Chapter 95: Chapter 95

The Crown Prince met my gaze directly as she spoke.

Her words weren’t surprising—I had already expected them.

"Do you really believe that simply mustering a great force will be enough to uproot everything?"

"We only need proof linking the Elder Council to the Black Serpent. After that, I will handle the rest. I can ensure that you won’t be dragged into this when I deal with the Elders."

"I don’t particularly care if White Desert collapses entirely."

"Even so, you can’t live freely if you’re labeled a traitor, can you?"

Cruello glanced at me for a moment before shrugging.

"If anything goes wrong, Your Highness will be killed."

"That’s already inevitable. Regardless of whether this succeeds or not, I’m slated for assassination sooner or later."

I recalled the assassins who had lunged at her during the ball.

They had seemed too familiar with the act—this wasn’t the first attempt.

She spoke of her own death as if it were a simple fact.

"Then, at the very least, I should fulfill my duty as one born into the royal family."

I was slightly impressed.

It was rare to hear the word duty from someone in power.

Minuet had demonstrated something similar through her actions, but still.

My impression of the Crown Prince shifted.

From a weary, burdened individual—to a courageous one.

That was an honorable change.

"I’m sorry, but Julian alone won’t be enough to tie them together."

The Elder who lured Julian in had been careful to conceal their identity, and the magic circle engraved on his body was now gone.

If they wanted to sever their ties with him, they could easily do so.

"You seem determined. Do you already have a plan in mind?"

"...Yes. A rather convenient piece of information came to me."

The Crown Prince spoke, her tone tinged with bitterness.

Oh? So that’s how it is.

A thought struck me, and I exchanged glances with Cruello before speaking.

"Then how about we do this—"

The second headquarters of the Black Serpent had been uncovered.

A small territory on the outskirts of the capital.

Just like before, another of their temples lay hidden deep underground.

The Crown Prince, as the head of the Secret Investigators, did not report this to the Emperor.

Instead, she gathered her investigators and personally led the mission.

Among them was Mary Knowles.

Born the second daughter of Viscount Knowles, she had earned a position as a Secret Investigator purely through skill.

And through that same skill, she had also been chosen as a spy for the Elder of the Black Serpent.

"This is the right decision."

With her noble status, there was no way to advance further through conventional means.

So wasn’t it only natural to take hold of another opportunity?

She did not regret her choice.

Even as she personally led the Crown Prince into a grave of death, her steps did not falter.

However, the nerves were unavoidable—her palms were slick with sweat.

Finally, they reached the temple’s entrance.

At that moment, Mary Knowles discreetly injected mana into her hidden communication sphere.

From now on, everything that happened here would be transmitted elsewhere.

At the Crown Prince’s command, one of her subordinates handed her a blade.

The eerie sound of the sword unsheathing cut through the air.

"Sealed. It won’t hold forever, but they won’t escape for at least thirty minutes."

The Crown Prince nodded.

One of the investigators manipulated the hidden mechanism.

The iron door groaned as it slowly swung open.

The Crown Prince and her investigators stepped inside without hesitation.

Mary Knowles swiftly followed.

As soon as everyone had entered, the iron doors slammed shut.

At first, all they saw was complete darkness.

But the moment the doors closed, one by one, the lamps embedded in the walls flickered to life.

From nearby to the farthest depths.

The space was absurdly vast—far larger than their reports had suggested.

And what had first appeared to be darkness...

Clad in goat masks and black robes.

A pungent stench filled the air, thick with the kind of energy one would expect from monsters rather than humans.

The Crown Prince’s lips twisted.

"Wasn’t more than half of them supposed to be dead? Their forces seem perfectly intact."

"...Apologies, Your Highness. It appears our information was incorrect."

"Then the Elders who were supposedly dead—"

"If replacements were brought in, then of course they’re still alive."

A figure stepped forward from the crowd.

Like the others, she wore a mask and robe, her frame small and delicate.

She pulled back her hood, revealing a cascade of soft golden hair.

She removed her mask, exposing a familiar face.

Her striking features were delicate, almost ornate.

And in the midst of it all, those eyes.

A violet hue, reminiscent of death, glowed ominously.

The Crown Prince’s face hardened.

"Greetings, Your Highness. It’s been quite some time, hasn’t it?"

Siora Bonetti smiled radiantly.

"They said it was a mere illusion, but..."

Mary Knowles shifted slightly, ensuring the recording sphere captured everything.

