Chapter 622: The Triangle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 622: The Triangle
"In that case, I humbly request that the Sword Bearer of the Silence Bureau examine this evidence and provide us with an impartial verdict."
Count Bugard performed a graceful noble’s salute, his request steeped in practiced deference.
In an instant, the attention of everyone in the room was drawn to the stunning, bewitching young woman, awaiting her response.
Everyone understood that her next words would determine the entire trajectory of this trial.
"Of course. I shall examine it with the utmost care and provide a fair and just result."
Anna covered her mouth and let out a soft chuckle. Her voice was gentle, yet it carried a soul-stirring allure.
As she spoke, she cast a seemingly casual glance toward Muen. The deep, rippling affection hidden within that gaze made Muen feel as if his very bones had turned to jelly. His mind involuntarily drifted back to the beautiful, intimate moments he had shared with his senior.
Come on, Senior! Examine me as hard as you want! I’m waiting for your 'fair' result!
Ignoring the two other gazes that had evolved from icy sleet into full-blown blizzards, Muen gave Anna a tender smile.
As if bolstered by Muen’s encouragement, the smile on Anna’s face grew even more radiant.
She beckoned with her hand.
The Eye Beast’s eyeball drifted up from its container and landed in her palm, spinning lightly as she moved her fingertips.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, the eyeball began to dart around in a panic, desperate to escape. Yet, it was helplessly trapped by those slender fingers, unable to flee her grasp.
Finally, accompanied by a violent shudder from the eyeball, a streak of ink-like residue was drawn out of it.
Anna lightly stroked the dark mark with her fingertip. As if confirming something, she gave a small nod.
"Is there a result?" Count Bugard asked immediately, his voice thick with anxiety.
"A result... I suppose there is one."
"Truly?" Count Bugard’s face lit up with excitement.
"However, before I announce the result, would you allow me to say a few words?"
"A few words?"
Count Bugard was somewhat puzzled, but Thraswell had already struck his gavel.
"Permission granted. Please, speak."
"Ahem..."
Anna cleared her throat and rose from her seat.
The dark uniform of the Silence Bureau could not fully conceal the devilishly enchanting curves of her figure; standing up only served to emphasize her long, slender silhouette.
She paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping over Celicia, then over the girl shrouded in Holy Light, before finally casting a suggestive, reassuring look at Muen. Only then did she speak slowly.
"Actually, I believe Count Bugard’s choice to invite me to conduct this examination was not a very wise one."
"What?" Count Bugard blinked, caught off guard by her sudden statement.
"Because, as you might not know, Muen Campbell and I are actually senior and junior from St. Maria Academy. He’s always been very fond of calling me 'Senior'—no matter the time or place."
As she spoke, Anna once again threw Muen a flirtatious wink. Unlike her previous subtle glances, this one was clearly caught by Count Bugard.
"The two of us have a very good relationship~"
"Huh?"
There was such a connection?
Count Bugard’s eyes widened in shock.
Muen Campbell actually has such a deep relationship with the new Sword Bearer of the Silence Bureau? I didn't find anything about this in my investigation... No, given the level of secrecy surrounding the Silence Bureau, it would have been impossible for me to find out.
But... is this even logically possible? What kind of merit does that Muen Campbell possess to not only have Her Majesty pining for him and defending him with all her might, but also to have such a beautiful, high-ranking Sword Bearer acting so ambiguously toward him?
Is he a succubus reincarnated?
The excited expression on Count Bugard’s face slowly stiffened, but the smile didn't disappear from the room.
It simply transferred onto Muen’s face.
Listening to Anna’s words, Muen couldn't help but reminisce about those wonderful days at the academy, a happy smile spreading across his lips.
That’s right, dear Senior. Just like that, put a definitive end to this farce.
"Wait, since you have a relationship with Muen Campbell, you shouldn't be—"
Count Bugard reacted quickly, attempting to mend the situation before it was too late.
But it was already too late. Anna’s next words had already drifted on the breeze to every corner of the judgment hall, reaching every ear.
"My relationship with Muen Campbell is indeed a bit... intimate."
"I admit, this intimacy might even influence my judgment."
"However..."
Just as Count Bugard’s face turned increasingly grim and Muen’s joy reached its peak, the gentle smile on Anna’s face suddenly shifted. It turned into that little devilish smirk Muen knew all too well.
"As the Sword Bearer of the Silence Bureau, I must take responsibility for matters concerning Evil Gods. Therefore, I announce..."
