He had originally planned to kill Crypian.
Not simply because of the Thornes, nor because of TCL, but because of everything the man had done to his main body and his main body’s girlfriend.
The suffering they endured had long crossed the point where forgiveness was even worth considering.
However, now that Uriel looked at the situation calmly, directly killing Crypian no longer seed like the best option.
After all, there was little value in killing him.
Crypian would only regress again.
Whether he was killed imdiately or imprisoned for the rest of his life made little difference.
Once Crypian reached a point where escape beca impossible and he gathered enough information to survive after regression, the cycle would simply restart again.
And now, Uriel had already achieved what he originally needed. Sebastian had been declared unworthy of the throne.
Honestly, even that result felt almost absurdly convenient. Uriel himself had not expected the first prince to be foolish enough to openly entertain Crypian’s proposal about allowing TCL into the empire.
But now another problem appeared. If Crypian regressed again, his first instinct would definitely be escape.
And the timing of the regression remained uncertain. It could return him to the mont he first entered the palace... or perhaps even further back.
That possibility was troubleso. Most of the evidence used against Sebastian had only existed because Ciel had remained beside Crypian and secretly recorded his voice beforehand.
More importantly, Crypian had never actually spoken any blasphemous words at all.
Uriel had altered the recording completely through a small chip-like device developed by the Hayes Clan.
Which ant if Crypian regressed too far back, reproducing this exact situation again would beco difficult.
So now Uriel found himself wondering once more.
Should he let him live? Or should he kill him here and end the cycle entirely?
There were clearly more benefits in keeping him alive for now and allowing this regression cycle to continue naturally. However if he....
"Now, the Saint will decide your fate." Commander Cassian’s deep voice suddenly cut through his thoughts, pulling Uriel back toward reality.
Crypian remained forced onto his knees by the paladins.
His clothes had already beco disordered during the struggle, and for the first ti since entering the chamber, genuine panic had begun appearing across his face.
"I didn’t do anything..." Crypian spoke quickly. This ti the guards did not silence him. "At least give the opportunity to explain."
His voice carried visible desperation now. "At least tell what I did wrong."
Crypian looked toward Uriel almost pleadingly. In his understanding, none of this made sense.
Yes, he had proposed allowing TCL into the empire, but that alone was not a cri. It had rely been a diplomatic suggestion. They could have refused at any mont.
And TCL itself was not viewed publicly as so evil organization. To most nations, it was simply a powerful institution focused on trade and economic expansion.
So why had things suddenly escalated to this point? Why was he being restrained like a criminal?
He was still the youngest scion of the Thorne family.
"Please... at least tell what...."
"You filth!"
Commander Cassian’s voice exploded across the chamber before Crypian could finish speaking.
The commander stepped forward furiously, his expression twisted with disgust as though rely hearing Crypian speak had already beco unbearable.
However before he could continue....
"Sir Cassian." Uriel’s calm voice interrupted him.
The commander imdiately stopped speaking and stepped back without hesitation.
Uriel slowly walked forward instead. "You wish to know what you did?" he asked coldly.
Crypian imdiately nodded. "Y-Yes..."
His voice trembled faintly now. According to everything he knew, he had never committed blasphemy.
He genuinely could not understand what was happening anymore.
"Very well then." Uriel raised the artifact in his hand before pressing lightly against its surface.
Grrrk... grrk...
A distorted sound echoed throughout the chamber like an old radio struggling to connect to a signal.
The static crackled for several monts before a voice slowly erged from within the artifact.
"T-the Chur-ch...?" The voice sounded rough and broken from interference. However it was unmistakably Crypian’s.
The chamber imdiately beca silent.
Crypian himself froze slightly, his brows tightening as he listened.
Then the recording continued. "Those fools..." The static gradually faded.
"Worshipping whatever that dogshit book says..."
Several nobles stiffened imdiately.
"Ahh, co on man... who in the world actually fucking believes in gods this day and age?"
Gasps instantly spread throughout the chamber. So nobles stared at Crypian in complete horror while others looked genuinely pale.
Even Sebastian’s face changed visibly.
Inside the Holy Empire, insulting the Goddess herself was no different from openly inviting death.
And yet the recording had not ended.
"You gotta be real dumb... to worship that fuck-ass woman as your god."
Silence, it was complete and absolute silence.
"This...?" Crypian’s mouth slowly fell open.
His pupils shook violently as disbelief overtook his expression.
Fear followed imdiately after. "N-No...I never said that..." His voice ca out weak and unsteady now, completely unlike before.
"Taking everything into account..." Uriel finally spoke once the recording ended. "There is only one punishnt suitable for such blasphemy."
Crypian imdiately shook his head violently. "No, wait, I never...."
Before he could continue, the grip of the armored paladins on his shoulders suddenly tightened.
The pressure was so strong it almost felt like they were restraining themselves from tearing him apart on the spot.
Honestly, if the Saint had not been present inside the chamber, Crypian would have likely died long ago.
The anger radiating from the paladins had already reached its limit after hearing the recording.
Even Commander Cassian himself looked barely capable of controlling his fury anymore.
Uriel noticed it imdiately. Although blind, he could still feel the atmosphere pressing against his skin.
The killing intent filling the chamber had beco so heavy that even breathing felt slightly uncomfortable.
And strangely enough...Uriel suddenly felt his scalp go numb. After all, those words had not originally belonged to Crypian.
The voice was Crypian’s. But the sentences themselves were his.
"Ahem..." Uriel quietly cleared his throat.
For the first ti since entering the chamber, faint bitterness crept into his thoughts.
It seed even saving Crypian now would beco difficult. He truly had gone too far.
Originally, he never expected himself to even consider letting Crypian live.
Because of that, he had altered the recording without restraint, making the insults as outrageous as possible in order to corner Sebastian completely.
And now...the situation had escalated beyond what he expected.
"Your Holiness."
Commander Cassian suddenly stepped forward before lowering himself onto one knee.
"Please grant permission to kill him."
His voice trembled faintly with suppressed rage. The surrounding paladins lowered their heads as well, but their silence alone already made their agreent obvious.
At this point, none of them viewed Crypian as human anymore. However Uriel could not allow that.
At least not now, Crypian still had value alive. So Uriel imdiately began searching for so excuse to calm the situation.....but before he could speak....
The artifact crackled once more.
"...But one thing is certain..." The sudden voice caused the entire chamber to freeze again. "The Goddess looks great..."
Uriel’s expression instantly stiffened.
And then...."If I could just fu...."
Everyone’s eyes widened violently. The atmosphere inside the hall exploded instantly.
"You FILTH!!!"
Commander Cassian roared. The sound echoed through the entire chamber like thunder as he finally lost all remaining restraint.
His sword left its sheath almost instantly before he charged toward Crypian with terrifying speed.
"Noooo!"
The mont the final sentence played, Uriel felt his entire body go cold.
His scalp turned numb instantly. ’Shit. That line was never supposed to be there.’
Uriel imdiately lunged forward in panic, trying to stop Cassian before things completely spiraled out of control.
However in his haste....He grabbed the wrong person, and in the very next mont....
"Shink."
The sound of a blade slicing cleanly through flesh echoed throughout the chamber.
’Fuck my sense of direction!!’
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