The Scum Emperor's Redemption System

Chapter 81 The Masked Truth Trial (2)

[will be edited]

triggering the magic inside faeralys had been her first idea, but... well, that had gone up in flames. or rather, it hadn't. and that was the problem.

she needed another plan. the cognitive quest demanded that she find someone within the palace who was trustworthy and worthy enough to activate their magic.

it sounded straightforward on paper, but in reality, it felt like trying to find a needle in a haystack. a needle that could potentially explode if handled improperly.

her first stop was esmeralda. the sharp-eyed woman was seated in the grand library, surrounded by towering stacks of books.

"to what do i owe the honor?" esmeralda asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

argider hesitated. could she really trust esmeralda with this kind of power? the woman was clever, resourceful, and terrifyingly competent, but her ambitions often bordered on ruthless. "i... just wanted to check in on you," argider said, opting for diplomacy. "how's everything going?"

esmeralda raised an eyebrow. "do you actually care, or is this some new scheme?"

"wow, your faith in me is overwhelming," argider replied dryly.

she lingered for a few more minutes, making small talk, but the tension between them was palpable.

esmeralda's sharp tongue and sharper mind made her an asset, but argider couldn't shake the feeling that giving her magic might be akin to handing a sword to a potential adversary.

next, argider sought out sylva arathorne, the palace's botanist that was about to be her bride. she found the woman in her greenhouse, humming to herself as she tended to an array of exotic plants. as she turned, the woman greeted her with a warm smile, her hands covered in dirt.

"your imperial! what a pleasant surprise. care to help me repot these mandrake seedlings?"

argider blinked. "uh, maybe later. i just wanted to talk."

argider crossed her arms. "i'm stuck. i have to find someone to activate their magic, but everyone i've considered so far has... issues."

"define 'issues,'" alvator said, flicking his tail.

"esmeralda's too ambitious, fialova's too scatterbrained, and uzak's... well, he's uzak," argider replied.

alvator tilted his head, his whiskers twitching thoughtfully. "it seems to me that you're overthinking this. trustworthiness isn't about perfection. it's about potential."

argider frowned. "that... doesn't help as much as you think it does."

alvator leapt down from the table, his movements impossibly graceful. "then let me put it this way: sometimes, the person you're looking for isn't the one who stands out. it's the one who's always there, quietly waiting for their moment."

with that cryptic remark, the cat guide vanished, leaving argider more confused than ever.

determined to narrow her options, argider decided to conduct one final test. she called uzak into the throne room, where she'd set up an elaborate scenario involving a fake assassination attempt. the idea was to see how he'd react under pressure.

when the "assassin" appeared (a palace guard in disguise), uzak's first response was to grab the nearest object—which happened to be a decorative vase—and hurl it at the intruder. the vase shattered spectacularly against the wall, missing its target by a mile. uzak then charged forward with a battle cry, only to trip over his own feet and land flat on his face.

argider couldn't help but laugh, her earlier frustration momentarily forgotten. "you're hopeless," she said, helping him to his feet.

"hey, i'd like to see you do better," uzak retorted, brushing himself off. despite his clumsiness, his willingness to protect her—even in a staged scenario—earned him a small measure of respect.

as the day wore on, argider's thoughts kept circling back to alvator's words. potential. quietly waiting for their moment. she still didn't have a clear answer, but one thing was certain: the decision wouldn't come from tests or schemes. it would come from her gut.

that evening, argider sat alone in the garden, watching the moonlight dance on the surface of the palace's reflecting pool. she'd spent so much time worrying about who she could trust that she'd forgotten to trust herself. maybe alvator was right. the answer wouldn't be found in perfection, but in faith—faith that she'd know the right person when the moment came.

and so, with a sigh and a renewed sense of determination, argider set off to make her choice. somewhere in this sprawling palace, her answer was waiting.