Margrave's Bastard Son was The Emperor

Chapter 234 – The Owner of the Voice

The performance reached its climax, but the murmuring that had been eliciting exclamations completely died down.

The long shadow stretched across the stage was clearly that of the light of the oracle. No matter how hard one looked, Arsen’s shadow was nowhere to be seen.

Isn’t it strange? Anything that exists should naturally cast a shadow. Even a spider web, which is hard to spot, casts a shadow when the sun stretches out.

But Arsen?

He stood there under the intense light as if he didn’t exist.

“I’m not seeing things, am I?”

“I’m seeing the same thing. There’s no shadow.”

“I wonder if the Ministry of Magic has done something…”

“Only the light of the oracle is shining. The Carbó Temple would have no reason to do such a thing. If another mage had intervened, wouldn’t His Highness Arsen know? They say mages can sense each other even from a distance.”

“Then, could it be…”

“Really…”

It was as Ian had intended. The anomaly witnessed after raising doubts about Arsen being a demon turned their denial into suspicion, and even led some to certainty.

“Is this because he’s a d-demon?”

“Goodness. A demon in the Bariel royal family.”

“…Oh God, are you watching? What should we do? Please, look after Bariel.”

Boom!

Arsen was intoxicated by the light of the oracle he had created, and the orchestra, facing away from the audience, couldn’t read the atmosphere in the hall.

The escalating melody. The orchestra’s hands moved passionately in sync with the conductor’s direction. The soul of artists trying to breathe life into the light of the oracle was palpable.

Thump! Boom!

Everyone’s hearts pounded simultaneously. However, it was unclear whether this was due to the majestic music or the impending truth.

“Lecore-! Tio!”

The exhilarated conductor shouted loudly, grasping at the air. The performers ended in perfect unison, and then silence fell over the hall.

“…?”

There was no applause. Arsen too stood up, dripping with sweat, but it was the same. Unlike their heated performance, the audience was cold, and there was a sense of shock. It was a completely unexpected reaction.

Clap. Clap clap. Clap!

Someone’s applause cut through the silence. It was Ian. Ian slowly gave praise in an elegant manner, as if he had just watched a splendid performance.

Arsen’s brow furrowed involuntarily. He had a strong intuition that something, something was going wrong.

“It’s a performance we might not see twice in a lifetime.”

“Lord Ian. What was that earlier?”

“Please tell us. Please.”

Arsen flinched and looked down at his palms. They were still white and fair. He had directly activated the light of the oracle, but everything remained the same without any side effects. He suddenly met eyes with Dilaina, who was watching him. She was covering her mouth, her expression unreadable.

“The suspicion that Arsen is a demon began with the testimony of the Carbó high priests. The voices that came down in the oracles were different from each other. So, my close associates and the high priests sought to confirm this by looking through ancient records.”

Rustle.

Ian pulled out a sheet of paper from inside his uniform. The inside wasn’t visible, but the administrative seal of the Administration Department stamped on the outside was clear. It meant this was information officially inherited by the imperial family.

“We found something very significant. It was a record of High Priest Raju, who was executed for blasphemy at the Hamangmer Temple. It is said that he spoke like this at the time:”

-Demons are rampaging everywhere. Though we live each day prepared for death, what is God doing? I suspect that God is unaware of the existence of demons. Did you see the light of the oracle when demons were rampaging through the temple? There wasn’t even a shadow. It’s clear that the Almighty One only looks at holiness and doesn’t even recognize evil things. Can such a being be called omniscient and omnipotent? I wonder if the name ‘God’ truly suits them.

“High Priest Raju was summarily executed, and this was the last. There’s one thing to note. That a demon standing before the light of the oracle cast no shadow.”

Arsen lowered his gaze. A long shadow stretched out beside his feet. Hadn’t this been absent during the light of the oracle? He couldn’t remember. He only remembered feeling joy, nothing else was clear.

“The Carbó Temple earnestly hoped that the prince was not a demon. Therefore, they respectfully reject the claim that there is a problem with the light of the oracle.”

Ian smiled lightly, placing his hand on his chest. His gaze was fixed on Arsen, so the nobles naturally followed his lead and looked up at the stage. The child stood still, expressionless like a doll, just watching the situation.

“Ah, um, instead of that, since the Carbó high priests are here, why don’t we conduct a more detailed verification?”

“That’s right. If His Highness Arsen is really, well, a d-demon! The high priests would know, wouldn’t they? Isn’t that right?”

At someone’s suggestion, agreements were added here and there. Once sown, doubt continues to grow until it’s uprooted. They wanted to know Arsen’s truth right here, right now. Whatever it might be.

“Duke Hayman. What should we do?”

“This seems to be a problem.”

Hayman and his supporters awkwardly stroked their beards. The duke glanced at Dilaina. Judging by her pale expression, even she, as the mother, didn’t seem to know the full truth.

If Arsen was really a demon?

‘It’s over.’

After passing through Mariv and Gale’s rebellion, to have taken the hand of a demon. Feeling a throbbing headache, Hayman whispered to Dilaina.

“It would be best to leave for now.”

In this situation, there’s no way out. The only option is to escape for now and somehow frame this as a plot by the Ministry of Magic.

The truth doesn’t matter. Whatever Arsen’s identity is, he is not a demon. Absolutely not-

Bang!

