Chapter 169 Roeni’s Struggle Part Ten: The Price of a Slip of the Tongue
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It was unending rage that had driven her this far, forcing her to resist the court’s political schemes. The moment the attendance roster for the royal guards was tampered with, Roeni’s stomach had churned with fury, thinking of Yuuri and Ashley.
For the sake of her Baron house’s interests, she had tried to remain calm, prioritizing the collection of information. But the one who had committed this terrible deed was Lord Fried himself, she had trusted to champion the weak.
—The friend who once scoffed at displaying his knightly rank was now aiding the very aristocratic arrogance he supposedly despised. She had been devastated by the truth, yet she could not let those past memories be trampled underfoot. If he was willing to disregard others, then she had to stop him, or else Yuuri and Ashley would face a similar fate in the near future. Because of that, she felt no mercy for the friend who had utterly changed.
”Record Keeper!” Roeni’s voice rang out, crisp and demanding, across the royal chamber. “Lord Friedd, testified that the rebels stopped him with a Stone Wall Magic Stone, did he not? And he did not correct himself or claim it was a slip of the tongue when I questioned the discrepancy after?”
”—Y-yes, ma’am. It is recorded as a stone wall, and he subsequently stressed and emphasized his own statement.” the official affirmed from the corner of the long table where the King’s retinue sat, right next to Valentio’s throne.
What mattered was making sure he couldn’t claim a simple mistake now.
If Yuuri truly was the culprit, Lord Fried could have simply testified to being blocked by an Ice Wall—the truth. The fact that he deliberately lied and called it a stone wall suggested a deep humiliation; he only wanted to change the testimony if he could get away with it.
(You, who owes your safety to whom—) Roeni’s internal thoughts were colder than ice.
Lord Fried, who had climbed from commoner to knight, prided himself on his two skills. While he didn’t openly scorn those with weaker abilities, he was an arrogant man, utterly convinced of his own superiority.
”It’s a simple matter, Your Majesty. Lord Fried was not forced to overlook the activation of Yuuri’s Magic Stone because his hostage was threatened. He was blind-sided, his path blocked by a foe he deemed beneath his notice. —Count Alegria. I am acquainted with your daughter, and I believe she is quite the master of Ice Magic¹, is she not?”
”—! Y-yes!” The Count of Alegria stammered in astonished defense. “My daughter has been honing her magic daily for the sake of Princess Marina! Are you suggesting, Roeni-dono, that she possessed the skill for that level of magic?”
It was understandable that the Count hadn’t considered it. Covering the ‘stairs’ of the ‘Safety Area’ with ice magic required the level of ability one might possess to make magic their profession.
While Ashley was a gifted student chosen to serve the Princess, the possibility of her, still so young, controlling such immense magic was genuinely questionable. However, Roeni had already gathered the necessary supporting information from the Guild.
”On the tenth floor, there is a shortcut where one can freeze the swamp. Someone who could employ Ice Magic of the caliber necessary to utilize that location could certainly coat the ‘stairs’ in ice. …Arman, you can’t deny that it was Lady Ashley who created that shortcut, can you? I should warn you, that shortcut is quite famous now. Many adventurers have followed you since then. Don’t forget that witnesses can be found everywhere.”
”Ugh… G-gah… It-it’s true that Lady Ashley created the shortcut. But…” Fried groaned, his gruff voice catching in his throat.
For those who made their living in the Labyrinth, poor footing was one of the worst conditions. So, it was obvious that when a noble-looking party headed toward a spot where a shortcut could be made, they had a renowned magic user with them.
Naturally, many adventurers used the frozen shortcut and reported it to the Guild. Pressed on this fact, Lord Fried, fearing further lies, quietly admitted the truth. He tried to offer an excuse with vague, cloudy words, but Roeni cut him off, deeming it worthless, and turned back to Count Alegria.
”Since Lord Fried, who witnessed the feat firsthand, has vouched for her ability, I believe the ice block recorded here was the work of Lady Ashley-dono. …And I would also ask you to look at this footage.”
”What! This is—!” The Count exclaimed, astonished.
”Didn’t they keep the guards with Appraisal² away?” someone from the Prince’s faction muttered, bewildered.
