Chapter 66: Fabricated Evidence!

With everyone's attention on him, Vritra knew he had to make this moment count. The confident expression on his face was enough to make both Cedric and Lord Kris visibly uneasy.

"Alright, nobles of Gladius. I don't intend to drag this out, so let's keep it brief."

He pulled out a [Memory Crystal], and the moment Cedric saw it, he panicked.

He knew exactly what Vritra was about to do.

『THIS BASTARD──?!』

Without thinking, Cedric rushed forward, waving his hands in a desperate attempt to stop him, his face full of panic.

"We don't need to go through this again! It's clear my wife despises me and would do anything to ruin me, right?"

Sweat had already begun to form on his forehead, and his nerves started to show.

Standing nearby, Lord Kris was fuming.

『What in the three worlds is Lord Cedric doing?!』

He had worked hard to sway the nobles back to Cedric's side, and now Cedric's nervous behavior was making him look foolish. Kris clenched his fists in frustration, trying to keep his anger in check.

Vritra smiled and looked back at Cedric.

『He fell for my trap, not because he's stupid, but because he's clever enough to figure out what I'm going to do next.』

This was exactly what he wanted.

To expose the self-preserving instinct that every guilty human shows when faced with their own wrongdoings and pressure they couldn't handle.

Now, all he had to do was play his role perfectly.

"Is something wrong, Cedric? You seem upset."

"I... I..."

Cedric stammered, his face pale with panic.

Suddenly, he spun around to face the nobles, shouting at the top of his lungs and waving his arms wildly, like a man on the verge of breaking down.

"Don't listen to him! Whatever he plans to show with that [Memory Crystal] is a lie! All of it—fake evidence, nothing but pure lies! He's making it up, trying to pin something on me! I'm innocent!"

Cedric's words tumbled out in a frantic, confused mess, as though he barely knew what he was saying. He looked like a child caught misbehaving and desperately trying to avoid getting punished.

The most confused person in the room was probably Lord Kris, who just stood there, struggling to make sense of Cedric's erratic behavior.

Why was he acting so bizarrely?

It was the question on everyone's mind.

And soon, Vritra would voice it aloud.

"Hm? Does anyone know why Lord Cedric is so worked up over me pulling out a [Memory Crystal]? I mean, I haven't even said what I'm going to use it for, and here he is, claiming it's fake evidence. Sounds a lot like someone with something to hide, doesn't it? I was just going to show the nobles a few vacation photos of me, my wife, and the kids. Is that really so bad?"

Vritra's smile was sly and heavy with mischief.

But Cedric wasn't buying the act.

"SHUT UP, YOU LIAR! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE KIDS!"

Ignoring Cedric's outburst, Vritra turned back to the gathered nobles, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"Truly, God Vritra is a wonderful husband!"

It was a swift and expected shift in the crowd's mood.

The nobles didn't bother to question the truth of the claims; once Lord Edmond, a member of the Council of Four—the highest authority in Gladius City-confirmed it, there was no going back.

But it wasn't over yet.

Just as Lord Kris attempted to deny everything, Lord Gordias stepped forward, pointing at both Kris and Cedric.

"There's no need to defend yourselves! It makes complete sense why you two would want to assassinate the princess. You' re both close friends because you share the same dark intentions. Birds of a feather flock together, right? You are both attempted murderers and schemers who want to ruin the lives of our people and tarnish the reputation of nobility that Gladius City holds dear! You deserve to die!"

Kris and Cedric were left speechless, shocked into silence.

They couldn't believe their own council members were turning against them.

Flabbergasted.

That was the only word that fit their state of mind.

"Burn them!"

"Strip them of their noble titles and stone them to death! I want nothing less!"

"My Princess, we must take action!"

Princess Luciana stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

『I... why would he want to kill me...?』

Her body trembled as she stared at the ground, completely confused.

Meanwhile, Esmeralda and Ghislaine stepped out of the crowd and made immediate eye contact with Vritra, quickly exchanging information with him.

After that, they rushed over to help Katherine, who still looked mentally shattered on the floor.

Vritra then approached Luciana, who was barely holding up under the chaos that had taken over the hall.

"My love, are you okay?"

Vritra gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He took a soft sniff of her hair, which smelled like daffodils in the sunshine.

Luciana looked like she might cry as she clung to him, seeking comfort in his strong arms.

"Wh-, What do I do now?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"It's simple, my love. You need to arrest these men. You have the highest authority in this hall, and no one can challenge your orders."

"But I..."

"Listen to me, Luciana. Focus on what I'm saying and ignore everyone else. Unlike Lumis, I promised to keep you safe, and this is how I'm fulfilling that promise. I believe Cedric and Kris have received information from Serathen suggesting you might be a God Vessel, and they want to kill you. Or maybe Lumis is involved with them."

"I... how can you be sure?"

"Do you really think I don't love you enough to keep my eyes above the oceans and my ears beneath the clouds? We're both the same in the end... just heavy burdens to our fathers. We're the only ones who can support each other... and protect each other."

"God Vritra, I..."

"You know what you must do."

Game over.