Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 156: An Inescapable Strategy, The Curtain Falls

This guy is insane!

As Lynn’s words echoed throughout the council hall, this thought crossed everyone’s mind simultaneously.

At this point, no one believed Lynn was grandstanding for attention.

And yet, his actions only deepened their confusion.

If he wasn’t mad, why would he make such an accusation?

He hadn’t even singled out an individual. Instead, his target was the entirety of the Divine Order Church!

Was he crazy? No, perhaps he truly had gone mad—that would explain how he dared to murder the heirs of the Mosgra family in front of a crowd.

At that moment, Marquis Mosgra, his bloodshot eyes locked on Lynn, shouted, “Don’t listen to his nonsense! Arrest this murderous criminal immediately!”

The elderly marquis, having just lost two heirs in quick succession, was on the brink of a breakdown.

Saint Roland VI frowned almost imperceptibly.

While he had little fondness for the Mosgra family, whose arrogance stemmed from royal favor, they remained a necessary ally. After all, the empire still relied on the female Valkyrie of the Mosgra family, a figure unmatched on the demon battlefield. It was unwise to discard them prematurely.

More importantly, due to the Elector Count system and the decentralized power of the nobility, the emperor’s control over the military was weak.

For now, the Mosgra family’s "mediocre mess" was not something he could afford to abandon.

With that thought, the balance of the scale tipped.

He glanced toward the Silverwing Knights beside him, silently deciding to suppress Yveste for a moment himself before ordering them to execute Lynn on the spot.

The tension in the air grew palpable, the entire hall teetering on the edge of violence.

But then, in the blink of an eye, Lynn darted toward the spherical sealed artifact from earlier. Before anyone could react, he placed his palm on it again.

Colorful memory particles floated into the air once more.

What is he doing now?

Everyone was bewildered.

Except for the people behind Yveste—the Augusta Estate members, including Greya, Morris, and even Rhine—all of whom showed visible excitement in their eyes. R̃Ἀ𐌽ÖＢΕṩ

They knew Lynn didn’t have to go to such lengths, didn’t need to take such a huge risk.

And yet, he did.

Why?

To seek justice for the innocent estate guards and soldiers under Duke Tyrius who perished in that calamity.

They shouldn’t have died in such a wretched place.

If they had to die, it should have been with honor on the battlefield, not from the betrayal of their own allies.

As the colorful mist spread, a new scene materialized before everyone’s eyes.

High on the dais, Cardinal Connor frowned subtly.

In the next moment, he turned his gaze toward Shirina in the distance. “Your Highness, to ensure the fairness of this judgment, I ask for your assistance.”

It was well known that the First Princess possessed an immensely powerful Level-0 Sealed Artifact.

At Connor’s words, Shirina nodded lightly and raised her slender arm, revealing a rusted brass bell tied to her wrist.

“Ding—”

With a gentle flick of her fingers, an invisible soundwave descended upon the hall, transforming into a binding law.

Lies are forbidden here.

Instantly, several women in the audience let out startled cries, hurriedly covering their faces.

It was clear that some of them had been using Extraordinary items to mask imperfections in their appearance, which were now rendered ineffective.

Shirina gave them an apologetic glance before focusing her gaze on the scene Lynn had projected.

With lies prohibited, it became certain that the memories Lynn was revealing were entirely genuine.

Immersed in his mental world, Lynn remained unaware of what was happening outside.

Even if he knew, he would likely have shrugged it off with a smirk.

Not to mention, with the methods of the "Witch," if his memories were truly forged, no one in this world could detect any flaws.

But most importantly, the memories he was showing now were events that had genuinely occurred.

The scene displayed a sprawling mountain range extending endlessly into the horizon.

At that moment, it was contained within a five-colored barrier constructed from the sealed artifacts of various churches, sealing all corruption and power within.

As the black sludge surged out like a tidal wave, the hearts of everyone watching seemed to stop beating.

Even though it was merely a memory, it still carried remnants of god-level power, making their skin crawl with terror.

It was unimaginable what kind of mental pressure those who had faced the demons’ might directly had endured.

Many present in the council hall realized that had they experienced just a few seconds of such a scene in person, they might have been so terrified they would’ve lost control of themselves entirely.

For a moment, a heavy silence hung over the room.

And yet, they couldn’t help but wonder—what was Lynn’s purpose in showing this?

How did this tie into his accusations against the Divine Order Church?

The next second, the memory provided the answer.

As the black sludge roared like the sea, soldiers within the Soren Mountains began retreating under the orders of Duke Tyrius.

The situation had far exceeded all expectations.

No one could have foreseen that the Creationist Sect had buried a genuine Level-0 Sealed Artifact in the ruins underground—let alone one that housed a demon.

This is beyond their reach.

Remaining in the Soren Mountains would serve no purpose other than dragging down Her Highness the Third Princess.

So, it was better to retreat and preserve what remained of their forces.

This was the shared consensus among the surviving soldiers and estate guards.

Yet, when they finally managed to retreat to the border of the Soren Mountains, the sight before them plunged them into unprecedented despair.

Amid the earlier chaos, a few Extraordinary members of the Augusta Estate had cracked under the pressure and fled the scene ahead of time.

