'I'm fucked.'
It was the first thought that came to Shadow's mind. His way out was blocked by two members of the Eternal Light faction, followed by the hunter Shadow had been running his little experiments on. He knew it would be a miracle if he survived this.
'How did they find the hut? Of course. The one time I try science, the universe files a complaint.' he wondered but, there was no time to think about that as he had to take quick brave actions just like how men should do.
Riiip~~
Out of nowhere, Shadow started shredding his clothes and made a long jump to the middle of the hall, ending it with a dramatic roll.
"Argh! My head—it hurts, it hurts so bad!"
'Academy training: 0. Survival instincts: also 0. Drama skills: MAX.' Shadow thought to himself.
He startled everyone—the Eternal Light members, the guests, and even his parents.
"Shadow, my baby!" Elena cried out in panic as she and Thorn rushed toward their son, having no idea what was going on.
Author's note// I'll be calling the Eternal Light faction EL from now on.
"You… little devil," one of the EL members said as he and his colleague stepped into the hall. But before they could say another word, two daggers pressed against their throats, drawing small drops of blood.
The daggers belonged to Selene and Marcus, who were now holding the two EL members hostage.
"How dare you cause a ruckus in the Stormgard family—in front of His Majesty, no less!" Magnus, the Stormgard patriarch, roared.
Seeing the momentum shift in his favor, Shadow added, "They attacked me out of nowhere, saying I looked unpleasant to their eyes," he said in a pained voice, loud enough for everyone to hear.
'Technically not a lie… I do look unpleasant when I'm being hunted.' he thought to himself
He knew his act was a long shot, but with no way out, he tried his best to draw sympathy from everyone present.
Elena and Thorn were indignant upon hearing their son's words, but when their eyes followed the direction he came from and noticed the two uniformed men, a terrifying thought crossed their minds.
They exchanged grim looks, knowing this might be the end.
"Explain yourselves right now," Thorn demanded.
Feeling everyone's eyes on them, the EL members felt the pressure caused by this little devil and rushed to clear the situation.
"This vile being is a monster—he's not human. Everyone, look at what he did to this innocent man!" the taller member said, pointing at the hunter.
A living corpse stepped into the hall.
Gasps of shock, pity, and disgust spread through the crowd.
"Let them speak," King Raven said.
Hearing this, Selene and Marcus glanced at Magnus. Seeing his nod, they withdrew their daggers and released the EL members. Reluctantly, they obeyed.
Relieved, the taller EL member straightened himself and pointed again at the hunter.
"This innocent man was kidnapped and tortured by this vile child for more than two weeks."
"What?"
"Are you serious?"
"I can't believe this"
"Omoshiroi…"
Different reactions echoed throughout the hall.
Seeing he had their attention, the man continued, "Here, let the victim speak for himself."
The hunter stepped forward with a limp and stopped. He looked around the hall before opening his mouth.
"Cough! Cough!"
He coughed painfully before continuing.
"I am a normal man with a normal family. I work as a hunter and live in a nearby village. I have no enemies or grudges with anyone. About two weeks ago, I went to the forest to hunt like any other day, but suddenly, I found myself trapped in a transparent cage. It looked like rune magic, though I'm not sure, as I don't know much about magic."
'Even I forgot I made that… that's concerning.' Shadow murmured to himself.
"Cough! Cough!"
He coughed again, then continued.
"When I was trapped, that evil child appeared. At first, I thought he would help me, but he smiled… a sinister smile… and threw some strange powder in my face. The next thing I knew, I was tied to a table in a small hut in the woods. But… what came next was a nightmare."
His voice trembled.
"He cut open my abdomen… then my insides… while I could do nothing but scream in agony and when he finishes, he gives me special pills that heal me instantnly so he could begin cutting me again. And that became my life for the past two weeks."
The hunter broke into sobs.
"I begged him to let me go, but he said I was just a guinea pig for his experiments. I thought I was dead… until these two gentlemen saved me."
His voice softened, filled with sorrow, drawing sympathy from many in the hall.
"Dear…" Queen Elara nudged King Raven, moved by the story.
"Is what this man says true?" King Raven asked, his gaze fixed on Shadow, who was now held by Elena.
'Fuck… now would be the perfect time to show Oscar-level acting,' Shadow thought, even though he didn't know what "Oscar" meant—it just felt right. Shadow was so enraged by the hunter that he forgot that what he said wasn't even acting but the truth itself.
"Mother, that man is lying. I've never met him before. Besides, how could I kidnap a grown man when I'm only nine years old? Everyone here knows I'm a cripple with no magical power. And rune magic? Is that supposed to be a joke? It's one of the most difficult forms of magic—even prodigies fail to master it, let alone me. That man is obviously lying."
His defense was flawless, like a lawyer wearing a ten thousands Dollars tuxedo suit.
"I think this is enough to prove who is lying," the shorter EL member said.
In his hand was a small notebook—Shadow's notebook.
'Shit… shit… shit. I must've left it behind when I rushed back to the family.'
"Within these pages," the man continued, "you will find this child's notes—about his body, behavior, and most importantly, his motive."
A sinister smile spread across both EL members' faces.
"These notes clearly state that this child is cursed—and that he has been conducting experiments to cure himself."
Thorn and Elena froze—not because of the crimes, but because of the word cursed.
"That's not true!" Thorn said. "Our son is not cursed. He has a special condition from birth—his twin sister absorbed his share of mana in the womb. Many doctors can confirm this."
Elena quickly added, "And it's well known that cursed individuals possess abnormal mana flow. Shadow is manaless—he doesn't meet the conditions to be one of the cursed ones."
"What she says is true," King Raven said. "What do you have to say to that?"
"Rest assured, Your Majesty," the taller EL member replied calmly. "We have just the method to confirm the truth."