Chapter 529: Chapter 502: Framed

In Oduin Hall, Crown Prince Garrett stood before the throne. It would be improper for him to sit upon it before completing the formal succession ceremony in the presence of the many nobles.

Several rows of people stood below him.

One row consisted of the Ministers of the Kingdom that Bruno had promoted, including Minister of State Affairs Arsenno, Minister of Justice Texas, as well as the Minister of Finance, Minister of Commerce, and the Intelligence Consultant, among others.

In another row stood the Knights who followed Garrett. Besides his old subordinates like Matt and Laoshan, the surrendered enemy nobles Count Ural and Earl Alons were also prominently in their ranks. At the head of this group stood an alluring woman.

In addition, there were Duke Ference, Duke Andrea, and a host of other nobles, both great and small.

At this moment, many in the hall wore solemn and grave expressions.

During the two days that King Bruno was said to be recuperating from a sudden injury, Crown Prince Garrett had abruptly summoned them here for a council. They all had a bad feeling.

"My lords, I bring you terrible news."

Garrett took a deep breath, his voice laced with sorrow. "My father, King Oduin V, was not seriously injured because of a mistake in his Cultivation."

It was impressive enough that they had managed to conceal Bruno’s death for two days. During that time, Garrett had finished his preparations. There was no longer a need to hide the truth.

Revealing it now would be more advantageous for his next move.

"What?"

"Then what happened to His Majesty?"

"Crown Prince, we beseech you to grant us an immediate audience with His Majesty!"

"Why did you and the Queen deceive us with lies?"

Garrett’s words were like a stone tossed into a still pond, sending ripples of shock through the hall. The Ministers and nobles erupted with questions, but above all, they wanted to know what had really happened to Bruno.

Garrett’s expression was sorrowful. "I’m sorry, my lords. On the night of the fifth, my father was attacked by a Proud Sun Level assassin. He... did not survive."

Oduin Hall fell utterly silent.

Garrett paused for a moment before continuing, "My father... was cut down by an assassin’s blade!"

The words instantly sent the hall into an uproar.

The few who were in on the plot remained composed, but the uninformed Ministers and nobles were all stunned and enraged.

They could not believe that Oduin V—who had been laughing and celebrating the new year with them just a few days prior—had suddenly met such a violent end at the hands of an assassin.

"Who was the assassin? We must avenge His Majesty!" a noble shouted angrily.

"Yes, we must find the killer and make him pay the price!" another Minister chimed in.

"Avenge him!"

Although people like Ference and Andrea had looked down on Bruno, he was held in very high regard by many of the other nobles and Ministers.

During his reign, the King had secured numerous benefits for the Ministers and lesser nobles, protecting them to some degree from being exploited by the more powerful, high-ranking aristocracy.

Minister of State Affairs, Count Arsenno, asked in a low voice, "Crown Prince, what is really going on? Why did you and the Queen conceal the truth from us, only to suddenly tell us now?"

To be frank, the few Ministers who had been close to Bruno were all aware of Garrett’s character. As long as Bruno was alive, they hadn’t needed to confront him directly.

But now that Bruno was gone, the thought of pledging loyalty to Garrett filled them with dread.

"That is precisely what I am about to explain!"

Garrett raised a hand, signaling for silence.

"The assassin’s identity is a sensitive one, so I had to delay for two days to make the necessary arrangements."

As he spoke, he looked down at Broel. "Broel, recount the events of that night."

Broel nodded and began to narrate what had transpired that night.

By the time he had arrived on the scene, however, the assassin had already entered the royal bedchamber. This gap in the account was filled by two Knights from the Royal Knight Order who had been on guard duty that night.

The combined testimony revealed two key pieces of information:

First, the assassin was incredibly powerful, and they were certain he was a Proud Sun Level Knight.

Second, the assassin descended from the air, and a massive, dark cloud hung high in the night sky.

Arsenno, Luther, and the other Ministers exchanged a look. As Bruno’s confidants, they were not without political savvy. And because they had been close to the King, they also knew about the conflict between Garrett and Ronin.

These two pieces of information that had just been revealed clearly pointed to Ronin.

Worry showed in their eyes. But as they were merely ordinary Transcendents, they dared not speak carelessly in front of the ill-tempered Garrett.

Just then, Ference, who had been standing at the head of the row of nobles, stepped forward.

