"..."
Glenn, who seemed like he might take action himself, remained motionless with his mouth shut. He just quietly observed Karoon, Alice, and Balder.
"It's not."
After reading the atmosphere in the audience chamber, Raon raised his upper body. He shook his head, his voice tinged with moisture.
"It's not?"
"But you looked at Karoon!"
Balder and Alice tilted their heads as if asking what he meant.
"...?"
Karoon also opened his eyes wide, as if unable to understand the current situation.
"I don't know whether Lord Karoon did it or not."
As Raon sighed and gestured, Judiel crawled on her knees to approach him.
"When I regained consciousness, Jubel was nowhere to be seen, and I was already inside the Central Martial Palace. There, I received training to become a maid."
Judiel spoke about what happened in the Cnetral Martial Palace with a sobbing voice.
"Ah, then it's not true?"
"Of course, Lord Karoon wouldn't do such a thing!"
"Those who doubted him should all bow their heads!"
The executives muttered in relief, and the direct lineage members sighed in relief.
"..."
Karoon narrowed his brows as he looked this way. His eyes were filled with questions, as if wondering what was going through their minds.
'Feeling uneasy, aren't you?'
I'll make that uneasiness a reality.
"However!"
Raon shouted on behalf of Judiel.
"Judiel didn't just receive maid training in the Central Martial Palace."
"What?"
"She says she received maid training during the day, and at night, she was dragged away to receive spy training."
"Th-That's right."
Judiel deliberately stammered as she nodded.
"At night, I was dragged out of bed and taught the mannerisms a spy should learn. I learned how to suppress my presence, the Sound Amplification Technique to hear distant sounds, the Body Control Technique to regulate my internal body, and even assassination techniques..."
She couldn't finish her words and bent over, her eyes brimming with tears.
"S-Sis."
Jubel bit his lip as he embraced Judiel's shoulders. Now, all the executives deeply furrowed their brows.
"It's truly heartbreaking. The sister lived as a spy to meet her brother, and the brother lived as an assassin to save his sister. Whoever did this must have the heart of a devil, don't you think?"
Raon briefly summarized the lives of the two siblings.
"They separated the siblings and raised one as an assassin and the other as a spy?"
"That's not all. They basically held them hostage against each other!"
"My goodness..."
"It would have been better to kill them. This is not something a human would do."
"Ugh..."
Everyone except the direct lineage clenched their fists as they looked at Karoon.
"..."
In contrast, Karoon's complexion had turned as black as charcoal.
"I want to ask something."
Raon came forward, hiding Judiel behind him. He pounded his chest vigorously while looking at Karoon.
"Why on earth did you raise spies in the Central Martial Palace? And why did you send that spy to the annex building?"
"Raon..."
Alice looked this way with worried eyes.
"I'm fine. I just want to know why these people behind me had to endure such suffering."
After saying that, he mouthed the word 'aunt'.
"You spineless bastard!"
As soon as Alice saw the mouthed word 'aunt', she roared and lunged at Karoon.
Peeeng!
Karoon quickly raised his hands in a defensive stance, but Alice's fist grazed his cheek as it passed. A stream of blood flowed down his right cheek.
"I didn't do it."
Karoon shook his head with calm eyes. He was so composed that if a stranger saw him, they would think he really didn't do it.
"I also investigated the palace after hearing Raon's story, and the one who committed those acts was already dead."
He pushed Alice away, saying that the butler who trained Judiel as a spy had hanged himself.
Raon smirked as he watched Karoon, whose voice didn't change at all.
'How ugly.'
Not a single deviation from what I expected.
"That could be the case."
He shook his head with a faint smile.
"However, I'm surprised that Lord Karoon didn't know such things were happening inside the Central Martial Palace. Surely you weren't just a figurehead with only the title of Palace Master."
"You insolent..."
Thick veins popped out on Karoon's forehead.
"It's a pity. Who should compensate for the lives of these two..."
Raon interrupted Karoon and grabbed Judiel and Jubel's shoulders.
-Wow...
Wrath blinked as if in admiration.
-You crazy bastard. Your acting is getting better and better! How did this happen! Your acting skills have improved more than your sword skills! It's transcendent!
'This isn't acting, it's sincerity.'
