Chapter 130: 27th Floor: The Truth Always Wins
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 130: 27th Floor: The Truth Always Wins
All eyes slowly began to turn to the Crown Prince.
The third week's test, in the end, was up to him.
Although he had declared he would be fair, he could always change his mind and decide as he pleased.
That was why everyone was staring him down.
‘Surely you’re not thinking of spouting nonsense after seeing this, are you?’
He might be the only Crown Prince in the empire, but he was still just the Crown Prince.
With two younger brothers below him, his future was not yet set in stone. He couldn't possibly stand here and brazenly claim that Elina's obviously pathetic plant was better grown.
In the end, his choice was…
"Hmph, don't be fooled, everyone! That is not the plant I assigned for the task!"
To start with denial.
‘Right, I knew you’d do that.’
I stared straight at the Crown Prince, as if daring him to continue.
"What…?"
"Hmm… Would he really use such a method so openly?"
"But isn't she that villainess?"
The crowd murmured.
Most of them realized the Crown Prince was lying, but they decided to watch how the situation unfolded, just in case.
"That's not the plant I-I assigned!" the Crown Prince repeated, faltering under their gazes.
"It's not that plant..."
Finally, I stepped forward.
"I am certain I grew the exact pot I was given. If this isn't it, then what kind of plant did you give me?"
"What…?"
The Crown Prince was flustered by my counter-question.
He seemed at a loss for words, his eyes wavering as cold sweat trickled down his face.
There were two reasons for his panic.
First, the Crown Prince himself didn't know what a fully grown Necroumbra looked like.
The Necroumbra doesn't have just one form.
You can only identify it when it reveals its sharp teeth; until then, it's indistinguishable from a common flower.
So right now, the Crown Prince was confused, unable to tell if I had truly swapped the plant or if I had successfully raised the Necroumbra.
And second, let's say it was a Necroumbra.
How could he possibly admit to having given someone a calamity-grade plant? That would be a confession to attempted murder.
This situation was also completely unexpected.
He had naturally assumed I would bring back a pot with not even a sprout, but not only had I grown it exceptionally well, I had also tamed it and had it completely under my control.
"Well, Your Highness? Please, tell us yourself what plant you gave me."
I took a step forward, pressuring him.
"I, I..."
As the Crown Prince fumbled, the crowd began to stir.
"He's lying, just as I thought..."
"Is there really a need to lie?"
He could have just named any random plant, but it was highly unlikely he had ever studied botany.
His mind was freezing up, unable to guess what kind of rebuttal he might face if he just blurted out a random plant's name.
But just then, staunch reinforcement arrived for the Crown Prince.
"Enough! Lady Crawford, do you say such things because you are unaware of His Highness the Crown Prince's kind heart?"
Elina stepped in front of the Crown Prince.
‘Hoh… Right, you were an accomplice too, you bitch?’
"In place of the soft-hearted Crown Prince, I will speak the truth. The seed that Princess Kalisha Crawford received was none other than..."
"A Necroumbra, a calamity-grade magical beast. And you both knew that when you gave it to me."
I saw through Elina's plan and beat her to the punch.
Her scheme was to paint the Crown Prince as a kind man who was too worried about me to speak the truth, while framing me as a wicked woman who took advantage of his kindness.
For a plan she cooked up on the spot, it was pretty decent, but this was all covered in my pre-rehearsed response manual, number seven.
‘As expected, they chose to frame me as a black magician who raised a magical beast.’
"What, a calamity-grade… magical beast? Wait a minute..."
"What? Then what does that mean?"
"A Necroumbra? The legendary corpse-eating flower?"
"That's the flower that needs hundreds of human sacrifices to even sprout!"
Information about the Necroumbra spread through the crowd like wildfire. Their eyes once again filled with fear.
Those in the front row, terrified, began to slowly back away, while a few looked ready to flee altogether.
‘So, the plan is to cover up one controversy with an even bigger one, huh?’
With their own lives on the line, who would care about the Crown Prince's little tricks or lies? They were trying to bury their own misdeeds under the much larger incident of black magic and a calamity-grade magical beast.
Elina's strategy wasn't half bad.
"Lady Crawford!! How on earth did you manage to sprout a corpse-eating flower? And why is this creature listening to you so obediently? Answer me!"
Elina pressed me, as if she had finally seized her chance. It seemed she intended to brand me as a black magician right here and now.
But here was the truth(?).
