Torture the hero, why has the Demon King's castle collapsed again?

Page 273

The paladin was already drenched in sweat.

As a result, the concert held in the Royal Plaza should have had at most one-third or one-quarter of the seats filled.

Now, if all these people were allowed in... it would probably not only be packed, but overcrowded!

Not to mention that at this moment, people are holding up projection crystals at various high places to broadcast the entire operation live, allowing a large number of citizens who cannot go to the scene to watch this place together.

The paladin reached into his chest somewhat uneasily and clutched a headband that read "Cuiyin? Love".

As a paladin who had just finished the public announcement period and was also a die-hard fan of Cuiyin, he had a vague premonition that something big was about to happen:

"Your Highness Ota, what exactly... does he want to do?"

Chapter 393 The Uncrowned Queen, Astrid! Exposed!

The Paladin, who was being pushed aside, began to tremble.

It wasn't that no one tried to stop Prince Ota, but all those who attempted to dissuade or sabotage the songstress were imprisoned without any means of resistance, having been keenly observed by the prince before the incident even occurred.

The only two armed forces in the entire capital, the garrison soldiers and the paladins, have been completely controlled by Prince Ota. The Holy Church and the noble factions remain silent, the mage tower is leaderless, and the hero has yet to be found...

Everything seemed to be under the complete control of Prince Ota.

Thinking of this, the Paladin who was pushing the single-pusher shuddered.

Looking at the seemingly escalating situation, only he knew that even in the end, these people would not be able to stir up any trouble.

The human wall blocking the royal capital square was formed by a small number of paladins and soldiers intermittently, while the sentries moving among the crowd were all the most elite soldiers. His Highness had already calculated exactly how many troops he needed to suppress the entire population of the royal capital.

The troops currently stationed inside and outside the square are only the tip of the iceberg of the capital.

More paladins and soldiers were around the city walls, inside the palace, beside His Highness Ota and the songstress of the Emerald Melody, and in the shadows throughout the capital!

The entire capital city was under the control of that king...

No one could stop this farce, at least that's what the Paladin, the one-man pusher, thought. He sighed, which only strengthened his resolve.

He secretly turned around, took out the headband from his pocket, and tied it on his head, thinking to himself.

Since things have come to this, let's watch the concert first.

……

royal palace.

The study was dimly lit.

The figures in the seats were like desolate mountains, silent and still in the darkness.

Suddenly, he spoke: "Cuiyin."

"I'm here."

The black box at his feet rolled over, emitting a dazzling and mesmerizing light, and a girl in emerald green materialized in mid-air: "Your Highness, are you calling me?"

Her adorable big eyes, like the brightest stars in the night sky, deeply attracted Ota's gaze.

“Cuiyin, after this concert, I will make you my queen.” Ota said, looking directly at Cuiyin.

A thousand threads of data flashed in Cuiyinming's bright green eyes, and soon, a sweet smile appeared on her face:

“It is my honor, Your Highness Ota.”

A glimmer of light appeared in Ota's eyes, but it was quickly swallowed by the darkness deep within his pupils. After a pause, he spoke again, "Cuiyin, will you stay with me...until the very end?"

Cuiyin answered even faster: "Of course, I will always be with you, Your Highness Ota."

"That's good." Otta slowly stood up from his chair. "That's good..."

Turning around, he gently stroked Cuiyin's cheek, but as his fingers touched hers, he only saw a phantom that felt completely unreal.

Ota, unperturbed, looked directly into Cuiyin's beautiful eyes and said:

"In that case, even if you completely corrupt me, I would be willing..."

The illusory projection froze in mid-air, and Cuiyin suddenly stopped responding.

"Go, I will give you the grandest concert."

Ota pushed open the door to the study, and two squads of the finest paladins escorted Cuiyin's black box away, which Ota watched as they left.

"His Royal Highness Prince."

Immediately afterwards, the acting knight commander emerged from the shadows and knelt on one knee.

Ota lowered his gaze.

The paladin shuddered violently. The king's eyes were now so piercing and cold that he dared not even entertain the slightest desire to have a thought.

"How is the situation?" Ota asked calmly.

"The remaining traces of magic from the major demons during the defense of the capital have all been activated. Currently, no trace of demons has been detected even a thousand miles from the capital. In addition, the reactionary forces harboring treacherous intentions among the people have also been brought under control one by one!"

