"Ah..."
The faces of the Cavalry members froze as they saw the face of the traitor who had died in an instant. Yuder stared down at the corpse that Priest Lusan was frantically examining, lost in thought.
'He blustered about his loyalty till the end, but in reality, he used even his own death as a means to shake Prince Ejain. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone this selfish... or perhaps, even this is part of the plot devised by Ejain's enemies.'
In his past life, Yuder had encountered many individuals who veiled their crooked ambitions as loyalty, intending to shake their own lords, and even the whole country. Such people were not rare in the entourage of Emperor Katchian.
These types of individuals were loyal when their superiors followed the paths they desired. However, the moment things took a different turn, they would change their direction, claiming it was all for your sake, ready to tear your throat out. Even for someone with sharp eyes, it was no easy task to sift them out without the ability to read information like Kanna.
'In that sense, Prince Ejain's enemies have used their heads quite well.'
The moment Ejain decided to borrow the power of the Empire and the internal bonds weakened slightly, the enemies seized the opportunity to incite betrayal among his closest retinues.
Instead of outright inciting the Prince's aides to betray him from the start, they targeted the weak points in their loyalty, a truly cunning strategy. The intention seemed less about killing Ejain and more about causing internal decay, a clear sign of their thoughtful machinations.
Luckily this time, thanks to Kanna's presence, they were able to quickly pierce through the truth. But even if she hadn't been present, the Prince would have eventually needed to identify the traitor himself. They must have sown seeds of discord to ensure they could shake him regardless of who was caught.
Since ancient times, nothing could collapse an individual or a group more easily than internal betrayal. Even the strongest opponents were vulnerable to internal discord and attacks. That much was evident just by looking at Kishiar. Isn't the reason he almost sealed off all his powers, despite being as legendary as any, all due to internal issues?
'...Ah. I'm drifting off to that topic again.'
Yuder shook off the thoughts about Kishiar that had unintentionally surfaced.
While he was immersed in his thoughts, Lusan had finished examining the body. He closed the dead man's eyes, murmured a small prayer, and rose from his position.
"Priest Lusan. The cause of death?"
As Kishiar asked as if he had been waiting, Lusan replied with a stern face.
"As you all suspected, he swallowed poison. His left molar was discolored to a dark hue. I had only a moment to examine him, so I couldn't tell exactly what poison it was."
"The poison itself was something we all carried with us at all times. I never imagined it would be used like this."
Ejain slowly replied, looking down at the dead servant. His expression was unreadable, making it impossible to guess whether he felt anger or some other emotion.
"I see. Then there's no need to investigate the poison further. For now, let's clean up the body and move it elsewhere."
"Yes."
Without a word, the shadow clone of Gakane, best suited for such tasks, rose and moved the body. The only one left now was Melbon, who had kept his head bowed in silence the whole time.
"Melbon. Now, it's your turn last."
"..."
"Like the others, if you have something to say, say it."
Finally, the Prince's gaze turned to the last remaining servant. Melbon clenched his fists without uttering a word, but Yuder felt a complex mix of emotions deep within.
'Could it be that he too handed over the Prince's information...'
If he had even the slightest doubt about Kanna's abilities, he might have thought that she had misread something. It was an outcome he had not anticipated.
The other two servants were people they had met for the first time today, but Melbon had been at the Prince's side from the time in the imperial garden.
Even when they met again in the midst of fighting a monster, he had begged to save the Prince before even looking at Yuder, and he had been the first to reveal his token, which signified his loyalty. The fact that even such a loyal servant had handed over the Prince's information was shocking.
Did the Prince truly have anyone he could trust around him? The more he saw, the more surprising and bitter it became.
"I...,"
Melbon finally opened his mouth. He raised his eyes to look at the Prince, who was scowling at him, and then lowered them again shortly after.
"I have nothing to say."
"Why not? I thought you would have the most to say?"
The Prince questioned softly with dark eyes.
"Because I can't understand your betrayal more than anyone else's."
