This incident has brought me many achievements. First, Mercedes' request to expose her crimes was approved by the Queen. She promised me she would investigate and clarify that woman's guilt.
The second achievement is control over the entire Luc Jade Palace. Things got this bad because I had no power over the palace servants, so that power was given to me.
I received a key to the Luc Ngoc Palace. Not an ordinary key, but a very special key. This is an item only reserved for the true female owner of this place, allowing access to the most important places in the palace such as treasures, archives, even emergency exits or military meeting rooms.
This brass key is in the form of a hip chain studded with many gems, I also hung a small palm-sized bag, a dagger and a vinaigrette (a bottle of smelling salts) in it for decoration.
This chain is called Chatelaine. Chatelaine means "Mistress of the castle." Receiving this item means that I have been recognized as the true female owner of the Luc Jade Palace.
Mercedes was detained in the North Tower of the Imperial Palace pending investigation. The queen announced that she would personally interrogate her, so she would definitely pay a heavy price for her crimes.
Thus, everything seems to have been resolved smoothly, but……
“Your Royal Highness, what's wrong with you?”
Delfina stopped while brushing my hair in the morning and asked. Seeing me still bewildered, she seemed worried.
"Ah, nothing. I was just thinking."
She slowly brushed my hair and said:
"Anyway, it's all over, fortunately. To think that Lady Alonzo had caused such terrible things……"
The murder of the four prince concubine candidates was definitely her doing. But there was still a feeling of inadequacy in my heart.
“That's true, but I keep seeing something strange.”
“What's strange about it?”
Through Wisdom Eye of Heaven, I saw Mercedes' past. A past full of tragedy. I remember the extreme despair of a woman who lost her husband and then lost her newly born child.
When Mercedes first met Cesar, her feelings for him were only love and respect. That feeling has not changed as Cesar grew up. Even though she was planning something unknown in her heart, she was always dedicated to serving the Prince. She protected him from all oppression.
“But at some point, she became strange.”
That love gradually degenerated into persistent obsession. Once degenerated, that inherently obvious emotion gradually becomes terrifying.
I don't know exactly when the change will be. Nhưng kể từ cột mốc ấy, người phụ nữ vốn dĩ trầm lặng nhưng đoan trang, quý phái đã biến thành hiện thân của sự ám ảnh và điên loạn. A madness to the point of murder.
“Would Mercedes have been so cruel from the start?”
What Tue Nhan Thien Manh shows is always limited. Because I still can't fully control that ability.
Even seeing Mercedes' past was not my intention. It's just that while practicing controlling Wisdom Eye, random illusions appear.
So I can't really know the details. But even if I think about it now, it won't help. The case seems to have come to an end.
At that moment, King Richard came to find me. Mục đích là để bàn về phương hướng giải trừ lời nguyền trong tương lai, cũng như việc kế hoạch đã thành công mỹ mãn.
“Lần trước cảm ơn ngài rất nhiều vì đã giúp đỡ tôi. Tôi lúc nào cũng chỉ biết nhận sự giúp đỡ từ Richard thôi.”
"Don't worry. Eliminating the curse of the Crazy Dragon will help my research after all."
“Richard is researching curses, right?”
“Ta nghiên cứu về nhiều loại lời nguyền khác nhau và cả cách giải trừ chúng nữa. Sao thế, cô có hứng thú với lời nguyền à?”
I pondered for a moment and then asked about something I had always wondered about.
“Liệu có loại lời nguyền nào có thể thay đổi hoàn toàn tính cách con người không? Ví dụ như biến một người nhút nhát trở nên táo bạo chẳng hạn…….”
“Hmm.”
Richard seemed to think for a moment and then replied:
“That kind of magic… does exist.”
"Is it magic and not a curse? Really?"
My voice rose slightly. But Richard lowered his voice and whispered mysteriously:
"However, that is taboo magic. People call such magic collectively Black magic."
“Black magic…….”
