"What did you say?"

After listening to the report from the chief of the Grand Shaman Guards, the head of the Shaman Society was momentarily stunned, his expression baffled as he said:

"Your people seized the Prince?!"

"Not seized, not seized, they were invited... although the initial approach might have been a bit rough, once they recognized the Prince's identity, they were very courteous afterwards..."

After awkwardly explaining a couple of sentences and seeing the muscles on the Shaman Society head's face visibly tense, his thick eyebrows furrowing noticeably, the guard captain who came to report quickly added:

"Sir, this is actually just a misunderstanding. At that time, my people were under Princess Catherine's orders, searching various locations for the base of the underground society plotting to assassinate the Shaman King.

But that Prince and his maid happened to be in the target location and couldn't explain why they were there, and that place also yielded a list of the Yarn Ball Society members. So my people conveniently took them back."

"..."

Your people conveniently brought them back, and I almost got onto the road [to destruction]!

After hearing the guard captain's explanation, the head of the Shaman Society still looked frighteningly grim.

Seizing the other side's emissary could be a minor or major issue. If no one pursues it, naturally it could be laughed off, but if someone wants to make a big deal out of it, it could definitely lead to a serious diplomatic incident, maybe even a war!

It's fortunate that Joshua Prince's family has some marital ties with the Shaman Society and that the two countries are allies, making the likelihood of an accident small. Otherwise, if it were an official from an enemy kingdom, not only would this foolish guard captain be done, but I could also get ousted!

Unable to suppress his anger, the head of the Shaman Society glared at the guard captain before grimly questioning:

"Where are they? Where have you taken them? Don't tell me you've locked them up!"

"No, no!"

Rapidly shaking his head, the reporting guard captain quickly answered:

"Before reaching the prison, my people confirmed the Prince's identity and took them to the reception room to rest. Apart from not letting them leave, there were no offensive actions."

You still locked them up!

Hearing this, the head of the Shaman Society suddenly felt a headache and instinctively wanted to scold someone.

However, when he thought of Princess Catherine, who directly bypassed the Joint Council of the Seventeen Societies to issue a death order using her special privileges, the curse words that were about to leave his mouth were swallowed back down.

This situation was different from before. The Yarn Ball Society was suspected of the Shaman King assassination attempt and reportedly nearly succeeded, which is why Princess Catherine was furious, circumventing the Joint Council and issuing a death order, demanding that everyone is captured at all costs.

Even though his subordinates weren't the brightest, they weren't completely clueless. The fact that they dared to bring back the Prince likely means they found some crucial evidence, so...

"Are you sure the list you found is authentic?"

"Sure! Absolutely sure!"

Upon seeing that the head of the Shaman Society did not immediately start scolding, and even seemed to visibly relax, the Grand Shaman Guard's captain quietly sighed in relief, knowing he was in the clear, and eagerly continued:

"Although it's definitely not a complete list, I've had people cross-reference the photos we seized with known members of the Yarn Ball Society and found a high degree of overlap.

As for the others, they've gone off to capture them. With this new list and the information from those already captured, I estimate that within one week, we'll have the entire Yarn Ball Society rounded up!"

One week, huh...

After listening to his subordinate, the head of the Shaman Society was silent for a moment, then raised three fingers, stating adamantly:

"Three days! I can cover for you for three days. As long as you can capture all the key members of the Yarn Ball Society in three days, I'll take the heat for you. With evidence in hand, you can arrest everyone except for the heads of the Seventeen Societies!"

Pausing slightly, he then lowered his voice and said:

"Including the visiting Prince, if he's indeed connected with the Yarn Ball Society, you can conduct some relatively gentle interrogations without leaving any injuries!"

"Ah?!"

"Princess Catherine means that if it's just the Yarn Ball Society, they shouldn't be able to plot the Shaman King's assassination. There could be other masterminds behind it!"

Seeing the captain's eyes widen in shock, the head of the Shaman Society squinted and said:

"Although there's currently no concrete evidence, judging by that Lionheart Prince's style, he's very likely the person behind the Yarn Ball Society, and the plan to assassinate the Great Shaman King might have been orchestrated by him!"

That Lionheart Prince... could be the mastermind behind the Great Shaman King assassination attempt?

"This... can't be, right?"

No matter how he thought about it, the assumption seemed too far-fetched, and the guard captain couldn't help but half-doubtfully say:

"He seems so young, and doesn't appear to be very shrewd; he doesn't strike as someone capable of orchestrating such things. Besides, our two sides are allies; he wouldn't have a motive to assassinate the Great Shaman King!"

"That may not be the case."

Recalling what he knew, the head of the Shaman Society shook his head and said:

"Even though you've become head of the Great Shaman Guards, you're still not a member of the Joint Council, so there's a lot of information you're not privy to... There's something very off with that Lionheart Prince!

According to the information I've heard, though Queen Veronica is competent, her brother was the more recognized successor, and he was consistently at a disadvantage in the power struggle for the throne.

However, right after being chosen as the successor Duke, the Lionheart Prince publicly proposed to Princess Veronica on the day he assumed his title, providing significant support to her, allowing her to regain the upper hand... and that was merely the beginning!"

Stopping here briefly, the head of the Shaman Society then cautiously continued:

"After Queen Veronica accepted the proposal, within about a month, there was a large-scale unrest in the Royal Capital. Many rebels stormed the palace, nearly drowning the queen in the lake and leaving the old King bedridden until he hastily abdicated.

Then it's said that the hot-tempered Prince Joshua not only refrained from resisting but became incredibly docile, even reporting the former queen, who tried to collude with ministers, cooperating with the Lionheart Prince on diplomatic missions.

After arriving here, he became even more obedient, not making a sound even when the Lionheart Prince called him 'son.' He behaved so meekly that he didn't resemble his previous arrogant and defiant self at all... do you reckon his change is because of whom?"