Chapter 436 - 409: Each with Their Own Calculations

The scene she had envisioned, where His Majesty the King would order Earl Jesus seized the moment the accusation was made, never materialized.

Sophia found this acceptable.

After all, she was just a stranger claiming to be from an unheard-of continent, while the man she accused was a member of the Oduin Kingdom’s Royal Family, a high-ranking noble.

’Imagine if a stranger told you your brother was a Demon. Would you believe the stranger, or the brother you grew up with?’

Especially since Jesus showed not the slightest hint of panic.

"Everyone knows Wushan Castle has blamed me for backing the Polante Thief Gang for years and has always harbored intense hostility toward Moonlight Valley. So, it turns out Lurans was ill, and Wushan Castle chose to lie low. What, now that you’ve not only recovered your strength but reached a new level, you think it’s time for revenge?"

"But don’t you forget, I am an Earl of the Kingdom, His Majesty’s own brother. Do you think you can just grab a random stranger, label me a Demon, and sentence me to death?"

Jesus sneered. "Lurans, you are the ’Thunderbolt Marquis’ my father, Oduin IV, personally enfeoffed. How have you become so simple-minded in your old age?"

’He planned to reframe this accusation as a conflict between Moonlight Valley and Wushan Territory, allowing him to slip away.’

Lurans shot him a cool glance. "After all these years, your talent for twisting facts and making trouble hasn’t faded one bit. But I’m afraid Sophia’s accusation is entirely her own affair. It has nothing to do with me, Ronin, or Wushan Castle."

"If you think you can use our history to paint Sophia as a puppet acting on my orders to frame you, you’re being far too naive."

With that, he glanced at Sophia. "If she dares to publicly accuse you of being of the Witch Soul Race, then she must have sufficient reason and evidence!"

"Oh?"

Bruno’s gaze shifted between Lurans and Jesus twice before settling on Sophia. "Well then, what is your evidence?"

"A Magic Master can use their Spiritual Power to sense the surging, unnatural Dark Energy on Jesus. That is the hallmark of the Witch Soul Race."

As she spoke, Sophia quickly traced a profound Magic Pattern in the air.

Seven or eight seconds later, the Water Elements of the world suddenly converged inside the great hall. A jet of water, as thick as a thumb yet incredibly sharp and fierce, shot out from before her. It streaked a hundred meters across the hall, burst outside, and soared into the sky.

"That’s the Eighth-level Magic, ’Water Cutting Skill’!"

Randall, the most knowledgeable person present, shot to his feet in shock, staring at Sophia in disbelief. ’This young woman, who looks thirty at most, is actually a powerful Magic Master?’

The Magic had dissipated, but the chill left behind by the Water Cutting Skill still lingered in the great hall.

The jet of water, which had flashed past as fast as light, left an indelible impression on everyone. They had no doubt that even the Kingdom’s finest Enchanted Steel Shield could not have withstood that blow.

Sophia’s demonstration was merely to prove she was a Magic Master. Pointing at Jesus, she looked at Bruno and declared, "Right now, I can sense that Jesus is teeming with Dark Energy. He is of the Witch Soul Race!"

"Hah," Jesus scoffed. "There are no other Magic Masters here. Who can verify that anything you say is true? Besides, I myself possess the Dark Attribute. You can’t just claim anyone with Dark Energy is of the Witch Soul Race, can you?"

Jesus was panicking internally, but he calmly sat back down. "If you’re going to make that argument, then fine. My niece, Blanche—Ronin’s future wife—is a Necromancer. By your logic, is she one of the Witch Soul Race, too?"

Bruno’s face fell. Few people knew that Blanche was a Necromancer, and he never expected Jesus to expose it so publicly.

At this, Duke Valgis’s expression twitched unnaturally.

’A Necromancer... Could the curse on Blanche be real?’

’His poor grandsons...’

Sophia glanced at Ronin. ’I could just say that Ronin is also a Magic Master and can verify my words,’ she thought.

’But Ronin hasn’t revealed his abilities as a Mage,’ she realized. ’And Jesus has already tied me to Lurans. Even if I expose Ronin’s power, they’ll just deny it.’

