As soon as Viktor finished speaking, it was as if a storm had erupted in the hearts of every noble present.
Their eyes widened, their bodies stiffened, and their faces filled with shock.
'What?'
'The monster uprising in the south was actually connected to Leopold?'
'How... how was that possible?'
Leopold had only returned to the royal capital half a month ago. How could what happened at the southern Rift have anything to do with him?
Still, there was one thing Viktor had said that was absolutely true.
The south was also territory under the Lesser family's control.
And now, a massive failure had occurred there.
The Lesser family had failed in its duty, forcing the Clavenna family to step in.
That alone was a serious problem.
And although this banquet was being held in the First Prince's name, the one paying for it was actually Leopold.
How could everything be such a coincidence?
The banquet in the royal capital had just begun, and the southern front fell at the same time?
At first, none of the nobles had suspected anything.
But Viktor's words made the whole matter seem increasingly suspicious.
Even so, they instinctively refused to believe it.
Their eyes all turned toward Leopold, filled with the desire to know the truth.
Countless pairs of eyes waited.
Waited for the head of the Lesser family to give them an answer they could accept.
At that moment, Leopold slowly looked around, meeting the eyes of each noble in turn.
He took a deep breath.
His eyes opened slightly, and he gave a helpless smile, as if he had finally given up.
Then he raised his head again.
His golden eyes, flowing like liquid light, met Viktor's deep gaze once more.
"That's right."
"I did it."
Hiss!
The moment those words fell, countless nobles sucked in a sharp breath.
Shock and disbelief instantly overwhelmed them.
They all stepped backward across the banquet hall, putting several meters between themselves and Leopold.
Their eyes were wide open, their pupils trembling uncontrollably.
'How could this happen?'
'Why would Leopold do something like this?'
Although Viktor's words had planted doubt in their minds...
No one present had wanted to believe it.
This matter was simply too serious.
It involved the safety of the entire southern Empire.
If the monsters broke through the defensive line, unimaginable disaster would fall upon the south.
The southern Empire covered a vast area and was home to countless people.
Faced with a massive monster tide, those residents would be nothing more than lambs waiting for slaughter.
In less than a single night, the entire south could become a living hell filled with corpses.
And on top of that...
The Lesser family's headquarters was also in the south.
Was Leopold trying to destroy his own family along with everyone else?
At that moment, they even forgot to ask why he had done it.
The nobles hunched against the walls, their hearts filled with endless confusion and disbelief, unable to recover.
The First Prince had heard everything more clearly than anyone.
His body trembled as he leaned against the wall to steady himself.
His face was full of shock.
He stared at the calm and composed Leopold.
Albany's eyes held nothing but confusion and disbelief.
"Uncle..."
"Tell me this isn't true."
Leopold slowly turned around.
The mysterious eyes, calm as an ancient well, still shimmered with slow-moving golden sand.
A noble radiance surrounded his body as his gentle gaze fell upon the First Prince.
"My child... though I wish I could tell you it isn't, I'm sorry."
Smiling, he continued, "I've never been someone who lies."
Hearing that, the First Prince felt dizzy.
His legs shook, and his body leaned backward.
In the end, he collapsed heavily against the wall of the banquet hall.
The nobles finally realized how serious the situation truly was.
Filled with rage, they shouted at Leopold.
"Leopold! How dare you!"
"Do you know how many people live in the south of the Empire?!"
"You're insane! Completely insane! Did you even think about the consequences?"
But their words didn't seem to affect Leopold in the slightest.
Off in the distance, Cocotte sat in a chair, resting her chin on one hand as she yawned and watched the farce.
"Humans fighting among themselves."
"That guy really is a beast."
As a former council member, Cocotte had always held herself to high moral standards.
Even she, an elf, couldn't stand what he had done.
Liya sat nearby, quietly watching everything.
To be honest, she had never expected the head of the Lesser family to admit everything so casually.
The matter was so serious.
Yet he looked as though he had merely told everyone an enormous joke.
Her gaze swept across the banquet hall.
It passed over the nobles shouting in fury, spitting as they cursed.
Then over the First Prince, whose eyes had gone blank and whose body had gone limp.
Indeed...
All of them wanted this to be nothing more than a joke.
However...
When Gwen fixed her eyes on Leopold, a cold killing intent flashed across her calm face.
The moment her hand rested on her sword, ready to draw it...
Liya understood.
Everything Leopold had said was true.
Why had Gwen been able to become Captain of the Knights again?
A large part of it was because her sense of justice had returned.
Before her, lies had nowhere to hide.
