The Wastrel Prince Becomes Ruthless Chapter 86

“Phew….”

Opening his eyes, Yuwon steadied his breath.

Having sat still in full lotus position for so long, his body, stiffened from immobility, regained vitality.

The moment his consciousness returned, Yuwon checked the condition of his body. He did not know how much time had passed, but it was clear that quite a bit of time had gone by.

“I was so absorbed I didn’t even notice time passing.”

The fierce battle waged deep within Yuwon.

The creature that had already died at Yuwon’s hands and been devoured—its body entirely seized—charged at him as if intent on killing him to avenge its past defeat.

Yuwon, determined to completely chew and swallow it this time, confronted it head-on.

Its massive maw, its bluish venomous fangs, its tail thick as an aged tree all targeted Yuwon.

Yuwon faced it with nothing but his own body.

It was an opponent he had already beaten once, yet facing the creature without so much as a scrap of metal in hand was no easy feat.

Even so, Yuwon emerged victorious.

At the end of the battle, Yuwon held the creature’s forcibly torn-out heart in his hand.

With its second death, the creature vanished completely. Having obtained what he wanted, Yuwon returned to his place.

‘Only now have I properly digested everything.’

Was this how a snake felt when swallowing prey whole without chewing, only to suffer for it later?

The creature’s inner core had served as a tonic, aiding his internal energy growth, and its corpse had become good material that benefited him—yet it had also caused no small amount of trouble.

‘From now on, I should make sure to chew properly before eating anything.’

Of course, the option of not eating at all was not under consideration. Whenever an opportunity to grow stronger presented itself, Yuwon would seize it without hesitation.

He always had—thanks to that, he had grown rapidly enough to keep himself alive. He simply aimed to reduce trial and error.

‘Then, I should go. Hopefully, I’m not too late….’

Yuwon sprang up from the place he had guarded for so long and headed straight toward the Fifth Prince’s Palace.

The long-missing Yuwon had returned!

There was no time for uproar. Upon returning, Yuwon immediately listened to what had happened while he was away. Hearing that the envoy of Lehl had arrived, he declared he was ready to undergo questioning at any time.

‘Just the fact that I disappeared for days gives them plenty to bite into. Now that I’ve returned, it’s best to handle this as quickly as possible.’

It seemed the envoy of Lehl also did not wish to give Yuwon much time.

The coordination between both sides happened in the blink of an eye, and less than six hours after Yuwon’s return, the place where they would face each other was prepared.

The interrogation took place in a small—small by the standards of the Imperial Palace—temple of Lehl within the palace.

Of course, “small” meant only that, given the scale of the palace.

A temple large enough to hold two hundred people soon filled with Lehl’s envoys, and imperial officials entered shortly after to occupy the remaining seats.

“Let us begin.”

Then Yuwon arrived.

He did not look like someone about to be interrogated; his bearing was confident.

With Yuwon’s arrival, all preparations were complete. The representative of Lehl’s envoy, Cardinal Azazel, began the questioning—no, the inquisition.

“Then, with His Highness Yurion Aphahiel’s permission, we shall begin the questioning immediately.”

“Yes.”

The eyes of all the jurors shifted from Yuwon to Cardinal Azazel’s lips.

“Your Highness, can you swear that there will not be a single lie in what you say here today?”

“What’s so difficult about that? Under the name of Aphahiel, I will swear right now.”

The jurors widened their eyes at Yuwon’s bold response.

‘Th-this madman…! Why would he stake his name on something like this!?’

Yuwon was staking his political life on this inquisition. A vow made under the name of Aphahiel carried that kind of weight.

“However.”

One must always listen to the end of a statement. The single word “however” stirred the hall.

“I have nothing to be ashamed of, so swearing is no difficulty. But since I am staking my life on this matter, Lehl must also stake something in return. You have created this absurd misunderstanding that has placed me in trouble, so if everything turns out to be false, Lehl must bear consequences proportionate to your accusations.”

“What nonsense…!”

Lehl’s envoys burst into anger at Yuwon’s words, but he continued speaking, indifferent to their reaction.

