David seemed to have avoided preparing any poison- or curse-immune items beforehand, and hadn't carried any potion that could undo the "Kiss of Powerlessness," all to make the act convincing and fool everyone. Now, under Duke James's interrogation, all he could do was let a trace of despair and madness show through his slightly glazed eyes.
Honestly, magical equipment or potions capable of immunizing against or undoing a ninth-level "Kiss of Powerlessness" weren't necessarily something even an archmage on the Parliament possessed, let alone nobles.
A layer of golden dragon scales surfaced on Duke James's skin as the pressure from the apex of the food chain radiated outward. He planted his right foot on David's abdomen, slightly suppressing the "Kiss of Powerlessness" and restoring his ability to speak. "Tell me—why did you do this?"
The moment the specially crafted glass vial containing "nectar" tumbled from his belt, David had known the entire scheme was exposed. Assassinating a lord was an unforgivable crime among the nobility—there was no hope for him now. He burst into wild, manic laughter. "Why did I do this? You're all to blame!"
"We asked you to assassinate Her Majesty the Queen?" Duke James roared in fury, like a great dragon bellowing.
David took two deep breaths of air. "How sweet the fragrance of flowers—like intoxicating hope. From the moment I was born, you kept telling me that Crown Prince Patrick was in poor health and might not live long, and that he would certainly leave no heir. The one to ascend to the throne in the future would inevitably be me."
"So I never stopped training myself, raising my standing as a knight, always holding myself to the highest moral standards, constantly trying to draw closer to you, to the Magic Parliament, never allowing even the slightest blemish to affect my future ascension to the throne and my control over all of Holm. Perhaps I could even touch the secrets of an Epic Knight through my resonance with the 'Sword of Truth.'"
"My entire life seemed to exist for the sake of that throne. But then you suddenly abandoned me and chose this baffling queen! How long has she even lived in Holm? Has she ever made even the slightest effort toward the throne? I refuse to accept it—I refuse! I will take back what belongs to me!"
Hearing David's near-mad rant, James's expression grew slightly awkward. Choosing David as a prospect had only been a backup plan—what he valued was David's identity and his affinity toward the Magic Parliament. Once the more suitable Queen Natasha came along, he had dropped David without hesitation. Who could have imagined David's hunger for the throne had reached such a point of madness? It was entirely unexpected—just as no one could have imagined a dog raised from puppyhood would suddenly turn and bite its own master.
However, as a veteran noble, James's embarrassment lasted only a few seconds before vanishing entirely. He spoke in a low, irritated voice: "So you conspired with the Dark Council to assassinate Her Majesty the Queen and us? I see. He must not have had the chance to kill you in the end for some reason, so you cooperated with him to frame Night Watch member Gelweir, ranked fifth—the 'Cursed Angel.' The Church, in order to placate the pro-Parliament nobles and the currently neutral nobles, and to prevent those inclined toward them from defecting and splitting the Kingdom, would inevitably choose you as king."
David froze for a moment, then erupted into wild laughter, as though he had heard the funniest joke in the world, making both Duke James and Lucian frown involuntarily.
He looked at Duke James before him, laughing so hard he could barely breathe: "You actually believed it?"
"Whatever he said, you believed it—how can you be so naive?"
"You think that with a Golden Knight like you dead, a mere Great Knight like me could survive? Who would buy that?"
"He's not the 'Venom Demon'?" Lucian recalled the false leads that "Pyrimas" had deliberately planted, speaking in a level voice.
At the same time, Lucian took out a crystal ball and began divining Averis's whereabouts.
Under the effects of the "Kiss of Powerlessness," David laughed and laughed until he had no strength left, weakly but smugly: "If he were truly as neurotic and insane as the 'Venom Demon,' how could he possibly have come on this mission? How could he have designed a scheme to fool several rational powerhouses like you? The 'Venom Demon' is a madman—I'm not mad!"
"He deliberately imitated the 'Venom Demon,' neurotically blurting out the plan and its purpose, in order to mislead you, to make you genuinely suspect the Dark Council."
"Your Grace, you weren't wrong about one thing: after killing Natasha and Lucian, he would have broken the Divine Arts barrier to look like collateral damage from the fight, letting the nobles below discover it. Then, to avoid being killed by a legendary powerhouse who would come at the news, he'd randomly slaughter one or two nobles close to the Parliament and flee in panic. That way, only one of you, Duke James, would die, and the rest would survive alongside me to expose the Dark Council's conspiracy—thus keeping the Kingdom's nobility from splitting and descending into civil war."
The crystal ball turned pitch-black as star after star of destiny emerged, leaving Lucian unable to divert his attention to ask questions. But Duke James pressed urgently: "Who exactly is he?"
David curled his lips. "You still haven't figured it out? I've spelled it out clearly enough!"
There was truly no reasoning with a madman. James pressed down with his foot, forcing David's words back: "Who is he?"
David cackled like a lunatic. "Didn't he say it himself? Frame Night Watch member Gelweir, ranked fifth—the 'Cursed Angel.' You think he was just saying that? He was first clearing himself of suspicion—he *is* the 'Cursed Angel' Gelweir, a ninth-level Golden Knight who shares the same Demon Lord bloodline as the 'Venom Demon'!"
"Gelweir—Night Watch!" Duke James stared at Gelweir, who stood there like a stone statue, the veins on his forehead pulsing. So it was the Night Watch!
After they had boldly killed a baron sympathetic to the Parliament, they had now set their sights on nobles of their own caliber!