Chapter 180 Ivester, I am very disappointed in you - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

When Lynn suddenly saw a mass of people before him, truth be told, he was left a bit bewildered. In his mind, today's public inquiry should have been conducted with more gravity. He hadn't anticipated that Congressman Blake would bring a crowd directly to the door of his cell. The whole setup Lynn had orchestrated was actually a message for those plotting against him in the shadows. That's why everything appeared so bloody and intimidating. Though the outcome looked like it might be even better than expected, Lynn didn't really want to expose his barbaric side to certain people. For instance, Eleanor, who tended to cry and had already started to sob. Luckily, her brother was safe and sound, or she might have nearly fainted from distress. And then there was Tia, standing at the back of the crowd, tiptoeing to get a look, her face pale with tension. Upon meeting Lynn’s gaze, even Tia herself didn’t realize there was a faint glimmer of relief in her eyes, which she quickly masked by coldly diverting her gaze, albeit with an effort that made it seem intentional. Only Evester took a long sigh of relief. Moreover, seeing Lynn covered in blood, his lean and muscular frame, there was a subtle blush rising on her cheeks. She never thought her adorable, well-mannered 'puppy' could have such a wild side. He's truly grown up, in more ways than one. Her pink tongue lightly brushed over her lips, eyes flashing with a hint of heat. Aside from Evester and her group, others, like the Crown Princess Sheer Leena and Congressman Blake, expressed unprecedented disbelief. Especially the Fourth Prince Joshua, who looked as if he had swallowed a dead fly, his earlier ease now vanished. It seemed as if he had seen something utterly extraordinary. In this world, where extraordinary abilities and divine powers determined everything, physical strength was often seen as trivial, seldom honed. Most relied on the nature of their extraordinary abilities and the enhancements from divine powers for strength. Without these, life’s inherent evolution made them stronger than ordinary people, but that strength was still limited. Even a fifth-tier legend could be overwhelmed in battle without their extraordinary abilities. After all, two fists can't match four hands. This was a principle universally acknowledged. Yet presently, Lynn’s terrifying record of defeating over thirty opponents stood glaringly before everyone. Even if subconsciously reluctant to believe, the bloody facts were undeniable. The prisoners were all muscular brutes, even one punch per person could have pulverized someone like Lynn. It's unimaginable that they were all killed by the black-haired boy in front of them. What kind of monstrous strength was hidden in that seemingly frail body? And where did he learn such combat techniques? For a moment, everyone was silent and at a loss for words. Seeing everyone still in shock, Lynn couldn't help but shake his head. After exchanging a brief reassuring glance with Evester, and giving soothing looks to Eleanor, Afiya, and then Tia at the end of the crowd, he leapt down from the pile of bodies. Upon landing, four judgment members appeared at the doorway, tense and wary of this extremely dangerous individual. Seeing this, Lynn rolled his eyes. "Relax," he spread his hands helplessly, "I didn’t choose what happened here; someone tried to murder me." "Besides, before the congressman begins his questioning, could I perhaps take a shower first? I'm covered in blood and it’s quite uncomfortable." In a clean interrogation room, Tia stood in the least noticeable corner, appearing somewhat lost. At that moment, her face was pale, as if she had just experienced a monumental worldview shift. A few minutes ago, when the cell door opened and she saw Lynn unharmed, even she didn't notice the deep breath of relief she exhaled. Instinctively, Tia glanced at Sia, who stood beside her. With everyone's guard down, and Sia unaware she had hypnotized Lynn to learn certain truths, his truest inner thoughts were plainly visible on his face. There was an expression mixed with regret and remorse. As if lamenting why Lynn hadn't died during the prison riot. Tia’s heart instantly chilled. No matter how she'd previously defended Sia, the reality before her was undeniable and inexorable. The only possibility was that the person during hypnosis had spoken the truth. Besides, it should have been accepted as fact. Tia just hadn’t wanted to face reality. Now, the truth lay before her eyes. The Sia she admired, who was as dazzling and righteous as the sun and rescued her from the abysses of despair, was, in fact, someone who would secretly arrange a murder. And it was aimed at someone she felt deeply indebted to. Suddenly, Tia’s face turned deathly pale, her fingers clenching tightly, and the slender wrist hidden beneath her sleeve trembled slightly, revealing her inner turmoil. Why? Sia, why does it have to be you? In an unnoticed corner, Tia painfully closed her eyes. She then realized something else. With Lynn's earlier displayed combat prowess, even without extraordinary abilities, could Sia not even be a match for him? No. Even if defeated, it wouldn't be easy for him, possibly leading to mutual destruction. Anyone with eyes could clearly see this. And the previous day's tragedy in the cell was entirely Sia's