“Nonsense, you say…? Has anything Lehl has done to target me been reasonable? You placed ridiculous accusations upon a Prince of the Aphahiel Empire without any grounds. If all of this proves false, should you not pay the price? Every deed carries responsibility.”

At Yuwon’s words, a holy knight among Lehl’s envoy raised his voice.

“Who dares dispute deeds done in the name of the god!?”

“Watch your tongue. I am not a follower of Lehl, nor do I fear the god you speak of. The only reason I treat you with this level of courtesy is not due to any special favor, but because it is my duty as a Prince to show proper respect to envoys of another nation.”

The holy knight who had spoken shut his mouth at Yuwon’s cold warning.

He looked as though he had much more he wished to say, but Cardinal Azazel, the representative of the envoy, restrained him.

“His Highness the Fifth Prince speaks correctly. Hold your words.”

“But… that demon is trying to negotiate with us….”

“Hush. Whatever happens, I will take full responsibility.”

“But, Your Eminence…”

“No buts. Steel yourself. If we step back here, we give the Prince an escape route.”

“…Understood.”

With the cardinal’s firm stance, none among Lehl’s envoy could argue further.

After calming his companions, the cardinal asked Yuwon for his demands on behalf of Lehl.

“Your words are just. If all of this proves to be a simple misunderstanding, then this cannot end with a mere apology. What is it Your Highness wishes of us?”

“I request a formal apology from the Church of Lehl.”

The people seated in the temple widened their eyes.

Historically, there had been cases where individuals presented themselves directly to an inquisition.

However, most had done so because they were guilty and nervous about being found out; none had ever demanded something from Lehl so boldly, as Yuwon had.

Lehl was the largest religious power on the continent. Even if one did not believe in it, Lehl was a difficult enemy to offend. But Yuwon was different.

“If you cannot answer, then this session ends here.”

Cardinal Azazel was a man of considerable resolve. He did not back down.

“Very well. Under the name Azazel, which the god granted me, and under the authority of my office as cardinal, I promise.”

With Yuwon’s demands accepted, matters progressed rapidly.

Soon, Cardinal Azazel stepped forward to stand before Yuwon.

“That again?”

A subtle tension passed between Yuwon and the cardinal.

“You’re referring to using divine power to read one’s eyes.”

“Ah… yes. It is the most reliable method.”

“But only the cardinal can know the results.”

“Yes, that is true. Is there an issue?”

“Even if the results differ from what you declare, no one would know.”

“…Are you suggesting that, because of what is at stake today, I would fabricate something that does not exist?”

With a faint smile, Yuwon shook his head.

“Of course not. I merely considered the possibility for a moment, but the esteemed Cardinal Azazel—rumored to be the next Pope—could never do such a thing.”

“Yes. Such a thing will not happen. I will speak only the truth.”

“Of course. Naturally. Then I leave it to you.”

Yuwon, taller than the cardinal by a handspan, looked down with an unhurried gaze.

That gaze irritated the cardinal.

‘…Does he have something to rely on? Even before the examination, he remains this confident… Well, I will soon find out.’

“Then… let us begin.”

Yuwon, who knew well what he had to do, nodded and gathered his gaze straight into the two eyes of Cardinal Azazel. Yuwon’s blue eyes and the Cardinal’s hazel eyes crossed in midair.

A golden radiance shimmered in the Cardinal’s eyes, imbued with divine power.

Through his tightly sealed lips, the Cardinal’s resolve flickered.

‘I shall strip off that mask. Evil God.’

The power of divine authority.

The Cardinal’s gaze pierced beyond Yuwon’s eyes. It was merely reaffirming what Archbishop Palphis had already confirmed.

Nothing about it was difficult.

‘…!’

A moment later, the Cardinal’s face turned deathly pale.

‘Nothing…? How!’

Cardinal Azazel could not find any sort of threat within Yuwon.

What he examined inside Yuwon was so clear that it might as well have been transparent.

That clear and transparent heart of Yuwon, on the contrary, churned the Cardinal’s own.

As if struck by an earthquake, the Cardinal’s eyes shook violently.

Reading that trembling gaze, Yuwon whispered softly—so quietly that it reached only between him and the Cardinal.

“I heard that it didn’t take long last time, but are you still not done?”

“Th… that is….”