"Everyone, the idea that the Necroumbra is a magical beast is a common misconception! What kind of magical beast would stand so calmly with so many people right in front of it?"
At my words, the Necroumbra swayed its head gently, just as it had with the maids, showing off its harmlessness.
My baby is nice.
My baby doesn't bite.
"What nonsense…!"
Elina immediately refuted it, but the spectators paused their retreat and began to listen to my words.
"Come to think of it, nothing has happened yet, right?"
"It doesn't seem very threatening..."
"It's kind of cute?"
"Surely the princess wouldn't have learned black magic, right?"
Elina should never have given me the chance to speak.
The worst-case scenario would have been Kesira suddenly going on a rampage, or Elina and her minions attacking the Necroumbra with no regard for their own lives. But they had missed their timing, so now it was my turn.
"This creature only became a magical beast because it had the wrong masters. Nurtured by black magicians who fed it malice and corpses, it naturally became a man-eating monster. However, I used no black magic whatsoever. I gave it my own aura to help it sprout. As proof, not only does this child share the same aura as me, but it has also grown into a large, benevolent plant that does not eat people."
I calmly relayed the correct information to the crowd.
I wasn't appealing to emotion, but stating the objective facts I had learned.
Even those who had been looking at me with suspicion began to reconsider. ‘Could it be true?’
"N-Nonsense. You clearly used black magic to..."
"Are you saying I use black magic, Elina Luminous?"
When you try to fuck someone over, you have to be prepared to get fucked yourself. My confident tone made Elina begin to sense that something was wrong.
"W-Well, if not, how could a magical beast..."
"Then I'll just have to prove it, won't I?"
How to prove it? It was very simple.
I just had to show them right here.
I brought my hands together in front of my chest and focused my divine power.
Vwoooom!
A massive, shimmering pink divine power surged, so immense it was clearly visible to the naked eye!
I raised my hands upward and slowly released the gathered divine power.
‘Not an explosion, but a release… Slowly, and widely…!’
Shwoooosh—!
A pale pink aura spread out, visible even to ordinary people, and warmly enveloped the crowd.
As a result of training with Irene's secret manual every day, I could now handle my aura as easily as my own body. And since the amount was so enormous, after releasing it a few more times, everyone could feel my divine power.
"Ooh…! Is this Lady Kalisha's aura?"
"It's so pure. And somehow… lovely."
"She's definitely not a black magician."
Many people who had reached a high level of mastery were gathered here. They could tell just by feeling another's aura whether it was pure or malevolent.
The entire crowd now served as a testament to my innocence.
And their gazes immediately turned toward Elina and the Crown Prince.
‘Why on earth would you try to frame someone with such a warm aura as a black magician?’
- That was the question in their accusing eyes.
But Elina wasn't one to give up so easily.
"Ugh, no, no!! You haven't proven anything yet!!! You could have hired another black magician! How are you going to prove that's not the case!"
Elina's last-ditch effort continued.
But, as expected, this too was all part of our plan.
"Pfft! That's far too easy to prove. By any chance, is there a member of the clergy here?"
At my question, someone in the crowd slowly raised their hand and walked forward.
"Wait, is that person?"
"The Saintess was here?"
It was Rubellia, the saintess of the Sun Cult, the most popular religion in this world.
With blonde hair and golden eyes, she wore a pure white nun's habit trimmed with gold.
A figure of undeniable authority, she ascended the stage.
"N-No way… Why are you here?"
Elina recognized her and panicked.
In truth, this was Elina's own karma.
When one woman sweeps up all the capable men in the world, there are bound to be women who have had them stolen away.
And my chief of intelligence had succeeded in gathering those women and recruiting them to our side.
I ignored Elina and greeted Rubellia.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Saintess. The matter is urgent, so I'll get straight to the point. Could you please personally inspect the flower that Elina claims is a magical beast and determine what kind of aura it possesses?"
I could hear the Holy Knights, who had been secretly escorting her, trying to dissuade her, but…
"Of course. Practicing honesty is a virtue of the Sun Cult. In the name of the Sun God, I will report the results without a single shred of falsehood."
The Saintess readily agreed and approached the Necroumbra.
The crowd watched the scene with bated breath.
If the Necroumbra was harmless as I claimed, it would be fine. But if not, it was a perilous situation where the Saintess could be devoured on the spot.
Rustle…
As if inviting her to climb, the stems intertwined tightly, forming a staircase before the Saintess.
