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"I... I just can\'t understand why my brother would do this to me. If he wanted to inherit the throne, he could have just told me directly!"

"Two years ago, I even asked him if he wanted to be king, and he told me he didn\'t. He said the position was too exhausting. I never expected..."

Seeing Apollon begin to drift into a sorrowful recollection, Dean Bruce interrupted him, speaking calmly, "People change. He might have been lying to you all along, or perhaps there were other reasons."

"Never trust anyone too easily—anyone."

Pausing briefly, Dean Bruce continued, "Since it\'s confirmed that he\'s your brother, wake him up. We need to get more information out of him."

Without another word, Dean Bruce slapped the crown prince across the face.

Smack—

A red handprint appeared on the prince\'s cheek, but he didn\'t stir at all, leaving Dean Bruce visibly surprised.

Normally, a sharp pain like that should wake someone up.

Dean Bruce\'s eyes narrowed as he considered the situation. Then, with a steady voice, he said, "Go get a bucket of cold water."

"Right away!"

Apollon Joy, no longer hesitant, rushed to fetch the water. Since his brother had already turned against him, Apollon felt no remorse in using harsher methods to get answers.

Meanwhile, Shelly William arrived back at the inn with Nicholas William.

Noticing that Apollon wasn\'t present, Shelly, controlling Linda Quirell\'s body, spoke up, "You actually captured the crown prince? No wonder the soldiers outside are in such a frenzy. They\'re practically searching house by house."

"It\'s fine. I\'ll just cast an invisibility spell on him later." Dean Bruce shrugged it off. Even though the invisibility spell would be cast via a scroll, it would be more than enough to deal with the average soldier\'s search efforts.

Suddenly, Shelly went silent as footsteps approached. Apollon Joy returned, carrying a basin of water.

Without hesitation, Dean Bruce took the water and splashed it over the crown prince\'s face.

However, what happened next shocked everyone.

The icy water drained the color from the prince\'s face, but there was no change in his expression. He remained completely unresponsive.

It was at that moment that Dean Bruce sensed something was wrong.

He reached out with his magic senses and discovered the truth—just like with Linda Quirell earlier, this was merely a body. There was no life force or soul within it.

Earlier, the crown prince had been able to speak, likely because another soul was controlling his body.

By the time Dean Bruce knocked him out and abducted him, the hidden soul must have already fled.

[So, the crown prince himself wasn\'t the problem? He was simply captured and used by someone from the shadows! Dean Bruce furrowed his brow, feeling a twinge of disappointment.]

Another potential source of information had been lost!

Apollon Joy examined his brother, confused, and asked, "Why hasn\'t my brother woken up yet? I remember he hates the cold the most! Should we stab him to wake him up?"

At his suggestion, Dean Bruce, Nicholas William, and even Shelly William all turned their gazes toward Apollon, causing him to scratch his head awkwardly. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"You were just talking about how close you and your siblings are, and now you\'re suggesting stabbing him?"

Dean Bruce said coolly. "It\'s not your brother who\'s trying to harm you. Right now, he\'s nothing more than a body. The soul controlling him earlier, the one speaking with Terrynas Gold, could have been someone else entirely."

"What?"

Apollon\'s eyes lit up with excitement. "I knew it! My brother has always treated me well—there\'s no way he would try to hurt me!"

Clenching his fists tightly, Apollon Joy\'s expression turned furious. "How despicable! Who would use such a trick to sow discord between us? If I ever find out, I\'ll tear them limb from limb! They\'ll suffer a thousand cuts!"

Hearing this, Dean Bruce and the others were left speechless.

Dean Bruce, still calm, replied, "At this point, it\'s possible that the Gold family hasn\'t betrayed anyone. They may have been deceived. The one manipulating your brother might have lured the Gold family into working for them."

Nicholas William suddenly chimed in, "Teacher, I noticed that Terrynas Gold kept calling him \'Your Highness,\' but not specifically \'the Crown Prince.\' Could it be... Terrynas knew about the prince\'s condition all along?"

Nodding slightly, Dean Bruce replied with satisfaction, "That\'s a sharp observation. Another possibility is that the Gold family has already pledged their allegiance to Miranda Joy!"

"No way!" Apollon shook his head vehemently. "Miranda\'s always been timid since birth. She\'s never been good at scheming. There\'s no way she\'s behind this. You must be mistaken!"

