The Prince in Question Is Not Stable

Chapter 88: Find the Mastermind (1)

Self-destructing a core is like overloading a motor with electrical energy and giving a massive amount of fuel to the spark. This is a common technique used by marquis-ranked demons in their last moments. But for a contracted individual, it takes a lot of concentration to suppress all the demonic energy into the core and shatter it.

Vael had been trying to concentrate constantly and suppress his demonic energy inside his own core. But every time he tried, he would be smacked by Ymir on the head.

It was extremely humiliating for someone who even gave away his humanity in exchange for tremendous power, so that no one would belittle him. But now, he was being treated like some thug caught by officials.

But he knew... things were about to get worse. Far worse. Everything they thought they knew about Ymir Celestie of Lunar, the lazy, incompetent, and short-tempered prince, all of it was wrong.

And if Skopio doesn’t realise it, if Winifred doesn’t realise this, everything will fail. The rebellion, the planning, the assassination plans of the saintess, everything.

"What---happened here?" Ferrey mumbled, looking at the prayer halls.

"Who’re these men, Your Highness?" Grahm asked, looking at the pool of blood and headless bodies.

"Some people who were after me, but luckily, they didn’t know that there were so many knights in here; they were brutally taken care of," Ymir replied, standing up.

He didn’t say that they were after the saintess; he said they were after his life instead, because it gives him a reason to make Vael his Prisoner.

Violet remained quiet and opened her eyes, looking at Grahm and especially Ferrey with slight disdain in her eyes.

"The knights killed them?" Grahm repeated.

"Absolutely," Ymir replied. "Isn’t that right?" he then spread his arms, gesturing at all the knights standing near the walls.

’We killed them?’ They thought, looking at each other.

"I’m asking a question," Ymir said.

"Y-yes, we did," They replied in unison.

"What’s with the informal tone?" Ymir asked.

"""We apologise, Your Highness, it was we who killed them. Your highness is absolutely correct,"""

Ymir nodded and tilted his head. "Well, now you know, Tower Master," he said.

Grahm silently stared into Ymir’s eyes with relaxed eyelids. There were splashes of blood on some of the knights’ armours, those who had been present when the massacre happened, but none of them had marks of blood on their swords the way marks appear when a head is severed from the body.

These people died with a massive force to their heads that just burst their skulls; swords cannot create a scene like this.

"And who is that man?" Grahm looked at the man sitting cross-legged, facing the wall.

"That’s their leader, and my Prisoner." Ymir said.

Ferrey opened his eyes wide at that sentence.

"Your Prisoner? Nonono, if he attacked the Saintess, inside the covenant, in the presence of so many knights, and was dealt by the covenant, then he’s the Prisoner of the Covenant, Your Highness." He said.

"I would challenge that notion, High Priest; he’s my prisoner because he was after my life. Covenant has no reason to step in and take the man who was after my life away from me for interrogation. These Knights dealt with these demonic insects because that’s what they do, never let a threat reach the Saintess, but that doesn’t change the fact that...that man sitting with his ugly face staring into the holy covenant walls is my prisoner," Ymir replied.

"If you have any doubts about that, why don’t we ask our holiness here?" Ymir said and looked at Violet.

Violet looked at Ymir and then at Vael, and then back at Ymir. She didn’t even glance at Ferrey.

"He’s all yours," she said, with a slight nod.

"Well, that settles everything, High Priest," Ymir said.

"No, our holiness," Ferrey looked at Violet and started walking towards her. "You’re not understanding the situa-"

*Bang*

A broad sword impaled the wall with its blade’s edge right in front of Ferrey. It was the sword of a knight near him.

"Our holiness says that the man is his highness’s prisoner, then he is his highness’s prisoner," the knight stated coldly.

"I hope you know, High Priest, that throughout the covenant, the words of our Saintess are absolute, even if you’re a high priest," he said.

’Oh~ that’s classic,’ Ymir thought as a smirk appeared on his face.

"Are you even in your right mind?" Ferrey growled in a low tone, staring into the Knight’s eyes. "Do you have any idea who you just pointed your sword at?"

