Chapter 170: 091. The Inquisition of the Seventh Imperial Prince -2 (Part Two)
**
The Seventh Imperial Prince wearing Amon’s skull on his head and a bone armour around his body, was silently staring at a tree branch held in his hand.
[Branch of the world tree]
This little item not only greatly recovered the physical and mental state of the one wielding it, but could also greatly reduce the side effects of all the negative status ailments affecting him as well.
Its effective duration was only about ten minutes. However, by using Divine Aura on it, the item’s duration could be extended greatly.
Tina had gifted him this special branch before his departure from Aslan.
The Seventh Imperial Prince shifted his gaze away.
All the subjects of the empire he could see were kneeling before him. Their eyes were quietly closed while they continued offering their heartfelt prayers.
A Priest among them was even shedding emotional tears as he cried out in exaltation.
Action definitely spoke louder than hundreds of words.
Saintess Alice advised the prince to convince the doubters with all of his heart. As such, the Seventh Imperial Prince chose to convince them through his actions.
This was the method unique to the one and only Allen Olfolse. He wished to bring to light the truth that he wasn’t a harmful existence, and do that in a way that didn’t involve fights or conflicts.
‘It’s working a lot better than I thought.’
Indeed, the reactions of the masses were far more favourable than he had originally anticipated.
‘The citizens have personally witnessed and experienced it now, so they should accept this whole thing without any repulsion. In that case, it’s now time to take care of the remaining ones.’
Which would be the members of the aristocracy and clergy – to convince them, he now needed to act out of his skin.
The parade headed to the imperial palace.
Harman on standby near the palace’s imposing front gates was also standing around in a daze due to the approaching spectacle. Still, he barely managed to regain enough of his wits to open the gates on time.
The undead legion numbering fifteen hundred strong stood in rank and file on the imperial palace’s plaza, and the Seventh Imperial Prince, the commander of the goddess’s divine army, stepped off from the chariot.
He began heading towards his destination on foot and ten holy undead knights escorted him by his side.
No one dared to stop their advance.
He brazenly strode in the palace’s corridors and eventually reached the Holy Emperor’s audience chamber.
The holy undead knights stepped up to directly open the huge entrance.
The Seventh Imperial Prince confidently walked inside.
The eyes of every noble and the clergy gathered inside the audience chamber nearly popped out of their sockets while witnessing this sight.
The luxurious red carpet on the floor was trampled on by the bone armour.
Even though the boy prince headed straight to the throne, no one thought to stop him from going there.
The Seventh Imperial Prince reached the throne, and without saying anything, sat down on the seat meant for the Holy Emperor.
The holy undead knight accompanying him stood on either side of him and placed their hands on the hilts of their swords. They knelt down on one knee and bowed their heads.
When the Seventh Imperial Prince took off the mountain goat’s skull, the imposingly-sized bone armour disappeared from the view almost at the same time as well.
Allen Oflolse, now sitting comfortably on the throne, glared at the gathered members of aristocracy and clergy with cold eyes.
“All of you.”
And then, his voice…
“How long are you planning to stand still like a bunch of dummies?”
His voice containing Spirit Speech caused all the nobles and holy men to freeze up in their spots.
Undeniable chills overtook them, and one by one, they began kneeling down and bowing their heads.
“We offer our greetings to your highness, the Seventh Imperial Prince!”
Their initial stupefied state didn’t last for long, though; they flinched in surprise and clamped their mouth shut.
This was supposed to be an inquisition. An occasion meant to prove the sins of the seventh grandson of the Holy Emperor, Allen Olfolse, and make him answer for them.
But this… wasn’t this like…
‘Isn’t this like we’re here to pay our respect to the Holy Emperor?!’
Indeed, wasn’t that throne meant for the Holy Emperor to sit?
And yet the boy prince was sitting on it so nonchalantly as if it belonged to him in the first place!
“Well then. We shall commence with this inquisition.”
The Seventh Imperial Prince declared loudly for all to hear, and the gathered nobles and the clergymen clamped their mouths shut.
He was clearly leading the inquisition now.
On top of that, he was even sitting askew on the throne in an arrogant manner too. He relaxed his cheek on the back of his hand and leisurely asked the gathered nobles.
“Is there anyone among you wishing to question me?”
Everyone in here kept their mouths shut.