More than the Crown Prince’s death, this moment was what truly mattered.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"So, you really are Nigellia’s successor, after all."

"There’s no need to deny it now, is there? You’re right, Your Highness."

"Then what was all that talk before the Emperor?"

"A diversion, of course. Thanks to it, everyone who suspected me of being part of the Black Serpent disappeared, didn’t they?"

She smiled, pleased with herself.

"If you want the full story, you can hear it in hell. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of people I’ve sent there to keep you company."

"...If I make it out of here, I will have your head."

The fake Siora Bonetti laughed heartily as she stepped back.

At that moment, the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) cultists’ mana flared, and the investigators drew their swords in unison.

Before the chaos erupted, Mary Knowles slowly backed away.

Slipping away in the commotion wouldn’t be difficult.

The iron door couldn’t be opened from the inside, so she made her way toward the hidden passage she had been informed about.

It was thoroughly concealed with dark magic—only those who knew of it could recognize it.

Stuffing the communication sphere into her coat, she sprinted through the tunnel.

Excitement and anticipation surged over the pounding of her heart.

"From here on, my future is set."

Only the Crown Prince and the head investigator knew the full identities of the Secret Investigators.

If they all died here, no one would even know she had betrayed them.

And once that was buried, she could safely enjoy the glory the cult would bestow upon her.

Finally, Mary Knowles emerged aboveground.

A deafening boom erupted from below.

It sounded as though the entire temple was collapsing.

She spun around, staring at the tunnel entrance in confusion.

Wasn’t the plan for the undead mages to eliminate the investigators and the Crown Prince?

No one had said anything about destroying the temple.

A creeping sense of unease began to spread inside her.

"Curious about the situation, Mary Knowles?"

At the familiar voice, Mary recoiled, stumbling backward.

There, standing before her, was someone who should have been buried underground.

"I, too, am curious—just how incompetent must I be to have personally recruited a traitor like you?"

"Y-Your Highness...? N-no, this isn’t—there’s been a misunderstanding!"

"You can explain yourself in the interrogation room."

A sharp strike to the back of her neck sent Mary Knowles crumpling to the ground.

The Crown Prince sighed as she picked up the fallen communication sphere.

She had suspected there was a traitor.

And while she had been right, it wasn’t something she took pleasure in.

After all, she had chosen the wrong blade.

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on regrets.

She turned and tossed the sphere to the figure standing behind her.

"I’ll leave the rest to you, Cruello."

"I’ll contact you when it’s done."

With a casual shrug, Cruello took the sphere and vanished.

He would be heading for Siora Bonetti.

The Crown Prince glanced back at the group of investigators gathered behind her.

Confused, unsettled—they hadn’t been briefed.

And right now, she was far too exhausted to explain.

"We’ll discuss the details later. For now, arrest Mary Knowles."

"...Yes, Your Highness."

At this moment, the only thing she truly wanted was to sleep for three days straight.

I wasn’t one to say everything in life was determined by luck.

But this time, luck had certainly played a part.

The Crown Prince had received information about the second temple.

Her plan had been to launch an attack with the investigators, hoping to uncover the Black Serpent’s ties to the Elder Council.

Thanks to the chaos I had caused, more than half of the cultists were already dead.

The risk was high, but the odds of success had seemed reasonable.

At least—until she realized the dead cultists could be reanimated.

"So they planned to use undead to capture me. If you hadn’t dragged Julian Minerva into this, I would’ve been completely cornered."

The Crown Prince gave a wry smile.

"I already had suspicions about one of my investigators—I should have dealt with it sooner."

Her frustration was understandable, but something still didn’t add up.

"Something about this seems odd. Would they really go to such lengths just to kill you?"

"Well, if they really wanted you dead, they could have done it at any time. Why specifically go through all this trouble with undead? Ah, you’re not offended, are you?"

She wasn’t like me—Cruello wasn’t glued to her side, nor was she exceptionally skilled in combat.

And the Emperor? He didn’t seem particularly inclined to stand against the Black Serpent.

If they had truly wanted to kill her, they could have done so easily.

The Crown Prince furrowed her brows but didn’t argue.

"...I won’t deny it. Get to the point."

"What could they gain by using this method? ‘The Black Serpent assassinated the Crown Prince’—that wouldn’t be surprising to anyone. The whole world already sees them as villains."

"But if they could insert someone else into that narrative, then they'd have a motive."

Cruello trailed off, then looked directly at me.