Read Novel Full Chapter 506- Purge (3)
Chapter 506: Chapter 506- Purge (3)
They realised that they had to go through this; there was no other choice. Their eyes fell on the hissing flames of the torches and shimmering water in the buckets.
And so, gathering their courage, they stepped towards the royal guards, touching the flame or letting a few drops of water fall upon their skin.
SIZZLE... SIZZLE... Trails of vapour rose from all of them. However, in the end, the fire didn’t take them, nor did the water.
Make no mistake; these people were corrupt to their bones. Greedy, self-serving, and guilty of the usual rot of politics. They had committed many crimes. That said, their only redeemable aspect was that they hadn’t crossed a certain incorrigible line. Not like Malmond, not like the demon seed bearers.
While the nobles were going through the trials, from behind Reinhardt, the Queen stepped forward.
"As head of this nation, it is my duty to prove my innocence before my subjects." Her voice was quiet, but it cut through the chamber like a blade.
Reinhardt lifted his brows, but he did not stop her. There was no need to.
Even the Divine Scale, which was far stricter in its judgment, had given a neutral verdict on her; as such, there was no need to speak about this trial. Besides, he had already sealed the fragment of evil.
There was no force in this hall that could judge her impure now.
Just like he had predicted, when the Queen sprinkled the Fairy Water on her, nothing happened.
Now, with even the Queen standing on the Divine Paladin’s side, the last of the stubborn nobles gave up resisting. One by one, they clenched their teeth and stepped forward to take the trial.
A drop of water here, a brush of flame there, and a few moments later, warm vapour rose in the air. Judgement was held, and all of them passed.
And then... when everything was done, and over, only a handful of nobles remained where they stood. They were still unmoving and refused to go through the trial. By now, everyone started to notice something.
A realisation that crept through their bones. Everyone who had taken the trial... lived; everyone who had stepped forward remained whole. As long as you did not collaborate with demons, you were safe.
So what about those who still refused to go through the trial? Wasn’t this like silently admitting that they were not clean, not innocent?
The hall fell silent as all eyes now started to converge towards the group of nobles still standing in their place.
Unsurprisingly, they were the very same people who were pointed out by Earl Malmond earlier.
There was no need for words anymore; everyone understood what their refusal meant. Reinhardt observed them all with cold calmness; his hand had never moved from the sword on his waist. The real hunt was about to begin.
Subjected to everyone’s gaze, the nobles tried one last time, desperately convincing the Queen and the entire court that something was wrong, that this trial was a mistake, that they were being falsely accused.
But their voices struck deaf ears. The court had already judged them in their hearts.
The Queen stepped forward; her voice cold and sharp, it cut through the tension choking the hall. "This is your final chance. Prove your innocence before the court... or die."
At her command, the royal guards unsheathed their swords.
The synchronised echo of steel rang out across the hall. The nobles, now backed against the wall, felt like cornered beasts. Dozens of eyes pierced them from every side; they were all looking at them with suspicion, anger, and betrayal. In this final hour, seeing that there was no hope, they exchanged glances.
At that moment, within each of their eyes, something unsettling surged.
"Fine, we are willing to undergo the trial."
A man stepped forward. He was Marquis Veylor of House Arcthane, a powerful, influential noble and a member of the Council. Seeing his calm temperament and the smile on his lips that was far too serene for the situation, a ripple of unease spread through the hall.
People frowned; something that they could not put into words felt wrong. If these people were willing to undergo the trial all along, why resist? Why stall for so long? Not to mention beg.
That said, no one voiced their doubt.
The next second, under hundreds of stares, the accused nobles approached the torches burning with the flames of Yggdrasil and the buckets of Fairy Water.
Their hands reached out slowly... Just when their fingers were about to touch, the Audience Hall was plunged into darkness. At that moment, everything went wrong.
ROARRR... A violent roar burst from the bodies of the five nobles. Black-red demonic energy spiralled upward like a tornado, shredding the floor tiles and assaulting the columns, shaking the very hall.
BOOM... The shockwave blasted out like an explosion, flinging both powerless nobles and mighty royal guards against the wall like rag dolls. A burst of shockwave also shot towards the Queen.
However, before it could reach anywhere near her, it was blocked by a reliable frame that stood before her like a shield.
The Audience Chamber descended into absolute chaos. When the swirling demonic energy finally thinned, the figures of the five nobles could finally be seen again.
That said, they were no longer in their human guise and had instead transformed into something disturbing. Their flesh turned ashen-black; their limbs elongated like shadowy talons.
On their heads, horns curled out from their skulls, and their eyes now glowed with a soul-stirring crimson light. Some had lean frames and sharp fangs; others rippled with muscles and jagged bone protrusions.
They might look different; however, there was no doubt that they were from the demon race. Those who had been demons all along now looked as they truly were, and those who had accepted demon seeds bore twisted, half mutated forms.
Either way... They were no longer human.
Seeing their twisted and unsettling forms, terror grabbed hold of everyone in the hall.