Ryu had expected Sophie to immediately agree to "travel with him". But her response was different from what he had anticipated.

Sophie said she would avenge her father and brother and take the throne herself.

It was surprising to hear that Sophie had such an attachment to the throne. However, upon further questioning, it turned out that wasn't the case. She explained that the Duke and his sons were essentially selfish people with no regard for the country. If she left the country to them, it would be a disaster, and at worst, the country would be destroyed.

In fact, even though the Duke had only recently assumed the position of Regent, the taxes levied on the commoners had already tripled. The official reason was that funds were needed to rebuild the country's military, but in reality, most of the increased tax revenue was being used by the Duke's family to indulge in their lavish lifestyle. Ryujeen had assumed the Duke's family was wealthy, but it turned out their finances were actually quite tight. (It seems that King Largo, his brother, had not allowed him to indulge in excessive luxury.)

As a member of the royal family, Sophie couldn't ignore the fact that the people were suffering. She had been taught her royal responsibilities and spirit by King Largo since she was young, and she couldn't bring herself to abandon the country.

However, that made things a little complicated. It would be easy for Ryujeen to take Sophie away, but to somehow get rid of the Duke and make Sophie the Queen, they would need to follow a certain procedure.

Well, if worst came to worst, Ryujeen could simply assassinate the Duke. But he had promised not to interfere, and it was hesitant to break that promise so quickly. Besides, that would mean he lacked a justifiable cause. It would be unnecessary to give Sophie a negative image by assassinating the Duke.

So, Ryujeen came up with a plan. He asked Betty and the others to spread rumors that he had returned to the capital and was trying to rescue Sophie.

The Duke, who had been bold enough to assassinate the King and the prince, would likely act rashly and make a foolish judgment if he knew that a bomb like Ryujeen was roaming near the palace.

And as expected, assassins sent by the Duke to eliminate Ryujeen attacked him.

Ryu had promised, "If you try to take away my freedom, I will eliminate you with all my might."

It seemed he was going to fulfill that promise. Well, even if he kept his promise, it was still largely due to his personal principles.

The Duke had fallen for Ryu's trap, but ultimately, it was his own fault. If he hadn't tried to attack Ryujeen in the first place, Ryujeen wouldn't have been given a justifiable cause.

After defeating the assassins, Ryu went to the palace, rescued Sophie, and together, they headed to the Duke, who was serving as Regent.

Sophie's wish was twofold: to avenge her father and brother, who were killed by the Duke and his sons. But…

…only if the Duke was truly the one who had killed them.

If it wasn't true, it would be a problem. Especially if the real culprit who killed the King was still hidden at large, that would be too dangerous.

But the answer was easy. Ryujeen didn't need an investigation because he could read minds.

Of course, he hadn't revealed to anyone that he could read minds through Divine Sight. He wasn't going to tell Sophie either. (If his ability were to become public knowledge, his relationships with people would be ruined.)

So, Ryu told Sophie that he had a skill called "Lie Detection" (Lycrack) that could tell whether someone was lying. (He was sure he had told someone else about this before.)

Lycrack was a skill possessed by those who had the high-level "Priest" class. It wasn't as advanced as reading minds; it was a simple ability that could only determine whether someone was lying or not.

To make her believe that the ability never failed, they played games like "Babaduki" and had her lie to him, then he revealed the lies, earning Sophie's trust.

Finally, it was time for confirmation and revenge.

Sophie, along with Ryujeen, went to the throne room where the Duke was.

Ryujeen disguised himself as a priest and hid his face under a hood. He also found Reynard, who had been pacing around, worried about Sophie, and brought him along, disguising him as a priest's attendant.

They went to the throne room to confront the Duke. His ministers were there, but the Duke, upon seeing Sophie, ordered them to leave. He probably didn't want Sophie to say anything unnecessary.

Duke: "Princess Sophie? You shouldn't be wandering around like this."

Sophie: "Be quiet. I have questions for you. Were you the one who ordered the assassination of my father and brother?"

Duke: "Wh-what are you talking about? I have no idea. We are currently searching for the culprit. It was probably an assassin from Chagamga or something. I'm sorry for the King and the prince, but I had nothing to do with it."

Sophie looked at Ryu. Ryu silently shook his head.

Sophie: "I brought a priest with me. He has the 'Lycrack' skill. This priest says you are lying."

Duke: "Lycrack… How did you get in touch with the outside world while I was holding you captive…? Ah, well, it can't be helped now that it's been exposed. Yes, it was me. I ordered it."

