Chapter 23: The Great Demon King – 1

“The accused, Kesar, was once a trusted warrior of the Great Demon King, earning merit through numerous battles. However, drunk on his own success, he has finally overstepped his bounds.”

“In an act of unforgivable treachery, he dared to use that vile human witch to orchestrate an attack on the Magic Tower, Olymph.”

The voice of Goeling, the presiding judge, rang coldly throughout the grand hall.

A high-ranking noble and longtime critic of Kesar, he was making his intentions painfully clear.

He was here to tear Kesar apart.

“An attack on Olymph is an attack on the Demon Realm itself. Thus, I call for the severe punishment of the traitor, Kesar.”

With those final words, Goeling sat down.

Murmurs filled the hall.

Some demons nodded in agreement.

Others shot Kesar mocking glances, barely bothering to hide their smirks.

A few shook their heads with grim expressions, but they were a clear minority.

The atmosphere in the throne room was undeniable.

This was not a trial.

It was a stage.

A spectacle meant to bring about Kesar’s downfall.

Standing beside him, Mari swallowed hard, her gaze full of concern as she watched him.

‘Please… everything has to go according to plan…’

Meanwhile, across the room, Demon Lord Adolf Gearmann watched the proceedings with a quiet, satisfied smirk.

Everything was falling into place perfectly.

Truthfully, even he hadn’t expected things to go this smoothly.

It had all started with a simple accident involving a human witch.

Something easily discarded.

Had he been in Kesar’s position, he would have abandoned the girl immediately to minimize the damage.

That alone would have been enough to cripple Kesar’s soaring reputation.

But instead.

The fool had clung to the human.

Refusing to let go of her, he had chosen to walk the path of self-destruction.

‘To think he would make such a moronic decision… Did he really let himself be swayed by that human woman?’

…No.

That was too absurd.

He might have been reckless, but Kesar was no fool in love.

Especially not when he was already surrounded by countless desirable demon women.

No.

Something else was at play here.

At the very least, one thing was clear.

Kesar valued that woman as his subordinate.

If he hadn’t, he would never have made such a foolish decision.

He wouldn’t have thrown himself into ruin just to protect her.

‘Regardless, this is a crippling blow.

Even if he somehow recovers, he’ll never regain the same influence he once had.’

As a Demon Lord, Kesar would likely avoid execution.

But politically and militarily.

He was finished.

Territory confiscation.

A potential demotion.

If things escalated further, he might even be forced to relinquish his position as one of the Four Great Demon Lords.

And once a bird’s wings were clipped…

It rarely took flight again.

Convinced that Kesar was no longer a threat, Adolf allowed himself to relax.

“Well then… if you have anything to say for yourself, speak now, Kesar. Do you have any evidence—any proof—to refute these claims?”

A deep voice echoed from behind the great curtains of the throne room.

The Great Demon King himself.

As this was a matter of grave importance, it was only natural that the highest authority in the Demon Realm would personally deliver judgment.

And yet.

Kesar remained silent.

‘Of course.

No matter how sharp his tongue may be, there is no way out of this.’

Without solid evidence, he couldn’t clear his name.

And all the evidence that could have saved him?

Adolf had already erased it.

No matter how brilliant Kesar was, there was simply nothing he could do this time.

But then.

Clank.

“!?”

“…What?! Who dares—?”

“My apologies for the delay.”

A sudden interruption.

As a group of figures strode into the throne room.

The moment Adolf laid eyes on them, his brow furrowed instinctively.

‘That woman…’

A demon woman strode confidently into the courtroom, dragging a bound figure behind her.

Her hair was disheveled, her forehead slick with sweat—as if she had just rushed from some intense pursuit.

At a glance, she looked like an easy target for criticism.

But no one in the hall dared to say a word.

Because she was.

Flantsu Napolita.

Kesar’s right hand and a high noble of the esteemed Marquis Napolita’s bloodline.

Even Adolf Gearmann couldn’t afford to disregard her influence.

In this court—where strength dictated authority—very few could challenge her actions.

Unless Adolf himself spoke out…

Or unless the Great Demon King behind the curtain chose to intervene.

But Adolf lacked the justification.

And the Great Demon King remained silent.

In the tense hush, Flantsu smirked and threw the bound demon man to the floor.

“Ghhk—!”

“! W-What is the meaning of this?!”