one-sided assault. Initially, Tia thought Sia was simply too powerful, and Lynn, deprived of his divine power, couldn't fight back. Now she realized she was grossly mistaken. Sia wasn't overpowering a weakling but was facing an equally matched opponent choosing silence. What could make someone like him endure being beaten like that by Sia and still guard that night's secret? The answer was simple. It was her. A turmoil surged through Tia’s heart. She took a deep breath, trying to alleviate her dizziness. "Tia, are you okay?!" Sia was the first to notice something amiss, instinctively reaching out to steady her. However, Tia reacted as if provoked, shaking off Sia's hand with agitation: "Don’t touch me!" In the next instant, seeing the shock and bewilderment in Sia's eyes, she realized what she had done and shook her head, crestfallen: "I-I’m sorry, I just..." This was awful. She had instinctively shouted at Sia. Tia's body swayed slightly. This wasn’t simply an overreaction, but the result of back-to-back shocks to her worldview and her shattering hopes and dreams. For Tia, with no memory from the past twelve years, the only person she cared about was Sia. She treated him as her standard, her world revolving around the image of a hero. But now, everything shattering like an illusion. No. Staying here any longer was impossible. Sensing the varied gazes thrown her way, Tia, as the Silent Saintess, knew she must maintain the church's dignity despite her near collapse. "Congressman Blake, Your Highnesses, I suddenly feel unwell and need to return to the church for a brief rest." Receiving nods from Congressman Blake and Crown Princess Sheer Leena, she forced a polite bow before hurriedly leaving the underground cell. Currently, Lynn was still rinsing off, and Tia thought it wise to leave while she had the chance. Otherwise, she feared she might once again encounter something that would disturb her heart. As she watched Tia's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Sia seemed somewhat at a loss, a trace of embarrassment and anger flashing in his eyes. He didn't understand what had happened. Why had Tia, who used to always revolve around him, become so strange? Noticing the change in her subordinate's mood, Crown Princess Sheer Leena approached slowly, offering some quiet words of comfort. Meanwhile, Evester glanced at Tia's retreating form with a slight frown, her thoughts seemingly going down an unknown path. Ten minutes later, Lynn had finished showering and donned a set of fresh clothes. Unexpectedly, he also managed to retrieve items previously confiscated from him by the judgment members, including the witch's parchment and the cards from Bynes. It seemed like he was being acquitted, Lynn mused, evident from the knowing look in his eyes. Given how things had progressed, the next step was quite obvious. According to Tia, Congressman Blake, representing the Imperial Council, was expected to present him with two challenges. Though she hadn't spoken of the second challenge, if it involved solving the case within a set time, Lynn felt he might just be able to rise to the occasion, obstacles notwithstanding. With this in mind, under the watchful eyes of the judgment members, he slowly walked into the interrogation room. "Sit." Unexpectedly, Congressman Blake, seated across the interrogation table, wore a surprisingly pleasant demeanor. Yet Lynn was well aware of the irreconcilable conflict between the two factions, hence he could hardly afford to fully trust the man before him. Sensing the gaze of everyone around, Lynn maintained a calm expression and took a seat. He discreetly glanced at Evester, Afiya, and others. He wasn't sure if it was just a trick of the eye. Though the princess seemed quite calm, even winking slightly as a response, Afiya and Greyia behind her appeared slightly troubled, as if plagued by guilt. Noticing this, Lynn couldn't help but frown. However, Congressman Blake tapped the table first: "Now that everyone is here, let's get down to business." "Lynn Bartleon, I’m here on behalf of the Imperial Council to pronounce the sentence concerning your involvement in the Limb Chain case as seen by the upper echelons." Lynn pulled back his gaze, "Go ahead." Congressman Blake nodded, "First, let's acknowledge that after a day's investigation and verification by the judgment members' headquarters, the possibility of you committing crimes as a member of the Limb Chain has been temporarily excluded." Lynn, aware that this wouldn’t be the entirety of it, remained silent, waiting for more. "Of course, it’s only a temporary exclusion," Blake coughed slightly, "You still haven't been completely cleared of suspicion. After leaving the judgment prison, you are not permitted to leave Glostin without special reason, and your daily activities are restricted to the West District of the Upper City. Every Sunday evening, you must report back to the judgment headquarters." While a severe condition, it was still within Lynn's tolerance. There was likely more to come. With this thought, he patiently waited. Once Lynn signified understanding of this condition, Blake turned a few pages in his notebook: "And then, point two." "Upon returning to the capital, His Majesty entrusted the executioner role to the third prince. You should already be aware of this." Lynn nodded, staying silent. "And the council received reports that the third prince didn’t involve himself