Inside the council chamber of the Sibareth royal palace.
King Minophon had still not regained consciousness.
As a result, Julius had been attending morning meetings in the king's stead for some time now.
And now—
Julius, along with the ministers of the eleven bloodlines—excluding Jakiel—sat watching three men and women who were recounting a story so absurd it defied belief.
Once their tale came to an end, the ministers exchanged glances but no one dared to speak first.
At last, the Minister of Finance cautiously asked,
"How do you intend to prove what you've just said? The claims are so extraordinary that it's difficult for us to accept them outright."
"Then may I ask—where is the Grand Vizier at this moment?"
Leca's question was met with Julius's reply.
"He stepped out during the meeting, saying he wasn't feeling well, and hasn't been reachable since. He's yet to return."
"In that case, I believe that alone serves as evidence."
"You expect us to believe all that just because he hasn't been reachable for one day?"
Another minister scoffed incredulously.
"We assumed you might say that, so we brought proof. Roy, come here."
At Leca's words, Roy let go of Mia's sleeve and nervously stepped forward.
"Please read this child's memory. Then you'll understand our claims are true."
The ministers turned to Julius. Julius gave a slight nod and spoke.
"Satyros of the Inquisitor's Office, this falls under your expertise. Please proceed."
A large, intimidating man stepped forward and bowed. With a solemn expression, he stood before Roy.
"Now, be a good girl. Close your eyes."
Roy obeyed, and Satyros placed a hand on her forehead, murmuring an incantation.
A large crystal orb formed in the air.
"Everyone will want to see this, so I'll conduct the reading publicly."
"Go ahead."
"Light of truth—reveal all that this child has experienced concerning Grand Vizier Jakiel, from beginning to end!"
As soon as Satyros finished speaking, the crystal orb began to project vivid scenes:
Mia's first encounter with Roy. Roy being sold off to the maids.
The days spent alone in the prison of the Vampire Palace with the salamander.
The adventures at Jakiel's villa.
The ministers were stunned into silence, unable to take their eyes off the crystal as Roy's memories played.
Julius sat motionless, watching the scenes unfold.
When the memory showed Roy playing with the three ghost girls, Julius flinched.
'Those girls… they're definitely the ones from our bloodline, the ones Jakiel supposedly killed.
I didn't want to believe it, but maybe the maid from Shamanaz was right after all…'
The scenes continued:
The battle against Jakiel's clones in the Cave of Pitch—The chamber went completely silent, not even a pin drop could be heard.
Then, the fire at the villa. The dying salamander. Mia and Leca vanishing after hearing from the salamander.
Their return. The salamander revived. The ruins of Jakiel's villa.
The memory ended there.
As Satyros dispelled the crystal orb, one of the ministers spoke.
"From what we've seen, the Grand Vizier appears to be nothing more than a man who got carried away with his magical ambitions."
"Indeed, it is troubling that a royal Grand Vizier would dabble in dark magic—
But didn't you all break into his private residence without permission and cause a disturbance? That could be construed as self-defense on his part."
Another minister nodded in agreement.
"We figured you'd say that, which is why we brought this."
At that moment, Mia stepped forward as if she'd been waiting for the cue.
She pulled two sheets of paper from her cloak and confidently handed them to Julius.
Julius read the first page.
"This looks like some kind of magical potion recipe. We'll need to ask Roland about it."
Then—As he read the second page, Julius's expression darkened.
A list of over a hundred names. Girls from the Peridot bloodline who had died.
And at the bottom:
Mithys—Failed
Mia—In Progress
This lined up precisely with what the maid from Shamanaz had claimed. But still…
"Where did you get this?"
Julius asked, trying to stay composed.
"You saw the scene in the crystal earlier—the part where Leca and I disappeared? We found this in Jakiel's chamber at that time."
"Both pages?"
"Yes."
"…So, you're claiming this is a list of the Peridot bloodline girls that Jakiel murdered?"
"That's correct."
Julius handed the papers to the minister beside him.
"Read them out, one by one. And summon Roland."
A servant dashed out of the room.
The ministers examined the two pages, whispering among themselves, some clearly alarmed. A few launched into heated debate.
Finally, one minister spoke up.
"Isn't it possible all of this has been fabricated, Your Grace? Both this piece of paper and that feline girl's memories?"
Julius nodded.
"That's why I asked for Roland. We'll ask him directly."
