[Are you absolutely sure you aren't mistaken?]
At that question, Kael nodded with a solemn look on his face.
And the instant Elira saw his confidence,
"I felt something odd when I was inside that domain too. I have reasons to believe that Beast is Corrupted."
She announced, pointing towards Rowan's Maw.
Selene narrowed her eyes.
It wasn't just her; the rest of the people were the same, even the ones at the Drakthar Camp.
Prince Edric narrowed his eyes, his expression grim.
Kael's matter, he could still settle, considering he was a foreigner with next to no understanding of worldly matters.
Yes, they would need to pay some compensation, but it wouldn't be too big. If the Xenthalor Empire pushed too much, it would ruin their image instead. This was also the reason Tower Head Selene wasn't reacting very strongly.
If someone like Elira, who was the face of Drakthar, says the same thing, he wouldn't be able to defend them anymore, and it would give Selene all the reason to act out the way she wanted.
And that was exactly what the woman did.
"Crown Prince Edric, first, you tell me to drop this matter, and now your Court Mage blames my mage again?
Hero Kael, I could understand. He is naïve and wouldn't possibly mean harm, but with Court Mage Elira joining him as well,
It makes me think that this is Drakthar's ploy to ruin my Empire's reputation. And if that is indeed the case, do know that Xenthalor will retaliate."
Selene narrowed her eyes, even going as far as threatening the entire Drakthar Kingdom, something that would have normally enraged the Crown Prince, but considering the situation, he knew he couldn't act out.
But unlike the Crown Prince, Elira didn't care about these things—not right now, when she knew her student was right.
"A Ploy? A Ploy is based on a lie, Tower Head Selene. Not on truth."
"Are you saying my Xenthalor Mage is Corrupted?"
Selene narrowed her eyes.
"Did you not hear me before? Is it because of your age?"
But this time, her provocation didn't work. Rather, the Tower Head just grinned, her sharp gaze flickering between Elira and Edric.
"A strange turn of events indeed,"
She commented, her voice filled with amusement.
"First, the Hero acts out, making my Mage's victory practically meaningless in everyone's eyes. Then, the Crown Prince defends the Hero, only for the Court Mage to say the same thing. And now, you are even resorting to petty provocation. The coordination almost seems…
Selene spoke as she turned towards Alden, as if trying to imply something.
Something that the guests very quickly understood.
"Did the Drakthar Kingdom plan all this?"
"Why would they do it?"
"Didn't you see? The limelight was taken away from the Xenthalor Mage when he should have been basking in it. Not only that, but now everyone is discussing whether a Xenthalor Mage is corrupted or not. Don't you think the transition was too quick…?"
"Now that you say it…"
"But still, this is the Drakthar Kingdom…"
"And? This wouldn't be the first time one Nation tried to put down another.
And hasn't the Empire gotten much stronger and more influential lately? This might be…"
Murmurs were heard. The guests were now doubting whether this was indeed Drakthar's Ploy or if Selene was manipulating them.
Of course, as the discussions continued, Selene's words held more and more weight, and the Tower Head recognized it.
"You came up with a good Ploy, Drakta-"
She wanted to continue, but then,
Elira chuckled, her eyes, however, were cold.
"Tower Head Selene, as i said before, a ploy requires deception. A lie. But what I say is the truth.
If you believe this is Drakthar's ploy, why don't you ruin it?"
The Court Mage then pointed at Pope Altheran and,
"Why not use the Verdant Omen?
If Rowan's Bond is free of corruption, then the Verdant Omen will prove it. Xenthalor's honor remains intact, and I will bear full responsibility for my wo-"
Before Elira could complete, Edric screamed in anger, unable to control himself any longer.
The Verdant Omen was one of the Ancient Relics capable of detecting even the slightest traces of the Power of Corruption and identifying its Source.
However, unlike other detection tools, it was not primarily used to sense corruption—after all, the Power of Corruption was something that even ordinary people could recognize because of its vile, unnatural aura.
Instead, the Verdant Omen was used for a far graver purpose:
The execution of the Corrupted.
When the Power of Corruption infects a Bond, it finds an anchor point within the creature, an organ that becomes a vassal for the Corruption. This could be the brain, where thoughts were poisoned; the heart, where emotions were consumed; or any other organ vital to life.
It is said that as the Bond falls to corruption, so does its Tamer.
Because of this, the Verdant Omen is used.
Once it identifies the Source of Corruption within a Bonded Beast, the same organ within the Tamer has to be destroyed. It is done so that the Tamer feels the pain his Bond once felt, a way to punish the Tamer for subjecting the Bond—who only showered him with Love—to such torture.
To even suggest using Verdant Omen—which was used to punish the lowliest criminals—on a Xenthalor Mage was extremely disrespectful, to not Rowan, the Mage, but the entire Xenthalor Empire.
Even Pope Altheran himself had a strange look on his face, and with how others reacted to those words, Prince Edric could tell how Elira's words supported Selene's claims even further.
If they only had doubts before, now, it indeed looked like Drakthar's Ploy.
"You're a bold one, Court Mage."
Selene's smirk widened, but she looked anything but amused.
"You say you will bear full responsibility for your words, but can someone like you taking responsibility even justify an insult of this magnitude?"
She raised her voice, ensuring everyone heard her words.
She turned to the Crown Prince and,
"Your Highness, if this is how Drakthar wishes to treat us after inviting us as guests, then so be it.
I, Selene Valcroft, Tower Head of the Fire Tower and representative of the Xenthalor Empire, announce that as of this moment, Xenthalor formally ceases all trade and diplomatic relations with Drakthar until a formal, public apology is issued."
Gasps of shock rippled through the Arena.
Drakthar Nobles stiffened.
Merchants from the Grand Council of Gold, on the other hand, grinned, their eyes shining brightly. After all, if direct trade between Drakthar and Xenthalor stops, their black markets would soon have a high influx of new customers.
They could also use this chance to raise their prices even further to generate more profit.
Heck, Dorian was practically drooling at the scene. His mind had already come up with more than a few ways to maximize profit.
Yes, that was how vital trade between Drakthar and Xenthalor was.
The Magic Artifacts that Xenthalor Mages created were used throughout Drakthar. Of course, Drakthar Mages could create artifacts of their own, but compared to the Magic Empire's products, Drakthar's Artifacts were… lacking.
Drakthar needed Xenthalor Artifacts no matter what, even if… they had to make deals with the Grand Council of Gold's Black Market and make do with their outrageous prices.
Selene's decision would have a major effect on Drakthar's economy.
Of course, Tower Head Selene couldn't care less. She had all the reason and power to pass this decision.
"We will not endure this insult a second longer. Xenthalor will not be mocked, and we will not stand among those who question our honor."
Saying those words, she turned around, prepared to leave.
"Where do you think you are goi—?!"
Elira tried to retort back, but she soon noticed that her voice cut off mid-sentence. Her expression changed. She turned around, only to see a Ninth Circle Mage lowering his hand. He had used Silence Magic on her.
'I am not lying! That Beast is corrupted!'
She screamed in anger, but no words came out of her mouth.
A voice echoed in her head.
[Do not make this any worse than you already have, Court Mage Elira.
We will be having a separate talk regarding this matter in the Drakthar Court Room.]
It was the Crown Prince, who was staring at her with a cold look on his face.