Chapter 1037

“I beg Your Highness’s pardon... but do you know how the one who called himself the ‘Sage’ died in the South?”

“......”

The question had the desired effect—it shut Kachian’s mouth before any more nonsense could spill out. The prince, who had been speaking incessantly, froze as if struck silent.

After a moment, he slowly lifted his gaze and replied with a voice as heavy as it was frigid.

“...What does that have to do with me?”

As expected of Kachian. The moment the word Sage was mentioned, a gleam of killing intent flickered in his eyes, his gaze sharpened to a blade—but his mouth still moved with reflexive denial. Classic.

So Kiole was right. He said the brainwashing still hadn’t lifted, but judging by this, it was all just an act.

Kachian had been confined to Kiole’s residence in the South the entire time. The only day he’d gone outside was the day of the hailstorm. And even then, he’d fainted and been carried back inside. In truth, he probably knew next to nothing.

Which means... the Crown Prince never met the Sage that day, nor did he witness his death firsthand. That explains his lack of grasp on reality.

He likely tried to wring information out of Kiole during their return to the capital, but he wouldn’t have learned anything worthwhile.

If he had managed that, I’d have to admit Kachian la Orr has sharper intelligence than the entirety of the Cavalry’s intelligence division combined.

To think he’d run off to the South for the sake of the Sage, only to end up with such a pitiful outcome. But the key takeaway here was this: for Kachian, the Sage’s death hadn’t registered as reality yet.

If he truly understood what had happened, he wouldn’t be out wandering the palace grounds alone without even a single attendant—especially after overhearing tales of the Cavalry’s return.

And above all... he wouldn’t be facing Yuder Aile with eyes like that.

Like a boy who wanted to possess a shiny new toy, speaking honeyed words one moment, then letting hatred bubble forth the next the moment something didn’t go his way. Who did he think he could win over with a look like that?

“I believe it does concern you, Your Highness. Quite deeply, in fact.”

“Your tone is almost like you’re trying to bait me. Are you threatening me?”

“Why would I ever slander such a generous Crown Prince?”

His tone made it clear: Why would I even bother wasting energy on that? Kachian seemed to catch the nuance, and a dark shadow passed over his expression.

The veneer of civility peeled back, revealing the rancid malice beneath.

The radiant smile he wore in public, the one he used while playing the princely role, was gone. In its place, his eyes turned cold—familiar to Yuder, all too familiar.

“...Ha... ha... I see. If you’re referring to my healers—then let me be clear. They claimed innocence the entire time. Yet it was the Emperor and your lot who refused to hear them out, who didn’t investigate properly. They merely advised me on health and exchanged words of concern. There was nothing worthy of suspicion. That... is the truth you do not know.”

A sly dodge. He simultaneously implied continued trust in the Sage while deftly absolving himself of any responsibility.

But in doing so, Kachian unwittingly handed Yuder a valuable piece of information.

Just as I thought. Kachian la Orr still doesn’t realize that the Sage’s true allegiance wasn’t to him, but to Duke Diarca.

Yuder had wondered: was it brainwashing that blinded him, or simple ignorance? If it was the latter, things were far simpler.

Kachian had a pathological hatred for being deceived by subordinates.

Yuder began to speak, clearly and deliberately, each word weighted with precision.

“Then allow me to share the truth Your Highness does not know—how and why the Sage died. He was killed by a young Awakener who once followed him. A man with a scar on one ear. Perhaps you remember him. The reason? That Awakener used his powers to the point of severe backlash for the Sage’s sake, and the moment he was deemed useless... the Sage discarded him.”

“...Enough.”

Kachian muttered, his brow furrowing. Yuder didn’t stop.

“So why did the Sage exploit that Awakener to such extremes? In fact, he discarded more than one follower after using them. The goal behind all that sacrifice? To gain a connection with a high-ranking noble in the capital and earn their trust. The Sage ruthlessly consumed the lives of those who believed in him—for his own selfish gain.”

“I said, that’s ENOUGH!”

“According to the intelligence gathered by the Cavalry, the Sage went to extraordinary lengths to meet that noble. Even when he caused an explosion incident in the capital and was being hunted, he appeared in public—risking everything—just to kneel before that noble. Can you not feel it? The depth of his faith that this noble, and this noble alone, could save him?”

Not the Crown Prince.

Kachian’s pupils blazed—he’d clearly understood the unspoken jab.

“Enough!”

“I imagine Your Highness already knows who that noble was. I won’t say the name. You can verify it for yourself.”

Of course, the noble was Duke Diarca.

Logically, it wasn’t surprising. Duke Diarca had likely sent the Sage in the first place. That the Sage followed him wasn’t shocking in itself—but Kachian ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) reacted as though witnessing a grand betrayal.

After clashing with Naham’s side in the capital and becoming a fugitive, the Sage personally sought out Duke Diarca and begged him for help... yet he only sent letters to the Crown Prince. And even those stopped once he headed South.

The letters found on the Sage’s corpse proved it. To him, Kachian was nothing more than a stepping stone to gain Duke Diarca’s trust—or, at best, an emergency backup plan. Even the Sage knew that Kachian had no power, and that Duke Diarca held the real reins.

And that was the one truth Kachian la Orr loathed more than anything else.

“Yudrain Aile. I want nothing more than to be rid of Diarca. I want that vile man to know he can no longer monitor or control my every move. Show him who is truly above him. Punish him. Destroy his house. Create accidents. Make him fear the night!”

“Even if he loses everything he cherishes, that disgusting old man will cling to life like a parasite. But I will grant him what he fears most—eternal sleep beneath the ground!”

Back then, at the start of his reign, Kachian hadn’t yet trusted Yudrain implicitly, but one thing was clear:

The death of that decrepit Duke Diarca—who’d vanished early in Kachian’s rule—was likely no accident, no natural death. It was the result of Kachian’s own schemes.

Wasn’t it around then that the Doodleum mushroom poison first came into vogue?

Yuder didn’t know for certain whether Diarca was poisoned. But aside from Kishiar—who had to be eliminated due to his lineage—Duke Diarca was undoubtedly the first person to awaken Kachian’s murderous intent.

And it was through eliminating Diarca that Kachian had secured swift dominance over the other four great noble houses.

“The reason the Sage was able to exploit so many people... was because he, too, was an Awakener. Just like the followers who surrounded him. He was never a Sage, never some great man. Just an ordinary citizen of the capital who Awakened and had to flee.”

Kachian muttered like a man in agony.

“...How dare you... how DARE you...!”

“Your Highness said I knew nothing, so I simply shared what I do know. Wasn’t it Your Highness who spoke so graciously of tolerating even a rude commoner like me?”

Yuder delivered the final line in a perfectly flat voice, devoid of any emotion.

“I think this would be the perfect opportunity for Your Highness to show me what kind of trust you desire—and what kind of new era you wish to build.”