At that moment, the door slammed shut. It was the Ministry of Magic’s will that no one could leave before Arsen’s demon status was officially confirmed.

Romandro, firmly guarding the door, solemnly requested everyone to step back. In fact, the mages standing beside him were the main force.

“…L-Lily!”

Dilaina, with a bewildered expression, called for the Grand High Priest. She had known her since childhood, had witnessed the birth of Arsen and Jin, and was in charge of Carbó. She would tell them that the light of the oracle was in error, in place of the disrespectful Ian.

Dilaina shrieked in a high-pitched voice, trembling:

“Grand High Priest, speak up about what on earth is going on here! Arsen just used mana! He clearly used it! Did you sense any wickedness? How can such a bright and warm light be the power of a demon? High priests, swear to God and tell the truth without lies!”

Clink!

In her agitated state, a nearby glass fell.

The situation was not looking good. The crowd slowly backed away from Dilaina. Duke Hayman was among them. While everyone was retreating, only one person approached.

“Mother.”

It was Jin. Jin looked up at his mother with concern. His large eyes were filled with sympathy, but Dilaina, unaware, trembled her lips. Just as she was about to speak, Ian spoke first.

“Arsen has multiple abilities. The light of the oracle you just saw, wasn’t it similar to what I showed at the New Year’s gathering?”

“There was certainly that f-feeling.”

“I thought all mages were similar.”

“Me too. Isn’t that how the light of the oracle usually is?”

Arsen merely ‘imitated’ the power of a mage, so he could easily hide the disgusting aura of his wicked essence.

At Ian’s nod, the Grand High Priest and Abidel climbed the stairs. Arsen had been silently observing the situation until then.

“Your Highness.”

“…”

The Grand High Priest knelt before Arsen. And carefully offering holy water. It was evidence of holiness created through prayer.

“This is to prove Your Highness’s innocence. Please drink this and take my hand.”

If he were a demon, he would end his life with the agony of his insides burning up. If not a demon, this would quench any thirst.

If there had been just a shadow from the light of the oracle, the Grand High Priest wouldn’t have had to do this. Lily, not giving up hope until the end, kept bowing her head. Please, please…

Rustle.

Arsen calmly took the holy water. Just as relief began to well up deep in the Grand High Priest’s heart.

Splash!

The child unhesitatingly poured it over the Grand High Priest’s head. The transparent liquid soaked her robe and then the floor.

“Ridiculous. Your tricks to make me drink poison are quite varied. Do you all believe those words? I don’t know when the Carbó Temple became so corrupt. I deny everything.”

Although he said he denied everything, the atmosphere didn’t easily reverse. That was because the high priests rushed to grab Arsen’s arms.

The Grand High Priest stood up, wiping off the moisture, and showed new holy water. Her voice was deeply lowered. The Grand High Priest too had sensed a truth she didn’t want to acknowledge.

“…It’s not poison. I’ll prove it by drinking it myself.”

And as if to demonstrate, she poured half of the holy water down her own throat. The high priests, risking rudeness, forced open Arsen’s jaw, and the child convulsed in refusal. His harsh cries sounded like screams.

“Let go! Let go! Do you know who I am to lay hands on me!”

“Arsen! Arsen!”

“Mother! Help me! Help me! Aaagh!”

“What are you all doing? Get those high priests off!”

“We can’t! If His Highness Arsen is truly a demon, Carbó cannot leave this be! Lady Dilaina!”

“Now! Get them off now!”

Like the other nobles, Dilaina’s guards were all waiting outside the conference hall. Although Dilaina shouted for them to intervene, the guards just hesitated, and no one stepped forward. They were all people of the Ministry of Magic.

The mother gritted her teeth and tried to rush to Arsen.

“Arsen!”

“Mother!”

But this time, Jin blocked her with his whole body. As if he would never let go, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pleaded desperately.

“Please, please just watch.”

“Jin! Let go! Get out of the way!”

“I can’t! I can’t let go! I can’t let go of you, Mother!”

The space turned into pandemonium in an instant. Bewildered exclamations erupted from here and there. Five high priests pinned down Arsen’s limbs, and the Grand High Priest tilted the holy water towards his open mouth. Just as it was about to flow in.

Whir!

Whir!

“Ah…”

The Grand High Priest staggered, clutching her head. Suddenly, wasn’t the sky and ground mixing and shaking? It felt like her mind was turning blank and her consciousness was fading. The holy water she dropped shattered on the floor once again.

Clink!

“Grand High Priest!”

“Suddenly, why…”

“Ah, this…”

“Ugh! Urgh!”

The high priests near Arsen covered their mouths and retched. They too soon succumbed to dizziness and collapsed to the side.

Abidel, while holding the Grand High Priest, looked at Arsen. The child was sprawled out, looking up at the ceiling.

“…How annoying.”

As Arsen muttered, there was a sense of déjà vu.

That clear and thin…

“Ian. This isn’t fun.”

…voice of the oracle. That voice she had heard directly ten years ago. Abidel covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

“His, His Highness’s aura…”

“Why are the high priests like that? Suddenly?”

Not only the high priests, but even the mages sensed something was amiss and hesitated. Arsen stood up, dusting off his clothes, and glared straight at Ian.

Ian signaled Romandro to evacuate the people, and then released his mana. Along with his golden eyes, a sharp flow of mana settled in.

Whir!

Whir.

“That’s a shame. I find it very amusing.”

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