“We were against it.”

“But the cardinal was so stubborn about it…”

“The wizard’s origins were unclear, and they didn’t even say which school they belonged. That’s why I was against it…”

The priests were the first ones to deny their relationship with Dolgwen.

“We do not know politics.”

“Although they were a wizard, we simply accepted it because the cardinal had said so.”

“Of course, if you consider that as neglect of our duties as holy knights, then I have nothing to say. However…”

“I have never committed any dishonorable act.”

After that, the holy knights made their excuses as well.

“I-I should have made a stronger statement as a loyal subject of the royal family, but the cardinal and His Majesty had been so insistent…”

“I couldn’t help it. It was the king’s sole authority to pick out a court wizard.”

“T-that’s right! Otherwise, we would have never allowed an unidentified wizard into the royal castle. We only allowed it because the cardinal had vouched for the wizard.”

Finally, even the nobles of the royal castle desperately denied any connection with the cardinal or Dolgwen. The man in question, the cardinal, could only remain silent with a ghastly expression. It was entirely possible for a man to be stunned into silence, and even he, a master of politics, was simply too stunned to speak. His brain had stopped working entirely due to shock.

Those who had revered and held him in awe until yesterday were now unwilling...