Surprisingly, the Duke confessed readily.

Sophie: "You... You wanted to become king even if it meant killing your own brother?"

Duke: "That's right. I should have been the one to inherit the throne as the eldest son. Largo, that stupid brother of mine, tricked our father into giving him the throne. I just want to reclaim my rightful throne."

Sophie: "You… You are the enemy of my father and brother! I can't forgive you!"

Duke: "Hmph, what can a little girl and a priest do? Wald! Kill them!"

Wald stepped forward. He had confessed so readily because he had planned to kill Sophie right then and there.

Wald: "Are you sure about this?"

Duke: "It's fine, the dead tell no tales! Once this little girl is gone, I'll officially be the King!"

The Duke had ordered everyone to leave so he could kill Sophie if necessary.

He smirked, drew his sword, and walked towards Sophie and the others.

But the priest standing next to Sophie drew his sword and stood in front of Wald.

Wald: "Stop it. Do you think a mere priest can fight me? I'm a man who will become the Sword Saint. You're just throwing your life away."

Priest: "No, you won't be given the title of Sword Saint. Not with your skills."

The priest took off his hood, revealing his face.

Wald: "Reynard?!"

Duke: "Reynard, I sent you on a border defense mission! Why are you in the capital?!"

Reynard: "I am a royal knight, and my duty is to protect the princess. Wald, you wanted to fight me, right? Let's have at it."

Wald took a few steps back to create some distance. But he quickly regained his composure and charged at Reynard, eager for the fight.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Reynard and Wald exchanged blows.

The Duke, noticing that Sophie was distracted by the fight, quietly drew a dagger and crept up to her. But before he could strike her, the other priest standing beside Sophie grabbed his arm.

The priest forcefully threw the Duke to the ground, and he crashed into the wall, stopping his fall. He was incredibly strong for a priest.

Duke: "You're not a priest?"

Ryu pulled down his hood, revealing his face.

Duke: "Ryujeen! You tricked me!"

Ryu: "I didn't trick you. I told you the truth about having the lie-detection skill."

Duke: "You! Didn't you promise you wouldn't get involved anymore? Are you going to break your promise?"

Ryu: "Promise? I'm just here to keep my promise. I told you that I would eliminate anyone who tried to take away my freedom. You were the one who ordered my assassination, weren't you?"

Duke: "...! I don't know anything about that!"

Ryu: "Yes, you're lying. I told you I have the ability to detect lies. As promised, I will eliminate you."

Duke: "Wh-wait! I'm sorry! I won't do anything like that again, I promise! Just don't interfere in our kingdom's succession anymore!"

Ryu: "...It's too late. Why would I believe your promise now?"

In a blink, the Duke's arms, legs, and head were separated from his torso. They weren't completely severed; the cut ends were still connected through a separate dimension.

Ryu glanced over and saw that Reynard and Wald had finished their fight. Reynard had his sword pointed at Wald's neck, who was on his hands and knees. Reynard didn't kill him.

Ryu picked up the Duke's head from the floor and showed it to Sophie.

Sophie: "...Duke. You will receive your just punishment. Rodan has already been captured and imprisoned."

At that moment, a young boy entered. He was the Duke's third son, Marquez.

The Duke, who was panicking, his body in five pieces, cried out when he saw Marquez.

Duke: "Oh, Marquez! Help me! It's a rebellion!"

Marquez was disgusted by his father, who was still screaming with only his head left. But then, he slowly shook his head and said:

Marquez: "I was hiding and watched everything according to Princess Sophie's instructions. I never thought that my father and brothers would assassinate the King and the prince…"

Marquez knelt before Princess Sophie.

Marquez: "Queen, I, Marquez da Garriza, swear my loyalty to you. I heard my father confess his crimes. I will be your witness. I demand severe punishment for my father and brother."

Ryu used his mind-reading to check Marquez. He found that Rodan was completely wicked, but Marquez was unaware of what his father had done. Marquez was not ambitious and was actually loyal to the royal family. He was the type who wouldn't mix personal and professional life. So, Ryu explained the situation to him and asked him to be a witness.

(Marquez's personality, though partially innate, seems to have been influenced by a good-natured tutor who happened to be assigned to him.)

A few days later, Duke Joldo and his son Rodan were executed for the crime of assassinating the royal family, and Sophie became Queen.

And so, the political upheaval in the Garriza Kingdom was finally over.

To be Continued...

Next Time

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