At those words, Melbon's hands trembled slightly.
"You were more loyal than Jenn and Faity, and anyone else. You've been by my side for a long time, and you've even tried to sacrifice your life for me on several occasions. If you intended to betray me, you could have done so when I was powerless. A young prince sent alone to the border would have easily died with just a bit of tampering with his meals."
"..."
"Although you didn't show it, I believed that you would stay by my side until the moment I die. If there was anyone among my followers whom I could trust, I thought it would be you. But, were you betraying me too? Why?"
The voice devoid of high and low pitches felt more stinging, probably because the disappointment the Prince felt could vaguely be sensed.
"Was it money? Or was it honor? You don't have a family, so you wouldn't have been threatened. Did I ever treat you unfairly?"
Melbon kept his eyes tightly shut and said nothing. The Prince, who was waiting for an answer, finally showed a part of his emotion, perhaps out of anger towards him.
"Were your words about sending me to Nelarn safely also a lie? How little you must have thought of the ability of an Awakener who can read information to pull out the token with such confidence?"
"..."
"Answer me, Melbon. If you don't want to embarrass me any further in front of everyone."
"I...,"
Only then did Melbon open his mouth and answer with a stutter.
"What good will it do to say anything when it's all over? However... I would like to say that what I said to Jenn and Faity was not born out of deceit."
Melbon inhaled deeply and dropped to his knees.
"I never received any offers or threats from anyone, and Your Highness has never treated me unfairly. I didn't know that Jenn and Faity were conspiring with someone. I regret and am upset that I did not realize this sooner, but..."
"I really... I don't understand what you're saying."
A look of disbelief clouded the Prince's eyes.
"Are you trying to insist that the Cavalry member's claim about you handing over my information is a lie? That you're the victim here?"
At that, Melbon fell silent again. A flash of pain flickered over Ejain's eyes.
"Say it was about the money, say you didn't approve of the path I was taking. What do you gain from deceiving me in this way?"
"I had no intention of deceiving you, Prince..."
"Then tell me, why the hell did you betray me!"
Melbon was silent for a long while. Yuder cautiously observed Melbon's behavior, ensuring that a second disaster like the previous one wouldn't occur.
As time passed with no response, Ejain, unable to hide his disappointment, finally turned his head towards Kanna.
"It seems I have no choice but to borrow your power once again..."
"The last time...I passed on the Prince's information...was four years ago."
Before the request for assistance was even finished, a frail voice emerged from Melbon's mouth.
"The time when you, Prince, were able to leave the border and return to the palace... I had decided to quit my deceptive actions against you then. So, I... I am not innocent of the crime of betraying you, but I swear I have nothing to do with this recent incident."
Ejain's eyes widened. The others were equally shocked. If they didn't believe him, it was merely a more detailed excuse, but somehow, Yuder felt as though he was speaking the truth.
'...Come to think of it, wasn't what Kanna said simply the fact that 'all three of the Prince’s attendants had handed over the Prince's information for some reason'?'
Kanna hadn't confirmed that the timing and recipients of the information handed over by the Prince’s attendants were the same. Presumably, she hadn't been able to clearly read that part, hence the ambiguity.
The information Kanna read with her abilities was accurate, but not perfect.
It seemed the others also realized what Yuder had thought, their eyes wide with surprise. Kanna herself looked somewhat tense.
If it was not the case that all three attendants had handed over the Prince's information to the same person at the same time, and assuming Melbon's words were true, then even though his statement was covered by the information Kanna had read, it wasn't a lie.
"Four years ago?"
"...Yes."
"So you're saying that you had already been betraying me even before then? But no one considered me important back then, so who did you hand over my information to and when?"
Again, Melbon clammed up. Ejain watched him with a sharp and suspicious gaze.
"You're still alive, despite saying you had quit that job, which means one of two things: either the identity of the person is so shocking that you can't say it, or you've been forced to keep quiet about it."
"..."
"Which is it?"
