Kenley stared coldly at Auber and gave a faint smile."Lord Auber, I stole Viscount Lucas's property? Then perhaps you could kindly tell us, in front of the Holy Knight, exactly what it is I supposedly stole?"

  Kenley's simple question immediately left Auber stunned. Since they had come up with the new plan on the spot, without any prior preparation, Auber was caught off guard by this sudden challenge, and his words began to stumble.

  "Y-you... you stole... you stole..."

  Just then, a sharp voice interrupted,"You stole a ring from this Viscount!"

  The crowd turned to look behind Auber, where a corpulent nobleman stood, his face thick with excess flesh and his ears large and round. He was extravagantly adorned with jewels, dressed in luxurious, ostentatious clothing.

  "You lie!" Tia's voice grew urgent. She had been with her master these past few days, and she knew he had never stolen anything, let alone a ring. This was nothing but a false accusation!

  Tia turned to the Holy Knight and said,"Holy Knight, I've been with my master these past few days. Whatever my master has done, I've seen with my own eyes. He hasn't stolen anything from Viscount Lucas! This person is framing him!"

  "Tia, calm down!" Kenley frowned. Tia's nature was still too young. If it had been him facing accusations from two nobles, he would never have lost control of his emotions.

  "But master, they're clearly framing you! I can't just stand by!" Tia's brow furrowed as she looked at Lucas with disgust.

  Lucas's face flushed red with anger."Frame you? Look at the beautiful ring on his hand! The gem on that ring is so rare and precious—there's no way a mere farmer like him could afford it. How much could a farmer possibly earn in a year? Where would he get the money to buy such a beautiful ring? The answer is simple—he's a thief! And he stole it from me, Viscount Lucas!"

  "Viscount Lucas is absolutely right! How could this filthy commoner have the money to buy such expensive jewelry? Holy Knight, I request that you arrest them. They need to be thoroughly investigated!" Auber, feeling supported, quickly echoed Lucas's words.

  The Holy Knight furrowed his brow. He didn't want to dismiss a member of royalty so quickly. However, the two nobles were so adamant, and given that they were of noble birth, it was hard to ignore their words. On the other hand, Kenley was just a peasant, and compared to the two, he certainly didn't seem like someone who could afford such valuable possessions.

  Moreover, under the laws of the Cain Empire, the victim had the right to demand that the thief be detained for questioning.

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  Tia's face was filled with rage. She opened her mouth, ready to speak again, but before she could, Sylph also couldn't stand it any longer.

  "Although I don't know why you're framing him, I can testify that Tia hasn't lied. She couldn't possibly lie. As a princess of the Gaefi Kingdom with heroic blood in her veins, Tia would never do anything to tarnish the legacy of her ancestors!" Sylph stepped forward. Despite her cloak, it was obvious to everyone that she was a half-elf.

  Lucas now clearly saw Sylph's appearance, and once again, he was struck by her beauty. His desires flared up even more. Just recently, he had"disposed of" a half-elf beauty and had been worried about having to spend a large sum of money to buy another from a slave trader, but now it seemed like he had found one for free.

  "And who are you? You're standing with him. You must be in cahoots with this commoner, right? It's obvious you're trying to speak up for him! And this undead creature is his slave, so of course she'll support her master! Her words aren't worth listening to!" Lucas narrowed his eyes, no longer anxious. The more the argument escalated, the more calm and confident he became.

  "Viscount Lucas is absolutely right! This half-elf might even be an accomplice of this filthy commoner! Holy Knight, please let us take all three of them for investigation! We must make them understand the strictness of the Empire's laws and make them regret their actions that trample on the laws of the Empire!" Auber was now thinking clearly, his voice rising dramatically, almost like an opera singer. Kenley couldn't help but feel the urge to applaud his performance.

  "You two despicable scoundrels, spouting nonsense!" Sylph was so enraged by Auber's provocations that she didn't know what to say.

  "Holy Knight, please believe Tia! Tia would never dishonor her ancestors' name. Tia is willing to swear an oath to the Mother Goddess to prove her master's innocence!" Tia was on the verge of tears, distressed and confused. This was the first time the young princess had ever faced such a situation, and she had lost her composure.

  "Can't say anything, can you? Not being able to speak means you have a guilty conscience! Swearing an oath doesn't prove anything. If you've committed a crime, you must face punishment! Holy Knight, please allow us to take them away immediately! Also, please convey my apology to the Bishop for disturbing the sanctity of the church. I will personally go to the temple to repent before the Sun God on another day." Lucas, influenced by Auber, spoke with a fervor that made him sound like a man of great righteousness.

  The Holy Knight stood in silence, his expression unreadable behind his mask. He neither rushed to give a response nor showed any anger or suspicion toward Kenley and his group.

  In truth, the Holy Knight couldn't help but feel pity for Kenley's group. Even he could see that Lucas and Auber had clearly targeted Tia. Lucas had been staring at her the entire time, and with the Holy Knight's prior knowledge of Lucas's character, he knew that Lucas was a noble who would do anything for his desires.

  If it had been any other noble, the Holy Knight might have trusted them more, but it was Lucas, who had appeared here.

  The most troubling part for the Holy Knight was that the two of them were working in such perfect coordination that he couldn't find a way to help Kenley's group. What should he do? The Holy Knight was deeply conflicted.

  What made things even more complicated was that Lucas had the backing of the royal family, being a hereditary viscount. In the Cain Empire, any noble with a hereditary title was no ordinary person.

  And here they were, in the imperial capital, where it wasn't simply about trust. This was about facing accusations from a hereditary noble, and unless Kenley could provide concrete evidence, there was little hope that anyone would be spared from being taken away.