I Can Copy Curses

Chapter 243: 243. Night of the Banquet - 8

Luna narrowed her eyes when she heard Orion admit that the masked figure on the Starforge was him.

"Why wear a mask to be a hero?" she asked suspiciously, her voice dripping with distrust.

Orion shrugged. "I wanted to keep a low profile. The strength that Curse Lord displayed back then was monstrous—peak Gold rank strength with an Iron rank body. Not many can achieve a feat like that. So, I chose the mask to stay anonymous."

Luna chuckled lightly, but there was no humor in her eyes. "Too much of a monster, I would say."

Then, with a serious expression, she added, "There are too many coincidences—or should I say leads—that suggest you might be the killer."

Orion's face darkened. "What leads?"

Luna began counting on her fingers. "First, the mask you wore at the Starforge. The killer wore the same mask when he killed the four young men in the dungeon."

She gave him a sharp look before continuing, her voice cutting through the air like a knife.

"Second, your absence in the dungeon when the killer appeared. No one saw you and the killer at the same time. It's possible that after you exited the boss arena, you waited for them to defeat the boss, and then returned as the killer when you realized the boss would self-destruct."

Her cold words sent a shiver through the room, making many of the guests uneasy. The sheer power gap between Orion and the killer—a difference between Gold rank and a killer who could effortlessly take down peak Platinum ranks—made her theory seem like a stretch, but the tension was palpable.

Orion laughed lightly, but there was an edge to his voice. "Your reasoning and assumptions are impressive, but let's say I am the killer. How would you explain the strength of that guy?"

"I've been wondering the same thing," Kane interjected from the side, his voice calm but with a hint of challenge. "How could someone at Silver rank possess the strength of a Diamond rank? And from what I've heard, the killer left the dungeon in perfect shape—not a trace of side effects from using any cursed treasure or technique. I'm really curious to hear your explanation, Luna."

Luna's face darkened further as Kane butted into their conversation.

"That's something I'd like to know as well," she said, glaring at him before turning back to Orion. "Do you want to know why I think the second point makes perfect sense?"

"I'm not really interested in hearing more about something I didn't do, but go ahead," Orion shrugged, his voice tinged with impatience.

Luna continued, "When the boss monster was about to detonate, the killer saved them by transporting the monster out of the restricted space. Imagine an assassin whose sole purpose was to kill those four, saving others from the explosion. It doesn't make sense—unless the assassin wasn't just a killer, but someone who wanted to appear as one to kill specific people.

And when he saw that the detonation would harm innocent bystanders, he intervened."

She paused, letting her words sink in before asking, "What do you think of that?"

The room was filled with murmurs of agreement and skepticism. Emperor Maximus watched the scene unfold with a smile, his eyes gleaming with interest.

Orion's family was visibly anxious. Olivia's eyes were filled with worry, while Ella watched the exchange without blinking. Only Barion seemed unaffected, as if nothing was happening. Runo and Erick were also nervous for Orion but believed he couldn't be the killer, so they remained silent and observant.

Orion, after hearing Luna's words, laughed lightly, but the tension in his voice was unmistakable. "In the end, all of this is just speculation. You have no proof that it was me, and you never will."

Luna frowned, knowing her conclusions were based on circumstantial evidence and assumptions from her two-week investigation. She was 90% sure Orion was the killer.

"And then there's the question of how the killer entered the Diamond rank dungeon. That point would also make sense if the killer was already inside the dungeon," she added.

"Well, you can say as much as you want, but without proof, it's all just nonsense," Orion said, irritated on the outside but terrified inside. He couldn't fathom how she had pieced together every detail and concluded he was the culprit. He knew that if she found any real evidence, his lies would be exposed.

Luna seemed unfazed by Orion's response. "My last point is quite interesting. I heard you and a few others were recently teleported to Null Void?"

"What about it?" Orion asked, his voice steady but his heart racing, knowing where she was going with this.

"Your clone in the Null Void was unique—it could use black flames. I wonder if that clone had anything to do with this case," she said, her eyes locked onto his.

Orion's expression turned ugly. "At this rate, you're just using baseless assumptions against me. Everything you've mentioned is speculation. You have no real evidence, so please, come back when you do. It's hard to deal with false accusations when you've done nothing wrong."

Luna laughed when she saw Orion lose his temper. "Why so much anger? Feeling guilty?"

"Feeling guilty?" Orion laughed with a crazed expression on his face. "It's really funny coming from someone who is accusing others based on groundless assumptions. I would feel angry if you actually had evidence, which you clearly don't. I only feel disgust that you are trying so hard to blame someone who hasn't done anything."

Luna's face trembled slightly at his words.

But Orion wasn't done.

"I guess it's true what they say about people from Archons being too arrogant. When you can't find the killer or evidence, you make innocent people the scapegoat and forge groundless evidence just to complete your mission. If it's really like this, I wonder how many others have been falsely accused and punished for crimes they haven't committed.

I wonder if the Celestial Court is blind to all of this."

The room fell into a tense silence, the weight of Orion's accusations hanging heavily in the air.

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