Chapter 180: Evidence (2)

Lokan VII slightly turned his head. ”…What are you trying to say?” His pupils were minutely trembling.

Noting this, Louis’s eyes flashed with understanding.

“It’s just as I said earlier?”

”…”

In response to Louis’s seemingly insignificant remark, Lokan VII’s expression changed once more. He stood silently for a while before letting out a deep sigh.

”…Did you do it with this knowledge?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m referring to what happened in the meeting room today.”

This time, Louis remained silent. But that silence was enough of an answer for Lokan VII.

“Sigh… I suppose I can’t blame you for having your own thoughts.”

With another deep sigh, he completely turned away.

“Still, it’s comforting to hear those words. It must mean the order still trusts us.”

“You think so?”

The conversation continued in this circular manner.

Those listening couldn’t help but tilt their heads at the exchange.

Meanwhile, having grasped the essence of the discussion through this iced tea-like banter, Lokan VII spoke with conviction:

“Whichever kingdom it is, they haven’t attacked the order.”

Hours earlier, after Louis and Pablo left, the meeting had drawn to a rather aimless close. Additionally, Lokan VII now had another cause for concern. He already had a headache trying to decipher the Snow King’s movements; on top of that, a new matter had been thrown into his lap. As a result, he had to fret over it all night.

Had the kingdom truly launched an assault on the order?

Then someone within the kingdom must have planned this.

As his thoughts raced, numerous possibilities emerged. After agonizing over them until his mind felt about to burst, Lokan VII finally made a decision.

“Didn’t I ask earlier if we should trust our subjects?”

“You did, sire.”

“I decide we shall trust them.”

He chose to believe in his subjects. To place faith in the trust that had been built up over many years.

Having reached this conclusion, another question occurred to him.

If the kingdom had not launched the attack on the Holy Order, who could it have been? And who would stand to benefit most from this?

As his thoughts took this turn, his mind cleared, leading him to one inescapable conclusion—the answer was obvious:

Those who stood to gain from the deterioration of relations between the kingdom and the Holy Order.

“I’m convinced this is the Empire’s doing… In the current climate, the only ones we’d want to clash with are the Empire and its vassal kingdoms. priest, didn’t you foresee something like this?”

“Well…”

A sly smile played on Louis’s lips.

“Let’s just say it’s possible, but not certain.”

“Enough with the games. Then why did you… invite me here? What kind of discussion do you hope to have?”

”…”

“And why did you ask me about my subjects’ loyalty? Could it be that you already suspect the Empire’s involvement? Yes, I see now—you were already convinced from the Meeting itself that the culprit wasn’t one of our own.”

”…”

“You must have kept your distance from our kingdom during the meeting, fearing the presence of the marquis, or so I suspect. Am I wrong?”

As they glared at Louis with beady eyes, he suddenly grinned widely.

“You’re sharper than I gave you credit for. Hmm… Are all the others who couldn’t figure this out just fools?”

“Sigh…”

“Well, Your Highness, you’re largely correct. I too believe the Empire is behind this. After all, there’s no reason for the kingdom to be at odds with the Order.”

“You’re right,” the priest concurred.

“But it’s still just a hunch. We don’t have any definitive proof, do we?”

“Louis… please tell us why you’ve kidnapped the prince?” the priest asked.

From one side, Louis heard someone mutter, “Wow, he admitted it was a kidnapping,” but he easily ignored it.

“To find proof. I suspect the Empire, but we haven’t found conclusive evidence that they were the culprits. I…was going to ask for the kingdom’s assistance with this matter.”

Lokan 7th’s eyebrow twitched as he pondered what Louis had in mind.

Really, it was the question that had been haunting him all night.

He looked directly at Louis and said, “What do you intend to do with the evidence? Even if you find conclusive proof, they’ll…they’ll deny it.”

The question Louis posed was really a question Lokan 7th was asking himself.

Even if we find proof…even if we’re certain the Empire is responsible…there’s nothing we can do about it now.

The immediate problem of the Snow King looming before them was urgent enough, but even without that, what was one to do with such a vast empire? Rather, Louis had to worry about not giving the Empire any further justification for its actions.

Unlike Lokan VII’s concerns, Louis’s response was without hesitation.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Nope.”

”…?”

“The reason I’m looking for evidence is for justification. Justification for myself, if you will?”

“But… what do you mean?”