"My older brother’s personal strength may have been average, but his rule over this kingdom was impeccable. Garrett, tell me. Who assassinated him?"

Ference stared directly at the Crown Prince, his gaze promising a death by a thousand cuts for the assassin.

"Indeed, Crown Prince!" Andrea added. "You said the assassin’s identity was sensitive. Does that mean you already know who it is?"

Garrett smiled to himself. ’So far, everything is going according to plan.’

He took a deep breath and spoke slowly, his voice laced with a heavy tone, "Yes. I already know the assassin’s identity."

The atmosphere in the hall grew even more tense. Everyone held their breath, waiting for Garrett’s next words.

"It was Ronin."

Garrett finally uttered the name, his voice laced with a nearly imperceptible trace of vindictive pleasure.

As soon as he said it, the hall once again exploded into an uproar.

Ronin—His Majesty the King’s son-in-law, the Guardian Knight of the Kingdom, the Duke of Conqueror recently ennobled by His Majesty Bruno himself—was the King’s assassin?

It was simply unbelievable!

"Impossible! Why would Ronin do such a thing?"

A noble couldn’t help but shout his disbelief.

Even though he didn’t know Ronin well, a Proud Sun Knight and a newly ascendant Duke was a figure who commanded the respect of many.

"Indeed. His Majesty has always valued Ronin highly, and Ronning Duke has made immense contributions to the Kingdom. Why would he ever betray him?" another Minister agreed.

"Heh, how could the mere title of Duke possibly satisfy the appetite of a Proud Sun Knight?"

Ference sneered. "If you ask me, Ronin is clearly imitating the great Emperor Orland of old. He wants to become the one true king of this continent, and His Majesty’s existence was naturally standing in his way!"

"A twenty-year-old Proud Sun with no ambition? Who would believe that?"

For a moment, the hall was divided into three factions: one that questioned the accusation, one that supported it, and one that remained silent.

The arguments continued for some time before Garrett raised his hand again, signaling for silence.

"You have all heard the testimony from Broel and the two Knights. So let me ask you this: looking at the Oduin Kingdom and the Tricia Kingdom combined, how many Proud Sun Knights are there?"

The hall fell silent once more.

Proud Sun Knights were as rare as a phoenix feather; you could count them all on one hand.

In the Oduin Kingdom, for instance, there were only Ronin and Garrett, in addition to the Great Mage Bellora, who stays out of worldly affairs.

Garrett continued, "Not only was the assassin at the Proud Sun Level, but he also had a massive Flying Magical Beast for a mount. The knights couldn’t make out its form in the dark, but how many flying creatures of that size could there possibly be?"

He sneered, "So, if the assassin wasn’t Ronin, who else could it be?"

The faction that had just been voicing doubts now joined the silent one.

Arsenno exhaled slowly. "Then, Crown Prince, how do you intend to handle this?"

Confronting two Proud Sun Level experts and seven or eight powerful Knights at the Meteor Level or above would come at a heavy price, even for the combined nobility of the Kingdom.

Besides, the nobility was hardly a united front. Some had no desire to directly confront the Duke of Conqueror and the Thunderbolt Marquis.

A complicated look flickered in Arsenno’s eyes. After more than twenty years of stability and peace, the Oduin Kingdom was perhaps on the brink of civil war.

This was in complete opposition to His Majesty Bruno’s focused goal of conquering Tricia.

"I have already taken action."

Garrett sneered, "Perhaps we will have results very soon."

His words had barely faded when the roar of a Dragon echoed from outside.

"He’s here," Garrett said in a low voice.

Everyone’s heart skipped a beat. The appearance of a Dragon signified Ronin’s arrival.

High in the sky, Carlos flew at top speed.

He was so fast that from the moment he left Wubei Territory, he had left Bob and the two other Griffin Knights completely out of sight.

Now, less than an hour later, they were above the Royal Capital.

Blanche looked at the silhouette of the Golden Feather Palace in the distance, her heart filled with anxiety.

’I hope Father is still alive!’

As she prayed, she turned to plead with Elron, "In a moment, please, I’m begging you—use all your strength to heal him!"

"Rest assured, my lady. I brought an Antitoxic Potion, and my Strong Healing Skill is quite potent. As long as His Majesty the King still has a breath left in him, I am certain I can save him!"

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