Chapter 320 Collaboration with the Enemy

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was in an uproar.

"Mr. Nova! Be careful with your words!" Batman reacted and immediately slammed the table. Whether it was corruption or dereliction of duty, no one was clean - but no matter what, this accusation of treason was unacceptable!

"How dare you speak so brazenly in front of the two emperors!" he shouted angrily, "Do you know how serious a crime it is to frame an important official of the Empire?!"

Duke Kamu put down the teacup with a clatter, and the base made a distinct knocking sound against the tabletop. He raised his right hand slightly. Batman paused, then reluctantly closed his mouth, his chest heaving violently.

"Your Excellency Nova, you are still young, and I am an old man. Perhaps you are not familiar with my past." The only Duke of the Silver Iris Empire spoke slowly, "I have fought for the Empire for half my life. The blood of my soldiers has flowed on almost every inch of the Empire. My first son died on the battlefield, and his remains are still buried under the eternal frozen soil of the North..."

"Please tell me." He seemed genuinely confused, but his voice grew increasingly stern. "What makes you despise and disrespect me so much that you decided to defame my soul in front of Your Majesties with such a vicious and vile lie as 'I made a deal with the damned Yankees'?!"

After the last high-pitched ending sound fell, the hall was silent, and even Cassius II couldn't help but shrink his neck.

"You're angry and agitated." But the black-haired young man simply surveyed Duke Kamu's face with an unpleasant gaze, his voice expressionless. "Or perhaps you were deliberately acting agitated. Unfortunately, your acting was too intense, making it seem a bit... dramatic. I suggest you lower the angle of your brows a bit next time."

So everyone's eyes immediately turned from the ghost back to the Duke's face - now, Duke Kamu, who was being stared at by everyone, was really irritated by the overly sharp-tongued guy in front of him.

But the man ignored the cold murderous intent in his eyes and actually began to look around, searching for someone in the majestic hall of Yuanxin Palace as if no one was around. "Marquis Shrike? Is His Excellency Marquis Shrike here?"

"Mr. Ghost, Lord Shrike did not attend the Blooming Conference," Fina beside him kindly reminded him. "Did you forget? Lord Shrike, as the Supreme Minister of Military Affairs and the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Frontier Campaign, has been temporarily suspended because the Northern Frontier Army is suffering defeat at the hands of the Fellothians."

"That's a shame," the black-haired young man said slowly as everyone looked at him like a madman, "I have a friend who really wants to meet our commander-in-chief in person."

He turned slightly to the side, and a seemingly inconspicuous person slowly "walked" out from his seat - to be precise, he was sitting in a wheelchair and moving out little by little.

A young man with a haggard face and a coat covering his legs. Perhaps due to the use of a confusion spell, no one noticed his abnormality when he entered.

"Mr. Nova, what do you mean?" Batman frowned.

Before the professor could say anything, the man took the lead in lifting up his coat from his legs, and many people's eyes immediately focused on him - the man had no legs.

"Sergeant Victor Lawrence of the Iron Shield Honor Assault Company of the Third Legion stationed in the Brafar region is the sole survivor of the entire company," Nova said calmly. "I'm sure everyone here has heard the story of the Iron Shield Honor Assault Company. The once heroic company chose to defect, and all 158 of them surrendered to the Ferros people. However, as a witness to that defection, Sergeant Lawrence's story is somewhat different."

"Wait, how are you going to prove the identity of this so-called... 'Sergeant Victor Lawes'?" Bateman, feeling something was wrong, immediately interrupted him: "Don't tell me he's just some random beggar you picked up from the street."

"I can prove my identity," Victor, who had indeed been "picked up on the street" by the professor, said eagerly. "I have the insignia of all 121 soldiers in the company. The insignia issued by the Imperial Army is difficult to forge, and anyone who knows the business will recognize it at a glance."

"Mr. Bateman, please don't interrupt me. It's very rude." The professor raised his chin in dissatisfaction and said in a disdainful and blunt tone, "If you are willing, it is not difficult to find the quartermaster to verify your identity."

"Let him speak," said the Queen impatiently.

Frankly speaking, the Wang Court's worthless bunch had been completely crushed by this young man barely half their age, leaving them powerless to fight back. Furthermore, even up to this point, Ghost hadn't revealed his true intentions. Not only were they worthless, but their actions were also disgusting, making her feel an immense distaste for even offering them some favoritism or assistance.

...Not to mention the accusation of "treason".

Esmery's golden animal eyes slowly swept over Duke Kamu, whose expression showed no change - this completely violated her taboo.

Victor's hoarse voice drifted slowly through the hall. He spoke of his comrades, who had believed to their death that reinforcements would arrive, of how he had finally escaped the hands of the Ferros, bearing the lives of many on his shoulders, only to learn he had "defected," and of how he had been captured on the streets of the royal city. Tears welled up on the young soldier's face.

"With all due respect, Your Excellency Nova," Duke Kamu said slowly. "Even if we assume that everything this gentleman says is... 'the truth,' and even though I've retreated to the sidelines, I still understand that everything on the battlefield is ever-changing. The issuance of orders and the transmission of information are subject to deviations and delays due to the chaotic situation. Can you assert that the Supreme Command and important Imperial officials are colluding with the enemy and deliberately sacrificing Imperial soldiers based solely on the one-sided words of a 'survivor'?"