“You can’t just beat up some big bad guys based on a hunch, right? I need undeniable proof so that even if they claim innocence, I can proceed with unwavering conviction.”

As Louis finished speaking, a muttered comment came from one side: “So you’re saying we’re searching for foolproof evidence until the moment we die?”

Snap.

Crack!

Kendrick clutched his forehead and collapsed.

Despite the farce unfolding beside him, Lokan VII couldn’t find humor in the situation. His face hardened as he asked, “Does that mean… you intend to go to war with the Empire?”

Louis waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, it’s not like we’re declaring some grand war.” Louis’s eyes betrayed his cold determination. “Just a one-sided beatdown, if you will.”

”…And the target of this ‘beatdown’ is still the Empire, correct?”

“What’s with the sudden doubt? After all that we’ve discussed so far. Why would I forget that?”

“Hmph…” Lokan VII let out a hollow laugh, as if in utter disbelief. He stared at Louis as if he were a lunatic.

The Dominant Empire, a vast nation controlling most of the eastern Winter Continent—was this man truly in his right mind, talking about taking on such an empire in a street fight?

A mere religious group, not even a nation?

As if aware of Lokan VII’s thoughts, Louis scoffed.

“What? Do I look insane to you?”

”…I can’t say for certain.”

“Well, I think I’m perfectly rational.”

“If you’re rational, you wouldn’t consider going to war against the Empire.”

Louis’s mockery intensified.

“Then what would be considered rational thinking?”

”…What?”

“Would it be rational to simply submit when you know a massive Empire is trying to swallow up a small kingdom like Kanburk…?”

”…?!”

“Is it rational to swallow your anger when you’re hit by someone stronger because retaliation would only invite more punishment?”

Lokan VII was rendered speechless by Louis’s blunt words.

The Duke continued with a quiet question: “When the Empire swallows up the entire kingdom of Kanburk, will you regret it then?”

His measured tone shook Lokan VII’s emotions.

He had considered all sides countless times, yet he couldn’t come to a conclusion—or rather, he failed to do so.

This was because every decision he made could cost the lives of many in the beloved kingdom of Kanburk.

He couldn’t act as simply as Louis suggested precisely because he cared more than anyone else for the well-being of Kanburk.

Lokan VII responded defensively, “Sometimes… it is better to endure.”

Though Louis understood his point, that didn’t mean he agreed with it.

Louis probed further, his words laced with mockery. “Do you think the people of your kingdom share this view? Would they truly wish to abandon the Kanburk Kingdom and become subjects of the Dominant Empire… is that what your citizens desire?”

”…?!” Lokan VII’s face betrayed his shock.

Each of Louis’s subsequent words seemed to stab at Lokan VII’s heart. “Be bold. You are the leader of Kanburk, the sovereign ruler of this land. Have you so little faith in your own people?”

”…?!”

As Lokan VII’s body shuddered as if struck by lightning, Louis inwardly smirked.

Has he finally begun to grasp the weight of the crown?

It was said that those who would wear the crown must first bear its weight. Without a doubt, Lokan VII was a wise and good king.

However, he was burdened by the weight of the crown, the weight of responsibility. He believed that they must protect their people because they cared for them.

But thanks to Louis’s advice, he realized something.

Something he had been overlooking.

“Right…this place is Kanburk. Yes, it is…”

This land had been fighting against demonic beasts that kept coming across the border for hundreds of years. It was the most forward position on the continent, where the fiercest warriors, unyielding to the sharp winter winds, lived. The harsh land of Kanburk. And as for himself, he was…

I am the ruler of Kanburk.

How could the spirited people who had been battling these creatures for so long obediently bow their heads under the Empire? Even if he told them to submit, they would reject it and fight fiercely.

Against the Empire…

“Hah…” Lokan VII berated himself for forgetting the identity of his kingdom over time. He lowered his head slightly with his eyes locked on Louis. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Lokan VII’s voice suddenly became much lighter. After expressing his gratitude to Louis, his tone abruptly changed.

“However, but for this grateful feeling we have, it might be difficult for us to… move easily.”

“Is that so?”

“Indeed, if war is inevitable, it wouldn’t be bad to strike first. Yet we cannot risk deploying our forces without knowing when the Snow King might arrive.”

This made Louis chuckle.

“Right, right. Understood, but it seems there’s been a misunderstanding.”

