Hello Scrolls and Nazarinos, with more chapters from this arc in my fanfic The One Who Came Back.
Renner will have to face an impossible challenge: face a Dragon.
With you
The one who came back
Chapter 65: Truths and Lies
"Apologies, Your... Princess..."
"Lord Murios," Renner said to the canine demi-human, cutting off any of his attempts to apologize, "I am willing to undergo spells that ensure the truth in my words."
"Your Majesty need not do such a thing; your word would be more than enough to ensure such veracity."
"Please, Lord Murios, we know that's not true; as long as any doubt lingers, you will never be satisfied."
"Very well, Your Majesty is correct, I will summon my personal mage to cast a spell to read your mind..."
"No, please!"
"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty?!"
"Please, I would prefer if you didn't use such an invasive spell; my mind is my own, I believe you gentlemen will understand that a woman has her... secrets," she said with a slight blush on her face.
And there it was! The trigger was pulled. Now, with a faint smile and a slight reddening of her cheeks, instinctively most people were directed to the necessary state of mind; they now saw her as a woman with her secrets, crushes, and small indiscretions. They now underestimated her.
But not Lord Malio, who had shown hostility from the beginning; he despised her, he could not be convinced.
"Lord Murios, if necessary, perhaps I could submit to other spells."
"Of course, Your Majesty, I believe there are two very simple spells, known to any mage, Detect Mind Control and Detect Lies; I think these will be more than enough to confirm that Your Highness is not being manipulated or lying."
"Thank you. But I still ask for another favor, one that benefits everyone present; I ask that it not be your mage who casts the spells."
"Why such a request, Your Highness?"
"Because otherwise there will always be doubt whether the mage himself has been manipulated, blackmailed, or bribed; only one person here can guarantee that such a thing has not happened, so I ask that the inquisitor be you, Lord Riku."
All eyes turned to Riku Aganeia, the "representative" of the Dragon Lords, Tsaindorcus Vaision, the Platinum Dragon Lord himself. He felt the gazes converging on him, after all, he was responsible for this meeting taking place.
Lord Murios, albeit reluctantly, agreed to Renner's proposal. He understood the logic behind the choice of the inquisitor and realized that, for the sake of the alliance and mutual trust, it was necessary to dispel any doubts.
"How does Your Majesty know that I can cast such spells?" Tsai asked.
"You, as the representative of the dragon lords, must be very powerful, Lord Riku. Such simple spells should not be a problem, right?"
"No, they are not!" he said. "I am willing to perform the spells."
"However, we must remember that this is an intrusive procedure, and even with your authorization, we will try not to make it a common practice," Lord Murios declared firmly, conveying seriousness, allaying the doubts that lingered in the representatives of the realms invited by the council.
As PDL approached Renner, despite her attempts to remain firm, her trembling was visible.
"Stay calm, it won't hurt," he said, but with no real concern, he didn't care - "Detect Mind Control!"
Circles formed in the outstretched hand, and a light shone over Renner.
"She is not cursed, there is no mind control, her mind has not been erased, and her memory has not been altered, she is free from any external influence," but this did not satisfy Tsai, as the princess could still have been blackmailed, threatened, bribed, or sold.
"So, did I pass the first test?!"
Tsai didn't bother to respond.
"Detect Lies!", a new glow emerged.
"Hmm, I don't feel any different."
The spell cast was not a mind control that would prevent the person from lying, but rather a magical lie detector. Renner knew this, but feigning ignorance in such matters played to her advantage.
"Who are you?"
"Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, last member of the Vaiself family... for now," she said with a slight smile at the thought of how much fun she had been having with Climb.
"Were you present at the fall of the city of Re-Estize, who was responsible for the destruction of your kingdom?"
"I was."
"What do you mean?"
"I was responsible, my father, my brothers, the entire Vaiself family, as rulers we were responsible for the acts of our subjects, even of a solitary noble with grandiose ideas, our government led to such a situation, the pursuit of power without control, belligerent factions, rampant crime, we should have done more to prevent such things, as such, the responsibility falls on us."
"So, you absolve the Sorcerer King of responsibility for all the deaths?"
"No, those are acts that occurred during a war, his actions and decisions are his responsibilities, but what crimes were committed?"
