The crystal orb had enlarged to a size that everyone could see.
It was a very helpful tool.
Right around the time everyone’s attention was focused on it, fog began to form inside the crystal orb.
Soon, the fog morphed into the shape of a person—someone everyone recognized: Emperor Carlos.
In other words, the crystal orb had effectively declared Carlos to be the embezzler.
“Utter nonsense!!”
The emperor shouted in a panic. His voice was completely strained, and it was clear he was flustered.
“What ridiculous trickery is this, Great Sage? What do you stand to gain by trapping me? Didn’t the Mage Tower and the Empire sign a non-aggression pact?”
“This does not violate the pact,”
the Great Sage replied calmly.
“I came here at the Empire’s request to uncover the truth. I am merely fulfilling my promise to the Empire. I have no intention of harming the Empire.”
“Don’t spout nonsense! Then why are you slandering me with these lies?”
“I’m just the keeper of the crystal orb. The person who created the orb wasn’t me but the very first Great Sage—my ancestor—who was the mage in the first Hero’s party. This is an artifact that operates on his magic, not guided by my will. Besides, the first Great Sage would have no reason to falsely accuse Your Imperial Majesty.”
“…Grr…!!”
“In other words, the crystal orb is simply revealing the truth. And that truth is that the person who has been embezzling the tribute money collected from various nations all this time is not the former Hero, Victor Evans, but the Emperor of this Empire! Carlos de Renal! In other words, it’s you!”
The verdict had been delivered.
Unafraid of the Emperor’s power, the Great Sage spoke boldly.
Perhaps emboldened by his courage, people everywhere began to voice their complaints.
“The Emperor embezzled funds?”
“Our tax money?!”
“So the claims that the funds were going to support the Hero were a lie?!”
“People are starving to death in my country because of taxes!”
“In mine, too!”
“If the Emperor really scammed us, then we can’t forgive him!”
“Exactly, that’s right!”
Voices criticizing the Emperor grew louder and louder.
Consequently, the Emperor turned pale, sweat pouring down his face.
“E-Everyone, what on earth are you talking about? There’s no way I’m the embezzler. Ahem… This is all so sudden… Why is this happening? All because of one little crystal orb, you’d label me a criminal? Come now, get a grip on yourselves… Ahem. If you ask me, that incompetent Hero is a far more likely suspect, isn’t he?!”
“We still don’t know if that Hero is incompetent or not, do we?”
the Great Sage replied calmly. Then I jumped in.
“That’s right. Wasn’t today supposed to be about determining just that? I don’t understand why you seem so certain I’m incompetent.”
“Th-That’s…!!”
The Emperor’s uneasy gaze darted about, then suddenly fixed on a single point: Lord Guardian Zero stood there.
The Emperor pointed at him and shouted,
“Lord Guardian! You have the Status Eye! That’s more reliable than the crystal orb, isn’t it?!”
It appeared he had just found a lifeline—now he was going to cling to it.
“Lord Guardian! Confirm it once more! Use the Status Eye to look at Victor Evans there! Isn’t he an incompetent Hero? A pathological liar?!”
Suddenly called out, Lord Guardian Zero was visibly flustered.
He glanced around, then stared at me.
As if trying to fabricate a story on the spot, he spoke awkwardly:
“Y-Yes. That man has neither any magic power nor any skills. The pinnacle of incompetence…! Yes, exactly. There’s no need to rely on a crystal orb. I’m sure of it. I swear on the Status Eye.”
“You swear on the Status Eye?”
I couldn’t stand by any longer and cut in.
“Is that a definite oath, Lord Guardian?”
“O-Of course it is! The Status Eye boasts the highest precision on the continent! Are you complaining? Because of your incompetence, our Empire has paid a fortune and received nothing in return!”
“If you’re so confident in the Status Eye…then let’s add one condition.”
“A condition?”
He said “I swear on the Status Eye,” so it’s only natural we make an agreement, right? If your claim turns out to be wrong, we’ll remove that ‘Status Eye.’ In other words, you’ll apologize by giving up your eye.”
“W-What… That’s absurd!”