-That's ridiculous! I saw you giving those guys acting lessons, what are you saying now!
'That's a misunderstanding. They're all just speaking from the heart.'
-What misunderstanding! You might fool others, but you can't fool this king. Even blind, this King would still see right through you...
'Oh. Sure.'
Raon poked Wrath's eye as he rambled.
-Argh! This king's eyes!
Even at a time like this, he's rolling on the ground saying 'this king's eyes' instead of 'my eyes'.
He was a guy with at least a solid sense of self-identity.
Raon pushed away the struggling Wrath and looked up at Karoon.
"I think we should give these two a chance for revenge, even if it means digging up the corpse of the butler who supposedly died."
He curled up the corners of his mouth as he looked at Karoon, who had deep wrinkles on his forehead.
* * *
Karoon bit his lip as he looked at Raon's bold eyes.
'That damned bastard...'
When he saw Raon's subdued eyes as he entered the audience chamber, he thought the guy would move as expected.
If nothing else, he acknowledged Raon's quick wit, so he judged that a silent deal had been made between them.
But that was a big misunderstanding.
Raon Zieghart was stimulating the emotions of the executives who came to the audience chamber, making everyone side with him, and effectively turning me into the villain.
'Right. I was missing one thing.'
That bastard is definitely smart, but also crazier than anyone else.
'However, even you can't push this any further.'
Although he couldn't prevent the Central Martial Palace from being connected to this incident because of Judiel, there was no way they could find evidence of his involvement.
No matter how much Raon struggled, this was the limit.
'Then my task is clear.'
Karoon wiped the blood flowing from his cheek and straightened his posture. He then bowed his head to Raon, Judiel, and Jubel.
"As the Central Martial Palace Master, I apologize to you. Even if I wasn't involved in this incident, I will provide the maximum compensation I can as the master of the Central Martial Palace."
He went out boldly instead. A statement saying he would take an appropriate level of responsibility, even though he didn't commit the act. With the appearance of a magnanimous person, he stole the attention of the executives who hadn't completely fallen for Raon yet.
"The Central Martial Palace will take responsibility for the lives of these two. I apologize once again."
Of course, this didn't mean he would treat Judiel and Jubel well. It was a threat meaning he would kill the two if the Central Martial Palace was meddled with any further.
"Hah..."
Raon slightly lowered his gaze. The bastard adjusted his angle to show a mocking smile only towards Karoon.
"Thank you for your words, but I have no intention of sending these two back to a place where they received spy and assassin training. They wouldn't even be able to eat comfortably."
"I only mentioned spy training. I know nothing about assassin training."
Karoon couldn't hold back and frowned.
"Ah, that's right."
Raon nodded with a calm expression. Judging by his expression and tone, he clearly knew and was deliberately probing.
"I must have been momentarily confused since you, Palace Master, came all the way to the Siran Tribe."
He revealed a sly look in his eyes as he casually brought up the Siran Tribe. He was truly infuriating.
"The Siran Tribe?"
"D-Don't tell me you were at the place where the assassins attacked?"
"Then, really..."
"Palace Master..."
The executives swallowed dry saliva as the story came together more and more.
Crunch.
He gritted his teeth and looked at Raon. The bastard had his head lowered, with the corners of his mouth curled up in a long smile.
'That son of a bitch!'
He wanted to chase after him and beat him to death right away, but that was impossible. He had to get out of this situation as calmly as possible.
'As long as Father doesn't move.'
Alice was also dangerous, but she couldn't act recklessly here. If only Glenn didn't move, there was still a way out.
"How frustrating."
Karoon shook his head, showing the same expression and eyes as usual. People's gazes began to waver at his calmness.
"I simply went there because I heard screams and saw the forest burning."
"That's right. That must have been the case."
Raon nodded as if it were obvious.
'Why is that bastard acting like this again?'
As Raon openly took his side, a chilling sensation ran down Karoon's spine. It was clearly not a good sign.
"How worried must you have been to kill the leader of the assassins that I had already captured?"
"Kill? What do you mean?"
Alice asked, turning her gaze.
"I captured the leader of the assassins who were hiding when the area around the Siran Tribe village exploded. I was about to find out who was behind them when the Central Martial Palace Master suddenly appeared and killed him. It's quite strange for a coincidence, isn't it? As if he had been waiting for the incident to happen."
