The king sat silently on his throne, his eyes fixed on Roman.
He did not blink.
He did not look away.
He simply kept staring, as if trying to pierce through Roman's body and look straight into his soul.
No one in the courtroom understood why
except him.
Only King Augustus Nova knew the truth.
Roman Crowell was the Warherald, the chosen warrior of Goddess Aria.
The pope himself had told him after the first dungeon breakout.
At that time, Augustus had believed he could use Roman shape him into a weapon, control him, and turn him against enemy kingdoms and empires.
But the Roman standing before him now…
He stood like a true king.
A being who carried the weight of ruling.
Someone who had already experienced power, command, and authority.
Deep down, the king understood it.
What happened in Ephor was his loss.
Operation Specter both phases had been executed perfectly, with absolute secrecy.
There was nothing he could do now.
Yet his pride refused to accept it.
Even now, he wanted to control Roman.
But that desire was impossible.
Roman noticed the king's gaze, unwavering and sharp.
He understood why.
Calmly, he spoke.
"Your Majesty… is there something on my face?"
"Or perhaps something wrong with my clothes?"
The king did not respond.
The silence stretched.
Then Prime Minister Joshua Caesar stepped forward.
"Deputy Duke Roman Crowell," he said sternly,
"state clearly have you illegally captured Ephor Dukedom, yes or no?"
Roman smiled faintly.
"Illegally?" he repeated.
Then his expression hardened.
"Everything that was happening in Ephor was illegal," Roman said,
"and against the rules of the Clover Kingdom."
Noah Rockson slammed his hand on the armrest.
"You brat!" he shouted.
"Do you even know the rules and regulations of this kingdom?"
"For three years you were bedridden," Noah sneered.
"And now you stand here talking about legality?"
Roman's eyes turned cold.
"Former Duke of Ephor," he said slowly,
"shut the hell up when I am speaking."
The nobles gasped.
"Or did you forget," Roman continued,
"the day I cut off your hand… and reattached it?"
The courtroom erupted in whispers.
"He cut Noah Rockson's hand?!"
"The strongest duke?!"
"How is that even possible?!"
Even the king stiffened slightly.
Noah had never mentioned this.
Noah stood up abruptly and grabbed his sword sheath.
But the king glared at him.
Frozen under that gaze, Noah slowly sat back down.
Roman looked at him with disdain.
"It would be better for your own good," Roman said,
"to remain seated like a good dog, Uncle Noah."
Prime Minister Joshua stepped forward again.
"This is the royal courtroom," he warned.
"Mind your words, Deputy Duke Roman."
"Now state clearly on what basis did you seize control of Ephor?"
Roman nodded calmly.
"There are many crimes," he replied.
"I'll mention some. The rest my sister will submit."
Noah interrupted angrily.
"It is written in Clover Kingdom law that merchants must pay a fixed amount to nobles for protection!"
"Stay quiet," Roman cut in sharply.
"Now it's my turn to speak."
Noah clenched his fists but remained silent.
"Yes, there is a fixed amount," Roman continued.
"But Noah Rockson extorted far more for his personal greed."
"Wealthy or poor it didn't matter."
"He demanded quality products for himself," Roman said,
"and did not care what kind of goods the people of Ephor received."
"This caused countless problems among civilians."
"I'm not speaking without proof."
At Roman's signal, Selena stepped forward.
She handed over a thick bundle of documents gathered during Phase Two of Operation Specter: The Wrath, collected from Andreas Crew, head of the Merchant Alliance.
The prime minister accepted them and passed them to the king.
Noah's face turned pale.
"It's fake!" he shouted.
"It's all forged!"
Roman replied calmly.
"Your signature is there."
"So is the seal of the Clover Kingdom," he said,
"the seal of the Merchant Alliance, and the seal of Ephor Dukedom."
"If you wish," Roman added,
"you may call experts to verify them."
Roman stepped forward.
"There is more," he said.
"Bribery. Abuse of power."
"No women were safe."
"Children were killed or forced into servitude."
"The law and order of Ephor completely vanished."
"And during the first dungeon breakout," Roman said slowly,
"when humanity faced its first catastrophe…"
"Who did the former duke order his knights to protect?"
Silence filled the hall.
"The wealthy merchants," Roman answered.
"Not the civilians."
"The death count in Ephor exceeds every other dukedom and county."
"That alone proves his irresponsibility."
"After the dungeon breakout," Roman continued,
"his duty was to provide food, shelter, and safety."
"But he was nowhere to be found."
"Ephor produced countless widows and orphans."
"And this was once called the strongest dukedom?"
Roman scoffed.
"What a joke."
"And this is only one part," Roman said.
"We also gathered proof from Merchant Arshan, Chief Executive Judge Rudolf Steiner, and others."
"And from the Ephor Magic Tower," Roman added,
"where children were killed in magical experiments under their tower master."
The courtroom fell into complete silence.
The king did not react.
But Noah snapped.
"You son of a bitch!" he screamed.
"I'll kill you and send you to your mother—that wicked bitch—"
Something broke inside Roman.
He knew nothing about this body's mother.
Yet his blood reacted violently.
A terrifying aura exploded from him
black and gold surging outward like a storm.
The pressure crushed the courtroom.
Nobles struggled to breathe.
Jacob Crowell watched silently.
In his mind, he thought only one thing:
Noah… you are doomed now.