Damned Healer-Chapter 115: Conspiracy

Nobody was surprised that some parts of the footage skipped. In S-rank missions, especially against powerful enemies, that happened all the time.

In fights at that power level, canceling out artifact effects was easy — that's why artifacts were really only used up to A-rank missions. The weird part was this happening in a D-rank mission.

At the end, everyone also saw the battle against the Primitive Beast. No one could hide their surprise at the fact they actually managed to win. The enemy was way too powerful for just ten people to handle.

The decision to use the supreme artifact on the four traitors had been the right one. With that, even though the enemy turned out way stronger than expected, they had a chance. But...

...they didn't even need it.

They beat the target easily, totally against the odds. The main reason... was the insane ability of one healer.

Darian definitely wasn't just a normal healer. Everyone already knew about his blessing — the info from that challenge arena fight had spread. But seeing it for themselves was something else. He healed himself and his allies in seconds, and that was shocking.

Also, what kind of reflexes and senses did he have?

Even watching the fight from his perspective, it was impossible to tell he was sensing karma. Everything around him just felt... different.

Darian didn't belong to any clan yet. That just made all of Freon's enemies even more eager to recruit him, no matter the cost.

As for the footage after the defeat of the Primitive Beast — obviously, Meru had wiped everyone's memories. All the crystals only had records from the group's arrival up to the target's defeat.

Darian gave a respectful nod to the Supreme Judge.

Then, he gave the same explanation he'd told the group back then: Raon had used that core, trying to absorb it in some twisted attempt at revenge, but in doing so, triggered a reaction from the planet.

Inside it was the law-core of that universe. That's what struck back at Raon and completely poisoned him, causing all his suffering and that agonizing death.

He also explained that the second objective of the mission was to destroy the law-core. That explained why there were no records after the target's defeat — they all had to deal with the law-core, and that was what caused the weird effect on the group crystal.

"That was the first issue," Darian concluded.

"As you can see, doesn't it seem like the Red River Pact clan was already prepared to do this from the start? Not to mention, this is clearly a betrayal of Imperial law, isn't it?"

He spoke slowly, and several eyes in the courtroom lit up. These people hated Freon and his son — now that Darian had delivered a satisfying end to that little bastard, they were more than willing to screw over the father too, as much as possible.

Darian took a deep breath, thinking fast. He had to find a way to help Rhea. But he needed to take it slow, one step at a time.

The Judge nodded with an excited smile; things were clearly getting way more interesting. "Let's go step by step. What were the other problems, why did it take so long to destroy the core, and how did you all not die from the poison?"

"Yeah, it wasn't recorded, and none of the other nine saw anything besides me, so I'll give my word of truth," Darian said with a calm look. This time, he didn't seem like a maniac. He wasn't trying to mimic anyone anymore — just being himself.

He started talking, then dropped something only the biggest clan and the Empire knew for sure: the existence of a 'celestial artifact.'

Darian had just seen that name in the memories he accessed a little while ago.

Everyone there had heard rumors about it, but no one really believed them. It was during a mission with only Red River Pact members that they discovered the existence of a book in another universe.

After the mission was done, during the seven-day exploration period, not even a dozen of the most powerful figures on Earth could get close to the book.

Over time, that clan did tons of research and discovered there were two more like it in other universes — very similar. That's when they became sure it was an artifact created by the power of heavenly laws.

That name was just something they made up to describe it, since everyone agreed it was on a level way above even a supreme artifact. Strangely enough, it took the shape of a book.

Darian knew where it came from — and he knew no ordinary person could ever get close to it or understand what it really was. So... yeah, he could totally make stuff up.

He said that in that battle, after the target was defeated, that celestial artifact had activated like some kind of self-destruct mechanism left behind by the enemy.

Everyone got caught in the destruction, but by some miracle, Darian had used the full power of the supreme artifact's core to save everyone.

Since the core hadn't been needed in the final fight, it ended up saving the team and the mission. Darian's story made some sense. With his terrifying healing ability, he'd lasted longer than anyone and rushed to use the core out of pure survival instinct.

"Somehow, I managed to use it... but in the end, it got destroyed," Darian explained, sighing dramatically — which also justified the disappearance of that part of the supreme artifact.

Mentally, he thanked his master. She didn't just put him through hellish training—she also taught him how to act a little better, among many other things.

Darian had never felt so humiliated by someone's sarcastic comments before. But those ten months had been the most valuable of his life. She taught things in such a clear, hands-on way. Now, he could be himself and still put on a bit of a performance—just as long as he didn't overdo it.

"After the explosion, even though I managed to save everyone, they were all in critical condition, barely alive. Luckily, I was able to keep them alive by putting them into a coma while I slowly restored my strength and healed them. As for the poison... since the core of that power was drained, it didn't poison us during that time."

"It took ten months. When they were finally healed, I had no idea when they'd wake up—it could've taken days. So, to make sure the core of that power didn't recover even more, I went alone and burned up all my strength to destroy it and finish the mission. We came back, and they woke up already here on Earth."

"Basically, first we had the traitor issue. Then we had to handle things short-handed. After that, this huge problem hit us... almost killed us. But fate made me a healer, and somehow I managed to fix it." He ended with a heroic look.

Everyone listened, thoughtful. There were still a lot of doubts—but no records. And no one except Darian could say what really happened.

They had seven days to send people to that universe to investigate. But the explosion probably wiped out any solid proof.

As for the power of the supreme artifact, everyone was sure it could pull off miracles and save them. Even with low energy, those cores could turn the tide in S-rank missions.

If things really went down the way he said... then this young healer had proven he had even more insane potential. He reacted fast, saved everyone, then kept them alive all by himself—for ten long, exhausting months—before coming out on top.

The Judge nodded, satisfied. Then he spoke calmly to everyone:

"We had no proof that those five were directly involved. With this testimony, only Raon's betrayal is clear. But that doesn't clear the other clan members, nor does it prove their guilt."

Freon's face twisted a bit, but he remained calm on the inside. Nothing had changed—his revenge was now getting closer by the second.

"The penalty for causing two failed missions has been lifted, lowering the punishment level from 6 to 5. The leadership of the Azure Haven Clan is undeniably guilty of treason. The death sentence still stands for both."

Everyone fell silent. The clan members, though, weren't relieved at all.

"Damon has already been killed and his soul captured for refinement. That final part of the process will now be skipped. Continue with her punishment."

The Judge pointed at Rhea—she was the mother of the clan leader and also the clan's vice-leader. That made Leander narrow his eyes and take a deep breath, fully ready to die right there without hesitation.

Freon allowed himself a small smile, already thinking about how he'd deal with those young people now left completely defenseless. The military officers nodded, and one of them started activating the needles again.

"Judge, sir."

Darian's voice rang out quickly, making the Judge look at him. He gestured for the officer to stop and gave Darian a light nod to go on.

"I know some things I think are pretty relevant. Actually..." Darian turned to Freon, then looked at several important figures around him. "I'm sure of it. A lot of people here are involved in a conspiracy. But not something small like betraying the Empire... I'm talking about betraying the entire Earth."