The Culprit is Among Us (2)
Everyone lifted their heads. The visibly manifested mana soon began to take on various forms.
Some turned into birds, while others became mice or insects. Some of these insects were so small that they were nearly invisible to the naked eye.
Hundreds of creatures formed from mana spread out around Ghislain.
It was, in some ways, a rather unsettling sight—mostly because the tiny insects were the most numerous.
The king turned to Ghislain and asked, "What… what are those things?"
"They are spirits I command as summoned creatures. Through them, I have been monitoring everyone in the castle."
"You've been… monitoring them?"
"Indeed. Even though it may have seemed like I was idling around, I was actually working diligently behind the scenes."
With a single wave of Ghislain's hand, the hundreds of dark creatures began chattering loudly.
"The Prime Minister and Chamberlain are the masterminds!"
"They were the ones who ordered the poison to be used!"
"The Royal Mage is in on it too! He concealed the poison so it wouldn't be detected!"
"A mage under the Royal Mage swapped the tea and liquor midway!"
"The royal chef was bribed with a huge sum! He knew something was off but still added the ingredients! People died afterward—there's no way he didn't know it was poison!"
"The servant in charge of poison inspections is guilty too! Since the poison didn't kill instantly, he kept taking antidotes every time!"
"The Minister of Protocol was the one who procured the poison from outside! He then handed it over to his aide!"
"And the court physician and the royal liquor manager helped cover up the evidence…"
The details of what each of the criminals did kept coming out of Dark's mouth.
Nearly half of those working in the royal palace were implicated in the conspiracy. Many of them were high-ranking officials.
They had used their power and positions to orchestrate an extremely meticulous poisoning scheme.
This was why no evidence had been found despite previous investigations.
Before long, the dark spirits merged into the shape of a sparrow and triumphantly declared, "That's all I saw! And my master was just playing around while I did all the—Gyaaah!"
Ghislain swiftly silenced the spirit and shrugged his shoulders.
"What do you think?"
The king let out a ragged breath. The more he listened, the harder it became to hold back his fury.
So many people had been conspiring against him!
"Is this true? Are you absolutely certain?"
Dark shouted loudly, "I swear on my mother—it's all true!"
"….."
The king glared at the spirit for a moment before turning to look at the captured conspirators.
Their faces had already turned pale. Judging by their expressions alone, they certainly looked guilty.
Of course, they were not about to admit guilt based on the words of some unknown spirit.
"Your Majesty! These are lies! This is absurd!"
"How can you believe such claims without evidence?"
"This is a trick by that mercenary mage! He's using magic to cloud Your Majesty's judgment!"
They caused an uproar, desperate to defend themselves. After all, anyone could fabricate stories without evidence.
Even the king could not deny this argument. Though the dark spirit's words seemed truthful, stronger proof was necessary.
The king turned back to Ghislain.
"I trust you. With creatures that small, it is possible you could have spied on everyone. But too many people are implicated. I need more solid proof."
Ghislain nodded. He hadn't expected the culprits to confess so easily.
At his gesture, Dark spoke up again.
"Search the royal chef's residence! If you tear up the floor, you'll find a hidden space filled with gold coins! It's an amount no royal chef could ever earn!"
"Check the second compartment of the Royal Mage's study! There's a hidden space containing the poison used in this crime! And his disciple…"
"The Chamberlain's desk has a secret compartment underneath! There's poison powder hidden there…"
"The Minister of Protocol has dealings with an herbalist! In the herbalist's underground storage, you'll find gold coins and poisonous herbs! Look at their transaction records! The Minister of Protocol purchased them under false names…"
"And the aide… and the court musician… they've been slipping poison into the food bit by bit every time they had the chance!"
One by one, Dark revealed the exact locations of the hidden evidence. The more they spoke, the more the culprits' faces turned deathly blue.
Finally, one spirit turned to the Prime Minister and drove in the final nail.
"The most crucial piece is in the Prime Minister's mansion! There, high-ranking officials involved in this scheme signed and sealed a document! It was their way of ensuring no one would betray them!"
The Prime Minister trembled violently.