He scoffed, then sneered, "Sir Nova, you are exploiting the blood and grief of the soldiers to incite malicious speculation about the Empire's military decisions! This is a grave blasphemy against the fallen soldiers, and it's also a false claim intended to overthrow the Empire!"

"What are you talking about?" The black-haired young man looked at him in surprise, seemingly innocent. "The unfortunate fate of Sergeant Lawrence and even the Iron Shield Honor Assault Company certainly doesn't directly prove that any 'wise and brave' commander is collaborating with the enemy and treason."

The air in the hall suddenly stagnated. Everyone was stunned. The heated debate they had anticipated never occurred. Instead, their opponent effortlessly withdrew his weapon, appearing even more unpredictable. No one knew what he would do next.

Duke Kamu's eyebrows twitched with rage. The atmosphere of grief and indignation he had deliberately maintained was like a balloon punctured by a needle, his impassioned speech piercing into cotton. Ever since this person started speaking, they had lost control of the conversation.

"Sergeant Lawrence's testimony alone proves only one thing." Ghost's voice remained calm, as if stating something that was a matter of course. "The command in the Brafar region committed serious dereliction of duty before and after the destruction of the Iron Shield Honor Assault Company. They knew that 185 soldiers were still holding out, awaiting reinforcements, yet they failed to send them promptly. Instead, they hastily labeled them 'defections' and blocked all channels of information seeking to clarify the matter."

"If I remember correctly," the black-haired young man said slowly, "the Ruskin family also disappeared without a trace around this time. Her Majesty should know why."

Esmerel narrowed her eyes slightly at the sudden mention of him. It was the height of the war's chaos, and calls for surrender were looming. Therefore, the allegation of treason by a nobleman was difficult to publicize. The fate of the Ruskin family was known only to an internal group.

Ghost continued his analysis slowly, and many people subconsciously followed his line of thought. "So why must a loyal company be labeled 'traitors'? Wouldn't that shake the morale of the troops? Is this simply to cover up a failed decision?"

"—Or do you intend to silence the witnesses in order to conceal something even more unspeakable?" Those smoky gray eyes glared coldly at Duke Kamu. "For example... our Supreme Commander, Lord Shrike, spearheaded the resale of military supplies to the enemy, and you, as the Speaker of the Royal Court, turned a blind eye to this?"

"Ridiculous!" Duke Kamu snarled, looking furious. "So far, everything we've heard is just your groundless conjectures and the one-sided statements of so-called witnesses!"

"It doesn't matter, we still have evidence." It turned out that the ghost was waiting for this. He began to flip through the documents, looking aggressive, as if he was ready to take out the hard evidence and throw it in someone's face.

Just as everyone was waiting with bated breath, a hoarse and cold voice suddenly resounded throughout the venue.

“—That’s enough.”

The queen slowly stood up, her sharp eyes slowly sweeping over the ghost who looked unsurprised and Duke Kamu who had a gloomy and ugly face.

"Adjourn, Your Majesty is tired." She said coldly, "Today's Blooming Meeting ends here."

Cassius II was obviously stunned for a moment, but the next second he pretended to yawn.

Esmerel's expression was icy. The Supreme Minister of War's treasonous dealings with the enemy would shake the very foundations of the Empire's rule and even risk inciting a civil uprising. So, regardless of the Ghost's "evidence" being true or false, she couldn't risk exposing the Empire's most filthy side to the First and Third Councils.

Unexpectedly, amidst the gasps of the crowd and the warning look from the Queen, the black-haired young man lazily raised his hand and said, "But Your Majesty, the Third Council still has some unfinished business to discuss. When is the next meeting?"

But until the end, they did not get a definite answer.

After the meeting, Fina found the right opportunity and quietly approached the professor.

"Mr. Ghost," the girl said, her face filled with admiration and awe. "You've actually found evidence of Shrike's treason?"

How long had it been since Victor was discovered and the meeting was held? She thought in amazement that he had already found the key evidence that could bring down a great noble. He was indeed worthy of being Mr. Ghost.

"No." Unexpectedly, the black-haired young man answered very decisively.

Fina was stunned.

"W-what?" Her eyes widened in disbelief - so, had she been so confident in front of so many people before, was it all just a lie?!

"Of course not." The professor gave her a puzzled look. "I'm not a god. To be able to dig up irrefutable evidence of the Shrike family's collusion with the enemy in such a short time—this must be a very, very huge project."

He thought for a moment, then added seriously, "Neither can God."

Azuka disappeared to the side: "..."

He narrowed his eyes with a half-smile and pinched the back of his enemy's neck with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Then Fina saw Mr. Ghost suddenly glare at the empty corner behind him, and then turned his head to talk to her.

"The Queen won't let me present evidence publicly," he patiently explained to Fina. "Unfortunately, the 'political struggle' in the Silver Iris Empire today isn't a debate or academic research. Sometimes evidence doesn't matter, even the truth. Even if I have so-called 'ironclad evidence,' I'll be brushed off with all sorts of high-sounding excuses, simply because my actions don't meet the needs of those in power."

"Submit evidence, the king will be enraged, and the bad guys will be punished..." He sneered coldly, and it was unclear who the sarcasm was directed at. "Under the current circumstances, this model is truly too idealistic."

"——So I just need to perform well enough, and everyone will be my most loyal audience who can be used by me."