Torture the hero, why has the Demon King's castle collapsed again?

Page 60

Even for this lady who was only invited to the meeting for the third time, he, as a minister, needed to maintain sufficient respect.

This intelligent and wise woman was second only to Chief Lak, known as the Morning Star, in the kingdom's reputation for wisdom.

Astrid, the chief librarian of the Kingdom Library.

The other party had published dozens of high-level academic papers on human psychology and interpersonal communication in his own name, which were highly praised within the aristocracy.

Why would such a knowledgeable lady, who is detached from vulgar pleasures, keep staring at her prince?

Hearing her own voice, Astrid snapped out of her reverie. A slight flicker of emotion crossed her face when she saw herself, and she quickly stood up.

“Minister Tus, my apologies, I did not notice you approaching.”

"Is there anything I can help you with, Ms. Astrid?" Tuss shook his head and asked tentatively.

“No, I… um… I have some things to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now,” Astrid said with a slightly stiff expression.

Only those who have met him in person will be surprised to discover that this scholar, who is so devoted to the study of relationships and communication, is actually quite clumsy when it comes to social interaction.

Tuss could tell at a glance that she was not being sincere, but he could only politely agree and watch Astrid leave in a hurry.

Beneath his gentle and sociable facade, a deep sense of suspicion flashed in Tus's eyes.

At this moment, Erwin, who had finished dispersing the crowd, approached, wiped his sweat, and asked curiously, "Tus, why are you standing here?"

"Erwin, don't you think...Ms. Astrid is a bit suspicious?"

As a close confidant of the prince, Tus and Erwin had a good personal relationship. Since no one was around, he asked bluntly.

"Suspicious, why?" Erwin asked, puzzled.

“She was staring at His Highness the Prince the whole time… that kind of gaze isn’t the way an ordinary woman looks at a prince.” Tuss’s face showed disbelief.

"Could it be that Lady Astrid is His Highness's secret admirer?"

Erwin perked up, his eyes sparkling.

“That’s even more abnormal.” Tus’s suspicion deepened.

"How could a normal woman possibly be interested in Prince Ota..."

You know, within some aristocratic circles, some nobles have already begun to question whether His Highness's sexual orientation is somewhat unusual.

"...Minister Tuss"

Erwin's lips twitched: "I didn't realize you could be so sharp-tongued sometimes—"

"Elvin, Tus."

The conference room doors slammed shut after the last group of people had left, and Prince Ota's voice echoed through the empty room.

The two quickly composed themselves, walked briskly to the round table, and bowed to Prince Ota.

"Your Highness Ota."

"His Royal Highness Prince."

At Otta's prompting, the two sat down at the round table. Otta seemed much more relaxed, having let down his guard in front of his confidant, and casually asked:

"What do you think of the additional title I gave Mino today?"

“Very good!” Erwin straightened his back and said in a measured tone:

"The title of Torture Hero will remind us of the Mino Hero's superhuman willpower, a realm we can never reach! Your Highness, you truly are the Mino Hero's best friend."

“It’s just…” Tuss said it much more bluntly, hesitating for a moment before he spoke:

"This title feels somewhat ambiguous. Another interpretation might be that the Mino Hero is a hero who betrays humanity after being tortured."

Ota paused for a moment, then shook his head with a chuckle: "I hadn't thought of that much."

"Let's not talk about that." He didn't maintain his superior posture, but relaxed slightly and leaned back in his chair, looking at the two of them: "How did you two feel about today's meeting?"

"Everything is proceeding in an orderly manner, except..." Erwin thought for a moment, then said with a strange expression:

"Your Highness, it seems that our carefully prepared meeting today did not actually find the mole."

“I think,” Tus said, glancing at Ota’s relaxed expression, with a hint of something.

"Is the brainstorming session in the meeting not His Highness's real means of trying to find the mole?"

"How could that mole have managed to hide until now, even in the highest echelons of the kingdom? What clues could a group of people possibly find by simply questioning each other without any evidence?"

Ota shook his head, opened his eyes, and a bright light shone within them:

"What I want is for all qualified individuals to come to this conference room, to stand before the round table as witness, and for their presence to be intertwined with the round table."

His palm landed on the round table.

"I will invoke the prophecy of the Round Table to find... the true cancer within the kingdom!"

Chapter 82: The Figurines and the Round Table Lead to the Culprit!

"Find the mole?" Tus asked, his expression visibly shaken, as he sat at the round table.

I originally thought His Highness just wanted to find more suspects in this meeting—but I didn't expect that the other party was going to use the Sacred Round Table to drag the mole out of the shadows of the capital!

Will this sacred artifact, upon which the Kur royal family built their kingdom, finally bring light to humanity once again?!

"The Round Table's power has recovered considerably recently... Although its prophetic abilities can only pinpoint vague directions, it's already sufficient—"

At the round table, Prince Ota's eyes became as sharp as a hawk's:

"I will have the round table show us who, among all those present, will next pose a serious threat to the human camp!"