"N-No! That's not true! Where is this nonsense coming from… Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This is a conspiracy! You must not believe this!"
But before the Prime Minister could finish speaking, the king roared, "Search their homes and offices immediately! Bring me the evidence!"
Ghislain spoke as he observed the king, "We will send our mercenaries as well. There could be accomplices who haven't been caught yet."
"Do so! I grant the Yulian Mercenary Corps the authority to oversee the entire process!"
The Royal Knights and the Yulian Mercenary Corps moved out at once.
They searched every location Dark had mentioned, leaving nothing unchecked. With the Yulian Mercenary Corps overseeing the search, no one dared to interfere.
And just as Dark had claimed, irrefutable evidence surfaced from each location.
The Royal Knights brought the findings before the king.
With a trembling voice, the king commanded, "Verify these immediately."
The untainted mages and herbalists stepped forward to examine the vials of poison and poisonous herbs.
A short while later, they lowered their heads and reported, "It… it is poison, Your Majesty. It is not lethal in a single dose, but prolonged consumption would gradually deteriorate the body."
The king glared at the bound conspirators, his eyes blazing with fury.
They writhed and screamed in desperation.
"Your Majesty! No! This is all fabricated!"
"That mercenary is deceiving you with his tricks!"
"We are innocent! Please reconsider…!"
But at this point, the atmosphere had completely shifted. Even those who had been uncertain now realized that these people were guilty.
It would have been nearly impossible to fabricate hidden caches of treasure.
The final, damning evidence was the signed and sealed document found in the Prime Minister's mansion.
Though it contained no explicit details of the plot, the signatures of high-ranking officials alone were enough to prove their involvement.
Aside from a few who continued struggling in vain, most of the conspirators finally lowered their heads, resigning themselves to their fate.
Grinding his teeth, the king demanded, "So many of you were involved in this treason! Why? Why would you do this?"
"Tell me! Why! If you were going to act, why not target me directly?"
Ghislain stepped forward and answered, "Their goal was to eliminate all members of the royal family except for the Third Prince."
"Why?"
"That way, with the Prime Minister leading them, they could seize power and rule as regents."
"That means…"
"Yes. Once the Third Prince became the sole heir, and there was no one left to oppose his ascension, they planned to poison you next, Your Majesty."
"Is that… the truth?"
Dark answered, "I heard the Prime Minister and Chamberlain discussing it in secret! Every word!"
"You wretched traitors…! Ngh…!"
Overcome with rage, the king tried to rise, but clutched his neck and collapsed. The shock had overwhelmed his already frail body.
Ghislain quickly reached out and cast a healing spell.
A warm light enveloped the king, allowing him to recover slightly.
However, the magic was only a temporary measure. His aged body had already endured too much, and his complexion remained pale.
Suppressing his exhaustion, the king declared, "Lock them all away. Arrest their families and any accomplices outside the palace. We will investigate thoroughly, and once confirmed—execute them all."
Those involved in the poisoning plot were dragged away by the Royal Knights and thrown into the dungeons.
The king watched in silence for a long time as the conspirators were dragged away before slowly opening his mouth.
"Thanks to the Yulian Mercenary Corps, we were able to resolve this matter. If not for them, I might have dismissed their schemes as nothing more than an illness."
At first, he had believed it was a contagious disease. After all, the victims had fallen ill over time before succumbing to death.
However, when multiple members of the royal family perished, he began to suspect poisoning.
A large-scale investigation was launched, but no traces of the culprit were found. Gradually, the narrative began shifting—people started believing it was some hereditary illness exclusive to the royal bloodline.
With the Prime Minister, high-ranking officials, and even the Royal Mages involved in the cover-up, the king had been left powerless.
The king looked at Ghislain with a self-deprecating smile.
"You arrived at just the right time. If not for you, everyone except the Third Prince would have perished."
Just as the case was about to be swept under the rug, Ghislain had appeared.
In a private meeting with the king, Ghislain had boldly declared that he would catch the culprits, insisting the king trust only in him.
Though the king could not shake his suspicion that poison was involved, he entrusted the entire investigation to Ghislain.
And in the end, Ghislain had rooted out every single conspirator.