Before long, Roland entered the chamber, his silver robe and beard flowing dramatically as always. He bowed deeply to Julius.
"You summoned me, Your Grace?"
"Take a look at this. What do you think this recipe is for?"
Roland studied the paper carefully, then bowed again.
"With all due respect, it appears to be a formula for a poison intended for murder."
"A poison?"
"Yes, Your Grace. It is a deadly concoction—one that leaves no trace on the body and kills slowly over the course of several years."
"…I see. Can you tell when this was written?"
Roland closed his eyes and touched the paper, murmuring an incantation. A sticky brown hue shimmered across the page.
"I cannot say with precision, but I estimate it was written no less than five years ago—and no more than fifteen."
At that, several ministers opened their mouths as if to object. But Julius raised a hand to silence them.
"I know what you're about to say. That none of this is enough to prove Jakiel murdered those girls from the Peridot bloodline. Am I right?"
One of the ministers nodded vigorously.
"Of course, Your Grace! How can we trust documents brought in by such suspicious individuals? Besides, Jakiel has always maintained a hostile stance toward them. So—"
"So you're saying Mia and Leca colluded to eliminate a political enemy and are now trying to pin a false charge on him?"
Julius said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Mia opened her mouth to protest, but once again, Julius raised his hand to cut her off.
"Admittedly, the evidence is shaky. Unless we conduct a full investigation, the truth may never be known. However, if Jakiel never returns… I don't see the point of pursuing the matter any further."
The ministers fell silent.
"He has no heirs we can confiscate assets from or punish in his place. His only known property—the villa—has already burned down. So, for now, we'll set this case aside. If…"
Julius cleared his throat and continued.
"If Jakiel returns, we can reopen the matter then. No harm in waiting."
Again, no one objected. Julius hadn't said anything they could argue with.
"Now then. You three—well done."
Julius looked at Mia, Leca, and Roy without emotion.
"You may withdraw and rest. Until summoned again, you are to remain under disciplinary watch. That is an order."
Mia bit her lip. As expected, Roy's memories alone weren't enough.
Only by reading her or Leca's memories could they irrefutably prove Jakiel's crimes. But that wasn't an option… Damn it!
As the three of them left the chamber, the ministers once again erupted into chaotic debate.
One of them turned to Julius and said,
"Are they not terrifying, Your Grace? Perhaps the Grand Vizier was indeed consumed by dark magic—but those three seem no less cunning, having used all manner of tricks to take him down!"
"I agree. Especially since the Grand Vizier proposed the Trial of the Demon God to that girl—She may have acted out of hatred!"
"Is it not said that a human who enters the water where a fairy underwent molting gains limitless power?
That human girl used that power to kill the Grand Vizier—she is a witch!"
"That's enough. I need to rest."
If I let old men go on, they'll probably launch into a third round of baseless drama.
Julius thought as he exited the chamber. The scandal involving Jakiel, Mia, and Leca was shocking even to him.
He had never imagined things would play out this way. That tiresome vizier had been eliminated under such unexpected circumstances.
Well, fine by me. It works in my favor.
If Mia is right and Jakiel truly held a deep grudge against our bloodline, then it was only a matter of time before he stabbed me in the back.
Now, on to the next order of business: cutting off Mia's wings. I need to check with Roland on the results of Leca's blood sample.
With that thought, Julius hummed to himself and headed toward the rose garden.
Late at night.
In a small village about five kilometers from Nakil, a woman was hastily packing her belongings.
Her movements stirred her nine-year-old son from his sleep. Rubbing his eyes, he asked,
"Mom, what are you doing?"
"Listen closely, darling. We have a long journey ahead. Even if you get thirsty or hungry along the way, you must bear it. Do you understand?"
Still groggy, the boy stared at his mother with dazed eyes.
"Right now? At night? Where are we going?"
"To Naizman."
"Naizman…? Isn't that some faraway foreign country?"
"If we walk quickly, we'll get there. We'll rest here and there, so don't worry."
The boy suddenly looked frightened. His lips began to tremble.
"But why? Why are we going all of a sudden?"
The woman glanced around, then lowered her voice.
"You remember Mr. Sambo, the man next door who died yesterday? If we stay here, we'll all end up like him. This land is cursed—My friend Misha said so."
Misha was her longtime friend—a medium and a witch. At that, the boy's face crumpled in fear. He burst into tears.