The Counterattack Plan of A Villain With Ten Thousand Fans - Chapter 59 (Patreon)

Chapter 59

"I'm accused of treason?" Ling Chunann repeated the words.

The messenger was a fifth-grade student from the Imperial Royal Academy who greatly admired Ling Chunann, so he hurried to report the news as soon as he heard it.

"Yes, Third Prince. I overheard the conversation between the defending general and a messenger from the imperial city. They didn't mention who reported you, but the messenger's implication was for you to return to the capital early. His Majesty the King wishes to see you," the student said nervously.

After saying this, the student hesitated, seemingly wanting to vent his grievances to Ling Chunann but not knowing where to start.

"I understand. Thank you for informing me. You should go back and rest early. It's getting late," Ling Chunann nodded. "You must take care, Third Prince," the student said, reluctantly leaving the tent.

Once the student left, the dragon's hand rested on Ling Chunann's waist. "Darling, if you ever get tired of playing with that annoying bug and want me to squash him, just let me know. I'll definitely crush him."

In all his years as a dragon, he had never encountered such an irritating human who repeatedly sought to harm his beloved.

"Okay," Ling Chunann nodded.

"098, do you really want to kill the male lead?" Ling Chunann replied.

"I won't let him die," Ling Chunann answered.

"That's good," because if the male lead died, the mission might not be accomplished.

"I'll make him wish he were dead," Ling Chunann added.

"..."

098 felt it was too naive. It couldn't understand what these complicated humans were thinking.

"If you're still wondering why the werewolf girl deceived the male lead, imagine yourself in her shoes. How would you react when faced with the pursuit of a suspicious stranger?" Ling Chunann kindly explained to 098.

But how could that be the same? 098 thought. "But wasn't the male lead infatuated with her because of his heroic rescue and their acquaintance? The girl should have fallen for him at first sight." Wait, in this storyline, due to Ling Chunann's deliberate actions and General Kurus's unintentional interference, there was no scene where the human army almost captured the werewolf girl as a hostage. "Could it be that the male lead staged the heroic rescue and was discovered by the werewolf girl?!" 098 felt its speculation was spot on.

Ling Chunann just smiled without saying anything.

If that were the case, the werewolf girl would not only not love the male lead, but she might also despise him intensely. In this case, her lying and scheming against the male lead would make perfect sense.

The more 098 thought about it, the more it felt it was right. But then, "How did you know, Host?"

"Observation," Ling Chunann replied.

098 really hadn't seen through it at all. It suddenly felt a great respect for its host. "You're amazing, Host!" Ling Chunann nodded. "Thank you for the compliment."

He naturally couldn't tell 098 that all this was witnessed by the dragon and then relayed to him.

It had to be said that 098's habitual avoidance of prying into its host's privacy had caused it to miss out on many interesting things, and it also made it easier for Ling Chunann to deceive it.

The next day, Ling Chunann and the dragon followed the messenger who brought the news and set off on the journey back to the capital. General Kurus and the other students were scheduled to depart the next day as planned. Before leaving, Ling Chunann clearly saw the gloating look from the male lead. The dragon almost rushed up to gouge out his eyes, but he was stopped because Ling Chunann preferred a healthy male lead.

The return journey was more relaxing than the journey there, as there were fewer people. Ling Chunann had a whole carriage to himself.

098 noticed that its host was not in a hurry at all. It found it incredibly relaxing for him to engage in such intimate activities in broad daylight within the carriage.

"098, your memory is getting worse and worse," just as 098 was reminding Ling Chunann to be safe again, he suddenly said, "Have you forgotten what my second brother is doing right now?"

098 was startled and quickly searched for the plot, carefully reading through the recent events. It felt a wave of frustration wash over it inexplicably. Even though it could review the plot anytime, why was its host, who could only see it once, remembering it so well?

At this point in the plot, the king's health was deteriorating rapidly, exacerbated by a recurrence of an old illness, and the beloved second prince dealt the final blow.

In his dying moments, the king, somehow aware of the treachery of his beloved second son, passed the throne to the eldest prince in a fit of rage.

However, fate intervened as the eldest prince was assassinated by an assassin from the realm of the beast-men, plunging the kingdom into chaos. The second prince, tainted by his regicide, had already gained power in the plot. With the support of the princess's fiancé, the male lead, and the manipulations of General Kurus, Rod emerged as the victor in life.

As the Imperial Academy's training had just ended, it should be when the king was seriously ill. Therefore, Ling Chunann should have known that this summons wasn't about the king welcoming him back to the palace.

