chapter_0208

‘Duke…’

The fury of the Beast that
once shook the Continent now redirected its course.

This was an extremely
burdensome development for Duke Partan as well. The duke’s urgent
excuses were transmitted into Benedict’s mind.

‘Are you asking me to trust
you?’

‘That won’t be necessary.’

At this very moment, Benedict
could gain much by cooperating with the duke.

He was well aware of that
fact.

However, no matter what he
might gain, it would pale in comparison to what Lucy was enduring
right now.

Benedict had no intention of
stopping.

‘Smiling? Lucy?’

Benedict quickly turned his
head to look at his daughter, who was standing at the centre of all
the criticism.

Despite the crushing weight of
such heavy accusations, Lucy was standing tall with a smile, just as
the duke had said.

It wasn’t a forced or
pretended smile. It was genuine, as if she was truly enjoying the
situation.

At the very moment Benedict
was taken aback by this sight.

A divine light began to shine
from the ceiling of the party hall.

The light wasn’t
extravagant, but it was so warm and captivating that one couldn’t
look away.

As those who were hurling
accusations became enchanted by the divine light falling like snow,
they began to fall silent one by one, enveloping the party hall in
stillness.

As the overheated atmosphere
cooled down, a voice suddenly echoed from the centre of the party
hall.

She didn’t use magic to
amplify her voice. Nor did she use any other tools.

Her voice was entirely her
own, yet it reached the ears of every person in the hall.

“Ladies and gentlemen.”

Gentle and soft, but
unmistakable.

A voice refined through
countless public appearances.

“Please calm down. Nothing
has been proven as fact yet.”

No one in the party hall, not
a single person, could refute that voice.

Who could argue against the
voice of the Saint of the Church of Armadi, who wore such a sorrowful
expression?

At the Academy, Phoebe was
just another student, but outside, it was a different story.

Having travelled to countless
regions and performed acts of goodwill repeatedly, her words carried
inherent authority as the current face of the Church of Armadi.

“Lady Allen?”

“Yes, what is it, you sloppy
saint?”

Many people were shocked to
hear Lucy call Phoebe a ‘sloppy saint,’ but Phoebe herself only let
out a light chuckle.

“Please, step forward.”

After confirming that Lucy was
moving through the crowd, Phoebe turned her head.

Though her face still held a
smile, uncannily, that smile seemed cold.

“And Knight Commander of
the kingdom?”

For the first time, Tavol
showed respect at the Saint’s call.

“Yes, esteemed Saint of the
Church of Armadi.”

“Could you please speak
clearly about the suspicions?”

“The Partan Festival is…”

“Please, just speak about
the suspicions.”

Despite her gentle yet firm
voice, Tavol cleared his throat, apologised, and continued speaking.

“Firstly, there’s the
possibility of using an artefact.”

The stalls at the Partan
Festival strive to disqualify as many people as possible.

Even those renowned in their
fields find it challenging to succeed in areas outside their
expertise.

But Lucy was different.

She repeatedly won, even in
fields she wasn’t supposed to be proficient in.

“Some fields may indeed be a
matter of luck. Fields requiring outstanding physical abilities?
Let’s say she overcame them by using buffs that are secretly used
to enhance physical abilities.

However, her winning in
several technical fields, despite only being a first-year at the
Academy? Isn’t that strange?”

It’s not impossible to win
through superior physical abilities at a street stall.

However, the gap between
impossible and possible is enormous.

Even those who are actively
working in the field often fail. How could a first-year student at
the Academy dream of succeeding?

“What’s your evidence?”

As Tavol raised his voice to
present his argument, a voice cut through from behind.

Tavol narrowed his eyes,
wondering who dared to interrupt, but when he saw the face, he could
only manage an awkward smile.

Arthur Soladin.

Though he is quite distant
from the line of succession, he belongs to the royal family.

One of the few people here
whom Tavol must show respect.

“Yes?”

