"N–No, what are you doing? You damned half-breed, how dare you lay your filthy hands on your own lord! Do you believe I won't send my troops to crush you the moment I return?"
Brenda screamed and struggled violently, but no matter how she thrashed, she couldn't break free of Hel's grip.
Hel's physical strength had already reached the fourth tier, and Brenda—still reeling from the devastating kick Lily had landed on her earlier—was in no state to resist. Her capture was inevitable.
When they reached the cross at the center of the plaza, Hel suddenly flung Brenda to the ground. Then she leaned close to her ear and whispered, her voice calm yet cold enough to pierce bone:
"You won't have that chance."
As she spoke, Hel seized Brenda's left hand—just as she once had with Ancia—and slammed it down hard against the glowing cross.
"You're insane! Let me go! Look, it's not even glowing, you lunatic!"
Seeing no reaction from the cross, Brenda's heart eased a little. She had been terrified that Hel might somehow smear witch's blood on her, but now she was sure Hel hadn't had the chance. Hel's decisiveness, however, had rattled her—so decisive it almost felt as though she really was a witch.
But the relief on her face lasted only a heartbeat.
A soft violet shimmer began to bloom across the surface of the cross—faint at first, then growing brighter, deeper, richer—until the entire square was bathed in that ghostly purple light.
And at the heart of that glow, hidden deep beneath the violet hue, a faint streak of pure black surfaced on the cross's surface—barely visible, yet undeniably there.
"Th–This… this can't be happening…"
Brenda's voice quavered with terror as she stared at the glowing monument before her. She struggled frantically, trying to wrench her hand free from Hel's iron grip. But Hel's fingers clamped around her wrist like forged steel—unyielding, immovable. Brenda could only writhe helplessly as her palm remained pinned to the cross.
"Let me go, you freak! It's you—it's all your doing! I see it now—you're the witch, aren't you? Otherwise, why would this damned cross be glowing? You did something, you must've—!"
Brenda howled and shrieked, her voice cracking with desperation. She knew that once her identity as a witch was confirmed, her life—her title, her future—would all be over.
She needed to save herself. Even if her excuses sounded absurd, as long as someone believed her, there was still hope to turn the tide.
Her eyes darted toward Sir Pablo. He was the only one who could possibly intervene.
Pablo, meanwhile, was watching the scene unfold with a complex expression. His eyes gleamed faintly as his mind worked quickly.
"So… he discovered the Mandrake duchess's plot beforehand and turned it against her?Then when exactly did he apply the witch's blood to her?"
He replayed every moment in his mind: from Brenda's dramatic entrance to Hel slamming her hand against the cross.
"The elves never touched her—no chance for them to act. The guards only held her at swordpoint—no contact there either. Unless Hel knew she'd arrive riding a griffin, he couldn't have hidden the witch's blood at the landing site, nor have others do it for him.
So the only possibility is—"
A knowing smile tugged at the corner of Pablo's lips.
"Hel smeared witch's blood on his own hand in advance. That way, when he grabbed her, he'd transfer it directly.
Bold. Clever. A perfect way to clear himself of suspicion as a man—to enter the trap willingly, then turn it on his enemy with a fatal counterattack. As expected of Heim's descendant—he has his ancestor's ruthlessness.
But… he shouldn't have grown so close to the angels, nor accepted aid from the elves. For the sake of human stability, I'm afraid this guilt will fall on him, whether he likes it or not."
Yet, true to his cautious nature, Pablo had no intention of acting rashly.
He slowly drew his longsword and stepped forward, placing himself between Hel and Brenda. It looked as though he meant to restrain Brenda—but subtly, his stance shielded her instead.
In a low, secret voice only Brenda could hear, he sent her a telepathic whisper:
"Hel smeared witch's blood on you. You should know what to do next."
Brenda froze for a heartbeat—then realization dawned in her eyes. Her expression twisted with hatred as she glared up at Hel.
"So that's it. It was you—you're the one who smeared witch's blood on me! And you dared accuse me of framing you? You treacherous snake! You released that witch and she gave you the witch's blood, didn't she? You two plotted together to destroy me, to make the Heim witch case look like a false accusation—so that the real witch could go free!
You and that witch—you're both disgusting lovers in league!"
Hel chuckled coldly. "Not bad. First I'm the witch, now I'm a schemer who planted witch's blood. Tell me, Duchess Mandrake—when you lose your title, are you planning to become a bard? You'd make a fine storyteller."
Her tone was mocking, merciless. Brenda was so furious she could barely form words, stammering incoherently, her face flushed red with rage.
But Sir Pablo could no longer bear to watch. If he let this drag on, the whole affair would collapse into farce—and Hel would walk away as the biggest winner of all.
If Brenda had been accused before she was tested by the cross, her royal connection to King Selphis might have saved her—perhaps she'd lose her duchy, but her nobility would remain intact.
But now, after the cross had exposed her…not only her title, but even King Selphis' own throne could be shaken.
That would leave Hel as the strongest contender for the Duchy of Mandrake. A count's influence and a duke's influence—those were worlds apart.
Pablo's original mission was to weaken Hel's power—to reduce his sway over the angels and limit the Church's support for him among the kingdoms. But now? Their entire scheme had backfired. Instead of crushing him, they'd handed him an opportunity to rise even higher.
That, Pablo could not allow.
So, despite his reluctance, he finally stepped forward.
"Count Hel," he said evenly, his sword still in hand, "for fairness' sake… would you place your hand on the relic as well?"