Since the Prince’s faction had brought the incident to light themselves, the ambush records near the ‘Gate’ had been thought useless.
But because Lord Fried’s slip of the tongue had undermined his credibility, the footage suddenly regained immense value. What the footage showed was a cloaked figure, who was identifiable as Lord Fried himself via transferred Appraisal results, returning through the Labyrinth’s ‘Gate.’
Yet, the public display of this record only created an even split between agreement and shock among the murmuring crowd. Roeni pressed her advantage, raising her voice to address those still confused by the situation.
”When I showed the records from the ‘Safety Area’ earlier, I stated that the guards’ duty roster had been tampered with. Wouldn’t it be natural to assume that someone who didn’t want their skill seen was returning at that time? It was also the period when Princess Your Highness was attempting to conquer the lower floors—a task for which I was responsible. I had laid a trap, hoping nothing would come of it, but… Can you imagine my despair when the one who returned through that specially prepared Gate was a trusted acquaintance?!”
She declared her unshakeable resolve, emphasizing her deep involvement in the case. However, pinning the crime entirely on Lord Fried required combining facts with speculation, relying only on the iced ‘Safety Area’ records.
Therefore, she needed to avoid a quarrel of words born from a lack of clear evidence. By exposing the shocking truth—that her former friend had used the very anomaly she’d been suspicious of—she simultaneously revealed both the suspect and her motive for the investigation.
”I suspect Lord Fried, who arranged for his return to be discreet, is the true culprit. If he had merely been caught up in the incident, there would have been no issue for him to be stopped by the Appraisal-using guard at the ‘Gate’ and be taken into Guild protection. But he deliberately avoided it because he had to report his success to the people who organized the scheme—the Prince’s Faction.”
”What, are you implying that we are—” a noble from the Prince’s faction sputtered.
”H-hey—” another immediately warned him.
As she pierced the core of the matter, some from the Prince’s faction naturally shouted in opposition. But the clever ones realized that Lord Fried had only been spotted because an Appraisal guard had been stuck to the ‘Gate’ at that specific time.
Spreading the discussion carelessly would only highlight that contradiction and worsen their position. Thus, those who understood the peril silenced the thoughtless hecklers, and the chamber fell silent once more.
”—And so, Madam Confianza. Did you simply allow the returning Fried to pass?” the Valentio King pressed, his authoritative voice measured.
”No, Your Majesty. I followed him and recorded exactly which safe house he went to—it is all recorded on this Magic Stone.” Roeni stated, holding up a small, shimmering stone.
”What?!” “Impossible, how could that man have been followed without noticing—” The Prince’s faction members suddenly looked flustered, realizing that solid evidence was closing in on them. Even the Aprelton Marquis, the owner of the safe house, glared at Roeni with raw hostility.
Unfortunately, Roeni’s stockpile of evidence was now exhausted. It was clear that pushing any further would be unmanageable, so she needed to strike while she held the psychological advantage.
”Lord Friedd, was deeply affected by the Labyrinth’s abnormality. He was so nervous about being back in the capital that he failed to notice me following him. …And I ask you to understand, my only wish is for the honor of the Baron House to be restored. I was in charge of the Princess Your Highness’s plan to conquer the lower floors. As part of that, a competent Labyrinth Guide I consider a friend had his name sullied. If these suspicions are cleared, that is more than enough for me. —Therefore, I will not reveal this record here. I am confident Your Majesty can use it as you see fit.”
Her goal was to force the Prince’s faction to abandon Lord Fried. By suggesting she wouldn’t probe their painful secrets any further in this setting, some Prince’s faction members actually looked visibly relieved.
For the King and the Princess’s faction, pursuing the matter without definitive proof and letting the only clear culprit, Lord Fried, slip away would be an absolute failure. However, Roeni’s proposal forced a stark question: if they pressed her, were they truly prepared for an all-out war with their own involvement as the next target? The two great factions found themselves at an impasse.
Seeing this stalemate, King Valentio nodded once, solemnly.
”Hmm. That will be for the best. I shall take custody of it. —Now, what do you demand for this man, in the name of Confianza’s honor? What is known now is that this man secretly returned to the capital by someone’s arrangement. Furthermore, there are clear discrepancies in his testimony, which you have proven. As his words can no longer be fully trusted, I must now consider my daughter’s survival to be in doubt. Do you believe Marina is still alive?”