"After severely injuring the Holy Maiden, those demons are undoubtedly eager to reach into our hearts and minds, and that traitor will certainly make the greatest contribution... Even if not, we can still take a step further and eliminate the potential dark forces that threaten humanity!!!"

Erwin and Tus were startled, sensing the chilling intent in Prince Ota's words!

Awe-inspiring gazes fell upon the simple, unadorned round table. It was indeed the divine artifact upon which the Kingdom of Kur was founded, possessing a sacred power sufficient to quell the darkness.

"Since we can't pinpoint the exact location of the round table, we'll eliminate possibilities step by step based on the clues."

"The last round table clearly revealed that those who pose a threat to the kingdom are those with 'high prestige' within the human camp, and for this meeting, I have invited all those who meet the criteria to the conference table."

“However… Chief Lak, who is not present, also meets the requirements.” Minister Tus reminded him, as he was always meticulous.

"I know, but we don't need to worry too much."

Ota nodded knowingly: "First of all, we can rule out Chief Lark as a suspect. The only thing he has been doing lately is preparing for the Blessing of the Hero, and that cannot possibly harm humanity."

"He is the least likely candidate to be the first choice for the roundtable prediction."

Tus and Erwin exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

After discussing it for a while, the three of them confirmed that the direction of the prophecy was accurate and feasible. Now, it was up to the roundtable to see what kind of result it would present to them.

The omen of the round table is absolute.

The scope of "will bring serious harm to the human camp" is neither too broad nor too narrow, which is just enough to expose those among the participants who appear glamorous on the outside but actually harbor malicious intentions.

—At that time, the other side will face the ruthless punishment of Prince Ota, who will unleash the fury of the entire kingdom.

Ota reached out and placed his hand on the round table, slowly activating the power within.

"Now, let us expose the greatest evil in the kingdom..." Prince Ota said with a serious expression.

The round table emitted a grayish-white mist, outlining a blurry human figure. As the power continued to circulate, the clear figure appeared before the three people—

……

The carriage carrying the two nobles slowly drove out of the crowded and noisy palace, like rats in a sewer, walking in the shadows of the capital.

Inside the carriage, Grand Duke Thanaus opened his eyes and looked at Dane, who was sitting upright.

"The purpose of my appearance today has been achieved. It won't be long before the entire aristocratic circle officially recognizes you, Dane, as my adopted son."

The voice was no longer as authoritative and amiable as before, and a hint of darkness crept into Thanaus's grey-red eyes:

"There's no one else here, so you don't need to be so reserved."

"I was just a little surprised..." Dane spread his hands and smiled:

"I never imagined that the person behind the scenes who secretly plotted to shake the kingdom's regime and whose power had taken root and grown in the shadows of the capital... was actually the Grand Duke of the kingdom, who was above all others."

Thanaus didn't say much. He took out a handkerchief and coughed lightly twice: "My health is not good. All my children died young. Now, you are my only adopted son and my true representative."

“Your ambition is well hidden. That’s exactly the kind of talent I need, not a violent conqueror… That foolish and ignorant rebellious prince Hearst made such a naive mistake, thinking he could change the entire kingdom with some whimsical ideas.”

“In comparison, Dane, you and I are on the right path,” Thanaus said without any pretense.

"By storing our ambitions in the vessel of justice, and by secretly dismantling the kingdom step by step, we will become true justice."

“You’re just unlucky; all you’re missing is an opportunity… and I’m willing to give you that opportunity.”

Hearing this, Dane knew it was his turn to speak. He showed an excited expression, knelt on one knee, and poured out the words of emotion he had already prepared:

"Your Excellency, your will is my mission! The fact that you value someone of commoner origin shows that your vision and perspective are far more righteous than those of the high and mighty royal family!"

"Dain has wandered half his life, yet has not become a hero." His chest throbbed with deep emotion, and Dain clasped his hands in a fist salute, speaking with great feeling:

"If Your Excellency does not abandon me, I am willing to become your godfather!!!"

"From today onwards, just call me Grand Duke." Thanaus smiled with satisfaction and stepped forward to help Dane up.

Inside the carriage, the two men exchanged a glance as if they were having a heart-to-heart talk, their faces displaying deep and wicked smiles.

"However, Your Excellency."

At this moment, as if remembering something, Dane's eyes showed worry: "The power displayed by the royal family's sacred round table at today's round table meeting is very troublesome... Will Ota discover our plan to poison the kingdom?"

"Don't say anything that's detrimental to unity," Thanaus said calmly.

"When did we say we would endanger the kingdom?"

Dane was taken aback. Indeed, Thanaus seemed to be planning to seize power in the kingdom without bloodshed, and his intention was essentially only to target the royal family... But the benevolent king could never have imagined that Thanaus was preparing to carry out a righteous betrayal.

Thinking of this, Dane's eyes gradually brightened.

Thanaus smiled contentedly: "Let Ota find that mysterious mole. He'll be a good cover for us. If he finds him, that'll be even better."

"We can't find it anyway... that mole can't harm us."

"I understand."

Inside the carriage, the two exchanged a knowing smile, revealing a heartwarming scene of "filial piety and parental love".