The Fifth Princess presented something identical to the badge, clearly a unique crafted item refined through the same processes; only the position of the gem had been changed to the second priority.

“This… is indeed the Second Prince’s Bird Token. Even within the royal family, there is only one of these, making it extremely important. How could it be in the hands of Princess Liliya?”

“Exactly, this should be absolute proof, right? But the judgment of the spirits remains unwavering. What on earth is going on?”

A few neutral party members and supporters of the other two princes whispered among themselves, while the noble strongmen under Liliya kept their faces solemn, afraid to speak carelessly lest they interfere with the invisible duel between their masters.

Vilyric knew that this item had indeed been found on the corpse of that guy named Leopold from the【Throne of Immortality】stronghold.

Even after such a violent hit and having their body reduced to a pancake, this badge, made from an unknown metal, remained perfect and intact, demonstrating its remarkable durability.

It seemed that Leopold played a crucial role in the cooperation between【Throne of Immortality】and Ban; otherwise, this token wouldn’t have been kept on him.

According to subsequent descriptions from Plakaka and a few captured cultists, this Leopold was the head of the entire logistics and development department of【Throne of Immortality】, holding a very high position, nearly comparable to any seated ruler, and not easier to deal with than an ordinary legendary-level strongman.

Had it not been for Vilyric crashing in and unreasonably slaying him in an instant, Liliya and her companions would have found it exceedingly difficult to capture or kill that guy, creating significant obstacles to their encirclement.

In fact, even after his death, Leopold continued to resist as the leader of that mass of grievances, single-handedly countering more than a hundred of the top-tier ground and sky-level experts.

Although Hua and Plakaka hadn’t gone all out at the time, the hassle posed by Leopold was still significantly evident.

Perhaps Ban never expected that cunning guy would really die amidst Liliya’s ambush, right? Seeing this token that originally belonged to him, he barely furrowed his brows.

But Ban quickly reorganized his words.

“Well, regarding this matter, I had initially entrusted my Bird Token to a capable aide to carry out an errand for me. Unfortunately, that person was accidentally killed while on duty, and the Bird Token was lost as a result.”

The man casually touched his fingers and smiled softly.

“It seems that this token passed through various hands and somehow ended up with those villains, leading to a huge misunderstanding. No wonder everyone thinks I’m the one orchestrating this behind the scenes, such a grave injustice.”

As soon as Ban finished speaking, everyone’s gaze turned to the white glowing orb suspended in the air, attempting to determine the truth of his words.

Especially Liliya’s close subordinates and friends, who all shared a mutual understanding: Ban’s words were undoubtedly nonsense, and the High Spirit must surely issue a false punishment, right?

But…

Silence.

“…?”

This time, even Liliya herself looked at the High Space in disbelief.

She couldn’t comprehend why the spiritual embodiment, which claimed to never be deceived by any falsehood, would repeatedly tolerate Ban’s lies.

Could it be that he spoke no falsehood, and there was an issue in her investigation?

Impossible.

The testimonies from Plakaka, along with a plethora of evidence found at the Iris Orphanage, and the statements from those cultists all pointed squarely at the Second Prince. How could it not be him?

Liliya was not the arrogant type, believing her knowledge to be the absolute truth. Still, she had sufficiently prepared and confirmed that the one colluding with the【Throne of Immortality】was undoubtedly Ban Meikailande, hence applying to initiate the council of spirits.

No, this situation is a bit chaotic; I need to reorganize my thoughts.

“I… request a temporary recess.”

Although she still held a few other trump cards and pieces of evidence, the current situation was far too strange.

The High Spirit remained silent. If she didn’t know that this manifestation of the spirits’ will had no independent personality and was absolutely just, and that it had indeed punished the Third Prince Patrick for his insults, Liliya would truly think that this being was somehow protecting Ban.

According to the rules of the council, the initiator could indeed request a mid-session break. Although it felt strange to take a break so soon after the session had begun, Liliya’s request was undoubtedly in accordance with the regulations.

After briefly exchanging opinions with the other two judges, President Herbert, who was already a supporter of the princess, nodded immediately, striking the wooden hammer on the table.

“Request approved. Therefore, from now on, all parties take a thirty-minute break, after which the session will continue!”

The three turned and respectfully bowed to the High Spirit, while the glowing orb, having understood the situation, temporarily descended back into the towering spirit monument.

Liliya and her close allies, especially a certain black-haired Priestess, exchanged glances and then stared at the seemingly mocking yet amused expression of the Second Prince across the table. Taking a deep breath, they turned and exited the council of spirits.

They needed to figure out the truth within this half hour.

   

---