However, they hadn’t escaped alive.

Instead, their bodies were found hanging from trees, executed as a grim warning to the others: don’t even think about running.

Moments later, a group of black-robed Extraordinaries appeared before them.

The sigil of a starry trajectory engraved on their chests unmistakably marked them as members of the Divine Order Church.

In the next moment, the faint glow of a violet Divine Factor materialized as the leader of the group, a temporary bishop, activated Astral Gravity, pinning the survivors to the ground.

“Divine Order Church! How dare you...”

“Why are you killing us?! We’re not polluters!!!”

“Damn it! Do you want us all to perish in these mountains?!”

Anger and desperation erupted from those trapped in the mountains.

Yet, the members of the Divine Order Church remained utterly unmoved.

When the bishop identified a few of the survivors as Lynn’s allies, his expression turned solemn.

“Apologies, but these are our orders,” the bishop said coldly.

“Please defend the empire’s honor and resist until death, here in the Soren Mountains!”

The chilling words and the impenetrable barrier above extinguished the last glimmer of hope in everyone’s hearts.

Trapped between the encroaching black sludge and betrayal from supposed allies, the survivors screamed in despair.

What they had thought was just another routine mission had turned into a nightmare.

A single misstep had doomed them all to a fate from which there was no escape.

Why?

Why must we die?

This question echoed in the hearts of those still clinging to life.

Indeed, why?

As the haunting scene faded into darkness, the princes and nobles in the council hall found themselves involuntarily asking the same question.

However, they quickly forced this absurd thought out of their minds.

At their age, they had long since abandoned moral absolutes like good and evil.

Still, Lynn’s sudden accusation and the shocking memories he displayed left a mark, shaking even these hardened individuals.

A mix of emotions flickered across their faces as they turned their gazes toward Cardinal Connor of the Divine Order Church, searching for a crack in his composure.

Yet, Connor merely furrowed his brow, as if unable to believe what he was seeing.

Lynn noticed his expression.

Good acting.

Too bad… you’re up against me.

As the heavy silence pressed down on the hall, Lynn’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“The demon within the Wishing Jar had just awakened and desperately needed human and Extraordinary blood to regain its strength,” Lynn declared.

“And as a bishop of the Divine Order Church, you mean to tell me you didn’t know this?”

“Or could it be, as he claims, that it was simply an order given to him by a certain figure?”

“Because that figure wanted to see a powerful and dangerous demon descend upon the world and therefore issued such a command?”

Lynn’s words ruthlessly dragged the darkest possibilities into the light.

Even though he was merely speculating, his words carried an eerie logic.

Unfortunately, the waters here were too deep for anyone to wade into. Not a single person dared to respond, fearing even their breathing might draw unwanted attention.

But it was clear that after tonight, everything that transpired in the council hall would inevitably spread throughout Glostein—and eventually, the entire empire.

Seeing the crowd remain silent, Lynn didn’t seem to mind.

He surveyed the room before continuing in a loud voice, “It’s common knowledge that for a bishop overseeing a district parish, only the Glostein Diocese or the esteemed Emperor himself has the authority to issue direct orders.”

“In that case, let’s take a guess—who do you think gave this order?”

“Do you have any thoughts, Cardinal Connor?”

Lynn’s gaze unflinchingly locked onto Connor Gregory on the dais.

The question left only two possible answers.

The first: Connor himself, as a cardinal, had issued the command.

If that were the case, then Connor would stand guilty of gross negligence and overreach, having recklessly endangered an Elector Count and used Imperial soldiers’ lives as pawns to contain the Sealed Artifact’s outbreak.

The second possibility… was far more chilling to consider.

“......”

At this moment, Cardinal Connor looked like a man on a spit, slowly roasting under the flames of Lynn’s accusations.

He remained silent, his piercing gaze fixed on the youth before him.

Seeing this, Lynn let out a dry chuckle.

“Or perhaps you’d prefer to shift the blame onto our great Emperor?”

“Are you suggesting that His Majesty ordered such a thing—that he deliberately sought to strengthen the demonic forces, sacrificing his own army and citizens to offer a ‘birth gift’ for the demon’s descent?”

?!

Lynn’s words caused everyone’s hearts to race uncontrollably.

Without exception, they lowered their heads, pretending not to have heard a thing.

Only Saint Roland VI, seated on the high dais and crowned with the imperial regalia, cast a profound gaze toward Lynn.

In truth, a select few in the hall knew the answer.

The order had, in fact, come from Saint Roland VI himself.

There were countless reasons behind it, but none dared to speak them aloud.

If no one would acknowledge it—if everyone would reduce the innocent lives lost to mere "necessary sacrifices"—then Lynn decided he would speak.

If the emperor intended to favor that "old bastard" Marquis Mosgra, then Lynn would toss both him and this forbidden topic onto the scales.

Let’s see how it balances.

Meeting the emperor’s oppressive gaze head-on, Lynn showed no fear.

If you want to dig deeper, I’ll drag everyone’s dirty laundry into the light.

After all, the worst that can happen to me is death.

This was Lynn’s inescapable strategy, a gambit from which no one could retreat unscathed.

The night dragged on endlessly, and the curtain on this tumultuous drama was finally ready to fall.

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