058. The Original Story (1)

As Bella requested, the imperial banquet was momentarily halted.

This was only natural.

After all, an assassination attempt had just been made on the saintess.

Though the would-be assassin was quickly apprehended.

“Here he is, Your Majesty.”

The one who had been with Bella was Kyle.

Just like Owen, Kyle had been fully alert, so there was no way he could have missed the movements of the person who attempted the assassination.

“A diplomat from the Kingdom of Yuria.”

Although Owen had been at a distance, he too was aware that it was the people from the Kingdom of Yuria who had orchestrated this.

The only reason he hadn’t intervened earlier was that Kyle was by Bella’s side.

He also knew how the original story unfolded.

‘…But why is the original event happening exactly as it did?’

However, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

If the starting point and relationships in the original had changed, then the events in the original story should have been influenced as well.

Yet, strangely enough, the events of the original story were occurring just as they had before.

‘Is it because it was an incident caused by foreigners?’

The only reason that came to mind was that the incident was caused by someone from outside the empire.

Since it involved someone from the Kingdom of Yuria, which was separate from the empire, it might not have been influenced.

‘But…’

However, even with that assumption, there was something that bothered him—Bella’s behavior.

“The diplomat from the Kingdom of Yuria was the one who coerced the attendant to attempt poisoning, but it seems the source of the poison is from elsewhere.”

Unlike in *The Flower of the Empire,* Bella had awakened in the “Forest of Snow” rather than the “Forest of Mist.”

Perhaps because of that, she hadn’t known how to properly harness the power of divine energy.

That was how she had been, so why now…

‘How did she realize there was poison before even drinking it?’

In the original story, it was natural for Bella to detect it since she could freely control her divine power.

Divine power had the ability to heal external injuries and cure internal injuries caused by external factors like poison.

Because of this, priests and clerics had extensive knowledge of poisons, and the better they were at controlling divine power, the more sensitive they were to detecting even trace amounts of poison.

As the saintess, Bella was naturally more sensitive to poison than anyone else.

‘But she still can’t properly harness her divine power.’

But that was the Bella of the original story, not the Bella of now.

Unlike in *The Flower of the Empire,* Bella still couldn’t fully control her divine power.

The faint, leaking white aura was proof of that.

‘How could she have detected the poison without even drinking it?’

It was hard to believe that she simply noticed the poison without any external aid.

If Kyle had warned her in advance, that would have been different, but that wasn’t the case either.

Even while talking to Lucia, Owen had been aware of their situation, so he was certain of that.

“This matter requires a more thorough investigation. It seems more people are involved than we initially thought.”

While Owen was deep in thought, the incident continued to unfold.

Although it was a single knight from the Kingdom of Yuria who had acted, there were multiple countries and organizations entangled in the plot.

It was essentially an alliance between two duchies and a kingdom against the empire.

They likely wanted to knock the empire down a peg before it grew even stronger with the saintess on their side.

Killing Bella would have been ideal, but even if they couldn’t, they would have been satisfied with causing turmoil within the empire.

Causing unrest and internal conflict would have been a significant gain for them.

Of course, they hadn’t expected to be caught so quickly, which is why they dared to attempt it.

Even within the empire, people didn’t fully grasp the strength of a Sword Master and a 9th-class mage, so it was unlikely that foreign dignitaries would understand their power.

It was a mistake born of underestimating the enemy’s strength.

“Your Imperial Majesty, we protest! It is deeply concerning that such an incident nearly occurred to the saintess, but to suggest that our delegation is involved? The attendant acted alone!”

The delegation from the Kingdom of Yuria, unaware of the true capabilities of a Sword Master and a 9th-class mage, pleaded their case, insisting on their innocence.

In the past, even after several assassination attempts on the Crown Prince, they had responded with similar denials.

Not only the Kingdom of Yuria but other nations as well.

Without concrete evidence, even if the circumstances were clear, it was impossible to hold them accountable.

This was why the Emperor had reached out to the Mage Tower and the House of Verdun, whom he so feared.

“Kyle.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What do you think of their claims?”

The Emperor must have been waiting for this moment for a very long time.

He had likely grown weary of the numerous incidents he had faced as the Crown Prince.

He wanted revenge, he wanted justice, but he had never succeeded before.

“I think it’s shameless nonsense.”

What came from Kyle’s mouth, unrestrained by etiquette, was a clear condemnation.

“Didn’t the saintess say it herself? That both I and Duke Verdun were watching.”

The delegation from the Kingdom of Yuria flinched belatedly.

The thought must have crossed their minds—what if?

“I also have evidence. I can show it to you if you’d like.”

And then their expressions turned to shock.

Kyle had floated a magic stone into the air, displaying the video.

The content in the holographic image was clear.

It showed the diplomat in question threatening the attendant.

“This… this is fabricated!”

Realizing they had been caught, the diplomat tried to deny the situation.

Having been exposed for attempting to assassinate the saintess, there was no way he could avoid being stripped of his noble status.

He could even be sentenced to death, so he desperately tried to smooth things over.

“Even with a magic stone, it’s impossible to capture every moment in the banquet hall. So how could such a crucial scene be so clearly recorded, and from such a convenient angle?”