"Common magic is called White magic. It takes essence from the mana of Great Nature, combined with the magician's power and spells to cast. This type does not require any other cost besides mana, and the more proficient you are, the more sophisticated the casting technique."
He explained that healing magic or basic elemental magic were all White magic. Because most magic is White magic, when people say "magic", they often implicitly mean White magic.
“But Black magic is different.”
“How different?”
Richard's face darkened and his voice became deeper.
"Black magic does not require training to become proficient. As long as you have some knowledge of magic and understand its structure, anyone, under certain conditions, can use it proficiently."
“So can't anyone use Black magic?”
To use magic, conditions such as magic sensitivity or total mana must be met. If Black Magic could be used without those conditions, wouldn't it be too convenient?
But Richard shook his head.
“Dark magic may seem omnipotent at first glance, but it will penetrate the user's mind, corrupt the soul and ultimately lead to destruction.”
"Perish……."
Perhaps it's because of the scary words like "soul corruption" or "destroy" that Black magic sounds so scary. Richard emphasized to me again:
"As a teacher, I advise you. Never be curious about Black Magic."
His expression was extremely serious. Seeing that, I pouted:
"Have you forgotten, Richard? I originally had no interest in magic."
Even if I carry the blood of Great Mage Cosimo, I am still an ordinary person, my mana is almost zero, and my magic sensitivity is non-existent. Accidentally receiving the dragon's power from Cesar and having the Divine Eye of Wisdom were exceptions, other than that I didn't know what magic to use and didn't care.
But he still maintained a serious attitude.
"However, humans are inherently weak. They are always attracted to new and evil things. Especially those who have experienced the power of magic."
I playfully placed my hand over my heart, imitating the knight's oath.
“I, Irenea, swear that no matter what happens, I will absolutely not touch Black magic.”
Seeing me go to that extent, this skeptical Half-Elf seemed to calm down a bit. He sighed softly.
“And why are you suddenly interested in Black magic?”
“……It's like this.”
I told him about the change in Mercedes' personality that I saw through Tue Nhan. Even though her situation was cornered, the change was still too extreme.
Because by nature Mercedes is a very quiet and somewhat shy person.
"As expected, it makes sense. If it's just a personal deviation, then that woman is beyond crazy."
“That's what I'm thinking too.”
"I will try to investigate further on my side. Recently there have been some unstable rumors that have made me quite worried."
“Rumors of unrest?”
"Well, recently there has been news about young people going missing all over the Capital. Even in my territory of Silver Birch Forest, there have been many reports of young people suddenly disappearing, so I went to investigate the truth."
“What do you mean the missing person?”
I heard that he was given a territory by the Immortal Emperor, but I didn't expect that there would be a disappearance there...
"Recently, the Demon Clan's activities have been relatively stable, with long-lasting peace without war, so the story of people who survived the winter going to work on the fields or voluntarily leaving the territory still happens every year. But this disappearance has a few suspicious points, so we are investigating it specifically."
“Missing…….”
Something is really bad. Although I didn't know exactly what it was, I had a feeling that something very unusual was about to happen.
Queen Cornelia gritted her teeth. Just thinking about being outsmarted by that damn Prince Concubine right before her eyes, she trembled with anger.
“Ha, you cunning bitch……”
Mercedes has been arrested. It's true that she has been using that woman to eliminate the prince concubine candidates for a long time. But this is the first time the situation has been seen through and the tail has been caught like that.
Later, upon further investigation, we found out that that brat had set up two or three layers of traps to lure Mercedes into the trap. It's not a medium.
Irenea of the Flores family. At first glance, she's just a stupid girl. Her legs are limp, just a little threat brings short tears, who would have thought that behind that appearance was such sharpness.
“It seems like I've been taking it for granted for so long.”
Cornelia could not contain her rage. The furniture in her room was smashed to pieces and scattered everywhere. The maids trembled in fear before the Queen's tantrum, only secretly looking at each other without daring to say a word.