”I am certain that she is still alive. First, the footage from the ‘Safety Area’ confirms that an Ice Wall blocked Lord Fried. This means that, just as he testified, he was indeed in conflict with Yuuri. But did Yuuri use a Magic Stone for an Ice Wall to stop Lord Fried? No, that is also incorrect. If Yuuri had used an Ice Wall, he would have simply reported it as such.”
In truth, Roeni didn’t know what actually happened.
But unlike almost everyone else present, she knew the suspiciously compliant man, Yuuri. And based on that fact, she was absolutely sure that a situation where only the frozen ‘stairs’ remained, with the other three dead, could not have happened.
Everything depended on how she could present this as a trustworthy hypothesis to those in the room.
She calmly explained her reasoning, proceeding logically from the confirmed facts to ensure there were no contradictions. As she looked around, everyone in the chamber was silent, listening intently to her words.
”Therefore, I surmise that the freezing was not from a Magic Stone used by Yuuri, but from the skill of Lady Ashley-jou, whose ability Lord Fried himself acknowledged. This would imply that Lady Ashley is Yuuri’s ally. …Begging your pardon, Count Alegria, but what reason would Lady Ashley have to oppose Princess Marina Your Highness?”
”None, of course,” the Count affirmed, his voice firm. “My house prides itself on being one of the five houses supporting the Princess Your Highness. My daughter understands this, and we maintain alliances with other houses for this very purpose. She would never participate in a rebellion that is one hundred harms and zero benefits to our family and herself.”
That was a statement that would normally be seen as unforgivable disrespect.
But in this setting, it served as a clear metric for separating friend from foe. By confirming the unshakeable bond of loyalty between Ashley and the Princess—an alliance with Yuuri, who was certainly Fried’s enemy, and now Ashley, his undeniable opponent—the complete picture became clear.
”I apologize for the suggestion. I believe the same. Furthermore, another piece of evidence suggests this: if Lady Ashley had been involved in a rebellion against the Princess, she would have cut down the Princess’s supporter, Lord Fried, before Yuuri even had time to use a Magic Stone for stone stakes against the Princess. But that didn’t happen. This means someone was restraining Lord Fried until Lady Ashley could use her Ice Magic. …No, if we consider this a solo rebellion by Lord Fried, it is more natural to conclude that Lady Ashley intercepted him, as he only had the Princess Your Highness in his sights.”
Upon hearing her detailed explanation, a collective gasp of awe rippled through the Princess’s faction.
While everyone in the room understood that her explanation was still technically a hypothesis, Lord Fried, trapped by his own testimony of a stone wall, could find no words to counter her. Moreover, his visible fury at being provoked by the insinuation that he was outsmarted by a young girl only served to increase the hypothesis’s credibility.
”And Your Majesty,” Roeni continued, her voice unwavering. “If they had successfully distanced themselves from Lord Fried, I suspect they would have immediately stepped on the random warp trap just inside the twenty-seventh floor. First, because an Ice Wall would only stall Lord Fried. They would need to gain distance quickly, as they would surely die if he caught up, so running was less effective than a guaranteed distance. And second, if they could teleport to an upper floor, they might exit to the surface sooner.”
Sadly, because Lord Fried returned first, they had lost that gamble. That fact was obvious to anyone familiar with the Labyrinth, and a palpable gloom settled over the chamber.
”They were likely teleported to a floor below the twenty-seventh. I believe Yuuri, who knows the Labyrinth up to the fifty-seventh floor, would have been with them when they used the random warp. With the strength of Your Highness and Lady Ashley-jou, there is a high possibility they have reached a ‘Safety Area’ somewhere and are still alive. For the time being, I recommend establishing a checkpoint at the twenty-seventh floor’s ‘Safety Area,’ permitting only authorized search parties to head below it, and when Your Highness is rescued, we can hear the full truth of this incident from her.”
”Hmm. In any case, my daughter’s protection remains the highest priority.” King Valentio affirmed with a nod. “I agree with the suggestion of limiting the search party. Now, Arman Fried. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”
Lord Fried’s slip of the tongue had drained the chamber of the will to push the conspiracy further.
