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Prince of the Kingdom of Prona, Nell.

Having received proper education from his childhood, he was not an authority-drunk jerk. He was not arrogant and had an actually good personality.

There was nothing special about him, but most agreed that under him, the kingdom will have a stable rule.

And this prince was now lying in his room, quavering under a blanket.

Pull the heretic to the guillotine!

Haul the prince to the guillotine!

Overthrow heresy! Overthrow the Prince!

The angry voices of the masses still echoed in his ears. They seemed unwilling to stop unless the prince was hung on the guillotine.

The guillotine the guillotine!

Wasnt decapitation by guillotine a death penalty used to publicly execute vicious criminals?

So why him?

Why? What wrong did he commit?

The prince trembled as he recalled the sharp blade of the guillotine glinting under the harsh sunlight.

Prince!

The door swung open and his escort knight barged in.

Huh?! S, Sir Carr? You surprised me!

Your Highness, now is not the time to be surprised. Yours, the princes name has been cleared!

What? No, I mean, how all of a sudden?

It is difficult to explain in words. Please, follow me!

Nell felt very confused.

Just when he was thinking of the guillotine, feeling afraid, his escort knight suddenly comes in and says his name was cleared. How can anyone not be surprised?

But the escort knights eyes were serious, so maybe? That thought made a small wave in his mind.

Nell got up from his bed and followed the steps of the knight.

But where are we going?

To the dungeon.

Dungeon? Why there?

Your Highness will understand only after looking with your own eyes!

When he finally reached the dungeon, Nell could understand Sir Carrs words.

An octopus humanoid was shackled in captivity.

This was really hard to put into words. Even if Sir Carr had said it himself, Nell would not have believed it.

Nell, you are here?

The King, William, turned to Nell and smiled.

The king was not alone in the dungeon.

Butlers, scribes, knights, etc.

All the high-ranking officials in the palace had gathered.

Father? Ive been told that my name has been cleared, but what the hell is this? What is this octopus humanoid!?

Calm down, I will explain everything. Good, take a deep breath.

Only after hearing the kings words did the prince realize just how excited he was. The thought of getting rid of the accusations that had been tormenting him for the past few weeks had made him exhilarated.

Nell took a deep breath and calmed his mind.

I have shown an insightly behaviour, apologies.

Its alright. Everyone here knows how much youve suffered. Head butler, will you explain to the prince?

Yes, of course, Your Majesty.

The head bulter bowed and then began to explain everything Nell.

Hearing the explanation, Nell was astonished.

Are you saying that the archbishop was holding hands with the demons to frame me? An archbishop, what in the Goddess name?!

Even if an ordinary priest had teamed up with the demons, it would have been a shocking matter. But the archbishop? No one would could have fathomed.

The prince could hardly believe the words of the head bulter.

Cant that demon be lying to dirty the Archbishops name?

The chances of that happening are small. Which many people would have the audacity to label the royal family as heretics and incite the masses?

What for what what did he do this for?

Seeing the prince staggering back in disbelief, the head butler shook his head with a bitter expression.

That we havent figured out yet.

At the head bulters words, Nell sharpened his teeth.

He strode forward and grabbed the demons collar.

Say it! Why

The princes anger quickly cooled when he saw the traces of terrible gashes on the demons body.

Cuts, tears, pokes, and stabs.

Traces of simple but heinous wounds were engraved on the demons body. There was no sense of focus in the demons hazy eyes.

What is this

Those are the signs of torture. And what made the demon open their mouth.

Nell turned his head in the direction the voice came from.

Cloud was leaning against the wall.

When Nell entered the dungeon, his figure had been obscured behind the king and officials.

Hero? Why are you here?

The thing the prince is holding, I caught it.

The prince turned his gaze to the king.

The king nodded his head notifying that the heros words held the truth.

Nells expression brightened.

He let go of the demons collar, approached Cloud and grabbed his hand.

You are my benefactor!

In retrospect, thats what it is.

Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to get rid of the dirty accusations. I will repay this favor somehow!

Repay the favor?

Thats right. Let me know if you want anything. Ill do anything that Im allowed to.

Then let me ask you that one thing right now. Please ask others to leave. I have something to say to His Majesty in private.

Ummm

The prince gave him a slightly troubled expression.

To have a private conversation with the king.

This was a request that went beyond the authority of the prince. One could only do it with the permission of the king himself.

Nell glanced at his father, the King. Feeling his sons gaze, William met Clouds eyes.

he must have something important to say.

The king recognized it from Clouds eyes and raised his hand to stifle the opposition of his subjects.

Leave with the prince.

Your Majesty, please dont. At least keep Sir Weasel by your side.

Your Majesty, please allow me to stay with you as the head butler says.

The butlers and the knights asked for it, but the king was adamant.

Why do I need Sir Weasels protection when engaging in conversation with the hero? Do you think the hero will harm me?