"Host, returning to the palace now might be dangerous," 098 earnestly warned.

"Am I in danger, or are they?" 

How could it forget that its host was a powerful level eleven mage? Especially with a dragon beside him, approaching demigod status. Together, they could easily destroy the Lan Empire, let alone being threatened by a few humans.

Thinking this, 098 suddenly felt sympathetic towards those who were planning to scheme against its host.

Ling Chunann entered the palace alone, leaving the dragon outside as ordered.

As Ling Chunann expected, waiting for him in the palace were not the king but the second prince and a group of esteemed ministers.

"Third Prince," the second prince said as Ling Chunann stood up after bowing. His expression was grim. Then, he glanced at several dukes beside him before turning to Ling Chunann. "Recently, I've heard from the front lines that you've colluded with the beast-men, resulting in a significant loss in battle. Do you have an explanation?"

The second prince didn't doubt Ling Chunann's collusion with the beast-men; instead, he directly focused on demanding an explanation, indicating his firm belief that Ling Chunann had indeed betrayed the kingdom.

The elder ministers sitting at the table frowned. Though they had accepted the second prince's overtures, the recent decline in the king's health didn't impair their basic judgment. From the third prince's expression, it was evident he was unaware of this matter.

"Do you have any evidence?" Ling Chunann scanned the ministers, feeling confident. "Treason is a serious crime, and I cannot afford such an accusation. Brother, be cautious with your words. How am I supposed to live among our people if you speak recklessly?"

"See for yourself." The second prince tossed a memory stone towards Ling Chunann. The beautiful green stone emitted a soft glow under the bright lights of the hall.

Ling Chunann picked up the stone and infused it with a bit of magic. The scene in the memory stone materialized above it.

In this world, memory stones couldn't directly record sound; they showed silent scenes.

The scene depicted a conversation between a girl with wolf-like features and a man, though the man's face was obscured from view. However, judging from his attire and physique, he bore a striking resemblance to Ling Chunann. "Impressive disguise, even the hairstyle is identical," Ling Chunann commented, stroking his chin as 098 spoke.

"Host, what should we do?" If this continued, the host would be unable to defend himself.

The memory stone's image soon disappeared, and the ministers who saw it cast skeptical glances at Ling Chunann. Could it be that the third prince truly had dealings with the beast-men?

However, no one was hasty. Though suspicious, no one immediately questioned him.

The second prince's eyes glinted with satisfaction. "Third Brother, do you have anything to say?"

"What about Father?" Ling Chunann didn't immediately respond to the second prince's inquiry but asked an apparently unrelated question.

"Father isn't feeling well and specially entrusted me to inquire about you." The second prince changed the interrogation to a more gentle inquiry, seemingly trying to emphasize his kindness to his brother.

"Host, I don't understand. The second prince doesn't know that the third prince isn't his real brother. He also knows that the third prince's attitude last time made it impossible for him to vie for the throne. Why is he treating you like this?" During the silence, 098 voiced its confusion.

"I've told you before, humans are complex creatures," Ling Chunann replied with a smile in his voice. "If you could understand, you wouldn't be a system."

"...You're right."

"What's the matter, dear brother? What kind of problem could make you ponder for so long?" The second prince's voice carried an uncomfortable sense of superiority.

"Nothing, I haven't done anything." Ling Chunann said before emphasizing again, "The person in the footage isn't me."

"Do you have evidence?" The second prince's finger twitched slightly as he asked casually.

"Of course." 

Ling Chunann also took out a memory stone. 098 recognized it as the one its host used to record when he was eavesdropping behind the haystack.

In the clear image, the same scene appeared again, with the same wolf-girl and gradually revealing the man's appearance. It was then that the careless system realized that the male lead's attire was indeed identical to Ling Chunann's usual attire.

He was clearly trying to frame the host!

Upon seeing Rod kissing the werewolf girl, the room erupted into chaos.

Most people present had heard of Rod, and many had seen him.

"Who would have thought that our country's first genius in both magic and martial arts would turn out to be a traitor?" exclaimed one duke, unable to contain his anger.

"I thought he was good. I was planning to observe him for a while longer before considering cooperating with him, but I didn't expect..." sighed another duke, devoted to business dealings.

The rest also sighed, except for the second prince, who still seemed unconvinced.

"If you still don't believe, I have another segment here." Ling Chunann produced another memory stone. "But I hope to show it to Father."

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