Seeing this, the Saintess's guards flinched and nearly drew their swords, but she waved them off as if to say it was fine.
Step, step…
The Saintess walked slowly until she reached the largest flower bud at the center of the giant Necroumbra.
The plaza fell so silent that not even a breath could be heard.
The Saintess reached the very top center of the flower.
She knelt, assumed a prayer position with both hands, and began to chant, releasing her golden divine power.
The sight of her praying, bathed in golden light under the sun, was so sacred that for a moment, even I felt the urge to kneel.
A short while later, the Saintess nodded as if she had confirmed the results.
All eyes were fixed on the Saintess's lips.
What was the verdict?
"For a magical beast… it has an incredibly pure aura. It is the exact same aura that Lady Kalisha possesses. I swear in the name of God that there is not a hint of falsehood in my words."
Of course. How could any demonic energy remain after it was raised on my sacred breast milk? I was certain of this after seeing its status window list its aura as divine power.
It was over.
My words had been proven to be entirely true.
Who would dare doubt a Saintess who had even invoked the name of God?
"Ah..."
With Elina's hollow utterance, the crowd began to murmur.
"It's finished."
"So the villainess was telling the truth all along?"
"Wait, then what does that make the Crown Prince and Elina?"
"How could this happen?! Does this mean there was another, true villainess!"
"Test manipulation, attempted murder, attempted terrorism, false incitement, defamation of a princess… just how many charges is that?"
As the people murmured, they began to realize the true nature of this Crown Prince's test. Everyone had assumed there would be some degree of court intrigue in the palace, but they never imagined it would be this severe.
"If a real magical beast had emerged from that, not only Kalisha but at least thousands of innocent imperial citizens would have died, wouldn't they…?"
"This isn't something that can just be overlooked..."
"Your Highness! Why did you not consider the safety of your people from the very beginning! If the calamity-grade magical beast hadn't been tamed by Lady Kalisha, were you planning to kill everyone here and use it for your political gain?!"
The Crown Prince and Elina had not only conspired to assassinate Kalisha, but they had also nearly brought harm to the common people?
Elina desperately racked her brain while the Crown Prince, his face pale, made excuses.
"That's not true! I had no such intention! I admit my crime of manipulating the test. But I merely gave Kalisha a seed that she wouldn't be able to sprout, that's all. Assassination and terrorism… no matter what, would I ever do such a thing to my own imperial citizens?"
But the expressions on the faces of the crowd showed they didn't believe him at all.
"If that were the case, couldn't you have just admitted she grew it the best from the start?"
"Right, what was with insisting it was a different plant?"
"We almost died?"
They refrained from cursing him only because he was the Crown Prince, but their eyes were already hurling the worst insults imaginable.
"No, I… I really didn't mean to..."
"To think a guy like that is the Crown Prince… tsk tsk tsk."
"Wouldn't the second prince be better, even if he's a bit young?"
"They're all the same, that pair."
"I wonder if a rebellion will break out in the Crawford Kingdom. There's no way that doting father would stand still for this."
In an instant, the Crown Prince was cornered.
The people here were all influential nobles and high-ranking officials. If this matter reached the Emperor's ears and they rose up, there was no telling what would happen.
At this rate, it wouldn't be a competition for the Crown Princess, but a competition for the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was on the verge of a full-blown panic.
But just then, his savior appeared.
"No. I believe His Highness the Crown Prince."
The crazy bitch who stepped forward, claiming to believe the Crown Prince, was none other than… me!
‘This trial isn't about destroying the Crown Prince; it's about winning the Crown Princess competition.’
I had to be clear about the goal of the 27th floor's trial.
If the Crown Prince was completely ruined, the mission could fail. He was useful for now, at least, so it was better to leave him be.
And this, too, was all part of the plan.
The highlight of this test was the second trial, taming the Bicorn. What would I do if the Crown Prince got scared and ran away after just the first test?
Besides, my true target was Elina.
‘Hehe… you're not going anywhere!’
You two have to stay for the second test.
Where do you think you're running off to!
"Ahem… well, if she herself believes him..."
"She's forgiving him for this?"
"Well, if the victim forgives him, then I guess..."
"To still like the Crown Prince after all that, that woman has some strange tastes..."
"I'll be lodging a separate complaint about this later."
As I personally expressed my forgiveness, the crowd's anger subsided slightly.
Elina was looking at me as if I had lost my mind, while the Crown Prince, having been dragged to heaven and hell and back several times in an instant, looked utterly exhausted.