The pitiful commander still had no idea that his colleagues had already been bought by Dorek.

In fact, they had secretly contributed to creating this enormous commotion from the very beginning.

They had coveted the position of Grand Commander of the City Defense Army for a long time.

Now that a prince had personally offered them a ladder to climb, they naturally welcomed the opportunity. They wanted nothing more than to see their commander thrown into prison.

Sure enough, the moment Herschel turned to them for help, his colleagues immediately changed their stories.

"Bullshit, Herschel!"

"You were clearly overcome by lust and tried to assault that dancer. None of us could stop you!"

"Still, we bear some responsibility. As your colleagues and subordinates, we should have done everything possible to restrain you."

"Unfortunately, your Strength far surpassed ours. In the end, we failed to stop you."

Another official immediately added,

"Everyone here drank the same wine as Herschel."

"None of us experienced any problems, yet Herschel claims the wine somehow controlled his mind."

"How could that possibly be true?"

After hearing the words of his own colleagues and subordinates, the commander’s face turned deathly pale.

He stared in horror at these suddenly unfamiliar men, then at Dorek, who was watching him with a faint smile.

At that moment, he finally understood.

This entire incident had been a trap designed specifically for him.

Just as he prepared to shout out his discovery, a uniformed officer from the City Defense Bureau suddenly drew a weapon from his waist.

"Damn you! You fraudulent prince dared frame my lord!"

"Everyone in the Imperial City knows that my lord maintains excellent relations with many princes."

"You must be an impostor!"

"My lord, I will follow your orders and cut down this false prince!"

The words that had gathered in the commander’s throat immediately froze.

He stared blankly at the man’s actions, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

What did he mean?

Where had this man even come from?

Herschel did not know him at all!

And when had he ever claimed to have excellent relations with the various princes?

What exactly was this lunatic trying to accomplish?

As the officer drew his weapon and lunged toward Dorek, the surrounding crowd immediately erupted into chaos.

At that moment, Daniel stepped forward and shouted furiously,

"You traitorous scum! You dare attack a prince?"

The instant his words fell, Daniel struck out with his palm.

The force of the blow was incomparably imposing, instantly piercing straight through the Grand Commander’s chest.

After all, Herschel was only a Divine Radiant expert.

How could he possibly withstand an attack from Daniel, who could casually kill even T7 Oracle-grade experts?

Under that single palm strike, the commander’s aura vanished completely.

He died on the spot inside the private room.

At the same time, the subordinate who had pretended to attack Dorek hurriedly dropped his weapon.

His entire body trembled as he began wailing.

"Please spare me, great expert!"

"You must spare my life!"

"The commander forced me to act. I had no choice!"

"I never truly wanted to attack His Highness!"

"That’s right, my lord!"

"We barely knew the commander. He merely invited us here to drink."

"We never imagined he would turn out to be such a monster!"

The commander’s colleagues and subordinates inside the private room all dropped to their knees and begged for mercy.

With only a few sentences, they completely confirmed both accusations against their former superior—

Assaulting and killing an innocent woman, and attempting to assassinate a prince.

The spectators cried out in satisfaction upon witnessing this scene.

They immediately began praising Daniel.

"That commander actually harbored treasonous intentions!"

"He even tried to kill a prince!"

"When Prince Dorek saw the man charging toward him, his expression didn’t change at all."

"He didn’t retreat even half a step. Such courage is truly admirable!"

"Fortunately, this expert intervened."

"Prince Dorek must possess extraordinary fortune. Without this expert, he might have been killed by that commander on the spot!"

The agitators hidden among the spectators immediately spoke up, skillfully steering the crowd’s emotions.

Sure enough, under their influence, the surrounding people began shouting with righteous fury.

Not only did they completely ignore the fact that Daniel had casually killed an imperial official, but they also condemned the dead commander as a disgrace beyond redemption.

All manner of insults and curses erupted from the crowd.

Every furious word became another tool for shaping Dorek’s public image.

As for the small number of silent observers, they were naturally officials of the Holy See.

They watched everything unfold without speaking.

Their instincts, sharpened through many years in officialdom, told them that the entire incident carried the unmistakable scent of conspiracy.

However, suspicion was only suspicion.

Their impression of Dorek still changed slightly.

No matter how the matter had been arranged, the prince had clearly demonstrated an excellent political mind.

...

Meanwhile, the other incidents occurring throughout the city were gradually resolved.

The arsonists responsible for the fires were arrested.

The thieves involved in the robberies were also captured.

Only after being delayed for quite some time did the officials of the City Defense Bureau finally arrive at the tavern.

After learning what had happened from the surrounding witnesses, the commanding officer immediately dismounted and knelt on one knee before Dorek.

"Your Highness, since you personally witnessed the incident, we must ask you to accompany us and provide a statement."

Dorek naturally agreed.

With an elegant and composed smile, he replied,

"That man committed countless vile acts."

"Since I personally witnessed the matter, I should naturally assist you in solving the case."

Everything continued according to the script Daniel had prepared.

Dorek had participated in nearly every stage of the incident.

As long as he remained perfectly involved in each development, his presence and reputation would inevitably rise significantly afterward.

Daniel, as the man who had killed the criminal commander, was naturally also invited to the City Defense Department.

The surrounding crowd was quickly dispersed.

Daniel and Dorek followed the commanding officer to the department’s headquarters.

The moment they entered, the officer personally guided them toward the office of the Imperial Inspector.

The Inspector was responsible for all security and patrol operations throughout the Imperial City.

The City Defense Bureau was merely one of the departments directly under his authority.

Before long, they arrived at his office.

The Inspector personally rose to welcome them.

He repeatedly expressed concern for Dorek’s safety and well-being, yet barely mentioned the commander Daniel had killed.

This proved that the money they had spent earlier had already produced results.

The plan had been executed perfectly.

The moment they returned to the residence, Prince Dorek could no longer maintain his composed act.

An excited smile appeared across his face.

"Teacher, your plan was simply flawless!"

"We actually succeeded!"

Daniel waved his hand.

"This is not yet the time to celebrate."

"What happens next depends on how the Inspector handles the matter."

"If he follows the original plan and reports everything to the Emperor, your reputation throughout the Imperial City—and even the entire Holy See—will rise dramatically."