The acting knight commander reported nervously, his voice tinged with hesitation: "But..."

"Some time ago, after Captain Erwin was imprisoned, Heroine Shana went missing."

"For so many days, we haven't been able to find any trace of the Heroine Shana. The garrison soldiers have searched the entire capital but haven't found her; they've practically turned the trash cans upside down—"

Ota remained calm and shook his head indifferently.

"In that case, let's leave her be. The hero now is Shana, not Mino."

"A hero with mediocre strength cannot cause any trouble in the capital."

"Anything else?" He looked at the acting knight commander again, as if he could see right through him and knew that there were other matters he had not yet reported.

The acting knight commander was deeply shaken, and lowered his head even further.

"Yes! We have now eliminated all factors in the capital that could potentially hinder the concert of the songstress Cuiyin. However, not long ago, we discovered that someone's behavior was somewhat unusual."

"Because that person is of great importance, we have no choice but to consult you..."

A terrifying aura instantly gripped the acting knight commander's throat. He jerked his head up, staring in terror at the intense killing intent gathering in the king's eyes.

"who is it?"

Otta's indifferent tone already conveyed his decision.

Now that things have come to this, even if the one standing in his way is the brave Mino, this king probably won't show much mercy.

The suffocating atmosphere enveloped the acting knight commander, and without further hesitation, he blurted out:

"It's the great scholar Astrid!"

The murderous intent brewing in the study vanished instantly. Even Ota, who had become completely corrupted, couldn't help but pause in surprise upon hearing that name.

"Astrid?"

Why is she getting involved?

Recalling that timid, cowardly figure, Otta's tone softened slightly: "Are you sure it's her?"

"Confirmed! The great scholar Astrid walked out of the Kingdom Library today, which is unusual for him. It is reported that the paladins who were originally responsible for guarding it have all fainted and are unconscious."

"As for the scholar Astrid, she has already infiltrated the audience of the fans at the Concert of the Diva Cuiyin. We don't know where she got the ticket that you personally approved... In order to avoid alerting her, we have not taken any action for the time being."

Ota remained silent.

These tickets, which he authorized, were, of course, shared with his closest and most trusted confidants when he learned that Cuiyin was about to go on tour.

Now that Erwin and Tus are in jail, even Astrid is...

It's understandable why the acting knight commander is so hesitant. The scholar Astrid is one of the people he trusts most, the kingdom's hidden tree of wisdom, the holder of the kingdom's key to the night, and the last glimmer of human light in the capital.

She probably still thought the capital was the same as before, and with the security structure he had improved, her childish and ridiculous attempt to hide was as if she had nowhere to hide.

"Your Highness, should we also..." the acting knight cautiously inquired.

Even without concrete evidence, Ota knew that Astrid was definitely after Tsui-on; moreover, in today's most important concert, she had always maintained a "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free" attitude.

After a long silence, Ota finally said:

"Don't alert them. Order the plainclothes paladins hiding among the fans to apprehend Astrid immediately if she makes any unusual move!"

"Yes!" Upon receiving the order, the acting paladin immediately left without looking back.

The study returned to darkness, and Otta stood before the desk, motionless like a statue.

After a long while, a soft sigh came from the darkness.

"The last person to stand up and stop me was actually a weak, cowardly anthropologist..."

Chapter 394 The Last Hope

"Astrid..."

In the darkness, Ota gradually covered his head.

My resolve, which I thought was as firm as iron, has slowly begun to waver.

Tus and Erwin, his two closest confidants, were trying to stop him, which he could understand... because Tus and the others did have the ability and the right to stand up.

But Astrid, the ordinary person who possessed no holy power whatsoever and held only a nominal scholarly position, resolutely stood in front of him—

Otta had calculated all the reactionary forces that might hinder him, and nipped their intentions in the bud before anyone else could.

But that guy was the only one not included.

This was the first time Ota had shown surprise upon hearing the name Astrid.

That extremely timid and introverted scholar, who never dared to speak loudly to himself, let alone go against his own will, did something almost like a moth drawn to a flame at this moment.

"Even the renowned scholar Astrid thinks I did something wrong?"

Ota let out a complex sigh.

From the fall of Pope Brad to the defense of the capital, Astrid has long proven her boundless wisdom and unwavering loyalty to humanity.

The great scholar Astrid cannot be wrong.

Then he must be the one who is wrong.

Even if I'm wrong, I can only continue down this wrong path.