His point seemed plausible.

Indeed, magic stones, like CCTV cameras, had blind spots.

Although the quality was good, they were expensive and difficult to produce, so it wasn’t feasible to have many of them.

But as always, there were exceptions.

“Are you familiar with transcendents, diplomat?”

The term “transcendent” wasn’t used lightly.

They were called that because they truly broke the existing molds.

“There’s a 9th-class magic called the ‘Eye of Space-Time,’ a recording magic.”

“That’s… something out of legends…”

The diplomat’s murmurs echoed.

Unfortunately, it seemed he was ignorant of magic.

Well, it wasn’t easy to be knowledgeable about mages.

They mostly stayed within the Mage Tower.

There were Mage Towers in other countries besides the Freyion Empire, but they too were isolated.

Mages not affiliated with the Mage Tower were often reclusive, dedicating themselves solely to research.

Even with just magic and mages, there was already so much to consider, let alone 9th-class magic.

As a being that had appeared after three centuries, it was only natural that little was known.

“It’s a magic that records an entire space as a video. That’s why I’m present for all five days of every summer banquet, though you didn’t know that, which is unfortunate.”

Naturally, the Emperor hadn’t publicized the fact that Kyle could use the recording magic called the ‘Eye of Space-Time.’

It was only logical to keep it secret so that their enemies would let their guard down and take action.

Fortunately, their sufficiently foolish adversaries had acted at just the right time.

The Emperor had waited twenty years after ascending the throne for this moment, so his joy was understandable.

“So, what do you think?”

‘Hah.’

Owen stifled a chuckle at the Emperor’s leisurely and satisfied expression.

The Emperor’s face resembled that of a predator who had just finished a hunt and was now eyeing its prey.

It seemed he had longed for this moment.

“That’s…”

The diplomat from the Kingdom of Yuria was at a loss for words.

He must have realized that he was doomed.

The other members of the envoy group were also avoiding him.

It was understandable; they wanted to save themselves.

Though it wouldn’t do them any good.

Thanks to Bella’s actions, not only the delegation from Yuria but also the envoys from other nations would be punished.

This incident would also lead to new treaties between the two kingdoms and the duchy with the Freyion Empire.

Naturally, the agreements would be overwhelmingly favorable to the Freyion Empire.

“…I apologize.”

The diplomat bowed his head.

And then, Bella’s voice rang out.

“Your Imperial Majesty, I request an investigation into the rest of the delegation. From what I can tell, the poison mixed in the drink did not originate from the Kingdom of Yuria.”

“It didn’t come from the Kingdom of Yuria?”

“Yes, the poison that causes instant death by heart attack can only be extracted from plants found in highland areas.”

“Then this is strange. The Kingdom of Yuria doesn’t have any highland regions, does it?”

The hall fell into deep silence once again.

The empire’s nobles were trembling with fear, and the envoys were nervously worrying about being exposed.

Among them, Lucia was quietly observing the situation.

“Owen.”

Lucia eventually called him, perhaps bothered by the fact that Owen wasn’t surprised by what was unfolding.

“Did you know?”

Without adding many words, Lucia whispered softly.

Owen nodded once in response.

It was a gesture of affirmation.

“I see… So that’s why the Emperor was so eager to bring you and the Tower Lord in. And that’s why…”

Lucia’s gaze was fixed on him.

Owen, sensing her intense stare, looked at her curiously, prompting her to exhale before continuing.

“That’s why you dislike banquets, why you find them exhausting.”

She now wore an expression of complete understanding.

As Owen blinked, Lucia took his hand.

“You’ve been keeping your senses on high alert all this time.”

“I suppose so.”

“I didn’t know.”

“I never mentioned it, so that’s understandable.”

He hadn’t told her because he didn’t want to worry her.

After all, this was something he had to handle himself.

It was part of his life and duty.

It was tedious, but it wasn’t something he couldn’t handle.

Some had joked that perhaps one day the Tower Lord or Duke Verdun would rebel against the Emperor’s orders, but Owen could say with certainty:

Rebellion would be a million times more troublesome than following the Emperor’s commands.

It wasn’t without reason that both Kyle and Owen followed the Emperor’s orders so readily.

The imperial family was taking care of the heavy politics of the empire—why would anyone in their right mind want to destroy that and take on such a burdensome task?

“But Owen, you know…”

As Owen was lost in his thoughts, Lucia’s soft voice brought him back.

When he turned his gaze back to her, she continued.

“You always know, without me having to say anything.”

“That’s…”

It was only natural.

That was what he was about to say.

It truly was only natural.

She was someone he had cared for and cherished for a long time.

How could he not know her?

Even without her saying it, he could guess her thoughts, worries, and feelings from her actions, expressions, and atmosphere.

Or from the casual words she occasionally uttered.

“You were about to say it’s only natural again, weren’t you?”

Before he could answer, Lucia spoke first.

He looked at her, surprised that she had read his thoughts so clearly, and she let out a shallow breath.

“I sometimes wish I knew what’s ‘natural’ by your standards. I’ve never experienced that ‘natural’ thing you speak of, but for you, Owen, it’s always natural.”