Work Prophet
Chapter 548 - 166 Duren’s Determination

Chapter 548: Chapter 166 Duren’s Determination

Sir Duren’s guess was correct, and it wasn’t long until he saw two figures cloaked in capes appear at the other end of the alley.

Judging by their stature, they appeared to be a man and a woman, and the Imperial Guard Captain was still pondering the identity of the individuals across from him.

The woman had already removed her hood.

"Sir Duren, I apologize for summoning you in this manner."

"Priest of Cornelia, is that you?" The Imperial Guard Captain was quite surprised, "You left this morning, and soon after, His Majesty was poisoned. I sent people to find you, but unfortunately, it was too late, and now His Majesty has already..."

"I know what has happened," Cornelia said.

"Indeed, half a day has passed since the incident occurred; the news must have spread throughout the city by now."

"No, I mean I received a divine oracle from the goddess that I knew this tragedy would occur, just last night I warned His Majesty, and I warned him again before the martial arts contest began this morning, but regretfully, he refused to believe my word."

"Of course, such a development is not surprising," Cornelia continued, "Believers are like this, we are like lambs, the goddess tells us not to graze near the cliff edge, but we sometimes forget her admonitions."

"Wait, I don’t understand, are you saying you foresaw this event happening?" Sir Duren gaped.

"Yes, and in an attempt to convince His Majesty, I personally verified it for him, I...entered Earl Clyde’s mind and read his memories."

"Even so, His Majesty still refused to believe the evidence before his eyes; I must admit, I underestimated his trust in family, especially his own blood."

"What are you talking about exactly?" Duren’s frown deepened.

"You know what I am talking about, Sir Duren, because doubts already exist in your heart, don’t they?"

The Female Priest said flatly, "You fear this possibility, forcing yourself not to think about it. You are right; you should not investigate any further."

The Imperial Guard Captain felt a chill run down his spine; he opened his mouth but could not utter a word.

After what seemed like an intense internal struggle, he finally spoke with difficulty, "Do you have evidence?"

"Does it matter? I know you are highly skilled in martial arts, Sir Duren, but this is a battle you are destined to lose. There’s no need to make a futile sacrifice."

"I am the Imperial Guard Captain; protecting His Majesty is my duty, and I failed this sole responsibility, but I can at least reveal the truth to the public, even if it costs me my life.

"But the issue is Valria also teaches us that our lives are not just our own."

"You’ve also seen the one with wings, that Lady from the Arias family was not lying, a storm is coming, Sir Duren, and I have consulted the great Valria,

"The goddess warned me that this enemy is more formidable than we imagined, to achieve ultimate victory, everyone must contribute their own strength and not perish in a meaningless political struggle."

"Meaningless?!" Duren said in a lowered voice, "If my suspicion is true, then... that person personally murdered his own father, and the Imperial Ministers are about to enthrone a patricide."

"It’s not about to happen, whether you like it or not, it has already been decided."

"How can this be, he is to be crowned in two days, if we reveal the truth before then, it might make the Imperial Ministers elect a new emperor."

"Why should I?" the Female Priest retorted.

"What do you mean ’why should I’?"

"Why would the Imperial Ministers listen to you? Gars had been designated as the heir by Edward II quite early, sat in on the Imperial Conferences, and later replaced his father in handling state affairs.

"He has a good relationship with the Imperial Ministers, and they like him too. They wouldn’t want to accept another Emperor at this time."

"Even if Gars killed his own father?" the Imperial Forest Guard Captain raised his voice a notch.

"You are not a politician, just stop here; digging further will not do anyone any good."

"Is this what you brought me here to tell me? Let me hear it."

"Yes, I am saving you."

"But I don’t need anyone’s rescue." The Imperial Forest Guard Captain shook his head, then looked into the Female Priest’s eyes, pleading.

"You should know how much the Emperor trusts you, how much he reveres the goddess behind you. Over the past two years, he has made quite a few enemies for your sake, even earning quite a few bad names."

"And I also made him see his own heart clearly, made him become no longer confused, and I warned him of danger before it happened, more than once."

"But you can do more, can’t you?" Sir Duren continued, "You and your sect have tremendous influence in the Royal Capital, among both nobles and commoners.

"If you could use this influence to help me, we could reveal the truth together. Then even if the Imperial Ministers wanted to protect Gars, they couldn’t. Most importantly, we could repay the Emperor’s kindness."

The look in the Imperial Forest Guard Captain’s eyes was full of hope.

The Female Priest sighed and repeated, "You are not a politician, Sir Duren. Politicians do not get carried away by emotions; they need to keep their minds clear at all times, doing things that are beneficial for themselves and the general situation. However..."

Priest of Cornelia shifted her tone, "You have indeed convinced me. Edward II is my sovereign, my friend. If you truly need me, I can come forward and testify for you, but you need to find more evidence first."

Sir Duren was overjoyed at her words, "Of course, there are still two days until Gars’ coronation, and I will continue my investigation."

"Then I will wait for your good news." the Female Priest said.

After parting with the Priest of Cornelia, the Imperial Guard Captain decided to slightly alter the prior plan.

He wouldn’t go to Junlin Tower now as it might alert the target.

Although Sir Duren was very eager to catch the assassin, he also knew how difficult it was to accuse the future Emperor of the Empire, especially when the latter had the support of the Imperial Conference.

His situation was very dangerous right now; he had to be careful at all times.

Sir Duren planned to visit the wine pourer, Wade, who was being held in the garrison’s dungeon again. This time, Sir Duren would focus on asking Wade if there had been any unusual activities around Gars lately.

It was a pity that the Birdman named Moen had been killed by Ireya; otherwise, he might have found a breakthrough from him, discovering evidence of Gars’ collusion with the Alien Race.

However, the Imperial Guard Captain just felt slightly regretful for a moment and then plunged back into his work; there was still much to be done, and he needed to complete all investigations before Gars’ coronation.