An atmosphere none of them could disobey was quickly filling up the audience chamber.
The cordon of the holy undead knights surrounding the Seventh Imperial Prince was busy unleashing divinity in scary amounts. He scanned his audience first before opening his mouth.
“First order of the business. Blasphemy against Goddess Gaia.”
The nobles flinched at that.
“Go and bring Harman in.”
Some Priests hurriedly left the audience chamber and fetched Harman.
He knelt down and bowed his head before the throne.
The Seventh Imperial Prince addressed him, “I shall be asking you first. I have blasphemed against Goddess Gaia. As a result, I was banished to the frontiers. You bore witness to it all, did you not?”
Those words were spoken in a still-immature voice coming out from a boy with a small, slender physique. Yet the dignified aura it contained easily overwhelmed everyone present in the audience chamber.
“Yes, this servant has witnessed them.”
“Indeed. Can an individual who is despised, unloved by Gaia, and has apparently signed a contract with the devil be able to utilise divinity this freely?”
The Seventh Imperial Prince spread open his arms and asked. More specifically, he pointed at the bowing holy undead knights next to him.
Harman replied, “No, he cannot. It’s impossible.”
“In that case, how can I wield this much divinity yet also cast Necromancy? What could possibly be the reason?”
“It is because of the greatness of Goddess Gaia. And her blessing has been granted upon your highness, that’s why.”
“You may take your leave.”
Harman kept his head bowed as he backed away into the crowd of the nobles behind him.
The Imperial Prince shifted his gaze. “Next. The act of violence against the scions of nobles in the academy. The noble families in question, step forward.”
All the nobles collectively winced a little at that.
The representatives of the aforementioned duke and marquis households gingerly stepped forward.
“I shall question you now.”
“W-we are at your service, your highness.”
“How do we normally punish criminals found guilty of assaulting and raping commoners, as well as insulting the monarch?”
The representatives clamped their mouths shut and lowered their heads. It was obvious that the ones guilty of such crimes wouldn’t be able to keep their heads anymore. And even if they were spared from execution, a huge punishment would still be in store for them.
“However, I chose not to punish them and simply had their private forces appropriated all for the sake of protecting the empire’s subjects and to stop the invasion of Aslan. Do you have any dissatisfaction towards my judgement?”
“No, your highness. We do not.”
“You may take your leave.”
The nobles’ representatives quietly stepped back into the crowd.
“And so, the charges of being intimate with Aslan’s princess, and scheming to start a war that will eventually lead me to the position of the Holy Emperor.” The Seventh Imperial Prince spoke while narrowing his eyes, “Do you really think that I’ll do something as annoying as killing King Rahamma in the first place to achieve such a goal? And also, if Aslan’s princess is indeed fond of me, then isn’t this a wonderful opportunity for us to influence an enemy nation as we see fit?”
“…”
More silence ensued.
The nobles were not saying a single word to refute him. Honestly, they couldn’t even if they wanted to.
All of them had been thinking that the Seventh Imperial Prince was a devil worshipper. Since he used Necromancy, he had to be a heretic who sold his own soul.
But the truth was starkly different.
He was a devil worshipper? An incarnate of the devil himself, you say?
What a nonsensical notion that was, one that didn’t even deserve a polite little chuckle.
The truth was the complete opposite of the said accusation.
The Seventh Imperial Prince spoke up once more, “I shall ask all of you now.”
The nobles flinched in surprise and stared at him.
“The Darina household that collaborated with the Vampires, and the corrupt Church of Caiolium that still backs them after the truth was revealed.”
His voice containing Spirit Speech streamed towards the listeners like a sacred river.
“And then, me, Allen Olfolse, his majesty, the Holy Emperor’s seventh grandson, one who can command the walking dead by borrowing the powers of Goddess Gaia.”
The nobles, now entranced by his voice, found themselves unable to tear their gazes away from the Seventh Imperial Prince on the throne.
Every single one of them was thinking the same thing while staring at him.
The Seventh Imperial Prince before their very eyes, he…
The boy prince narrowed his eyes once more and asked them, “Who do you think is the truly corrupt one between us?”
He was the one who’d become the next Holy Emperor as the man inheriting Gaia’s will.
< 091. The Inquisition of the Seventh Imperial Prince -2 (Part One and Two)> Fin.