"The power carried by this eyeball is, definitively, undoubtedly, and irrefutably... from an unknown Evil God!!"
The air went still for a moment.
Everyone seemed to be processing the meaning of those words.
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
"What?"
As the realization of what Anna had just said dawned on them, expressions of utter confusion appeared on various faces.
Who am I? Where am I? What did I just hear?
Aren't the words Miss Anna just said... a little bit... contradictory to what she said a moment ago?
"Is... is that so?"
Count Bugard was the first to snap out of it. Overjoyed, he followed up immediately: "Then, is the power on it connected to Muen Campbell?"
"A connection? As for that..."
Anna’s beautiful eyes flickered as she looked at the now-dumbfounded Muen. A sudden urge to devour him right then and there surged within her, but she suppressed it well, saying with a light laugh:
"Detecting the ownership of an Evil God's power is actually a very troublesome matter. Please forgive my limited strength; I cannot reach a definitive conclusion for the time being."
"Then—"
"Therefore..."
Anna looked up and addressed Thraswell.
"Lord Judge, I propose that Muen Campbell be transferred to the Silence Bureau. I shall personally conduct an examination on him to determine whether or not he has colluded with an Evil God!"
"Transfer him to the Silence Bureau... and how long will this examination process take?" Before Thraswell could answer, Count Bugard grew anxious again and asked.
"How long? Let me think... This is a very troublesome process where no mistakes can be tolerated. I must conduct the most meticulous inspection of Muen Campbell from head to toe, down to every single strand of hair. Therefore..."
Anna licked her red lips, smiling meaningfully.
"Three years... five years... or perhaps... who knows? In short... it will be very long~"
"..."
In an instant.
Silence fell over the hall once more.
Setting aside the bewildered Count Bugard and Judge Thraswell.
Muen, who was still in a daze, suddenly shuddered as if a bomb had gone off in his head.
Those deep-seated, suppressed feelings of unease that he had been ignoring suddenly grew like wild weeds after those few simple sentences, finally... breaking the surface.
The illusion of peaceful coexistence was, after all, a lie.
Through a terrifying new lens, as Anna’s words flowed into Muen’s ears one by one, it felt like a game where the boss’s health bar had hit zero, only for them to suddenly start a long, cryptic monologue...
The BGM shifted abruptly. The harmonious, pleasant tune transformed into a grand, ominous composition of pipe organs, trombones, and cellos...
He could no longer deceive himself; he could no longer sugarcoat the situation.
Phase Two—a Phase Two a hundred times more terrifying than Count Bugard’s accusations or Judge Thraswell’s trial—had... abruptly begun.
*
"Kid, sorry about this."
Pink Bear patted Muen on the shoulder, his face grave.
"I really wanted to save you, but... sigh, the ladies you’re about to face are too terrifying. I’m afraid I’m powerless here."
"Wait, you can't abandon me!"
Muen snapped back to reality and grabbed onto Pink Bear... You had to be joking. At a time like this, how could he be left alone to face the coming storm? He had to at least find someone to cushion his fall so he wouldn't die so miserably!
"It is not my wish, but the situation is simply too dire."
At this moment, Pink Bear finally displayed the dignity of an elder powerhouse. His bloated body gave a shake, and he incredibly slickly dodged Muen’s lunging grab. Then...
"Hey!"
Pink Bear suddenly flipped the bird at Thraswell and shouted, "You brat!!"
"You..."
Before the equally confused Thraswell could explode in rage, Pink Bear had already nimbly packed his things.
"Contempt of court, right? I get it, I get it. I’ll exile myself; no need for you to trouble yourself."
He cast one last look of pity at Muen.
"Sigh... poor kid. This is what happens when you’re so promiscuous instead of being pure and self-disciplined like me. Your retribution has arrived. Don't worry, if you don't survive this ordeal, your erotic books... I mean, your legacy, I will inherit it for you!"
With that, before the furious Muen could land a punch on his bear face, Pink Bear turned and scurried away with surprising speed.
Leaving Muen alone, like a small boat in the middle of the ocean, to face the baptism of the impending storm...
*
"Wait, three years? Five years?" Hearing Anna’s words, Count Bugard’s expression shifted again.
"Isn't that too long!"
If it really took that long, before they could even determine if Muen Campbell had colluded with an Evil God, the Bugard family would have already been obliterated by the Empress—the kind of obliteration that wiped out nine generations.
Unfortunately, his protest received no response.
