Aston nodded.
“They said that the reason they were wounded when they arrived was because Oren wanted to deceive us. That’s why they lost their limbs… Isn’t that right, Balpas?”
Balpas was also bound up next to Oren. He nodded silently.
If I saw that the men were wounded, I would not reject them. That must have been his reasoning.
However, how could that possibly justify cutting off arms and legs.
Ashton looked at Oren with an expression of pity.
“To think this is a royal…someone who stands above others. No, I would rather not think of it.”
“Me and my brother have very different personalities. However, I find it hard to believe that this one is related to Lord Heal…”
Haines muttered with exasperation.
Baris looked very calm as he said,
“I heard about what he did from Balpas and the other ship’s crew. Whatever your decision may be, we will support you. And everything, including his crimes, will be reported to the king.”
And then Erevan grabbed Oren by the collar.
“It’s decided then. Elto, use this man and save the Chief’s friend.”
“Mmmmghgh! Mmmgh!!!”
Oren began to struggle violently.
Rienna was the only one who was against it. She was worried that this would cause an even larger rift with Sanfaris.
And she was right. It was possible that my father would be outraged by Oren’s death. Even if he heard everything that the crew had to say.
However, this was Oren. If he had the chance, he would come straight back to this island in order to do us harm.
Of course, I did not like the idea of a human sacrifice.
However, Oren was the person who had taken Lopez’s life. And he had killed many others.
Who knew what he would do if returned to the continent.
And so I did not care to stop it.
But Elto stared at Oren and opened her mouth.
Apparently, she had realized something.
“Hmm. Your magic… You have the ‘Sage’ crest, do you not?”
Oren nodded. It was as if he wanted to make an appeal of his worth as a human.
“Ho-ho… Ashton, Haines. I want to be sure about this. Take off his shirt.”
And so the two did as Elto requested.
And then they saw the glowing, geometric pattern on his chest that was the crest.
Elto looked at it curiously. And so I asked,
“Is there a problem with it being the ‘Sage’ crest?”
“Mmm. Some crests are worth more than a life. For instance, his crest would be worth several times that of his life.”
“In other words, the crest would be enough to pay the price?”
“Exactly. It’s almost too much. What will you do?”
If Oren lost his ‘Sage’ crest, he would no longer be able to use powerful magic. He wouldn’t be much of a threat then.
Furthermore, no one in the history of Sanfaris had ever lost their crest. And in Sanfaris, your crest was everything. He would never be king.
“But there are also the crimes he commited on the ship. Not to mention the crimes he must have commited in the capital. There are likely others who will demand justice… Brother.”
I turned to face Balpas.
“Will you help me expose Oren’s crimes?”
“…M-me?”
“I want you to find his other victims. And if any are alive, you must help them.”
With Aries’s poison, we could make Oren confess.
“Very well… I should be able to get the truth from him. I have my own reasons for doing so as well… Leave it to me.”
“Thank you, brother. Now…”
I turned to Elto, and she nodded.
That’s when Oren shook his head and began to move as if he’d gone mad.
“MMmmmghgh!! Mmmghghh!! MMMMGGGHHH!!!”
He wriggled and thrashed on the ground like a worm.
Ashton and Haines moved to hold him down, but Elto said that she didn’t mind. And then she held her hand over Oren.
As she began to chant something, Oren began to smash his head onto the ground. The gag in his mouth shattered and he began to scream.
“NOOO!!!! THIS IS MY POWER!!!! I won’t allow the likes of you to take it from me! I’ll kill you all!! Flame!!”
He had just chanted. However, nothing happened.
On closer inspection, the ‘Sage’ crest was now floating above Oren’s head. The light in it slowly began to dim, and then it vanished completely.
“…Flame!! Flame!! …Hell Storm!!”
Oren’s screams echoed throughout the island. It was all advanced magic. It would have been very dangerous if it worked.
“Thunder!! Thunder!! No…it’s not true!! Someone, unbind me!!”
However, no one moved to help Oren. It was no wonder. He had killed his own men.
Instead, everyone’s eyes moved towards Lopez as he was enveloped in darkness. I too, could not spare another thought towards Oren.
“I am the king!! I am king!! …The kingdom of Sanfaris is mine!!!”
And like that, Oren lost his crest forever.