“I can give you a little more time, but you will have to acknowledge it soon. Too many eyes are watching.”

“…….”

Cold sweat trickled down the Cardinal’s back.

Archbishop Palphis had testified, and even his friend, the Sword Saint Karniel, had become entangled with the Fifth Prince and then vanished.

‘I thought everything would end today….’

There was no way Archbishop Palphis would lie about something so important, nor would the Sword Saint simply disappear without a word. Yet the result Cardinal Azazel confirmed with his own eyes differed from all expectations.

‘…The Fifth Prince is simply an ordinary person.’

No matter how many times he checked, the result remained the same. The Cardinal had no choice but to accept it.

“…He is.”

“Pardon?”

“His Highness… is innocent.”

Yuwon curved a faint smile at the Cardinal’s words.

“Then it is time for you to inform the others of that.”

“…Yes.”

Cardinal Azazel tore his gaze away from Yuwon—where it had been fixed for a long time—and turned it toward the jurors.

At the Cardinal’s movement, the jurors likewise focused their attention on him.

“The result is out.”

“Oh….”

Someone swallowed nervously.

“It’ll be nothing, right? Evil God? That makes no sense.”

“It’s the natural conclusion. His Highness, an Evil God? Ridiculous. Do you know how many lives he saved with his own hands in the South?”

Someone announced that Yuwon would be cleared of all accusations.

‘This is it, Yurion.’

And someone else believed without a doubt that Yuwon would fall here.

A brief silence as Cardinal Azazel steadied his breath.

Then at last, the Cardinal spoke.

“…His Highness the Fifth Prince is innocent.”

At the Cardinal’s shocking declaration, disarray rippled through the jurors.

“W-what…!”

“Damn… so it really wasn’t this.”

“That can’t be…!”

“Cardinal…?”

“I knew it. It was a ridiculous false charge.”

The envoys of Lehl, who had firmly believed Yuwon to be the reincarnation of the Evil God, could not hide their shock.

Meanwhile, the nobles allied with other princes—those who wished for Yuwon’s downfall—groaned with disappointment.

The Fifth Prince’s faction nobles, who had believed and followed Yuwon through the crisis until the end, finally breathed in relief.

The commotion did not die down easily.

Amidst the murmuring clusters, Yuwon—the person at the center of this incident—appeared.

“Then I trust the Cardinal will handle the aftermath.”

Tap tap.

Yuwon lightly tapped the Cardinal’s shoulder and strode past him with confident steps.

Step, step—

Just as the sound of Yuwon’s footsteps rang sharply in the hall, Azazel seized him.

“Your Highness.”

At the call, Yuwon stopped without replying and turned his head.

The jurors, who had been murmuring, fell silent as if by magic and listened.

“May I ask one last personal question?”

“Yes, of course. Since you will suffer quite a bit because of this matter from now on, I can extend at least that much courtesy.”

“The Sword Saint… Karniel—what happened to him?”

Yuwon did not answer immediately. After a brief pause, he spoke.

“One who takes up a sword must know that when he draws his blade at me, that blade may in turn be aimed at him.”

“…!”

The hall froze over like an ice field.

The meaning was so unmistakably clear that everyone immediately understood.

‘The Fifth Prince killed the Inquisition’s swordsman…!’

Yuwon’s words—that he had cut down Lehl’s greatest force with his own hand—were beyond the scale of slaying a few beasts.

‘Just how strong is he at that age…!’

Everyone present reconsidered the power Yuwon possessed.

And before they could finish arranging their thoughts, Yuwon delivered the final blow.

“The Sword Saint paid with his life for pointing his sword at me.”

“…I see.”

“I do not know if you obtained the answer you wished.”

“…It was enough. Thank you.”

“Then since you have traveled far, please rest well before returning. I shall take my leave.”

As though his business was done, Yuwon left without looking back. The Cardinal, left alone, watched Yuwon’s receding figure and ground his teeth quietly.

‘I chose the wrong opponent. Whether he is the Evil God or not no longer matters. With what we have done until now, the Fifth Prince already sees us as enemies. If he becomes Emperor, we are in danger.’

Yuwon had crushed Lehl so completely that even the Aphahiel Empire had not been able to make them bow.