Work Prophet
Chapter 232 - 80 Hels’s Defense

Chapter 232: Chapter 80 Hels’s Defense

A man with a short stature and a very avant-garde explosive hairstyle stomped out from behind the scenes.

The sound of his boots on the wooden stage was like a violent storm, with each step echoing the fury within his heart.

And unlike the other actors who would showcase their vocals upon taking the stage, he pointed directly at the noblewoman beside Hugo and began to curse her out loud.

"Catherine, you whore! How did you promise me last time, and how long has it been since you’ve been cozying up with that little bastard from the Vier family again! You’re driving me absolutely mad!!"

When he reached the last part of his sentence, the hair on his head literally stood on end like steel needles.

The noblewoman named Catherine’s face changed dramatically upon hearing this, as she had not expected her man to appear here.

After all, they had just exchanged letters not so long ago, in which Sir Fabrice told her that he would be busy auditing the losses on his lands.

To figure out which losses were caused by the Black Dragon and which were embezzled by corrupt officials and blamed on the Black Dragon.

It was precisely for this reason that Catherine could make a grand public appearance with Hugo.

As for any rumors that might arise, Catherine paid them no mind, for her romantic affairs were well known throughout the Western reaches even before her marriage to Fabrice.

She had not been particularly discreet even after marrying, but she had managed to breeze through every incident.

If Catherine were to consider herself second in the art of manipulating men, then no other woman would dare claim the first spot.

Sir Fabrice had even fallen out with well-meaning friends over similar "rumors," since which no one had troubled themselves to inform him of such matters anymore.

Nor could anyone fathom what sort of enchantment Catherine had cast over Sir Fabrice, that he allowed his wife to spend half the year in the more bustling and lively Rock Snow City.

The affair between the head of the Pope Family and his wife was, by now, an open secret within the noble circles of the West.

It never crossed anyone’s mind that this secret would be exposed so publicly by one of the people involved.

Sir Fabrice’s tirade left Catherine dumbstruck, spewing obscenities as if they were free, each more vulgar than the last.

He even bellowed at the end that he wanted to duel with Hugo again, scaring the poor man into trembling.

In this critical moment, it was Lord Hels who saved him.

The second son of Marquis Kuren cleared his throat and strummed his lyre, "Sir Fabrice, you haven’t mentioned who ended your duel with this young man before."

The head of the Pope Family cursed a few more times before snorting, "It was Lord David, and it was for his sake that I spared that little bastard."

The crowd buzzed once again.

"Words alone are not proof; do you have evidence?" Hels asked further.

"I swear on my honor!" Sir Fabrice clamored, "And afterwards, to compensate me, Lord David even ordered wood from my forestry worth more than seven thousand Gold Coins."

"Oh, I also remember that, our family used to purchase wood from the Redmayne Family," Hels added.

The murmurs in the crowd grew louder, and many turned their gaze to the figure in the front row.

Lord David’s expression remained calm, "Have you finished speaking?"

"Not yet," Lord Hels continued, "Regarding the accusation that I conspired with that Birdman named Gabriel, I have a few points to defend myself as well. I do not know him, nor have I ever met him, let alone commanded him to control the Black Dragon to attack everywhere."

"But you were originally opposed to the Dragon Slayer," a Noble who had participated in the previous two Dragon Slayer meetings couldn’t help but speak up.

"Indeed, I underestimated our opponent," Hels admitted, "but I paid the price for that."

"If you are referring to the incident when you fell into the river..."

"No, I’m referring to Stiles, the Family Head of the Lycet family, a brave man. Upon hearing of the misdeeds committed by that Black Dragon in Black Stone City, he chose to inspect the defensive works on his estate instead of hiding in cellars and dungeons. And then, tragically, the Black Dragon crushed him to death on his way."

"But it is well known that Stiles was closer to your brother."

"That is only what you see on the surface. In reality, Stiles was my friend, and not just any friend."

"Stiles is dead, you can say whatever you want now..."

"I can prove it!"

A voice rose, belonging to a young girl about the same age as Ireya.

Most of the Nobles present did not recognize her, but those who were more familiar with Stiles immediately recognized her, their faces showing surprise.

The girl then introduced herself, "I am Stiles’s youngest daughter."

Under the scrutiny of so many, her voice trembled as she spoke, "A few days ago, while organizing my father’s belongings, I discovered some letters."

"The letters were kept in a very secret place, and the person corresponding with him was none other than Lord Hels. From those letters, it is evident that their relationship was... extraordinary, which leads me to believe that Lord Hels would not harm my father.

"In the most recent letter, they were still discussing the matter of that Dragon, speculating about the truth of the situation. My father even intended to send someone to Green Field personally to investigate. I have brought all these letters with me."

As she spoke, the girl took a thick stack of letters out of a basket nearby.

Even Lord David was a bit surprised, raising an eyebrow at his brother on the stage, "Stiles was actually your man?"

"We just shared common interests and occasionally exchanged political views as pen pals, that’s all," Hels clarified.

"You can say whatever you want," Lord David said indifferently, then after a pause, he continued, "Do you know why I came to watch this play today and why I let you finish your part on stage without having you arrested?"

"Because there are too many people watching?"

Lord David shook his head, "No, because our father is not in Rock Snow City, and I must shoulder the responsibility he left behind, to uphold the family’s honor. Whether you believe it or not, I will not allow you to bear the stigma of colluding with an Alien Race to slaughter your fellow Nobles."

He then turned to the Lady beside him, "How about it, can you accept his explanation, Miss Ireya?"

"I can believe that he did not murder my father, but you also heard what he said earlier," Miss Rabbit replied coldly, "How do you plan to explain your relationship with Sir Fabrice?"

"Do you know that it is a very important task for a Liege to mediate conflicts among his Nobles? Father entrusted this part of the work to me, and of course, I have to fulfill it seriously. I can’t just watch as Caroman’s only son dies in a duel with Sir Fabrice."

"Is that so? But that’s not what Caroman said," the girl raised her voice, "I recorded his voice, do you want to listen to it together?"