The Sword Bearer of the Silence Bureau didn't even spare him a glance from start to finish. Even now, as she spoke... she seemed to be locking eyes with the Empress across the room.
Both of their gazes were calm, but the point where their eyes met seemed to crackle with lightning and thunder.
"What on earth is going on?"
By now, even with the massive information gap, Count Bugard began to sense that something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Setting aside the fact that this trial hadn't followed his script from the beginning... it seemed the Empress’s true opponent wasn't him at all?
He found himself increasingly unable to understand these people’s maneuvers. His wealth of political wisdom had nowhere to be applied, as if... from the very start, he and these people were living on entirely different worldlines.
*
"Sword Bearer, what is the meaning of this?"
Celicia finally abandoned her previous lethargy. She sat up with imperial dignity, her cold gaze piercing toward Anna like a sharp sword.
"Even for an examination, there is no need for three... or five years."
"An examination must be thorough, mustn't it?"
"Then how about I give you three days? That should be more than enough time."
"Heh, is Your Majesty offering me charity?"
Anna showed not the slightest fear of Celicia’s pressure. She chuckled and said, "Should I thank you for your great mercy right now?"
"In that case, you won't even get a single day."
Celicia’s face turned cold. "It just so happens that I’ve grown disgusted with the persistent insects swarming around him."
"Calling us insects... and yet, that fiancé of yours seems to quite like insects. The ones around him are always flying about, never few in number."
Anna tapped her lip with a finger, as if savoring a memory.
"Oh my, saying the word 'fiancé' right to your face has a rather unique charm to it. Yes, perhaps shouting it out at certain times would be even more interesting. Don't you agree, little sister from the Life Church?"
"That... that makes sense... No, that’s not what I meant!"
As the plot developed to this point, the seemingly most aloof and indifferent girl from the Life Church was forced to enter the fray.
"I just feel that monopolizing him is very bad! And... and... when it comes to detecting connections to Evil Gods, my Life Church is also a great authority. Muen should be sent to the Life Church. Isn't that right, Archbishop!"
"..."
The Archbishop cast a pitying glance at Muen, who had turned almost translucent with dread, before deciding that he didn't mind the chaos... rather, he enthusiastically chose to support his Saintess.
"Quite right. Muen Campbell is an Honorary Holy Temple Knight of our Life Church. Logically, such an incident should be handled by the Life Church. Since when was it anyone else’s turn?"
"Mhm, that’s what I mean. Let Muen come to the Church; I will handle it very fairly! It’ll probably only take three, five, or ten years!"
The Holy Light wavered, as if revealing the girl’s determination.
But in the eyes of the other two... this was nothing short of a declaration of war.
"Heh, I thought you were the most harmless little white rabbit, but it seems your ambitions aren't small at a time like this."
A cold light flashed in Celicia’s eyes as she snapped, "This is a matter of the Empire. Since when does the Life Church have the right to interfere in the Empire’s internal affairs?"
"Since when did this become an internal affair?"
"He is my fiancé, the future Prince Consort of the Empire!"
Celicia raised her voice, declaring sternly, "Does the Life Church intend to detain a Prince of a major power? An incident that could trigger a continental conflict is something even His Holiness the Pope would not permit."
"Ugh..."
"Setting aside the Pope, Your Majesty’s imposing manner is certainly no less impressive," Anna interjected. "But while it may be an internal affair, since it involves an Evil God, my Silence Bureau is the most qualified to handle it. Isn't that the very reason the Silence Bureau was established? Does Your Majesty intend to violate a rule that has stood for centuries?"
"So you do remember that the Silence Bureau was established by the Empire."
Celicia narrowed her eyes and sneered, "By all rights, you should be considered my subordinate, Anna Kabulin!"
"Well, technically."
Anna puffed out her chest, smiling without a hint of concern.
"But in this regard, I feel like I’m the 'big sister' here."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere once again froze to the breaking point.
On one side was the Silence Bureau, specialized in dealing with Evil Gods, yet subject to the Empire’s constraints.
On another was the supreme head of the Empire, yet powerless against the continent’s premier Church.
On the third was the number two figure of the Church, yet possessing the least amount of logical justification in this matter...
Thus, a perfect, solid triangle of mutual restraint and mutual helplessness was formed.
And to find the only solution to this triangle, after exchanging another round of intense glares, the three of them simultaneously turned their gaze toward the only person who could provide the answer...
"So, Muen, what do you say?" the three of them asked in unison.