"The massacre of so many cities in the kingdom, men, women, and children."
"As far as I know, surrender options were given, some cities accepted, others refused, and when someone says they will 'fight to the last man,' I believe that should be taken literally in a war, right? And still, the children were removed before any attack, E-Rantel has several orphanages taking care of them."
"So, there's no problem with so many deaths?"
"It seems to me that you are only questioning the acts committed by the Sorcerer Kingdom because there were no losses on your side in this conflict. If he had had as many deaths as Re-Estize had, doubling the number of people killed, would you be happier?"
Most of those present seemed to squirm in their seats upon hearing such words. Tsai knew that the magic would detect lies in anything Renner said, not just when questioned, but in any statement. So, the more she spoke, the better; 'let her hang herself with her own words.'
"You speak defending your oppressor, are you a slave of the Sorcerer King?"
"No."
"But you work for him now?"
"Yes."
New consternation.
"I work for the Sorcerer King, I am an assistant to Prime Minister Albedo."
"You are now a secretary, a princess reduced to a servant."
"I am a personal assistant, a position I worked hard to achieve. You do not know the sacrifices I made to reach such a position, a position that serves to help the people of E-Rantel and the cities that remain from Re-Estize, cities that now belong to the Sorcerer Kingdom."
"So you've become a 'golden princess', someone to be seen, a symbol to appease the masses."
"Before, I was a golden princess, seen too much and heard too little. Now, working in the Sorcerer Kingdom, my opinions are debated, studied, rejected, or put into action. Now I can really make a difference with the people. And if you think I wouldn't suffer consequences for any failure or mistake made, just because I serve as a symbol of domination? You are mistaken. I am responsible for what I do, for better or for worse."
"So you are willingly working for the Sorcerer King? Is he giving you treasures for this?"
"If I am being paid? Yes! I receive payment for what I do."
The black dwarf shifted in his chair and silently pointed at the princess as if to say, "See! She's been bought!" Renner noticed such an act; in fact, she was prepared for it.
"I see that many expected me to work selflessly, to dedicate my life to others without receiving or asking for anything, receiving only gratitude for sacrificing myself for others, as a good fairy tale princess would do."
"It is to be imagined that a princess would be more altruistic," the black dwarf spoke.
Renner overlooked the lack of manners. Riku had already abandoned honorifics, so allowing the dwarf to be rude would only make him seem rude himself.
"Gentlemen, let us not be hypocritical. I am not a monk detached from everything, nor am I perfect, I have my desires. Thinking that I should not be paid for what I do is nonsense. Adventurers are paid, heroes are paid, rulers are paid, even Kings and Emperors are paid for their services. After all, it is the people who sustain their luxuries. Why shouldn't I be paid? Because I am a woman, a princess? Should I be content only with gratitude that would not put food in my belly or clothe me? Should I accept alms and donations to sustain myself?"
Once again, those present felt uncomfortable; Riku needed answers, answers that would serve in favor of his opinions.
"You say your decisions keep people alive and safe, have any of these decisions gone against the Sorcerer King's regime?"
"Yes."
"And what happened?"
"It was rejected; the will of the Sorcerer King is supreme and unquestionable."
"So the decision made life worse for the population, they suffer."
"No, on the contrary, my proposal was rejected because it did not encompass the entire scope needed for the kingdom. The Sorcerer King's decision did that; it not only brought immediate benefits to the population, but it opened up a whole range of new options that I could not envision. His kingdom will now become much more prosperous. No one compares to the Sorcerer King."
Some were outraged by such a statement; then, for Renner, it was time to take the reins and end this interrogation.
"Gentlemen, I think there is no need to beat around the bush. You want to know if the population suffers oppressed? No! Is everyone happy? No! It is impossible to please everyone, but surely, they have better lives than before. Still, are the people afraid? Yes! Afraid of what might happen, afraid that their lives might end, that their children might not grow up in peace. They fear the war that the actions of the Sorcerer King may cause; they fear you. So, I ask again, am I lying, Lord Aganeia?"
...
Author's note
About the fact that the curse detection spell doesn't realize that Renner is a demon.
Well, this happens to me because she is not cursed, she changed race due to a spell, it is different from what happened to Leinas.
If the spell detected your race now, a demon would probably appear, but that's not what it's for.