"As promised, I will grant you the reward you desire. What do you want?"
At the king's question, Ghislain bowed slightly and replied,
"I would like to transcribe the Royal Mage's magic tomes. As a mage myself, I am always in need of more magic tomes."
"So be it. Is there anything else you require? If it is wealth you seek, I will grant you as much as you desire."
"I have no need for money. However, I would like artifacts infused with substantial mana."
"I will provide those as well, to the best of my ability. Is there nothing else?"
The king wanted to bestow Ghislain with a great reward. If not for him, the royal family might have been completely wiped out.
Ghislain smiled pleasantly and shook his head.
"That will be enough. I hope this incident will be the beginning of a long and favorable relationship between the Yulian Mercenary Corps and the Kingdom of Arsena."
"That goes without saying. How could I ever neglect the benefactor of the royal family? The Kingdom of Arsena will always welcome the Yulian Mercenary Corps with open arms."
The Yulian Mercenary Corps had been traveling across various kingdoms, solving their troubles and gaining renown.
Through this incident, they had also secured the support of the Arsena Kingdom.
After praising Ghislain several times, the king rose from his seat. He had endured great shock and needed time to rest.
As the gathering dispersed, everyone returned to their respective places.
Many cast looks of admiration toward the Yulian Mercenary Corps as they left.
"They truly live up to their reputation."
"They say there's no problem they can't solve… and it seems to be true."
"They say even nobles can't do anything against them… and it's really happening."
Most of those whispering were of lower status. The nobles, on the other hand, remained silent, their heads bowed.
The humiliation of being outdone by mercenaries burned within them, but there was nothing they could do.
It was now certain that the Arsena royal family would stand firmly with the Yulian Mercenary Corps. After this incident, they would trust the nobles even less.
Moreover, the Yulian Mercenary Corps was no ordinary group.
The vice-captain was a 6th-circle master who had subdued one of the nobles in a single move. The other executives were also rumored to possess immense strength.
It was best to avoid crossing paths with them—especially in these chaotic times.
With the matter settled, Ghislain and his companions were treated with even greater hospitality.
After collecting all the rewards he needed, Ghislain prepared to leave immediately.
However, an inexplicable feeling of unease held him back.
"This is strange. Something feels off."
"What does?"
Kyle asked as he watched Ghislain pace back and forth in the room, muttering to himself.
Ghislain tilted his head in thought before asking Kyle in return,
"Don't you find this strange?"
"What exactly?"
"No matter where we go, there's always some incident or turmoil. In every kingdom."
"That's because you keep getting involved in them… Sorry."
Kyle trailed off mid-sentence and turned away, a chilling premonition telling him that if he finished speaking, something terrible might happen to him.
Osval, who had been listening to their conversation, spoke up.
"Hyung-nim! The world has always been corrupt! It's always been this way! The nobles only care about their own greed and exploit the people! Even knights turn into bandits! Everyone is rotten! Ugh! This filthy world! It all needs to be torn down! We need a revolution!"
"I know that. But… even so, something still feels off."
"The great Osval will never be corrupted! I will live only for justice!"
"…Right."
Ghislain fell into deep thought, pacing the room.
He was well aware that this era was harsh. People disregarded human life and pursued only their own gain.
This recent case was proof of that. They had planned to completely exterminate the royal bloodline.
But it was strange how, in every kingdom he visited, there was always some power struggle or treacherous scheme unfolding.
"Hmm…"
At first, he had dismissed it as the natural state of the world. After all, human greed was an undeniable reality.
However, at some point, an unsettling suspicion had begun to take root in his mind. It was nothing more than a gut feeling, but it wouldn't go away.
"I need to talk to the Prime Minister."
Without hesitation, Ghislain headed straight to the dungeon to meet the imprisoned Prime Minister.
Since he had the king's favor, no one dared to stop him.
The Prime Minister was confined in the deepest cell. He had already lost all will to live, his body listless.
Even as Ghislain stood before him, the man didn't so much as glance in his direction.
Ghislain observed him for a moment before speaking.
"This wasn't your idea, was it?"
Only then did the Prime Minister slowly turn his head to look at Ghislain.
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