"I’m well aware, High Priest, and I do not regret my decision," the knight spoke, and unknowingly, not a single knight in that room refuted that, because they would stand beside that knight if something were to go wrong.

"Let’s not take our anger out on someone who’s doing his job diligently, High Priest," Ymir spoke up, walking towards Ferrey.

"It doesn’t suit your ’Personality’," he continued, stopping right in front of Ferrey.

"I say that the man is my prisoner, and I’ve never encountered a man who has refuted my decisions, so even if we were to rule out the authority that Saintess possesses, you cannot stop me from getting what I want," he said.

Ferrey was darting daggers with his eyes just by looking at Ymir; he was barely keeping his composure.

"Graves," Ymir called out, and a man in a dark blue suit appeared behind Grahm and Ferrey.

"Your Highness," Graves spoke.

"Make sure to reward our brave Knight here, and ensure that his career is not jeopardised because someone hurt their ego." Ymir said, looking at Ferrey.

"I’ll adhere to your commands, Your Highness," Graves said, and disappeared.

The knight who had impaled his sword was kind of surprised and impressed at that gesture; he didn’t expect a mad prince to act benevolently all of a sudden. He reached out for his sword, which was between Ymir and Ferrey, and seethed it back.

"What kind of devotee are you, Priest? You entered halls of prayer, looked at the knights, the blood on the floor, the bodies scattered across everywhere, you even noticed blood on the curtains of the Saintess, and yet the first thing you worry about is who that man...that ugly man---"

’You don’t have to emphasise ugly,’ Vael thought, listening to Ymir.

"---Should be a prisoner of?" Ymir continued.

"Never once did it occur to you how the Saintess might be feeling, if she’s injured, or suffered psychological damage for witnessing such a scene..." Ymir said.

"You cannot question my devotion, Your Highness," Ferrey replied.

"I can, Ferrey. I’ll speak informally to you from now on. I can do anything, maybe you have just not seen me move as a Prince, but the things I am capable of are beyond your comprehension," Ymir put his hand on Ferrey’s shoulders and gave a tight squeeze.

"I expect your eyes to stare down when you talk to me, because from now on you’re not a Priest in my eyes, Ferrey, and I see you as a suspect in the act that fucking insect committed, have I made myself clear?" Ymir asked.

Ferrey couldn’t say anything; he felt the raw pain and aura seep into the very bones of his body, and even his holy power couldn’t stop the pain he was receiving from the shoulder.

His fingers twitched; he tried to lift his gaze as his body turned pale and slightly red from the pain and rapid circulation of blood.

A quiet crack echoed throughout the halls, yet no one said anything. Violet just looked at the scene with warm eyes; she didn’t find it threatening at all. In fact, she felt more secure near Ymir than anyone from the covenant.

Grahm just watched from the side, looking at Ferrey’s expression with a certain calm in his eyes.

"U-understood," Ferrey’s breath came out slower, a mild response.

Ymir released the grip on his shoulder, and he started grasping for air.

"See how easy it is to come to a mutual understanding, High Priest?" Ymir said.

’Mutual understanding?’ The knights thought. ’He just squeezed the life out of him,’

Ferrey straightened up slowly and placed his other hand on the shoulder, grunting in pain.

Ymir then turned around and looked at Vael, who had been silent for a while.

"..." He then gestured at the Knight standing near Vael.

The knight nodded, walked towards Vael, and smacked him on the head.

"Quit concentrating," the knight spoke, as Vael growled with anger, cursing under his breath.

"Would you mind giving the task of cleanup to your attendants, Tower Master?" Ymir asked, but it wasn’t really a question.

"I will have the monastery cleaned up within an hour; meanwhile, it’ll be much safer if I personally escort the Saintess back to the Covenant," Grahm said and bowed down to Violet.

"I apologise for leaving you in danger, and I, not as Tower Master, but Grahm Burnhum will receive any punishment our holiness deems appropriate," He spoke, still with he head hung low.

"There’s no need for that, you didn’t have much of a choice since there was an unstable rift, which was a matter of not just my own, but public safety," Violet replied.

"You don’t need to be remorseful of that." She said.

Grahm remained bowed for a moment, weighing her words.

"Understood," he said finally, rising with the same calm composure.