Hearing the old king's self-justifications for why William could build a spaceship, William was secretly delighted.
At that moment, he had no time to spare for Charles Cavendish behind the glass wall.
Instead, he probed,
"Your Majesty, what exactly do you mean by 'supernatural'? Are we talking about magic, knightly faith, or genetic mutation?"
Philip countered with his own question,
"And which supernatural power has favored you?"
Seeing that he wouldn't get any answers, William abandoned the topic.
"Then let's deal with the matter of Viscount Cavendish first. We can talk about other things when we have time later."
He turned and left the observation room.
The moment he opened the door, the old butler was peering inside, scrutinizing Philip's safety.
William paid no mind to the old man's paranoia.
But suddenly, he sensed a faint pulse of magical energy emanating from two young men dressed in black suits, clearly palace guards.
Their magic swept through the observation room, confirming Philip's well-being before they retracted it.
One of the two men smiled at William.
But William, upon seeing the man's face, froze for half a second in shock.
Under the bewildered gazes of those present, he voluntarily extended his hand toward a round-glasses-wearing, fully bearded young man.
"William Devonshire, 17th Earl of Oxford, 1st Duke of Oxford."
"I—I…"
Had William merely introduced himself by name, the man would have shaken his hand without hesitation.
But upon hearing the title, the bespectacled man immediately straightened his posture and solemnly responded,
"Greetings, Your Grace, Duke of Devonshire. I am Harry Potter, a member of the Order of Merlin. It's an honor to meet you."
Holy sh*t—it really is this guy!
If not for the magical energy he had sensed earlier, William would never have recognized this bearded, full-grown version of his childhood idol.
Curious, he tested the waters.
"Pleasure to meet you as well. So, after Voldemort died, you came to the palace as King Philip's advisor? Or his bodyguard?"
Having his identity abruptly exposed, both Harry and his wizard companion stared at William in shock.
"Y-Yes, Your Grace," Harry stammered. "But… how do you know about all this?"
"Haha, that's a conversation for another time. But hearing that Voldemort is dead—well, that's probably the best news I've heard all year."
William then turned to the butler and pointed at Harry and his companion.
"Everyone else, leave. Wait outside and hand me a gun."
"This…?"
The butler hesitated, but Philip's voice carried from the still-open observation room.
"It's fine. Do as William says."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
The butler bowed slightly before leading the other guards away.
Before leaving, however, William beckoned the old butler over.
Reluctantly, the old man fished out his CZ83 pistol.
"I hope you won't have to use this."
Taking the gun, William casually waved him off.
"Apologies, but I'm going to need it immediately."
Without another word, William strode into the interrogation room.
—
The moment the door swung open, the shackled Charles Cavendish caught sight of William and immediately grew agitated.
"Good Lord, William! Why did you have me arrested? Even if you don't acknowledge me as your uncle, there's no need to go this far!"
BANG!
A single gunshot rang out.
The unexpected blast shocked even Philip, who had been observing from behind the glass.
Outside, Harry, the butler, and the other wizard instinctively took a step forward, peering through the still-open door.
Fortunately, the bullet had only grazed Charles's cheek.
Even so, blood quickly began to soak half of his face.
Before anyone could react, William turned toward them, raised an eyebrow, and casually asked,
"Excuse me, but could you step aside? I need to close the door."
"You—you can't do this!"
Harry's wizard companion protested.
But his words froze in his throat as William casually pointed the gun at his forehead.
"I'll count to three. If you don't move, I'll send you to meet God."
"U-Understood, Your Grace!"
Before the wizard could say another word, the butler quickly pulled both him and Harry back two steps and personally shut the interrogation room door.
"Apologies," the butler murmured.
"His Grace, Duke Devonshire, is usually a gentleman.
But when it comes to threats against his family, he transforms into a destroyer."
Hearing this, Harry and his companion felt slightly more at ease.
Even wizards would resort to drastic measures when their families were threatened.
Although they were unhappy, they had no choice but to endure it.
But their frustration only grew as the butler kept talking.
"Let me offer you a piece of advice—do not provoke His Grace in times like these.
If you do, and you ever set foot in London again, you won't escape the Devonshire family's pursuit.
In some ways, modern technology has far surpassed the power of magic.
No matter how powerful you are, you can't stop a bullet from the shadows."
—
Meanwhile, inside the interrogation room, William casually seated himself across from the stunned Charles Cavendish.
With a grin, he asked,
"Do you know how I figured out you weren't who you claim to be?"
"…What?"
Charles clutched his bleeding cheek, his heart pounding.
But his expression—not even the slightest crack of guilt—was filled with rage.
"Are you insane, William?! I'm your uncle, Charles! What problem could I possibly have?!"
He yanked open his shirt, revealing a gunshot wound on his chest.
"Look at this! You yourself arranged for me to be shot!
We agreed that this would help us frame the other heirs of the Cannes family!
And as payment, I gave you Château Margaux, the F1 racing team, and that massive estate at Lake Como!
Have you forgotten?
Or are you just greedy for more and trying to frame me now?!"
William clapped his hands slowly.
"Bravo. Bravo. Excellent."
Still applauding, he stood and walked behind Charles.
"The more you talk," he said, "the more I'm convinced of your real identity.
Even someone as skilled as Mystique wouldn't be able to perfectly replicate someone else's memories."
Before Charles could react, William slammed his palm against the man's back.
A shadowy figure suddenly flew out of his body.
(End of Chapter)
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