Raon muttered with his head lowered. His articulation was so good that even though he spoke softly, everyone could hear him clearly.
"I had completely immobilized him, but you immediately cut his body in half. It seems you were really worried about me."
He said this while licking his lips.
"That's..."
"Hmm..."
Obvious doubt began to bloom in the eyes of the executives.
Crunch.
Karoon clenched his fist behind his back.
'That damned fox...'
If he had revealed all the facts from the beginning, Karoon might have been able to respond somehow, but Raon was slowly unraveling the story while manipulating people's psychology and emotions.
Now, the suspicion had snowballed to an unmanageable level.
"It's late, but let me thank you again."
Raon awkwardly stood up and bowed his head. Karoon could see the corners of his mouth curling up to his earlobes. He wanted to tear off that white nape.
Shiiing!
Alice drew her sword and lunged at Karoon.
"Eek!"
Even in his anger, Karoon managed to draw his sword and block Alice's attack. However, overwhelmed by her strength, he soon found his back against the wall.
"You seaweed-like bastard. I'll kill you right here!" (E/N: Alice usually use that kind of anology to insult him. Example: Jellyfish-like bastard = spineless. But this time I'm not sure how to properly translate seaweed into english...)
Alice wrapped an Astral Ring around her blade as if she truly intended to kill him. The air currents, glowing with a chilling light, curved towards Karoon's neck.
"Stop."
Glenn waved his hand for the first time. At his low voice, Alice lowered her sword and turned around.
"Father! This is..."
"I said stop."
"Ugh."
Alice bit her lip as she met Glenn's empty gaze.
Glenn closed his eyes as he looked at Karoon standing behind Alice.
"Hah..."
Karoon rubbed his fingers as he observed Glenn's expression.
'I'll be disciplined.'
Glenn is no fool. He must have realized it was my doing before anyone else here.
But scolding me, a potential successor and Palace Master, in front of all these people is a different matter. He'll probably summon me separately to impose disciplinary action.
"Head of House."
As Karoon lowered his hand in relief, Raon raised his head. He had a faint smile on his lips as if he had something else up his sleeve.
"I have something to give you."
* * *
Raon nodded briefly as he looked at Glenn, who had halted the entire situation.
'I knew this would happen.'
Even if Glenn had been taking good care of him lately, it was just part of a compensation.
It was natural for him to take better care of Karoon, who was his son and the closest to being the successor.
That's why he had manipulated the emotions and psychology of Alice, Balder, and the other executives.
'This was the plan when I was with the Siran Tribe. However...'
Now I have one more weapon.
"You have something to give?"
Glenn calmly opened his eyes. His gaze looked as empty as a terminally ill patient facing death.
"Yes. It's a letter from the Beast Alliance Leader to you, Head of House."
Raon pulled out the letter that Ogram had given him.
"Hmm."
With a slight movement of Glenn's finger, the yellowish letter floated up and was caught in his grasp.
Swoosh.
Glenn frowned as soon as he unfolded the letter.
'He can't help but react like that.'
Because the words written in that letter are so blunt.
[Glenn Zieghart. You've raised your child in a shithole that's not even worth fertilizing. I'll let it slide just this once for your sake. But don't think of it as a debt. Your grandson has paid it off instead.]
Ogram had transferred his bold personality directly into the letter. With such content, Glenn's expression couldn't help but crumple.
"Hah..."
Glenn exhaled deeply and stood up. He roughly burned the letter as if he had made a decision.
"I must have told all of you. At the very least, don't strip away your humanity."
The resonance in his voice stung like a knife piercing the heart.
"You've crossed the line that separates humans from demons."
Glenn descended the steps of the platform, his heavy voice resonating. With each step, a magnificent aura spread out as if shaking the earth.
-What nonsense!
Wrath shook his head quickly.
-That's not even demonic! It's just vile malice!
He shook his head, saying that demons wouldn't stoop to such levels.
"Karoon Zieghart."
"Y-Yes..."
Karoon bit his lip until it bled, as if he had read the anger in Glenn's eyes.
"Come out."
A dry light flashed in Glenn's eyes, as if filled with terrifying flames, enough to make one's blood run cold.
"Today, I'll teach you what it means to be human."