They vanished like darkness pierced by sunlight.
Just as Leopold had said...
He wasn't lying at all.
Then...
What was his motive?
Liya began to think.
One possibility came to mind.
But she didn't want to believe it.
Soon, the powerless First Prince slowly pushed himself away from the wall.
One hand pressed against his chest as he asked in a trembling, broken voice, "Uncle... why?"
"Why would you do this?"
"Because you've lost your value."
Whoosh!
Leopold's answer was cold and direct.
Like a depth charge exploding beneath boiling water.
He clasped his hands behind his back and calmly watched everyone's reactions before continuing, "To put it bluntly, Your Highness."
"And everyone here."
"Do you really think..."
"You still have a chance?"
Silence fell over the nobles.
It felt as though steel needles had pierced straight through their hearts, coldness spreading through their entire bodies.
They all understood what Leopold meant.
The fight for the throne.
Everyone knew it.
Whether it was the First Prince or the Second Prince, their chances had become incredibly slim.
After all, the Emperor had personally named the Princess.
On top of that, the Clavenna family, which supported the Princess's faction, had established diplomatic ties between the Empire and the elves.
With all those advantages combined...
The future ruler had already been decided.
Even so...
The nobles still held onto a tiny shred of hope.
What if?
What if?
But Leopold mercilessly tore away the last fig leaf they had been hiding behind.
He laid the cruel truth completely bare before them.
His words echoed throughout the banquet hall.
Like ripping open a festering wound.
Blood dripped everywhere, stabbing into every dry throat.
The First Prince's body weakened again.
He trembled uncontrollably.
"So..."
"So he deliberately opened the monster Rift and let countless monsters attack Godin Lima."
Viktor calmly explained it to the First Prince.
"If you cared about the south, he would help you wipe out the monster tide."
"But when making a deal with a merchant like him..."
"You'd better think carefully about the final price."
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Leopold applauded.
He seemed very satisfied with Viktor's explanation.
The First Prince's eyes were filled with shock and emptiness.
He stood there like a wooden statue rooted to the ground.
Leopold continued, "If Your Highness doesn't care about the situation in the south, that's fine too."
"Tiepoh possesses the most advanced technology. We can absolutely stop that monster tide."
Then he turned back to the First Prince with a smile.
"Don't forget, Your Highness."
"The magic dragon you brought back was dealt with using our weapons."
Everyone's eyes widened.
Their shocked gazes darted between the First Prince and Leopold.
'So...'
'The First Prince's so-called achievement... Had been fabricated?'
The nobles who had supported the First Prince slowly lowered their heads.
The grief in their eyes was gradually replaced by disappointment.
Once again...
They didn't want to believe it.
But seeing the First Prince lower his head in silence, his fists clenched tightly...
They had no choice but to face the cruel truth.
Then another question appeared in their minds.
Why had Leopold specifically mentioned that Tiepoh's technology could stop the monster tide?
Wasn't he the one who had released it?
Was he planning to play the hero?
No...
That wasn't it...
Some of the nobles present also had experience in business.
Suddenly, they all looked up.
Their eyes widened as they stared at Leopold.
The answer had already formed in their minds.
It was a terrifying answer.
One filled with endless possibilities.
Leopold smiled faintly.
He narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth stretching almost to his ears.
"That's right."
"We won't reinforce Godin Lima."
"We'll simply wait in Tiepoh."
"We'll wait for those fleeing refugees."
"We'll wait until the monsters chase them..."
"...until they reach the only place they can escape to."
Godin Lima and Tiepoh were very close to each other.
And along the southern border, aside from Tiepoh, the surrounding land was nothing but barren wilderness.
The people's only escape route was toward Tiepoh.
"At that moment..."
"We'll appear."
"And with Tiepoh's powerful weapons..."
"We'll save those desperate refugees."
Hearing those words, the nobles felt a chill run straight down their spines.
Their hands and feet turned ice cold.
Their entire bodies trembled.
Meanwhile, Leopold merely spread his arms and raised his head.
The flowing golden sand in his eyes spun faster and faster.
A fanatical light burst from his gaze.
"They'll be grateful to me."
"They'll worship me."
"But..."
Suddenly, Leopold stopped his frenzied display.
He became calm again.
Opening his eyes once more, he tilted his head.
Like an emotionless machine, he looked over the nobles who had fallen into despair.
As though he were looking at a swarm of insignificant insects.
A low whisper, like a demon murmuring, echoed from every direction through the golden banquet hall.
It was like dark clouds turning into writhing worms that crawled into everyone's ears.
"Please remember."
"This is a paid service."