“Absurd? If you’re telling the truth, there’s no reason to remove it. Unless you have something to hide?”
“N-No, but…it’s just that there’s no reason to agree to such a ridiculous proposal!”
“Why are you trying so hard to run from this? Sounds suspicious. Don’t you all agree?!”
I turned to the onlookers and asked.
Once again, murmurs rose from the crowd.
“Exactly—if his claim is correct, there’s no reason to refuse.”
“The Empire has lorded over the world by flaunting the precision of that Status Eye, but now…?”
“It’s basically a confession that he has no confidence in it.”
“Zero seems suspicious, too.”
“It’s definitely fishy.”
The people gathered here aren’t just ordinary citizens.
Each one of them has some level of power or skill.
If they were to turn their backs, even the Emperor or the Lord Guardian would be in danger.
I understood that well and used it to my advantage.
I raised my voice:
“Lord Guardian! This is no child’s play! It’s a trial where either you or I must face a harsh outcome for it to end! No more quibbling about who’s right and who’s wrong. Let’s settle this once and for all! One of us has to die, and we’ll end it. Swear right here and now that you’ll stake your own eyes on your claim!”
The onlookers roared again in approval.
“That’s right! One of them has to die!”
“How bold—just the way I like it!”
“Victor’s right!”
“Why are you trying to back out? That’s not manly!”
“Accept the proposal!”
“Otherwise, we can’t help but be suspicious.”
“Yeah, we can’t help but be suspicious.”
“Maybe he’s lying.”
By this point, the Lord Guardian could no longer avoid it.
Drenched in cold sweat, he reluctantly gave in.
“A-Alright… fine. I’ll stake my Status Eye. I swear on my Status Eye that what I’m saying is true.”
“Look at that!”
The person who cut in was the Emperor.
“Lord Guardian Zero is even staking his own eyes on this! Do you still not believe him?! More importantly… wasn’t it undeniable fact that, back when Victor was the Hero, his party never won a single battle? Are you all going to deny that as well? Come to your senses. What we must do is finally put an end to that former Hero, Victor, and work together to summon a new Hero!”
“‘Work together’—meaning you want to collect tribute money again, right?”
“Silence, Victor Evans! Whose fault do you think all this is?!”
“Bold words for someone under suspicion of embezzlement, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“You insolent wretch! Are you truly eager to die?!”
“I came prepared to die if things went south. I never expected a scenario where people would say, ‘Looking again, you’re still incompetent—farewell!’ Today, it’s either me or the Empire. One of us will bleed. Surely you’re aware of that much?”
“You dare threaten me, the Emperor?!”
“I’m already risking my life by coming here. And even if everyone else doesn’t know, I know one thing for sure: I never received a campaign fund exceeding ten thousand gold. Which means there had to be a thief somewhere along the way. Until now, I’ve been living in a small village in the Kingdom of Grimoire. So I know firsthand how much ordinary people suffer under high taxes. All over the world, there’s this so-called ‘Hero Support Fund,’ which is really just a ‘tribute’—and it’s caused countless poverty and starvation. I can’t forgive that. Nor can I forgive the person who caused it.”
“You dare say you can’t forgive me?!”
“Are you admitting to it now?”
“…N-No…!!”
I was sure of it.
The embezzler was the Emperor; there wasn’t really anyone else who fit the bill.
“All right, all right, that’s enough,” said the Great Sage, clapping her hands to draw everyone’s attention. She was still holding the crystal orb.
“Arguing about who’s right or wrong—just a few words exchanged isn’t going to give us the full answer. After all, why was I called here in the first place? You all know the reason. It’s to reveal the hidden power of Victor Evans, is it not? Let’s cut to the chase.”
The Great Sage’s words were logical. Everyone focused on her.
“Everything depends on this crystal orb. I shall ask it: Does Victor Evans possess a hidden power? Does he have a hidden skill? Was it really Victor Evans who was supporting the Hero’s party all along?”
They were the very questions everyone wanted answered, questions even I was curious about.
“Now, crystal orb, give us your answer!”
Finally, the whole truth was about to be revealed!