Just as the conversation about damage control was going on, the family head and other members of the Willson house were begging for their lives.

Their fear was palpable.

They had already confessed their involvement to Leader Guram, which was why he'd made his abortive clean-up plan, assuring both the Willson and Dorian families that as long as they followed his instructions, they would be safe.

But now, everything had turned upside down, and they were on their knees, reduced to pleading.

"Lord Guram, please save us!" Their frantic cries echoed all over the hall.

The chaos intensified as heavy, rhythmic footsteps announced the arrival of more people.

More of Osbon's subordinate knights, led by a stern-faced Captain, entered the Willson manor, dragging members of the Dorian family in ropes.

They had completed their mission by arresting the members of Dorain family.

The private guards of both families, who had initially decided to fight against the Temple's knights, soon felt completely overwhelmed by the disciplined, well-trained Temple soldiers and decided to step back rather than escalate the conflict further.

Ray looked up as they were all brought in. Among the bound members of the Dorian family, he saw the same two men—likely some servant of the Dorain family—who had burnt the innocent woman in the name of her being a witch at the centre of the whole city, few days earlier.

As these two men saw Ray sitting on the luxurious sofa like a king, they instantly knew everything was his doing.

They recognized the cold, unforgiving look in his eyes. Now their eyes were filled with regret, not because they killed that woman, but why now they left or fled from the city.

They had tried to warn their family head about seeing a mysterious man from the Temple, but their claim had been ignored.

Now, they were face-to-face with the man who had seen their crime and decided to invest the whole matter rather than simply chasing them—and today, he had found them.

Ray didn't wait for Guram or Osbon to notice the subtle shift in his attention. He simply pointed a finger toward those two men. "Bring those two here."

The knights immediately obeyed the casual command from Ray and pulled the two trembling men from the group and forced them onto their knees directly in front of Ray.

They began pleading, babbling apologies and denials into the marble floor.

Ray ignored their pleas. His voice was low, cutting through the general noise in the hall. "The woman who you burnt that day, was she really a witch as you claimed?"

The two men instantly stopped their babbling. They looked at each other, then gulped, their eyes darting nervously toward the family heads of both the Willson and Dorian families, who were glaring at them with murderous intent, silently forbidding them from opening their mouths.

Osbon, recognizing the crucial moment for a confession, immediately drew his sword with a clean, sharp shing that drew everyone's attention. He held the blade horizontally, the polished steel reflecting the grim ceiling light.

"Answer quickly now," Osbon commanded, his voice deadly serious. "Or your heads will roll in a few moments, now choice is yours."

The threat worked. The two men, facing immediate execution from a Temple officer who clearly didn't care about rank or family protection, cracked.

The first man, his face wet with tears and snot, let out a choked sob.

"N-no, Sir. She wasn't a witch! She was just... she was just the sister of the woman Vice-leader Zeth took. We were told to make an example of her and blame it on the witch hunt laws."

The second man quickly chimed in, desperate to save himself. "It was Zeth! He paid the Willson and Dorian guards to do it! They gave us the pitch and oil and told us the Temple would look the other way!"

The sheer, raw confession silenced the entire hall. The bound Willson and Dorian family heads stared in horror, realizing their low-ranking subordinates had just confessed to murder and collusion, right in front of so many people.

Guram, who had been standing stiffly, trying to maintain his composure, felt the blood drain from his face.

This was no longer about political maneuvering; this was a confession of horrific murder and abuse of his own subordinate, now witnessed by every knight in the room.

Ray had just secured undeniable, unrefutable evidence of the conspiracy's true nature.

Ray's lips curled slightly. He had his truth. He looked at Guram, who was now trembling with a mixture of rage and terror.

"Well, Leader Guram," Ray said, his tone casual, yet final. "It seems your work as a saviour just became a lot easier, and a lot more necessary. The evidence is now public knowledge within this hall. You can no longer afford to delay."

Ray continued, his eyes locked on Guram. He could clearly see the Delta Squad Leader was having a near-impossible time controlling his volcanic anger.

Ray knew that if not for the chilling memory of Ray's unusual, blinding speed and strength—the speed that allowed him to pin Guram's hand on his sword hilt—Guram would have already erupted.

His original plan would have been to silence everyone who knew about this incident, kill the invaders, and blame Ray for the entire crime.

But Guram was wary of two critical, external factors.

First, he was wary of Leader Erina of the Gama Squad, who also knew about this matter and would soon be arriving with her full cavalry.

Second, and his biggest fear at the moment, was Ray himself—an enigma Guram couldn't read or understand, who wielded a terrifying, unexplainable authority.

Guram finally spoke, his voice forced, raw, and heavy with defeat. "What do you suggest?"

He asked Ray, acknowledging Ray as the true catalyst of the matter.

Ray replied, his tone pragmatic and dismissive of Guram's internal struggle.

"How you'll solve this matter is entirely on your own hands, Leader Guram, as for what I suggest..."

He leaned forward, his focus returning to the two snivelling men who had just confessed to murder.

"These two will become the public witnesses of the crimes. They will confess to the people out there."

Ray's gaze shifted to the bound family heads. "While both the Willson and Dorian families should be sent to prison and then publicly executed for violating the laws against innocent people."

His words—public execution—sent a chill through everyone in the hall, even the hardened knights.

The severity was undeniable, but given the severity of the confessed crime, they couldn't refute the justice of it.

Just then, a frantic knight under Guram's command ran into the manor, panting and terrified, ignoring all military decorum.

"Sir, emergency! The Leader of the Gama Squad with her full squad is here! We can't stop them..."

The knight never finished his plea. Guram's massive hand shot out, delivering a brutal slap that cracked across the knight's face, causing his head to spin sideways.

"Who the f*ck told you to stop them? Let them come!"

Guram roared, the outburst a mix of genuine rage and a desperate attempt to show his subordinates he was still in control.

The knight, his cheek red and stinging, snapped back to attention, nodded frantically, and stumbled back out to deliver the new, contradictory order.

Guram turned back to Ray, the fire in his eyes replaced by a cold, calculating resolve. He knew he had minutes to cement his new story.

"Your proposal is drastic, but necessary," Guram conceded, every word a small, agonizing defeat.

Osbon let out a silent sigh of relief.

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