Chapter 243

Chapter 243

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Chapter 243

"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...'

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?"

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