Judge Goeling, momentarily silenced by the shock of the moment, finally regained his voice.

To his outburst, Flantsu responded with a sharp, predatory grin.

“Just now, His Majesty the Great Demon King asked for evidence.”

“…W-What?”

Goeling blinked, utterly caught off guard.

Ignoring him, Flantsu turned toward the Great Demon King behind the curtain.

“This man’s name is Cross.

A mage of the Magic Tower.

And one of the culprits behind this entire scheme.”

“W-What nonsense is this?! A mage from Olymph involved in the attack?! Do you have any proof?!”

“Of course I do,” Flantsu said smoothly.

With a flourish, she tossed forward several objects.

A ledger detailing the bribes Cross had received.

And the shattered remains of the magic crystal used to trigger the explosion.

“!!!”

“Th-This… No…! That’s not…!”

The courtroom erupted in murmurs.

Both Goeling and Adolf were visibly shaken by the unexpected turn of events.

For a moment, Adolf’s sharp gaze flickered toward Goebil, the Master of the Magic Tower—the one who had collaborated with him the most in this scheme.

But Goebil only stared back at him in stunned confusion, shaking his head.

They had been certain that all the evidence had been completely erased.

Even during Kesar’s immediate investigation, not a single trace had been found.

So then.

Where had those crystal fragments come from?

What was that ledger detailing the bribes Cross had received?

As disbelief and confusion clouded Adolf’s thoughts, his gaze shifted.

And met Kesar’s.

The Demon Lord was watching him with an eerily calm, almost mocking smile.

And in that moment, a horrifying thought entered Adolf’s mind.

‘…Could it be… he knew everything from the start…?’

Adolf had already been suspicious of Kesar’s actions—how the man had allowed things to escalate so recklessly over a mere human witch.

But now, it all clicked into place.

What if Kesar had already secured the evidence beforehand?

What if he had been waiting for Adolf to make his move?

After all.

Kesar hadn’t originally planned to visit the Magic Tower that day.

Yet he had personally gone there himself.

And the moment the explosion occurred, he had taken immediate control of the investigation.

And now.

He was launching a counterattack, using undeniable proof to shatter the accusations against him.

The weight of the evidence wasn’t just deflecting the blow Adolf had aimed at him.

It was turning it back around.

And the first target that blade would strike?

A now ashen-faced Goebil.

And right behind him, Adolf himself.

Realizing that his so-called “victory” had just turned into his own trap, a cold sweat ran down Adolf’s back.

Meanwhile, across the courtroom.

Flantsu, with a smug grin, used Cross and the newly revealed evidence to clear Kesar’s name and shift the blame onto the Magic Tower.

And as the momentum of the trial completely reversed, leaving Adolf and Goeling paralyzed.

Kesar finally exhaled in quiet relief.

‘Whew… thank god they fell for it…’

“Fabricating evidence?”

I blinked in surprise at Mari’s unexpected suggestion.

“Yes,” she replied firmly.

“Since they’re trying to push this situation without any solid proof, we will counter them with false evidence. The first step would be capturing Cross, since he is clearly involved in this plot.”

“Hmm… That bastard…”

Cross had been careful, even managing to slip past Poltuga’s usual vigilance.

If we could capture him, we might uncover something useful.

But considering the circumstances, it might not be enough on its own.

And there was always the chance that Cross would refuse to talk.

That was where Mari’s idea came in—

The forged evidence.

Even if we didn’t find anything, I had led the initial investigation.

Meaning.

We could claim that I had discovered the evidence earlier, but kept it hidden—

And was now using it to expose their crimes.

“Falsifying evidence is possible with magic… but will they even believe it? Wouldn’t they just get suspicious?” Flantsu asked skeptically.

Mari shook her head, her expression dead serious.

“No. In fact, they will hardly question it at all.”

“…What?”

Flantsu frowned in confusion.

Mari continued

“As you know, they already fear Lord Kesar’s power. The fact that they resorted to such underhanded tactics proves it.

Because of that fear, they are more likely to accept a dramatic, overwhelming move—

Rather than stop to question its legitimacy.”

In other words.

They already saw me as a dangerous enemy.

And because of that, they were more inclined to overestimate me.

And sure enough.

As I watched my enemies completely crumble under the weight of the forged evidence

A cold smile formed on my lips.

‘Just as planned…’