đźź Chapter 59:
🟧 Elithius POV:
The person who stood by my side when no one else did…
The one who took care of me…
The one I trusted completely…
He shattered that trust right before my eyes.
I told him to help Number Five escape—
Yet he killed him.
He deceived me this whole time.
I couldn't comprehend what I saw.
My mind went completely blank.
I can't believe that my plan with the Prime Minister, his appreciation of me, and the care he showed… were all a lie.
Those doubts that kept haunting me were actually true.
But why…
Why would Elnar go so far as to let someone die just to expose the traitor?
Everyone rushed toward the interrogation room to catch the minister in the act, but Elnar told Takeru to stay beside me.
"Takeru, look after Elithius. Haizen and I will handle this."
Haizen now looked perfectly fine, but Takeru's arm was still injured.
I grabbed Takeru angrily, desperate to understand why they went this far. Number Five was a criminal, yes—but using him as a sacrifice to expose the minister felt excessive.
"How could you do this? Why would you kill Number Five just to prove a point? Are you insane?"
"I don't know why you're yelling at me. I'm not the one who came up with this plan—your brother is."
"But you didn't oppose it! How can you play with someone's life like that?"
"That's because Number Five is still alive, you hard-headed prince."
…What?
Number Five is still alive?
Then who was it I saw? Did they use someone else?
I tried to grasp what he meant.
"What are you talking about? How is he alive? Then who was that in there?"
"That wasn't anyone. There was no real person inside. It was your brother's new ability—a recently developed illusion clone. What you saw was fake. It'll vanish any moment."
All of this… was one of Elnar's tricks?!
He exposed me and exposed the minister's betrayal all in one move.
While I couldn't even understand the situation, he had already taken control of everything using an ability I didn't even know existed.
I can't believe this…
I really am the worst.
A pathetic follower who runs away from reality.
Tears began streaming down my face—I couldn't stop them.
I didn't want anyone to see me.
I wasn't capable of anything…
My blind trust destroyed me completely.
Takeru stood up and tried to lift me.
"Come on, prince. Let's go see what happens next.
Sure, it hurts when someone you care about treats you like a pawn…
But that's reality. Life isn't as pretty as you imagine.
But listen—there are people who truly care about you.
Your brother and your father consider you precious.
Be proud of that. Let it push you to face reality."
Father and Elnar… yes.
They weren't cold toward me like I always believed.
They accepted reality before I did.
The duties of a king and a prince come before everything—we have a kingdom to protect.
And even so… they still consider me dear to them.
I'm not like them—
I'm just a talentless, insignificant person.
Even though it still hurts to see the minister like that.
But i can't bear it any longer. I don't want to be a burden. I'm not fully ready to face Orfin, but for my family and as a prince, I must rise.
Even if it pains me, I stood at the end, regardless of my readiness to face reality.
"Alright. Let's go confront the traitor."
Takeru smiled when he heard that.
"Good. Let's go face Number One."
---
🟧 Narrator POV:
After Elnar and Haizen headed toward the interrogation room—leaving Takeru and Elithius behind—Elnar asked Haizen to bring more guards to ensure extra security around the traitor.
Elnar entered the room alone.
The shock was written all over Minister Orfin's face when he saw him.
"Prince Elnar… y-you… don't tell me you've discovered—"
"Yes, Minister Orfin.
Or should I say Number One, Boss of the Numbers Gang?"
Suddenly, the corpse Orfin had "killed" vanished completely.
Even the dripping blood disappeared.
Orfin couldn't comprehend what was happening.
"What—what is this!? Where did the body go!?"
Elnar smiled victoriously and revealed his plan.
"It was all an illusion. There was no one here—no Number Five, no one else.
And if you felt yourself cutting into something solid… that was nothing but your mind being deceived.
All thanks to my new ability—Phantom Replication."
Orfin was speechless. His words stumbled out.
"You… how? How did you—"
Elnar interrupted mockingly:
"Let me guess, Minister.
You were planning to pin Number Five's death on me after hearing I was interrogating him—
using the excuse that he died from excessive torture.
That way, all evidence pointing to you disappears."
Elnar expected the minister to collapse after being exposed…
But Orfin smirked instead, slow clapping echoing in the room.
"Well done, well done, Prince Elnar.
This is exactly what I'd expect from the kingdom's strongest successor."
Elnar frowned.
"So desperate that you're applauding me?"
Orfin's smile twisted into something darker.
"And what did you expect? That I would cry? Collapse?
Like your useless little brother?"
Then he pulled out two long knives.
He wasn't planning on surrendering.
Elnar unsheathed his sword.
"So you refuse to go down quietly.
Fine. You've chosen the wrong opponent… Orfin."
Orfin raised both knives, tension trembling in his arms.
His eyes lost the practiced gentleness of a politician—
replaced by the manic gleam of a cornered beast.
Elnar planted his feet firmly, gripping his sword with one hand.
He inhaled steadily.
Silence settled between them—no words, only sharp gazes.
Orfin made the first move.
He lunged with frightening speed—
one knife aimed for Elnar's neck, the other for his stomach.
But Elnar stepped forward, not back.
The sword clashed against the first dagger, knocking the strike away from his neck.
Then he twisted his body halfway, blocking the second dagger with the back edge of his blade.
Step. Strike. Turn.
Sparks flew.
Their movements were too precise—
as if both knew exactly how the other fought.
Orfin gave a strained smile.
"Didn't think you fought with such elegance… Your Highness."
Elnar replied coldly:
"And I didn't think the kingdom's prime minister fought like a street thug."
Orfin's face tightened.
He swung low at Elnar's knee, then followed with an upward stab toward the heart.
But Elnar didn't just block—
He pushed.
A powerful shove sent the knife off trajectory.
One of Orfin's blades slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor.
A missing weapon.
A broken stance.
Orfin tried to retreat, but all he managed was a new shallow cut across his shoulder.
They faced each other again, panting.
Only one knife remained.
Orfin laughed hysterically:
"I won't fall that easily!!!"
He rushed recklessly—
a wild, uncalculated attack.
Elnar stepped half a pace forward.
A small step—
Enough.
A sharp sideways strike!
His sword hit Orfin's hand hard enough to send the last knife flying across the room.
Before Orfin understood what happened,
Elnar's blade was pressed coldly against his neck.
Their eyes met—
the calm prince and the exposed traitor.
And with a low, decisive voice, Elnar said:
"It's over, Orfin."
At that exact moment, the door burst open.
Guards stormed inside with Haizen.
Seeing the scene, several immediately rushed in to restrain the minister, who no longer resisted.
Elnar slowly withdrew his sword.
Orfin was forced onto his knees, shackled and defeated.
Elnar spoke with icy authority:
"Tie him securely.
From this moment on… he is to be treated as a traitor to the kingdom."
And thus, after years of deception within the palace walls…
Orfin finally fell.