The members of the Prince’s faction, his only hope, were all running for self-preservation, with no one stepping forward to defend the pathetic scapegoat. Having already been accused of attempting to harm the royal family, a guilty verdict would inevitably lead to the death penalty.
All Lord Fried could do was plead his innocence and pray that Yuuri and the others died accidentally in the depths of the Labyrinth.
”I—I didn’t do it…” he weakly offered.
”I see. As everything is still a hypothesis. But you should bear in mind that the word of my daughter, Marina, carries more weight than yours. —Take him away!”
The King’s sharp command echoed through the silent chamber. Simultaneously, the waiting soldiers grabbed the massive knight by both arms and forcefully dragged him out the door.
—
Summary:
In a stunning display of political and intellectual mastery, Roeni Confianza confronts Lord Fried and the powerful Prince’s faction in the royal court, exposing the core of their conspiracy. She uses Fried’s own fatal error—his lie about the Stone Wall instead of the Ice Wall—to dismantle his credibility and prove he was blindsided by Lady Ashley’s superior Ice Magic.
Presenting evidence of Fried’s secret return to the capital, Roeni forces an impasse, securing the King’s support for a targeted search for the missing Princess Marina and her companions, Yuuri and Ashley, while ensuring the disgraced knight is immediately arrested for treason. The political stage is set for the Princess’s eventual return.
—
Character Insight:
Roeni Confianza’s true power is revealed not in physical strength but in her unwavering loyalty and cold, calculated intellect. Her righteous anger over the betrayal of her friend and the threat to her house’s honor is channeled into flawless political maneuvering.
She plays the courtroom like a game of chess, sacrificing a clear-cut prosecution of Fried in exchange for psychological advantage and the King’s political debt. Her resolve to clear Yuuri’s name is the driving force behind her high-stakes gamble.
—
Behind the Scene:
This chapter is the climax of Roeni’s intense political battle to clear the names of Yuuri and Ashley, who are trapped in the Labyrinth.
Roeni’s strategy hinges entirely on Lord Fried’s arrogance—the shame of being bested by the young Lady Ashley’s magic was so great that he deliberately lied, only to have Roeni use that lie to prove his treachery. The Magic Stone she claimed held the safe house record is the ultimate bluff, a powerful bargaining chip to make the Prince’s faction abandon their ally.
—
T/L:
1 Master of Ice Magic (妙手): The Japanese term myoushu means ‘master hand’ or ‘expert’ and is used here to elevate Ashley’s skill to a level of genius in Ice Magic. ↩
2 Appraisal (鑑定): A common skill in fantasy worlds used to determine the properties or identity of an object, person, or Magic Stone. Here, it is used to identify Fried despite his disguise. ↩
Notes:
• Ashley – Count’s daughter, royal attendant, has a crush on Yuuri.
• Roeni – Guild receptionist, former adventurer, now a baroness—mentor to Yuuri. The wife of Baron Silcro Confianza, and effectively manages the labyrinth exploration business which is the foundation of their house’s power. She is a former adventurer, which gives her a practical, no-nonsense approach to problems. Look like Lisa from certain game, brown hair but neat hair.
• Valentio – The current King of Restea. A large, imposing man with sun-gold hair and a crown, he commands authority, though his current actions reveal a deep-seated agitation, likely due to the political crisis and the uncertainty surrounding his daughter, Marina’s, fate. Looks like King Bradley from certain series.
• Count Alegria – A distinguished noble and a key figure in the Princess Faction. He is known for his strict outward demeanor but possesses a kind heart and a fierce loyalty to his only daughter, Ashley. He has short, neatly trimmed silver hair and wears exquisitely tailored, dark three-piece suits and look like like Vayne Solidor.
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• Arman – Knight captain who escort Marina on the first mission.
• Ai – The recently-formed sub-divinity/ego who manages the world’s Skills. Her sudden, intense burst of divine will (‘ki’) almost bleached Yuuri’s wicked thoughts. Called Yuuri ‘Elder Brother’ and declared genuine affection and trust based on his efficiency with her Skills.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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