Hero of Darkness

After Venessa brought all the victims of the incident to the imperial court… many of the witnesses and the top figures of the empire present in the hall were already certain that the recording wasn't fake in any way. 

And she confidently told the investigation team to check their blood with the ones they found at the site of the act. So everyone could feel that it was indeed the second prince who was guilty of organizing the event where he and his supporters intentionally tortured those humans for fun. 

But… with all these skeletons that were thrown from over 30 massive and rectangular crates gave the whole case a completely different turn. 

Because before, he was only a sadist prince who was way over his head and had an inferiority complex… but now, these thousands of skeletons also meant that people were murdered by him. 

"Your majesty… the truth is that I heard the news of the second prince's heinous acts very recently. 

And it was me who saved all these victims from certain death on that night. 

And the soldiers that worked under my stepbrother were also captured at the same time. 

After the footage was spread across the empire, I became certain of his cruel nature and interrogated these people. And through them, I managed to find a secret burial site for the humans that he killed." declared Venessa, taking credit for harboring the victims and finding the biggest incriminating evidence against Rogis. 

[This fucking human bitch!! So that explosion to distract me was her doing!] cursed Rogis in his mind as he linked Venessa to the attack on his castle which caused the whole mess in the first place. 

[Damn it! Why the hell did no one tell me anything about the victims still being alive!

Now she has taken all the credit.] cursed Hector as he regretted missing this great opportunity. 

As for Kahn and Rathnaar who were watching the broadcast in the middle of Nidavellir, they had a reason to be biased towards Venessa. 

Kahn gave them to her because she was half-human and instead of pressuring or oppressing them like Hector would've since he was a fireborne and didn't care about human lives anyway… Venessa was the perfect candidate who could make them feel safe and gave them the courage to give their testimony as witnesses in the imperial court without worrying. 

Soon after, the officers leading the investigation team reported to the court that the blood indeed matched with the samples they acquired from the crime site. Affirming the entire empire that these people were indeed present on the scene. 

One by one, all the victims took a stand in groups and gave their testimony in front of imperial authorities and what exactly happened. Each one describing where they were hit and who hit them mercilessly until their bones were broken and they almost died on the spot with tears and pain from the suffering of that experience. 

Regardless of the race and species, the entire population was suddenly riled up because of the surge in their emotions even if they didn't previously care about humans. 

Why? Because the base instincts always made you relate to anyone who was oppressed and suffered even if they weren't your people or family. 

After their testimony, it was time for the soldiers to give their statements. 

The soldiers who were allotted to serve and protect Rogis, who was only a semi-saint… 

Said that they were threatened by his personal people from her mother's clan that if they did not do what they were told and do the work of burying the bodies, the prince would have them and their families killed. 

To ensure their survival and their loved ones… they had no other option but to partake in this crime because who would dare to go against a prince. 

Just then… the emperor himself had a grim expression and asked in an overbearing tone. 

"How long has this been going on?" 

To his question… the soldiers replied in a fearful tone. 

"More than 5 years, your majesty." 

BOOM!! 

Not just the emperor but many of the attendees of the court lost their control and ended up releasing a bit of their saint pressure. 

[Ha! Look at these bastards… they're acting like they care.] said Rathnaar. 

The soldiers then explained that every time he held such a banquet… there would obviously be something similar occurrence like this. Only the last time, the Throk Oakenshield incident happened and that's why it got canceled. 

"Your majesty and the imperial advisors, if I may…" spoke Venessa as she stood up from her seat again. 

[What the hell is she trying to pull now?] thought Rogis who was cornered in every possible way. 

After gaining permission to come to the stand… Venessa took out over 3 ledgers and presented them to the authorities. 

These ledgers contain the list of all the guests who attended the parties and the number of humans that were hired each time. 

And later, she handed out another ledger that revealed how Rogis would use the companies under someone else's name, hire humans from around the empire, bring them to work through companies by promising a big payout and then slaughter them mercilessly in his parties. 

That's how he has been establishing his connections and gaining support from a lot of influential people from business enterprises and noble clans. 

Those who enjoyed these barbaric acts felt a sense of power and exhilaration after killing the victims and how they liked to be on the second prince's side if they could enjoy such events often. 

"And the total body count is 4637 so far. 

The number of guests who partook in these slaughters in the past 5 years alone is 8601… Officially that is." revealed Venessa after handing out the proof. 

This time… not even the emperor could hide his surprise and looked at Rogis. 

Losing millions in the war was acceptable but normal citizens being killed in thousands while being under the protection of imperial rule was not. Because this completely made him look like a fool and his reign over the empire as nothing but a joke. 

And now… the whole empire was watching it. 

[Good. He's cornered now. He can't run away from acknowledging the severity of the act because if he doesn't take drastic measures… he will become the biggest joke in the history of the empire.] said Rathnaar gleefully. 

"Let's hope the final hit lands as we wanted. Then we're done with phase three." spoke Kahn as he folded his arms. 

While the empire was shaken by this revelation… The people from the recent party were brought to court. These were the very assailants who partook in the beating with a smile on their faces. 

And during their testimony, everyone started saying that the second prince tempted them and forced them to do those things. That they'd be killed if they didn't play a part in his act of massacre. 

Now that things were hard, everyone started pointing their fingers and putting all the blame on Rogis to save their own skin. 

[Now, even the Imperial clan will have to fairly judge this case. There's no room for any leeway or some exemptions.] said Rathnaar as he chuckled. 

Because there was no way the imperial clan would allow the second prince to be found guilty of all the allegations made against him. 

Whether it was the Throk Oakenshield incident or the genocide of humans. No rules applied in front of the imperial family members and they originally planned to throw away those rumors to clear the second prince's name in front of the whole empire through this broadcast. 

Forget executing the prince, they never had any intentions to let him be found guilty of the charges since he was imperial blood. 

But Venessa bringing the legitimate proof in front of the whole empire thwarted their original plans and now forced their hand to lawfully judge the incident. 

At this moment… Hector was fuming with rage because of the way things looked… it could've been him standing in place of Venessa and getting the limelight in front of the entire population of the empire. 

Unlike her, he only had the support of two of the six Fireborne clans. But there was no support from military commanders and local authorities that included other vital noble clans and people from the church. 

And now… Venessa was going to be an obvious choice for them to choose as the next crown princess because they would greatly benefit by allying themselves with her to increase their own reputation and public image since it helped greatly in gaining money and influence. 

As for the four advisors and the emperor… they were discussing things telepathically and had headaches of their own. 

[How did she get all of this… was it someone powerful who helped her?] said the female fireborne advisor. 

[No. I'm certain it was the first prince who spread the rumors in the beginning. My intel is accurate.] spoke the first fireborne advisor. 

[We have no other choice left, your majesty. 

If we want to protect the pride of imperial family and the sanctity of your reigns… we must pass a severe punishment.] spoke the elderly and the 4th advisor. 

After a while, the Emperor finally spoke in a tyrannical voice and the whole empire went silent. 

"It is time… for the Imperial Punishment."