"Ah..."
The faces of the Cavalry members froze as they saw the face of the traitor who had died in an instant. Yuder stared down at the corpse that Priest Lusan was frantically examining, lost in thought.
'He blustered about his loyalty till the end, but in reality, he used even his own death as a means to shake Prince Ejain. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone this selfish... or perhaps, even this is part of the plot devised by Ejain's enemies.'
In his past life, Yuder had encountered many individuals who veiled their crooked ambitions as loyalty, intending to shake their own lords, and even the whole country. Such people were not rare in the entourage of Emperor Katchian.
These types of individuals were loyal when their superiors followed the paths they desired. However, the moment things took a different turn, they would change their direction, claiming it was all for your sake, ready to tear your throat out. Even for someone with sharp eyes, it was no easy task to sift them out without the ability to read information like Kanna.
'In that sense, Prince Ejain's enemies have used their heads quite well.'
The moment Ejain decided to borrow the power of the Empire and the internal bonds weakened slightly, the enemies seized the opportunity to incite betrayal among his closest retinues.
Instead of outright inciting the Prince's aides to betray him from the start, they targeted the weak points in their loyalty, a truly cunning strategy. The intention seemed less about killing Ejain and more about causing internal decay, a clear sign of their thoughtful machinations.
Luckily this time, thanks to Kanna's presence, they were able to quickly pierce through the truth. But even if she hadn't been present, the Prince would have eventually needed to identify the traitor himself. They must have sown seeds of discord to ensure they could shake him regardless of who was caught.
Since ancient times, nothing could collapse an individual or a group more easily than internal betrayal. Even the strongest opponents were vulnerable to internal discord and attacks. That much was evident just by looking at Kishiar. Isn't the reason he almost sealed off all his powers, despite being as legendary as any, all due to internal issues?
'...Ah. I'm drifting off to that topic again.'
Yuder shook off the thoughts about Kishiar that had unintentionally surfaced.
While he was immersed in his thoughts, Lusan had finished examining the body. He closed the dead man's eyes, murmured a small prayer, and rose from his position.
"Priest Lusan. The cause of death?"
As Kishiar asked as if he had been waiting, Lusan replied with a stern face.
"As you all suspected, he swallowed poison. His left molar was discolored to a dark hue. I had only a moment to examine him, so I couldn't tell exactly what poison it was."
"The poison itself was something we all carried with us at all times. I never imagined it would be used like this."
Ejain slowly replied, looking down at the dead servant. His expression was unreadable, making it impossible to guess whether he felt anger or some other emotion.
"I see. Then there's no need to investigate the poison further. For now, let's clean up the body and move it elsewhere."
"Yes."
Without a word, the shadow clone of Gakane, best suited for such tasks, rose and moved the body. The only one left now was Melbon, who had kept his head bowed in silence the whole time.
"Melbon. Now, it's your turn last."
"..."
"Like the others, if you have something to say, say it."
Finally, the Prince's gaze turned to the last remaining servant. Melbon clenched his fists without uttering a word, but Yuder felt a complex mix of emotions deep within.
'Could it be that he too handed over the Prince's information...'
If he had even the slightest doubt about Kanna's abilities, he might have thought that she had misread something. It was an outcome he had not anticipated.
The other two servants were people they had met for the first time today, but Melbon had been at the Prince's side from the time in the imperial garden.
Even when they met again in the midst of fighting a monster, he had begged to save the Prince before even looking at Yuder, and he had been the first to reveal his token, which signified his loyalty. The fact that even such a loyal servant had handed over the Prince's information was shocking.
Did the Prince truly have anyone he could trust around him? The more he saw, the more surprising and bitter it became.
"I...,"
Melbon finally opened his mouth. He raised his eyes to look at the Prince, who was scowling at him, and then lowered them again shortly after.
"I have nothing to say."
"Why not? I thought you would have the most to say?"
The Prince questioned softly with dark eyes.
"Because I can't understand your betrayal more than anyone else's."