Hearing this, Dean Bruce, Shelly, and Nicholas exchanged puzzled glances.

Timid?

The Miranda Joy they remembered couldn\'t have been further from that description!

Bang!

Just then, a series of rapid knocks echoed through the room.

Dean Bruce immediately signaled for Nicholas and the others to take the crown prince\'s body upstairs. He straightened his clothes, dispelled his transformation spell, and moved to answer the door.

The ones knocking on the door were several soldiers clad in armor. They seemed to recognize Dean Bruce, and their demeanor was highly respectful. As soon as they saw him, they bowed and said, "Mr. Dean, Her Highness the Princess has requested your presence at the palace. She says there\'s an important matter to discuss."

Hearing this, Dean Bruce narrowed his eyes slightly.

Is this a genuine invitation to talk, an attempt to test me, or a trap?

After a moment of thought, Dean Bruce didn\'t refuse. He replied, "Understood. I\'ll head over shortly."

"Please, Mr. Dean, don\'t delay."

The soldiers\' faces changed slightly as they hurriedly added, "Her Highness gave strict orders—she said even if we had to beg on our knees, we must ensure you come!"

"Mr. Dean, you are a man of great status. Please have mercy on us."

Dean Bruce wasn\'t one to be swayed by such a blatant attempt at emotional manipulation. His eyes sharpened as he coldly said, "Oh? Are you planning to forcefully take me back?"

"We wouldn\'t dare!"

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The chill in Dean Bruce\'s voice terrified the soldiers. They immediately dropped to one knee, bowing their heads low, not daring to meet his gaze.

"Then stay right here and wait. Once I\'ve finished my business, I\'ll go."

In his time, Dean Bruce had encountered far more sophisticated forms of manipulation than what these soldiers were attempting, so he paid it no mind. As he was about to close the door, something caught his eye—the innkeeper returning with a large sack of vegetables over her shoulder.

[Out shopping? At this exact time... how convenient!]

Dean Bruce\'s eyes flickered with suspicion, but with too many questions already swirling in his mind, he decided not to waste time on the innkeeper. He turned and went back inside the inn without another word.

The innkeeper was startled by the sight of the soldiers kneeling outside, her face pale with fear. She hesitated even as she entered the inn, clearly unsettled.

Dean Bruce paid her no attention. Once upstairs, he briefly spoke with Nicholas William and Shelly William, instructing them to keep an eye on Apollon Joy to prevent any trouble.

Before leaving, he handed Nicholas William several magical scrolls for use in case of danger.

Of course, the most powerful scrolls, the ones capable of summoning angels to possess someone, were not among them.

Those were far too valuable—Dean Bruce intended to keep those for himself, hoping to fully master that kind of Divine Descent magic. He wouldn\'t part with them so easily.

With all the necessary precautions in place, Dean Bruce descended the stairs and followed the soldiers toward the palace.

Along the way, soldiers were conducting searches everywhere. The atmosphere was far livelier than it had been in recent days.

The only reason Dean Bruce felt comfortable leaving was because Shelly William was there, and he believed Nicholas William, being the protagonist of this world, could handle things in his absence.

They arrived at the palace without issue, and Dean Bruce was promptly led to Miranda Joy\'s quarters.

As soon as they entered the room, the soldiers quietly bowed and departed.

The grand hall dimmed, with only a few glowing minerals casting a faint light, barely illuminating the space.

Dean Bruce glanced around, noticing the curtains were fully drawn. The maids and guards had been dismissed, which made him instinctively tense, mentally preparing for a potential fight.

Click, click, click—

The sound of light footsteps echoed. Miranda Joy, dressed in a sheer, flowing garment, walked gracefully toward Dean Bruce, her steps measured and elegant as she slowly approached him.

"Why did you summon me?" Dean Bruce asked bluntly.

Miranda Joy smiled gently and said, "You\'re an elder of the Magic Guild. Do you really need to be so tense, so direct? Surely you don\'t think a delicate girl like me could be any threat to someone like you?"

Dean Bruce\'s expression remained calm, and he said nothing, simply locking his gaze on Miranda Joy.

After a long silence, Miranda sighed. Then, without warning, she removed her gauzy robe, spreading her arms wide. Her pale, smooth body was fully exposed before Dean Bruce, without the slightest hint of restraint.