Chapter 85: So, what’s the price?

As soon as the words left his mouth, not only the nobles of the Liliya faction and the neutral faction, but even many of Ban’s own supporters wore expressions of disbelief, their faces becoming quite the spectacle.

Killing one’s own kin is a grave offense; it’s true treachery!

In terms of severity, it isn’t even comparable to colluding with evil cults and harming countless innocent people.

Although in history, there have been instances where princes and princesses have seized power through military coups, slaying their siblings…

But this is the Hall of All Spirits!

【Killing one’s kin is unforgivable; life imprisonment is the only sentence!】

The neutral, imposing voice of the High Spirit echoed throughout the hall at the moment Ban admitted his guilt.

A white orb of light hovered above, casting its glow on Ban Meikailande below, leaving a scarlet chain mark on the back of his right hand.

This indicated that the spirits themselves had judged the second prince for fratricide and delivered a verdict.

Everything had been set in motion.

He had lost to his rival, Liliya Meikailande.

Although many nobles had anticipated this outcome, otherwise the princess wouldn’t have such overwhelming support… Still, when the day arrived, it struck everyone with a strong sense of unreality.

Was it too easy?

Ban didn’t falter at the topic concerning the 【Throne of Immortality】 he had originally raised; rather, he stumbled due to the unexpected death of the crown prince, which had nothing to do with this trial, bringing about a sudden and dramatic twist.

So who was really scheming against whom?

Though it was vastly different from what most had expected, in the end, the Fifth Princess had achieved the ultimate goal of this deliberation.

That is to say, her only remaining competitors were the Third Prince Patrick and the Fourth Prince Devitt.

And neither of them seemed as much of a threat as Ban Meikailande, at least not in terms of support and prestige.

As Ban, escorted away by the palace guards and soon to be imprisoned, passed in front of Liliya, there was no sign of the dejection or anger expected of a loser. He maintained his humble smile.

“You won, little sister; what a splendid comeback. It seems sending you to the Western Battlefield was a wrong decision that led to your transformation, wasn’t it?”

Compared to Ban, who smiled even in failure, Liliya didn’t show any joy at her victory. She seriously scrutinized the expression on the well-dressed man’s face, as if searching for even a hint of guilt or remorse.

“Why take it this far? My brother, myself, and the innocent people who suffered because of this—was it worth abandoning family, citizens, and even the very limits of humanity for a crown?”

“Ha…”

Ban smirked and, disregarding the many gazes directed at him, spoke candidly.

“My brother is a fool, merely enjoying Father’s favor due to being born a few years earlier. His so-called benevolence is useless in this world where power stands alone; a nation grows strong not by currying favor with commoners but through strength!”

“Liliya, I understand true strength better than anyone; it’s a power beyond your imagination, the kind that can support a nation.”

“… You killed your brother for such a reason? Ban… you really are hopeless.”

Disappointment further colored the princess’s gaze.

“Ha, victors write history. You’ve won this round; you can say whatever you like.”

“But, little sister, you better understand what’s allowed you to make it this far—wasn’t it strength? Even you had to abandon that meaningless kindness and wield the knife to compete with us!”

Ban opened his mouth, forming indistinct shapes with his lips.

Only those closest to him, Liliya and Vilyric, would discern that he was saying, “Don’t think this is the final round yet.”

Then, the cornered second prince opened his arms, tearing off the modest facade, and laughed loudly.

“Liliya, don’t lose, ha hahahaha!!!!”

Ban had already moved away, but his laughter lingered, echoing everywhere.

“Are you okay?”

Vilyric patted the girl’s shoulder in front of her, waking her from her thoughts.

Although she had listened to the entire conversation between the royal siblings, Vilyric had no intention of interjecting or disputing. Rather, despite looking down on the other’s methods, some parts of what he just said aligned well with the priestess’s beliefs.

It was just a pity that he relied on the wrong strength and abandoned his principles; that was something Vilyric couldn’t agree with.

In everything, there must be a bottom line.

“I’m fine… just a bit concerned about his attitude. Let’s head back; this matter is about wrapped up.”

“Okay.”

With the guilt now determined, the three adjudicators took the white orb of light dubbed the High Spirit back, and the people in the Hall of All Spirits gradually dispersed.

With Ban’s downfall and detention, the two most intense sides of this royal rivalry settled down.

It seemed that the final outcome was gradually becoming clearer.

Only three days remained until the ceremony concluded.

…

That night, in the inn’s large bed, Vilyric sat cross-legged in the center, examining the dark purple patterned ring in her hand.

Little Dragon Daughter displayed impressive flexibility, lounging beside her in a duck-like sitting position, propping herself up on the bed frame with her hands while her long, white tail swayed rhythmically behind her, looking quite cute.

“Master, what’s this?”

In her pet dimension, Xiao Guang had witnessed the details of the Hall of All Spirits judgment earlier that day, so Vilyric saved a lot of explaining.

“That ring on Ban’s hand; he must be using it to block the High Spirit’s laws from probing. It’s probably quite an interesting piece of equipment.”

As for how this item was forcibly stolen from the second prince by that ratfolk, Plakaka, it was actually quite simple.

Among the jumbled magical items Plakaka pilfered from the Third Prince Patrick’s little treasury, one very peculiar purple item called the Ring of Exchange stood out.

Though classified as equipment, it was a one-time consumable. Its function was to swap the user’s equipment with that of another person when they were close enough to touch.

Though the proximity requirement felt a bit impractical, once activated, the effects were incredibly overpowering; even an item capable of resisting pseudo-god tier law powers could be switched out.

After using it, the Ring of Exchange would instantly break, turning into a mundane object devoid of any magical power, and by now, it was probably still on the second prince’s hand.

However, this equipment seemed somewhat strange; hence, while Plakaka successfully stole it, it couldn’t be used, and he couldn’t ascertain its exact grade.

Later, Liliya simply gifted it to Vilyric as a token of thanks for her help that day.

The real intention of the princess should have been that the priestess might be able to unravel this secret and make good use of it.

As for why no one else could use it, Vilyric figured it out early on.

This item was bound to Ban Meikailande.

In other words, using the rules from 【Illusionary World】 to judge, this was certainly something of higher quality than golden spiritual artifacts because no items below golden ones had bindings.

And for some unknown reason, this dark purple patterned ring gave Vilyric a sense of eerie familiarity.

Well then, let’s try investigating it.

   

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