in the detailed affairs of the executioner group but noted the entire organization under your name." "In other words, as of now, you are the proxy leader of the executioner group." Lynn was well aware of this too. It wasn’t that Evester was trying to dodge responsibility or set him up; it just hadn’t crossed his mind that these people would use this as an attack point. After all, he had just returned to the capital two days ago; typically, a welcoming process would precede anything else. The Imperial Council using this as leverage seemed exceptionally harsh. However, if it simply came down to just this, Lynn felt he could still manage. Blake didn’t pause and continued, "As the leader of the executioners, knowing the Limb Chain case, you not only failed to promptly rally your subordinates to investigate, but you also attended Princess Sheer Leena’s banquet, allowing the 36th case to happen, which caused dreadful public fallout." "This is a severe dereliction of duty." "The council is extremely unhappy and has decided to impose a minor punishment to set an example." "Firstly, a fine of 50,000 gold coins to compensate the families of those killed by the Limb Chain; secondly, a three-week community service sentence." As punishment after punishment was voiced by Blake, Lynn’s frown deepened. Not because the penalties were excessively challenging. But because none of them struck a nerve, leaving him utterly baffled! The Imperial Council must have lost their minds to think a fine of 50,000 or some trivial community service could significantly affect him. It was bizarre. After a brief moment, as Blake pronounced the last of the lightly punitive measures, the topic seemingly came to a close. "...That's all for the council’s reprimand for your dereliction of duty. We hope you'll soon take control of the executioners and solve the case, fulfilling the expectations of His Majesty and the populace." A tense silence fell over the room. Lynn finally lifted his head slowly: "And then? Besides these penalties, isn’t there anything else you need to discuss with me?" He had anticipated being pressured to solve the case within three days as Tia suggested the Imperial Council would. Yet the issue wasn’t mentioned at all throughout. At this point, his expression turned icy. It didn't take long for Lynn to figure out what had transpired. He glanced towards Evester behind Blake, attempting to glean some response from her. Yet she merely smiled lightly, seemingly indifferent to the situation. Her demeanor tightened his fists, casting a shadow in his eyes. Blake’s voice returned to his ears. "Are you surprised by how lenient the council’s punishment is?" He gently closed his notebook, tucked it into his pocket, "You’re right; it is rather unusual." "Only, it's not because your deeds in Orne City balanced each other out, but because someone else paid the price for you." "The same price that covers the havoc you wreaked on the Mosgra Family one night in the council hall." "Lynn Bartleon, this is the capital, Glostin, not the frontier." "Sometimes, you need to learn humility." Saying this, Blake finally revealed his first smile of the day. At this moment, the claws of the Cortes Family and the Imperial Council were revealed. Lynn lowered his gaze silently. Evidently unwilling for Lynn to dwell on it, as she had always fulfilled such duties herself, Evester opened her mouth slightly: "You—" However, before she could finish, the unsettling look from Lynn stopped her words cold. Then, suppressing his rising emotions, he asked, "So, what was the price paid?" "A commission." "A commission related to the Hereim Mausoleum." "Due to the mausoleum's uniqueness, some scholars suggest treating it as a high-sequence containment item. Consequently, the Imperial Council unanimously decided to entrust Evester with handling this matter." "The princess agreed to this proposal just yesterday." As Blake's calm words fell, the name "Hereim Mausoleum" echoed in Lynn’s mind incessantly, chilling his blood. At that moment, an electronic chime unexpectedly sounded in his ear. [S-rank plot character “Evester Roland Alexynees” storyline deviation has decreased to 10.07%.] After the inquiry concluded, everyone began to leave. Unexpectedly, Lynn was the first to exit the interrogation room, walking ahead of everyone, head bowed and absorbed in his thoughts. Noticing this, Eleanor grew concerned and instinctively wanted to call out to him. However, she was stopped by Evester. After shaking her head, Princess Evester quickened her pace to join Lynn, gently clasping his warm hand. "Today’s your release day, try to be happy." She tickled Lynn’s palm with her pinky, attempting to console him, something she rarely did. Usually, it was him comforting her. For Evester knew her actions might anger Lynn. But her gesture was useless; it only fanned the flames of his fury. The next moment, disregarding the eyes of those around them, Lynn firmly grasped Evester's slender, pale hand and strode briskly towards a side corridor. "Slow down... You're hurting me!" Evester frowned slightly, raising her voice. Yet Lynn ignored her plea. Finally, reaching a secluded spot, he could no longer suppress the tumult of emotions within him. He raised the hand that clasped Evester’s and pressed it forcefully against the wall. At that moment, his eyes were filled with an unprecedented darkness and anger. "Evester, I'm very disappointed in you."