”…A misunderstanding?”

“When did I ever ask the kingdom to help me fight against the Empire?”

“I’m sure you said earlier…”

“I distinctly remember asking you to help me gather evidence.”

“…”

“Once we have the evidence, we’ll handle the rest. So please, assist us in finding it.”

“Haah*…*”

Young Master Lokan was astounded by the priest’s boundless confidence.

After pondering for a moment, the seven-year-old spoke. “Let me tell you something I was planning on bringing up tomorrow.”

“What is it?”

“Is this transcendent really ours? According to what I’ve found, none have ever been exported from our kingdom.”

“I see.”

Although Louis merely echoed his words, his face clearly showed he thought the same thing was likely true.

Seeing this, Young Master Lokan half-heartedly continued his story.

“They can make up any sentence they want for the outer shell, but not the unique recognition sentence.”

“Unique recognition sentence?” Louis repeated. “What’s that?”

“The physical transcendents we crafted back then are a different matter, but every country has its own unique recognition sentence etched onto the dynamo inside the ones they purchase from the Tower of Wishes. And that’s the sentence of the nation that bought that specific Transcendent.”

“I had no idea such a thing existed…”

Pablo was taken aback by Louis’s reaction as if he’d never heard of this before.

“But…you didn’t know, Louis?”

“Well, of course I knew about it… I just assumed Louis knew as well…”

Louis roared at Pablo’s explanation.

“You imbecile! How would I know that?!”

It had only been a short time since Louis had returned to the world after 250 years, and he had just recently seen the transcendents created by humans for the first time.

How could he possibly know that each country had implanted their own ‘unique recognition sentence’ into the Transcendent power cores?

Lokan VII subtly interjected into their conversation, “If you seek evidence, obtain one of those Transcendent power cores first. If the Transcendent that attacked the Order was indeed the Empire’s… you’ll undoubtedly find clues there.”

Upon hearing this, Louis rubbed his forehead exasperatedly.

Good grief… so all this time I’ve been stumbling around with the evidence right under my nose?

He let out a deep sigh.

Noticing this, Lokan VII smiled. “Once you retrieve the core, bring it to me. I’ll have the technicians ready to dissect it.”

No sooner had he spoken than Louis’s hand shot into the air. Soon after, he withdrew it, holding a massive sphere in his grasp.

Lokan VII’s eyes widened at the sight.

“Huh… It never fails to amaze me whenever I see that. How on earth did you do it?”

“It’s possible with the grace of God.”

“You’d have to adopt the pantheon as your state religion… Well, is that what drove the Transcendent to attack your cult?”

Lokan VII chuckled at Louis’s nod. “Then please wait just a moment. I’ll summon my engineers.”

But Louis waved his hand, stopping Lokan VII. “There’s no need for that.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to… dissect it yourself? If that’s what you’re thinking, forget it! Even the mystics who specialize in studying Transcendents would need at least five days just to take one apart…”

Lokan VII’s words trailed off.

Before his very eyes, a massive dynamo was swiftly disassembled bit by bit. And it was all happening at the hands of priest Louis himself.

After approximately five minutes, Louis turned to King Lokan VII and stared him down.

“What do you mean five days?”

“B-but I was told…it would take f-five days…” Confusion clouded Lokan VII’s eyes.

“You’re saying it should take five days just to dismantle this thing?”

“…That’s what I’ve heard, yes.”

“Who could be that incompetent? Fire that useless fool right away.”

“…”

The ‘useless fool’ is actually the Head of the Mystics Guild of the kingdom, you see?

Lokan VII couldn’t reveal that the man also overseen the top-secret project to create a new Transcendent. He had no choice but to bite his tongue and keep silent.

Meanwhile, Louis examined the dissected dynamo. At the very center of the shimmering ritual symbol, there was a mark the size of a palm—visible only when the dynamo was taken apart.

It depicted a snake with its hood erect like a sidewinder’s. The ferocious open-mouthed serpent had two fangs dripping with black venom, creating a chilling image.

Upon seeing this, a low murmur escaped the lips of Lokan VII.

”…The venomous frost serpent.”

“Where is it?”

Lokan VII responded without hesitation:

“The Dominant Empire, indeed.”

The moment he heard this, Louis’s eyes flashed with recognition.

“We found it.”

As soon as he secured undeniable proof that he had been framed, Louis curved his lips into a cold smile.