And so, the words died on her lips.

So now, the key was how Bruno would handle the situation.

"Your Majesty the King, you must be aware of the evil and horror of the Witch Soul Race. Their existence poses a grave threat to your Kingdom! Even if my accusation alone is not enough to convince you, I implore you to take the necessary measure of detaining him first. You can then summon other Magic Masters for verification."

But at that moment, His Majesty the King was not thinking about the accusation. He was mentally tallying Wushan Territory’s top-tier combatants.

’Besides Lurans and Ronin, who are both Silver Moon Level, Wushan Territory is known to have Melonika the Meteor Knight, and the Great Mage Miroslav is on their side. And doesn’t Wubei Territory have a Great Mage with the Light Attribute as well?’

’That lineup was already formidable and top-tier, yet Bruno never expected Wubei Territory to have a powerhouse like a Magic Master, too!’

’With so many top-tier combatants, even the Royal Family would pay a heavy price if they tried to move against Wushan Territory.’

’And...’

He frowned as he looked at Jesus. He was even beginning to suspect that his brother might be right—that this whole affair was a conspiracy by Lurans to use the Witch Soul Race as a pretext to eliminate Moonlight Valley.

Bruno wanted to support Wushan Territory to balance the three major powers east of the Royal Capital, but he didn’t want it to become the sole dominant force.

Moonlight Valley could fight Wushan Territory, but the Royal Family would absolutely not get involved.

If Lurans successfully framed Jesus as a member of the Witch Soul Race, the Royal Family would have an undeniable reason to dispatch troops and suppress Moonlight Valley.

Furthermore, if word got out that the King’s brother was a Demon, the prestige of the Royal Family would undoubtedly be tarnished.

Garrett, who had been silent until now, perhaps sensed what his father was thinking. There were some things the King couldn’t say himself, so the Crown Prince took the initiative to break the impasse.

"Labeling my uncle a minion of a Demon based on unverifiable evidence is hardly a credible accusation."

Garrett gave Sophia a cool look and shook his head. "Besides, your origin is based solely on your own word. We have no way of confirming whether another continent even exists."

"I agree with Garrett."

Duke Ference spoke up in support. "I’ve heard about what happened to Ossen of Wushan Territory, so I understand the strange threat posed by the Witch Soul Race. But to accuse Jesus based on reasoning that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny... I find that difficult to accept."

Jesus smiled faintly. "Thank you for speaking up for me, my dear brother."

Ference offered a faint smile in return. ’He wasn’t really speaking up for Jesus. He had his own agenda.’

With the Tricia Kingdom embroiled in civil war, the Oduin Kingdom was free from the pressure of external conflict.

’If the Oduin Kingdom also fell into internal strife, couldn’t he then avoid sending troops to Tricia and instead make some gains for himself within the Kingdom?’

’There had been no catalyst for internal strife before, but now, one had presented itself.’

Just then, Andrea also spoke up.

"I also agree with the Crown Prince. An accusation requires evidence everyone can see. If you’re the only one who knows, then today you can say Jesus is of the Witch Soul Race, tomorrow you can say it’s MacLaren, and the day after that, it’ll be my turn."

He smiled faintly. "Then Lurans can use the Royal Family’s army to eliminate the three major sources of conflict surrounding Wushan Territory in one fell swoop."

Randall hesitated for a moment. "Perhaps... I could ask my grandfather to come to Golden Feather City to perceive it?"

MacLaren said with a laugh, "Is it really necessary to trouble Lord Bellora over something like this? Besides, even if he did sense Dark Energy on Jesus, how would you distinguish that from Jesus’s own Dark Attribute Fighting Qi?"

He shrugged. "It’s still impossible to prove."

Broel also offered his perspective.

"I saw Ossen become one of the Witch Soul Race on the battlefield with my own eyes. His demeanor and way of speaking were completely different from normal. It’s a side effect of the transformation."

He frowned. "But Earl Jesus seems perfectly normal today. There’s nothing suspicious about him."

Jesus turned to Sophia. "For openly slandering a noble of the Royal Family, are you prepared to face the punishment for your crime?"