“The evidence that she used
an artefact. Did you see her use it? Or did you confirm the artefact
she’s using?”

“…”

“Are you simply raising your
voice because you think a first-year at the Academy couldn’t
possibly achieve this?”

Arthur looked at Tavol as if
he were pathetic, glanced at Duke Partan, and stood up.

“I can’t compare to my older
brother, but I was once called a genius. I’ll tell you this, the Lucy
Allen I saw at the Academy is a monster. She was the one who showed
me the wall of talent.”

“But.”

“Even Frey Kent, who is
considered the pride of the kingdom’s future, has never defeated
Lucy Allen.”

People began to look around at
Arthur’s words.

They were searching for Frey
Kent, who was supposed to be here.

Amidst the rapidly unfolding
situation, Frey, who was leisurely enjoying her meal, noticed the
attention directed at her, swallowed her food, and nodded.

“That’s right. Lucy is
strong.”

Sighs of admiration could be
heard here and there at her indifferent voice.

Who is Frey Kent?

Isn’t she a monster who has
always won every competition with overwhelming skill.

If she were to continue
growing, she is considered capable of earning the title of Sword
Saint. Yet, she has never won a single victory against Lucy Allen!

What was once just a rumour
now becomes a fact with Frey’s acknowledgment. The divine talent of
Lucy Allen is proven in a public setting.

People’s perspectives begin to
change. From; Is that possible? to Oh, it might be possible.

They start to think; The
talent of the Allen Family’s bloodline, which has been hidden for so
long, has finally blossomed.

“And does she lack
anything other than physical abilities? Not at all. If that were the
case, she wouldn’t always rank first at the Academy.”

“…Third Prince, what
are you trying to say?”

“To put it plainly, I
find it offensive that you’re dismissing the talent of a
once-in-a-lifetime genius. At this rate, not just me but everyone
here would appear incompetent for constantly being overshadowed by
Lucy Allen.”

Tavol chewed his words, taken
aback by Arthur’s strong stance.

It wasn’t just because Arthur
came on strong. It was also because Tavol understood the deeper
meaning behind his words.

If Lucy Allen’s talent is
false, then what does it make those who were defeated by such false
talent? Specifically, what does that make the First Prince?

Can you handle degrading her
without any evidence?

“However, there is still
an unclear part. We might say her talent is exceptional in other
areas, but magic. When it comes to magic, it’s never…”

“I think I can speak to
that.”

A voice piped in from yet
another direction. It was Joy Partan.

As the Lady of the Partan
Family, known for her excellent magical abilities, she seemed to have
run here in a hurry, for she was catching her breath.

“Lady Allen also
possesses deep knowledge in the field of magic.”

“…What?”

Joy then spoke about an
incident at the Academy.

Lady Allen had given her
advice related to magic, and after that, her own skills had improved
dramatically.

“Such advice couldn’t
have come from someone without profound expertise.”

“Really?”

“Are you saying you don’t
believe me?”

Her face was partially
concealed by a fan, showing only her eyes — cold, sharp, and
piercing.

Who could possibly deny the
words of a Partan within the domain of the Partans?

Tavol closed his mouth again,
paused for a moment, and then spoke.

“Understood. Perhaps Lady
Allen’s talent exceeds my insignificant understanding. However, there
are still suspicions. At the end of the festival… It’s about the
dungeon strategy when Lady Allen faced the First Prince in a duel.”

Tavol spoke. He claimed that
the answer Lucy came up with wasn’t possible unless she already had
knowledge of the dungeon.

As he raised his doubts, those
who had witnessed the duel between the First Prince and Lucy nodded
in agreement.

Emboldened by their response,
Tavol’s voice grew louder.

“Lady Allen, let me ask
you. Did you know about the dungeon before visiting the street
stall?”

“Of course I did, you
worthless knight.”

“…What?”

“Unlike you, who has
nothing but pride despite your incompetence, I’m a genius.”

In the silence that settled
over the party hall, a laugh filled with mockery echoed.

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