Volume 2 Chapter 42: Apparently, He Has No Clue【The Aristocratic Council Arc】

“W-what do you mean…?”

Kelphine was stunned.

That bizarre spectacle was seared into his eyes.

The events that transpired were simple enough.

In the verdict deciding guilt or innocence, every court noble except him chose guilty.

Thus, Kelphine was conclusively found guilty.

In fact, assassins were already being dispatched against him.

But…

“What the hell is this!?”

But this couldn’t be.

He was supposed to be the only one aware that he had sent out assassins.

And during his earlier war of words with Balor, it was clear that Kelphine held the advantage.

He maintained his dominance throughout and carried it into the verdict.

That is precisely why Kelphine never even considered that he might be found guilty, and he waited for the verdict with calm confidence.

And yet, and yet!

“Based on the verdict of the Noble Council, Kelphine-sama is deemed guilty.”

“Shut up!!”

He shouted at the moderator, and his gaze turned toward the four major nobles sitting on the same elevated dais.

No mere court noble would ever dare oppose him openly.

This was, after all, an order from the faction leaders among the four major nobles who shared his status.

It was all a fixed outcome.

From the start, Kelphine’s guilt had already been determined.

“Resk! Silthia! Are you planning to break the unspoken accord of the four major nobles!?”

The four major nobles never openly clashed.

While factional disputes were intentionally conducted as a means of pressure release, they never actually came head-to-head.

That’s why there were regular meetings consisting solely of the four major nobles.

But still, this was clearly a violation of the agreement!

“Unspoken accord? That’s the first I’m hearing of it.”

“Don’t you find this development interesting?”

“W-what…!?”

However, both Resk and Silthia showed not the slightest hint of contrition.

Could such a thing really be possible?

And on top of that…

“Y-y-you…! Are you planning on being used by that Apophis!?”

Even as four major nobles, are they really going to be at the beck and call of regional nobles who aren’t even court nobles?

That was something Kelphine found inconceivable.

“Y-y-Yoldak!”

As a last resort, he looked to Yoldak.

They were both part of the conservative faction—the largest of them all.

If Yoldak sided with him, there was still a possibility for a turnaround.

But…

“…My faction votes independently, Kelphine. Judging by what I just heard, it appears many believed you to be guilty.”

“You damn tanuki…!”

Yoldak had not actively attacked Kelphine.

His policy had been to side with whichever party appeared to have the advantage.

If either Resk or Silthia had been on Kelphine’s side—or even remained neutral—Yoldak likely wouldn’t have shown hostility toward him.

Yet, in this instance, the defeated party was undoubtedly Kelphine.

Where, pray tell, is the idiot who boards a sinking ship?

“M-more importantly, you all! What is going on here!?”

Other factions understood.

The top, though not serious, were at odds in the Noble Council.

But… even the court nobles from his own faction rising up all at once was incomprehensible.

It was so abnormal that his mind could not accept it.

Thus, his astonishment far outweighed his anger.

“Are you trying to trap me? How much do you think I owe you…? Will you repay that favor with betrayal!?”

“…………”

Even as Kelphine—the absolute powerhouse—shouted, they returned his glare with lifeless eyes.

They defied the leader of their own faction.

In the narrow world of the Noble Council, that defiance meant death.

That is why, until now, no one had dared oppose the four major nobles.

Except on this day.

“Kelphine-sama, you once protected us with your great power in numbers. In exchange for joining your faction and gaining your backing, we always supported your wishes. In other words, it was a relationship of mutual benefit. We have never received a favor unilaterally.”

“Ah, ah…!?”

Calmly, without showing any emotion, the faction nobles spoke, and Kelphine—the one to be denounced—found himself overpowered by their composure.

Only moments ago, he had been shouting at Balor!

So what is with this sudden change!?

“And now, you can no longer provide us any benefit. That is the judgment.”

“Y-y-youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!”

His anger exploded.

Though not normally permitted to be armed, Kelphine had brought a sword as a privilege of the four major nobles.

Drawing it would have stirred the Noble Council.

Some nobles carry swords merely for show.

But Kelphine was different.

He was a noble who truly mastered the art of arms.

A warrior.

That word best described him.

He did not wield a feeble, timid slash; he swung a sword capable of killing.

And his target was…

“It’s all your fault, you—!!”

“(Huh!?)”

Balor Apophis, who had been secretly enjoying the spectacle of Kelphine being cornered, suddenly dashed down from the elevated dais and swung his sword at Balor.

Kelphine was a warrior.

His charging speed was too fast for the ever-slacking Balor to counter.

In fact, Balor could only stand there, mouth agape in astonishment, utterly unable to move in time.

It was clear that he was nothing but an amateur compared to Kelphine.

Then, Kelphine would finish him with a single strike.

If he, already doomed by the verdict, committed such an act, it would not go unpunished.

But Balor—Balor alone—could not be allowed to live!

With explosive speed, Kelphine closed in and swung his sword to behead him…

Balor’s eyes began to glow red.

“――――――”

A dazzling red light illuminated the chamber.

Everyone covered their eyes, refusing to look directly at it.

No, they instinctively knew not to look, as an inner alarm rang out in their minds.

Everyone obeyed that alarm.

Yet only Kelphine, with murderous intent in his eyes, could not avert his gaze.

As a result, unable even to cry out, Kelphine collapsed.

His skin darkened, transforming into a ghastly sight as if a branding iron had been pressed over his entire body.

“W-what is that power…?”

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Kelphine’s downfall had been decided by the earlier verdict.

But who could have imagined that one of the four major nobles would meet such an end?

Balor Apophis.

His name… his otherworldly power left an indelible impression on the core of the Noble Council.

A mere regional noble influencing the Noble Council.

An unprecedented and, under normal circumstances, impossible reality.

“…After all, isn’t this fascinating!”

Silthia’s interest in Balor grew even stronger.

“(One minute he’s screaming and attacking, and the next he’s asleep—talk about unstable!)”

Yet, it seems he himself cannot comprehend it at all.