The sound of horseshoes clattering loud enough to raise dust.
At the end of it all, some audiences had been enjoying this tragedy more than anyone else, hiding behind thin masks until just now.
"What, what! Do you know who I am and why are you doing this? Security!"
Ironically, some only revealed their hidden identities when they were in danger.
"I know you well. Are you not Viscount Eisenward of the Rosenthal family?"
The knights of the Grand Duke's house indifferently arrested them and wrote their names on a list.
The nobles flinched once when they saw the family crest painted on the armor and twice when they confirmed that their names were written somewhere.
They checked everyone's faces without exception and gave us a formal explanation of the procedures to follow.
The trial would soon begin. It was an unusual case, with the powerless and weak on the victim side and the nobles on the perpetrator side, but no one could escape responsibility.
The kingdom's leader will soon change, and a new wind will blow by that.
Next to the nobles were the organizers of auctions, who sold other people's lives to fill their own stomachs.
They were shown an example by having their wrists tied with rope and being thrown to the ground in an even more forceful manner.
A dust storm rose. The screams of those resisting were loud.
I jumped down from my horse, narrowed my eyes, and returned with Raphael, assessing the situation and giving simple instructions.
If there was too much resistance, he would cast a simple spell to ease the knights' efforts.
Even at such moments, my nerves were focused on only one place.
'As expected. It's not there. I can't see the Duke.'
Where the hell did you go?
If he had run away to somewhere else instead of attending the auction, it would have been a huge disaster.
"Excuse me."
Then Raphael, who had been watching me wander around, spoke. I immediately raised my head and followed his gaze.
It was an ordinary tent, no different from the many tents spread out in the forest.
But even though this was happening, it was strangely quiet, and there was no sign of life inside.
Raphael asked cautiously, wondering if he felt the same sense of discomfort as I did.
"Would you mind taking refuge for a moment?"
When I heard that question, I was really troubled.
The first reason is a cliché, but it was because the Duke and I were blood relatives. Furthermore, we looked so similar that it was impossible to deny that we were blood-related.
So I was even more shocked when I found out about his evil deeds.
Secondly, it was because the events of just a few days ago were still vivid.
It seems that he was thinking of not only exploiting magic power but also stealing it away.
If it weren't for Raphael, I would have ended my life being used as a tool of the Duke from beginning to end.
"..."
But that's why I have to cut it off with this hand even more.
The Duke had never thought of me as his daughter, and now there was no reason for me to think of him as my father.
I answered with a faint smile and walked towards the tent.
***
Before opening the door and going in, I looked inside through a small gap.
There was a person inside the dark room without a single candle lit.
It was the Duke.
I looked closer because I was curious to see that he wasn't running away, but just moving busily inside the tent.
"... It's okay, it's still okay."
He was muttering madly and gathering the magic stones and the gold he had earned in his bosom, which he was planning to auction off.
It seemed like this place was used as a warehouse without any distinction between the tents and the outside in case of an emergency.
"If you have money... You can go into exile în another country and buy another nobility. You can leave and start over..."
The endless greed of the Duke was laughable. He didn't care that his subordinates who followed his orders were being captured, but instead coveted the wealth right in front of him.
"You're going into exile in another country?"
I opened the tent door and went inside.
The Duke flinched when he heard my voice, shook his shoulders, and looked this way.
"Was it your doing? What happened to that tower... and the warlock?"
"It's all over, Duke."
"H, how could you dare do that? You, who only has magical powers."
The Duke reached for the sword on his waist. Was this because he was a noble who had been trained since he was young?
Raphael tried to block my path while protecting me, but I stopped him instead.
Rather, I was curious. How much lower could the Duke fall from here?
"Pick up your sword, Duke."
"Duke! You idiot! I am your father, how dare you..!"
As soon as the black sword in his hand came out of its sheath, I was engulfed in my magic.
Before the Duke could even raise his hand, the sword fell to the floor.
The Duke picked up his sword again, his face turning red and blue. With a snap, the sword fell back to the ground.
And again, again, again...
This was repeated several times, but the Duke never managed to swing his sword properly even once.
I drove the wedge in, mocking him as he gasped loudly...
"It's so embarrassing that I can't believe that a fool who can't even hold a sword is the master of the Duke of Wintersoar."
"...if there had been, it would have been different."
"What did you say?"
"If I had magic powers, this wouldn't have happened! It would have been different!"
I opened my mouth as I looked at him with pitiful eyes, blaming others to the end.
"I can't take Raphael's sword. Nor Sasha's. Nor Hayden's."
"...What?"
"A well-trained knight maintains balance with a straight back, fights with a strong sword, and moves with agility, leaving no openings."
If magic could suppress everyone's power, then the strongest people in the world would be wizards. But that's not the case.
Even in battle, magicians and swordsmen fight together.
"Instead of blaming yourself for what you don't have, you should have looked back on what you have. If you don't like what the Duke's predecessors did, you should have atoned and created a new family!"
I shouted at the Duke in a voice full of resentment. The Duke listened to me in silence with a look of emptiness on his face.
"But you don't have a chance anymore. Now I'm going to make it happen."
The Duke, who I thought had given up everything, lost his wits and rushed at me like a rabid dog as soon as he heard my last words.
"The Duke, the Duke, I am!"
And before he could finish his words, he was struck by the scabbard swung by Raphael and fell down.
I frowned and watched him. Raphael asked for my permission, then brought out a rope and began to tie up the Duke, who was lying on the floor convulsing.
"... The violence is quite serious. If we drag it out like this, I don't think he'll even open his mouth at trial."
I said, trailing off as I just remembered the Duke's new treatment.
Raphael answered as if he had been waiting.
"Looking at the level of rebellion, it seems like it will be difficult to manage criminals in the future."
"I think so. Putting him on the guillotine is too easy a punishment."
I watched the Duke's face turn blue as he listened to our conversation.
I took a step closer.
The pain I felt in my past life, my mother's wounds, and many other victims.
Amazingly, all of this was led by such a weak and worthless man.
"...the mastermind behind the brutal and ruthless human trafficking case that left countless victims."
He took one last look at the tied up Duke, kneeling on the floor.
"They tried to capture the Duke of Wintersoar, but unfortunately, he escaped without being seen."
"It's not difficult. I'll make that sentence true."
Raphael approached the Duke, his blue eyes sparkling in the darkness.
"I've wanted to do this ever since the day I saw the scar on your cheek."
I was a little taken aback by Raphael's memory and resentment, which were even greater than mine.
"Are you sure it's okay?"
"Your magic will always shine as pure white as it does now. The Grand Duke's emblem has always been black."
This time, I decided to rely on Raphael.
I lifted my hooves in front of the Duke and gave him a light kiss.
And then I walked over to the screams that started to come in and closed the tent.
The noise outside was so loud that the groans coming from the Duke's mouth could not be heard.
***
I thought everything would end well. I held an auction in the forest and arrested the participants.
The next day, news of this would be spread throughout the kingdom, and the trial would begin.
But the problem arose that evening while reviewing the documents.
"... You can't find any evidence that the first Prince participated in this auction? Isn't the location where the auction was held the evidence?"
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