The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic
Chapter 40 - 40: 40:A Noble Has No Right To Be Weak

"The Temple? No! That can't be!"

"You must be mistaken! The Temple is holy!"

"This… This is blasphemy!"

"How could the Temple be involved in corruption?"

"No! This must be some kind of trick!"

People turned to each other, fear and confusion clear in their eyes.

"He's lying, right?"

"But what if he's telling the truth?"

"No! This isn't possible!"

A woman clutched her chest, looking pale. "The Temple has always been a beacon of justice!"

"Or maybe… maybe we were blind all along?"

A nervous energy spread like wildfire. People didn't know what to believe. The Temple was sacred. It was above suspicion. And yet—Kael stood there, grinning like a madman, throwing a truth too big for them to swallow.

And Ruth… Ruth didn't refute it.

The Grand Duke only stared at Kael, his eyes sharp as daggers.

"I'm sure he's lying!"

"How could the Temple steal public funds?!"

"Lies… It's all lies!"

The crowd was in chaos as people were screaming in disbelief.

Gare stood with his arms crossed, watching the madness unfold and smirked.

"See? He just twisted everything so naturally. Pulled everyone's attention right to the real issue and then dropped the bomb."

"But isn't that dangerous? Targeting the Temple is basically a death wish." Baret's voice shook with shock.

Gare didn't reply directly. He just shrugged. "Who knows what goes on in that crazy mind of Lord?"

Meanwhile, Ruth was staring at Kael.

The boy stood firm, completely unfazed by the uproar. He raised a seal-stamped stack of documents like a trophy.

Ruth turned his gaze to Rami, who stepped forward and took the papers from Kael.

"Rami, don't screw this up," Kael warned, grinning. "Your life's on the line."

Rami nearly tripped. My life? Or yours?

Shaking his head, he started reading the documents. His eyes widened.

He turned to Ruth, his face pale. "Your Grace… It seems the Young Master isn't lying."

The moment Ruth spoke—"I see."—the entire plaza went silent.

For a few seconds, nothing but heavy breathing filled the air.

Then—

Kael coughed. He dusted off his clothes like he had just finished a casual stroll.

"Now that it's over, can I go?"

Ruth raised an eyebrow. "Where do you want to go?"

Kael grinned.

"To the Temple."

"WHAAATTT!?"

A massive wave of gasps spread through the plaza. Even Ruth's expression twitched.

Everyone blinked as if they had misheard him.

This guy just declared war on the Temple… and now he wants to walk right into it?

Is he insane?

"What the fuck?" someone muttered.

"Why?" Ruth asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

Kael shrugged. "Obviously, to get treated."

"..."

The silence was deafening followed by Ruth shout.

"KNIGHTS!"

"Yes, My Lord!"

"Restrain him."

"..."

BANG!!!

"DAMNNNNN! THIS IS UNJUST! THIS IS INJUSTICE!"

Kael howled like a madman as the knights grabbed him.

"I'M GONNA REPORT THIS TO THE ADMINISTRATION!"

Baret, Gare, and Chris watched him with deadpan expressions.

Ruth didn't say a word. He just waved his hand. The next thing Kael knew, he was tossed into a carriage like a sack of potatoes.

"Take him to the estate. Surround it with highly trained knights," Ruth ordered.

"As for his injuries… someone will check on him at home."

Kael grumbled.

He wanted to cause an even bigger mess. But that damned bastard of a father had shut him down before he could.

...….

As the group of knights marched forward, a portion of them remained behind with the Grand Duke. The atmosphere was heavy, but Rami, standing beside Ruth's horse, couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"It seems the Young Master has made an even bigger mess this time," Rami muttered, exhaling deeply.

"When he was inside the estate, he turned the entire Apprentice Knight division upside down."

"Now he just stepped out, took down a City Lord, and even dragged the Temple into it."

Ruth shot him a sharp look, making Rami hesitate before awkwardly asking, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Ruth replied flatly.

"But you sure do talk about him a lot."

Rami blinked, then scoffed, "Isn't it the same for you?"

Before Ruth could respond, he noticed a group of older knights approaching, carrying a flag.

His gaze settled on the elderly knight leading them,Ramos Veydrin.

His elder brother jumped down and whistled.

"What a lovely scene?The Duchy had been quite lively since I left."

Ruth's expression turned intrigued as he asked, "What do you want, Ramos?"

"Heh," Ramos chuckled, rubbing his nose. "Aren't you also thinking about him more than usual?"

"I can practically see it."

"I don't waste my time on useless thoughts," Ruth denied instantly.

"Yeah, yeah, sure you don't," Ramos muttered, shaking his head. His expression turned serious as he looked ahead.

"I've warned you so many times to loosen up a little," Ramos continued. "Stop acting so cold and distant."

"Because of you, Lena went crazy obsessing over creating the perfect heir you wanted. And as for your two kids—"

Ruth's eyes turned cold, cutting him off. "That's because I am the Grand Duke."

"The bearer of the Lion Flag."

"The protector of Sovereign Land."

"A weak and pathetic man can't handle that responsibility. If you're not strong, others will crush you under their boots and force you to lick their shoes."

His expression twisted slightly, as if memories from the past had resurfaced. A past filled with helplessness. A past where he swore—he would never be weak again.

With a sharp tug on the reins, his horse neighed powerfully.

"A man can be weak."

"A man can be a disappointment."

"A man can do as he pleases."

"But a noble…"

His voice deepened, and he looked up toward the sky.

"A noble with responsibility on his shoulders."

"A noble who carries the fate of millions…"

"Has no right to be weak and useless."

"The moment you're born a noble, your fate is sealed. There is no escape."

With that, he yanked the reins, and his horse took off, galloping across the street.

"It was the same for my ancestors. It's the same for me. And so… it shall be for Kael and Adele."

"Either they become strong or die under someone else's sword.That's their fate."

TAP!

Dust kicked up in his wake as he disappeared down the street, knights following behind.

Ramos watched him go, rubbing his ears in annoyance.

"What a fucking messed up thinking?"

"Why does he always say the same shitty speech?"

Turning to Rami, he added with a deadpan expression, "Tell him to come up with some new lines. This one's gone out of style."

Rami, unsure how to respond, simply bowed his head.

"I… I will convey that."

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