The entire court jumped to their feet and bowed to the man who had just entered the hall. Thyra had no problem understanding who it was.

It was Tier Ardour. It was the reigning monarch of the Ardour kingdom and the man who was supposed to be her father.

“Sit.” After he sat down, the others were allowed to sit down too. Then he added, “Continue.”

Although the king had ordered them to continue, none of the nobles dared react. On the other hand, Thyra was trying to steal glances at the man who was supposed to be her father. 

There is a rule that one shouldn’t directly look at the monarch of the land. Naturally, Thyra couldn’t look at him directly. However, The pressure she was feeling from him was real.

Thyra had read that he wasn’t just a third-grade knight but also had the unique essence of the beast called Shishi. It had both the characteristics of a canine and a feline species. 

Although both of their essence beasts were of similar rank, Thyra’s instinct told her that she was no match for him. 

Thyra pulled out a pouch and gave it to Borg. As soon as he opened it, the first thing he noticed was the bad stench. And it wasn't just him. Everyone could smell it. It smelled like rotten flesh, but what came out of it were pieces of tooth.

"What is this?" Borg shouted. He hadn't expected Thyra to give him something like that.

The Knights standing behind her were a lot stricter as the monarch entered the hall. They didn't know what happened, but they quickly pulled out a sword and put it on Thyra's neck.

"Those are the remains of Orcs and Kobolds that we have hunted."

Thyra's words dropped like a bomb. There was a momentary silence before people started whispering.

"Explain." However, one word from Tier silenced everyone.

Thyra explained everything from start to finish. After she had finished, the first one to speak was Borg.

"The bandit was active for more than a decade. The knights were never able to subdue it." He looked at Thyra, continuing, "They sent you, and you took care of them within a week? And your soldiers are just rookies?"

Thyra smirked, saying, "I can understand your surprise. I, too, couldn't understand why they would send someone who had her coming-of-age ceremony just a week ago to fight a bandit group that they have failed to suppress for a year."

'I am not talking about that.' Borg wanted to say it, but he couldn't say it out loud because what Thyra said was more surprising. It is not logical to send a noble child on such a mission without a group of well-trained knights.

He also knew that, although it wasn't logical, it still happened. This practice of eliminating potential heirs was common among aristocratic families. And with Viscountess Hoax not being her mother, it wasn't surprising.

'Now that I think about it, the Viscountess is from the Dent ducal family,' Borg thought, looking at Stam, whose face looked anything but good.

And Stam was the one to shout out, "You are lying. You couldn't kill them. Even the knight couldn't, without any help. And those beasts…" Stam paused, adding, "Could it be that you have brought them from the slave traders?"

Thyra sighed, saying, "Forgive the disrespect." After saying those words, Thyra raised her hand and let out a bolt of lightning. The thunderous boom shook the entire hall.

It was too much of a shock. Even The knights weren't sure what to do.

"Interesting." 

After Tier, it was Borg who said, "You have absorbed an essence! How old are you?"

Thyra wanted to keep it a secret but knew she couldn't. She had no backing. And with Justin out of the picture, there is no way she could win against the Ducal family.

Even if the high nobles knew that she was speaking the truth, they would still discard her while trying not to alert the enemy. She would die one way or another. 

And the only way to survive was to show them her worth. As long as they felt that she was worth protecting, they would protect her. And that will give her time, time to get stronger.

"I am fourteen."

"Didn't you say you just had your coming-of-age ceremony?"

"I am going to join the war after the winter. So, I had to go through the ceremony."

Another wave of whispering rose in the hall. After all, the first thing Hure told her after she had come into this world was that even the royal heirs couldn't do it.

Expectedly, the monarch was also surprised, "What is your essence beast?"

"Thunder bull." Thyra didn't need to state its rank. As a unique beast, it was quite a popular choice for the noble children. However, it was neglected for years because it was a herbivore and an elemental beast, which is harder to control. 

"Oh!" Brog was not sure what to say. He heard about this daughter of Justin for the first time last week. However, he had never expected that this girl would be such a wonderful jewel. 

'To think that these bastards are thinking of sacrificing her for their own interest…' Brog couldn't help but glare at Stam as he thought about it.

"There is one more thing." Thyra pulled out another pouch with a nastier smell than the tooth. 

Borg opened it and pulled out pieces of skin with weird marks on them. Thyra explained, "It's the slave's marks of the beast. With the slave marks, you can track down the slave traders. I think we can get answers when we find them . . . many answers."

"I think the empire is going to use these beasts in the war."

"Does that matter? Whether they use soldiers or beasts?" Brog couldn't help but take Thyra's words seriously.

"I feel from fighting with these beasts that they would act differently from humans. And a normal soldier doesn't know how to fight them. I even lost a few of my soldiers in these skirmishes."

"Didn't your rookie soldiers win in the end? How hard can they be?" Stam was one to interfere, adding, "However, all those you have reported didn't prove your innocence. If anything, it proves that you have contact with the empire."

"Sorry?" Thyra couldn't understand whether the lack of normalised education had created such an idiot or if he was born to be one.

"Didn't you say the slave traders sold them? Couldn't you buy such a thing and show it here? And it didn't explain how the emblem of the empire appeared in the mansion."

"Does it prove anything? Anyone can put it there, whether it's as a maid, knight, servant, or guard. Even the investigating officer can put it there."

"You… Are you telling me we have planted it there?" In anger, he couldn't even control himself.

"I had never said that." Thyra smiled, saying, "Finding it doesn’t mean anything."

"It does. It is an important piece of evidence. You won't go to any other noble's house and find the emblem of the empire. It's because you have joined hands with them, and they have given you that."

“Are you saying one badge is enough proof?” Thyra asked.

“Yes,” Stam didn’t notice the smile at the corner of Thyra’s lips as he turned towards the king, saying, "Please don't be swayed by the lies of this woman. Please give your judgment and punish her."

Thyra could feel eyes on her, but she smiled proudly, saying, "Yes, my lord, we are guilty."

A smile appeared on Stam's lips, but he felt something wasn't right.

"We have colluded with the empire. But we aren't alone. Other nobles have joined us also. And as proof, I will show you the emblem of the Dent Ducal family."

"What?" Stam screamed. He was about to jump towards Thyra, but Borg blocked the path.

Thyra pulled out an emblem and poured her mana as the symbol of the Dent Ducal family appeared in the air. It proved that it was a legit thing.

Thyra smiled at Stam, adding, "The ducal family had given us this when we had joined hands with the empire."

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