At those words, Melbon's hands trembled slightly.
"You were more loyal than Jenn and Faity, and anyone else. You've been by my side for a long time, and you've even tried to sacrifice your life for me on several occasions. If you intended to betray me, you could have done so when I was powerless. A young prince sent alone to the border would have easily died with just a bit of tampering with his meals."
"..."
"Although you didn't show it, I believed that you would stay by my side until the moment I die. If there was anyone among my followers whom I could trust, I thought it would be you. But, were you betraying me too? Why?"
The voice devoid of high and low pitches felt more stinging, probably because the disappointment the Prince felt could vaguely be sensed.
"Was it money? Or was it honor? You don't have a family, so you wouldn't have been threatened. Did I ever treat you unfairly?"
Melbon kept his eyes tightly shut and said nothing. The Prince, who was waiting for an answer, finally showed a part of his emotion, perhaps out of anger towards him.
"Were your words about sending me to Nelarn safely also a lie? How little you must have thought of the ability of an Awakener who can read information to pull out the token with such confidence?"
"..."
"Answer me, Melbon. If you don't want to embarrass me any further in front of everyone."
"I...,"
Only then did Melbon open his mouth and answer with a stutter.
"What good will it do to say anything when it's all over? However... I would like to say that what I said to Jenn and Faity was not born out of deceit."
Melbon inhaled deeply and dropped to his knees.
"I never received any offers or threats from anyone, and Your Highness has never treated me unfairly. I didn't know that Jenn and Faity were conspiring with someone. I regret and am upset that I did not realize this sooner, but..."
"I really... I don't understand what you're saying."
A look of disbelief clouded the Prince's eyes.
"Are you trying to insist that the Cavalry member's claim about you handing over my information is a lie? That you're the victim here?"
At that, Melbon fell silent again. A flash of pain flickered over Ejain's eyes.
"Say it was about the money, say you didn't approve of the path I was taking. What do you gain from deceiving me in this way?"
"I had no intention of deceiving you, Prince..."
"Then tell me, why the hell did you betray me!"
Melbon was silent for a long while. Yuder cautiously observed Melbon's behavior, ensuring that a second disaster like the previous one wouldn't occur.
As time passed with no response, Ejain, unable to hide his disappointment, finally turned his head towards Kanna.
"It seems I have no choice but to borrow your power once again..."
"The last time...I passed on the Prince's information...was four years ago."
Before the request for assistance was even finished, a frail voice emerged from Melbon's mouth.
"The time when you, Prince, were able to leave the border and return to the palace... I had decided to quit my deceptive actions against you then. So, I... I am not innocent of the crime of betraying you, but I swear I have nothing to do with this recent incident."
Ejain's eyes widened. The others were equally shocked. If they didn't believe him, it was merely a more detailed excuse, but somehow, Yuder felt as though he was speaking the truth.
'...Come to think of it, wasn't what Kanna said simply the fact that 'all three of the Prince’s attendants had handed over the Prince's information for some reason'?'
Kanna hadn't confirmed that the timing and recipients of the information handed over by the Prince’s attendants were the same. Presumably, she hadn't been able to clearly read that part, hence the ambiguity.
The information Kanna read with her abilities was accurate, but not perfect.
It seemed the others also realized what Yuder had thought, their eyes wide with surprise. Kanna herself looked somewhat tense.
If it was not the case that all three attendants had handed over the Prince's information to the same person at the same time, and assuming Melbon's words were true, then even though his statement was covered by the information Kanna had read, it wasn't a lie.
"Four years ago?"
"...Yes."
"So you're saying that you had already been betraying me even before then? But no one considered me important back then, so who did you hand over my information to and when?"
Again, Melbon clammed up. Ejain watched him with a sharp and suspicious gaze.
"You're still alive, despite saying you had quit that job, which means one of two things: either the identity of the person is so shocking that you can't say it, or you've been forced to keep quiet about it."
"..."
"Which is it?"
