In the Throne Room...
"Your Majesty, Here is Count Cleo, suspect for facilitating illegal research facilities and for the murder of the village people of Mctan." The second prince respectfully stated while bowing.
He stealthily glances at the crown prince, who is still looking proud and innocent in his chair.
[Let's see until when you can keep that angelic face of yours]
"Good job, my prince!" The king, Rojard Nidea, praised his son for doing well at catching the culprit.
"But your majesty, while we were running through the investigation, we saw the crown prince's involvement in the research facility." He reported, while trying to hide the joy on his face, [Finally! Your fall has arrived! Crown prince!] he exclaimed to himself.
"Crown Prince, what's the meaning of this!?" The king looked shocked and instantly asked his eldest son.
"Oh, father, I haven't reported this to you since I have not yet fixed the issue." Still confident, the crown prince looked at his father with a sad expression.
[What the? is he going to avoid the issue?]
He anxiously approached the two at the throne to intervene in their conversation, but he stopped once he heard what the crown prince had said.
"I was being framed, your majesty!"
[Ridiculous! you can't escape the evidence] He wants to flip everything, but he needs to deal with this matter calmly.
Then your highness, may I know why Count Cleo and the evidence involve you? "
"Brother," the crown prince called out to the second prince with a pitiful look, as if he had been accused wrongfully.
"I really did fund and help with building the village. I trusted Count Cleo and the village chief with managing it. But it was my negligence that I did not monitor the village state until, against my knowledge, they were already building nasty and devious facilities. If only I knew about this, those poor villagers wouldn't die. It was my fault, your majesty. "
The crown prince said it with a shaking voice and teary eyes. The king, judge, and other nobles present inside the throne room were caught by the acting skills of the crown prince. However, Felip is shaking in disgust and frustration that he cannot depose the crown prince with ease.
He clenched his fist. "Your majesty, we still need to investigate farther. If the crown prince is not really guilty, the evidence will surely reflect that. "
Bam!
The king stomped his cane and looked at him with a frown. "Enough! Are you really that eager to pull your brother down!"
The people around them started to obviously whisper to one another.
"Oh no, father, calm down. Rather, I have a suggestion. "
[What kind of ploy is he trying to pull?]
Everyone looks at the way that the crown prince is pointing at, "How about we ask a survivor from the village about my involvement?" A red-skinned female warrior appeared in front of the large door and slowly walked closer to them.
"But your highness, there is a chance she will lie!"
He wants to reject the suggestion because it will only complicate the situation further.
"brother we can ask your mage to cast a covenant spell"
the crown prince pointed at the mage within his group.
He brought his mage with him to help him cast a covenant spell on Count Cleo for his interrogation, but he never expected it would be used to defend the crown prince.
[What is happening? If he is so confident in even using a covenant spell, does this mean he really is not involved in the McTan issue?] His mind became chaotic, but he managed to instruct his mage to move forward and proceed with the casting.
"I already cast the covenant spell. Ms. Tamahaling tribe member, you cannot lie under this spell."
The red-skinned looked at her feet, which had a black magic circle underneath.
"Your Majesty, I am Elles from the Tamahaling tribe. Our ancestor was kicked out of our original home at Mayon and chose to find another place to live. The village of McTan opened its doors to us red-skinned and let us live in the village peacefully. But four years ago, the village chief started to massacre all the original human villagers while the other races were turned into slaves. They forced us to do dirty jobs like murders and assassinations. While the corps was gathered within the village to be used as a test subject and research material, everyone's suffering ended after the dragon appeared and unbiasedly killed everyone. "
The black circle remains calm. It means the Tamahaling Tribe member is telling no lies.
"Then can you tell me who is the leader or mastermind ordering you to do dirty jobs? Do you know who managed the facilities?"
"The village chief manages the village, Count Cleo is taking care of the facility, and the now dead cousin of Count Cleo is the one ordering us to commit murders."
"Perhaps you know if the crown prince is involved in this matter?"
"The crown prince is financing the village and the facility." A loud gasp was heard inside the throne room, and everyone looked surprised.
Felip is trying his best to stop his lips from twitching upward.
"Crown prince!" the king shouted, and all gazes turned to the teary-eyed crown prince.
"Wait, your majesty!" The crowd turned their gaze back to the red-skinned. "The crown prince really did fund the village and facility, but he is innocent! The village chief and count Cleo did all of it without his highness's knowledge!" She defended the crown prince with all of her might.
The second prince frowned and didn't like where the current situation was going.
Tsk. tsk. tsk.
"Child, you're too soft and very gullible."
Everyone looked around the area to search for the unknown voice that suddenly echoed inside the throne room.
The frustrated voice is accompanied by an eerie aura that makes everyone shiver in their skin.
[What is it? I thought she would only remain at my castle] The second prince feared that the dragon would turn into a rampage.
"There is an intruder!"
"Catch the intruder!" the knight shouted.
The dragon sighed and spoke again. "I don't like the crown prince. tsk. tsk."
The ground shook intensely, and the high ceiling of the throne room moved sideways, revealing the clear, sunny sky with a dragon peeking at them.
"It's time to die, your highness."
The dragon smiled brightly at the angelic face of the crown prince.