"Are you sure about this?" You ask, Looking at Ijekiel.
"Yeah. You and princess have been fighting against him this whole time. It's my turn to help." Ijekiel says.
"I still don't like this..." You say.
"I'll be fine." He says, smiling.
Ijekiel offered to be the bait for Anastacius by letting Lucas insert mana into him. The spell would help him capture Anastacius.
But, for someone who has little to no mana like Ijekiel, It'll hurt. no, saying it'll hurt is an understatement, It'll feel as if you were burning in hell.
"What is that?" Lucas asked, looking at the ring in his finger.
"A toy like that wont be of any help to you. It'll only give you away." Lucas says.
"Are you stupid? That's the whole point." You say, understanding Ijekiel'd intentions.
"Seeing this, he'll underestimate me and lower his defenses." Ijekiel explains.
Lucas glared at Ijekiel.
"That's Ijekiel for you..." Athanasia says.
"I was only able to hold on this much thanks to you, princess. I have to repay that somehow." Ijekiel says, smiling.
"Excuse me? What the hell am I then, A rock?" You say, slightly annoyed.
"No, That's not what I meant-"
"Oh, please take all your lovey dovey conversations somewhere else please. I'll end up barfing." You say, cutting Ijekiel off.
You'd thought Ijekiel would get flustered. That's what always happens.
"You're one to talk." He says looking at your left hand.
"Since when did you start talking back to me, You little rascal." You say, putting him in a headlock.
"Little? I'm taller than you."
"Shut up."
"Can we go on with our plan now?" Lucas asked, slightly annoyed.
"Oops sorry."
*****
"Not just anyone could've carried out this outrageous ambush and subdued the adversary without the use of violence you know? This was possible because it was me." Lucas boasts.
"Thanks. You did great." Athanasia says.
Under normal circumstances, you would've said some snarky remark for his boasting, but not right now. You could think about nothing but Ijekiel.
He looked as if he was in deep pain, but he insisted you go along with the princess instead of staying by his side.
You were drowned in your worry, and Lucas noticed that. He lightly grabbed your shoulder to get your attention.
"He'll be fine." He says. You couldn't do anything but nod and focus on the present.
"I see that everyone has gathered. As busy as you all are, I thank you for answering such an abrupt summon. I've summoned you all here to respond for your demands for an inquiry into emperor Claude De Alger Obelia's use of black magic."
The nobles' eyes widened.
"Since my uncle gave voice to some unfavorable claims at our previous conference. I've gathered you all here today so that you may personally verify the matter."
They murmured amongst themselves, discussing how they could possible prove the emperor's innocence.
"I... I don't believe you! An unexpected summons such as this is just to obfuscate the allegations, is it not?!" A noble screams
You furrowed your eyebrows.
"How annoying...." You mutter.
"And who's to say you haven't already tampered with the results- WHOAH!" The noble was attacked by red lightning.
"Oh dear, please be careful. In my tower any loud noises or abrupt motions can cause the concentrated mana to flare up. And furthermore, any utterance of a falsehood inside the tower will result in your limbs being torn off so you can be assured of the authenticity of this inquiry." Lucas says.
There shouldn't be anymore problems after this. Lucas just introduced himself as the magician of the tower.
"Lord Leopald. The princess was speaking. I believe cutting in when someone is speaking isn't exactly good etiquette." You speak up, giving a cold glare to the noble.
The tower went quiet after that.
"Now with my Lord uncle personally present, I will begin the investigation process. With his majesty still in an unstable state, it pained me to request a sample of his blood. As such please refrain from any further wayward commentary" Athanasia says.
Everyone watched as the magic changed color to red, indicating that the emperor was innocent and had not used black magic.
"There appears to be no issues." Athanasia spoke up. "This makes it quite clear that the accusations levied against the emperor and myself by my lord uncle were false. Are there any objections?" She asked.
They all remained silent.
"Even if you are a member of the imperial family, slandering the imperial name is a grave offense. You will be held responsible for this matter. Furthermore, there is one more charge against you, lord uncle. Regarding your use of black magic..." Athanasia says, as you bring forward the vial that contained his blood.
Everyone watched as the magic was dyed black by Anastacius's blood.
"The magic's turned pitch black!"
"It black magic!"
"I suppose no further explanations will be necessary. " Athanasia speaks calmly. "Thus, I declare this. Henceforth, Anastacius De Alger Obelia will be treated as a criminal, and any supporters of his will be treated as followers of black magic. Furthermore, they will be magically chained and detained in an underground prison" She explains.
Lucas used his magic to wrap chains around him.
"I see." was all Anastacius said.
"With this we will close the investigation. Thank you all once again for your time. I have prepared return scrolls for your convenience." Athanasia says.
The nobles started leaving one by one.
You slowly nudged Athanasia, and she turned to look at you.
"You were quite cool out there." You say, smiling.
"Is that so? thanks." She says, blushing a bit in embarrassment.
You turned to Lucas. "Can you send me back to Ijekiel for now?" You ask.
"Already?" He asked.
"Yeah. I need to check if he's alright."
He sighs before snapping his fingers, sending you away.
A/n: Pls I was in a hurry when I wrote this. Also, I changed the cover because the old one was getting boring.
I was reading thru chap 105 of the manhwa to write this chapter, and look what i found
Does this remind u of someone??
and now...
(Drumroll)
Face reveal
KGSCAKBL IDIDITOMG-
Anyways, thx for reading. I love y'all 🖤💜