Chapter 260
Chapter 260. Will of Hostility
“Looks like the White Dragon set the place on fire… and there are witnesses!”
The green brat spoke as if he’d just taken off the head of a demon, but I stayed unfazed.
Honestly, this was all just as I expected.
If he had any awareness of the harassment he directed at me, then, of course, he must be considering the possibility of retribution. Given that I frequently traveled over Izanis territory with Leila, he’d probably connect the dots to the sudden forest fire. If he had even a little bit of reasoning in that thick skull of his.
Come to think of it, even if I hadn’t been involved, there was a high chance that the forest fire occurring at this timing would be blamed on me. Honestly, if he hadn’t brought this up, I would’ve been caught off guard.
“Oh, witnesses you say?”
I raised an eyebrow and made a face as if I were deeply offended.
“Well, that’s probably just a bluff.”
Ante snickered. It was true that the fire was set, but it wasn’t as if Leila had been flying around and flamboyantly breathing fire everywhere.
After landing deep in the dense forest, Ante had used a forbidden spell to【forbid stealth】and took action while scouting the surroundings.
…In the forest, not only small animals but even the insects in the ground had crawled out, creating quite a hellish scene… but that’s beside the point; regardless, there’s no way nearby residents would have witnessed the moment of ignition.
“Ah, yes. The folks hunting in the woods clearly saw you, the White Dragon, starting a fire and then flying away.”
However, merely pushing the accusation of “It was your doing!” wouldn’t hold much weight, so that’s probably what they settled on.
“If that’s true, then it sounds like a grave situation.”
I shrugged my shoulders lightly.
“However, I have no recollection of it. Could it be a case of mistaken identity?”
To be blunt, witness testimonies held practically no value. Both green and I were counts, and I could mobilize as many minions as I wanted. Being a powerful mage, I could also launch curses that would let me manipulate the actions of those beneath me to some extent.
Even if at this moment, green were to bring in a witness, if I interrogated them saying, “【You’re lying!】” they would likely admit, “Sorry, I was lying.” Conversely, if green threatened them with, “【It must be the truth!】” they’d switch their stance and say, “It’s the truth!”
It was a daily routine among powerful figures to have conveniently compliant witnesses, but doing the same among powerful mages would just turn it into a greater mess. Not that it was a reason, but when things got convoluted like this, demon kind tended to find themselves in armed conflicts.
“How ridiculous—”
“—Speaking of grave situations, there were some interesting testimonies regarding the Izanis Tribe.”
Before green could say anything more, I smirked and laughed fiercely.
“Apparently there was a large-scale mountain hunt in Defteros County? And, as a result, numerous magical beasts have been driven into the Evaroti Autonomous District… What a nuisance this jerk has caused!”
The food fighter came to a sudden halt with his meal, seemingly frozen in place, staring at green with a creaking motion.
“———”
Green, too, was caught off guard by my sudden harsh words. The polite tone he usually maintained with his older siblings was clearly set aside for moments like this.
At this stage, only the three of us were in the room. Aiogias hadn’t arrived yet, and Diagias was at the front, taking a day off.
“…Oh, what’s this all about?”
And just then, Rubyphia entered, cradling the Sleeping Princess. She immediately sensed the tense atmosphere and broke into a mischievous smile.
“Ah, sister! This ridiculous fool suddenly started making unfounded accusations against me!”
I dramatically expressed my exasperation.
“Ah ha!”
Rubyphia sparkled with glee at my rare rough language, clearly enjoying the potential for chaos.
“Mun-nyah…”
As is usual, the Sleeping Princess—Topazia—was seated in her chair, slowly opening her eyes to gaze at me, but quickly lost interest and resumed her light snoring.
It was the first time she actively woke up like that, which surprised me a little, but I quickly regained my composure and continued with my exaggerated act.
“Despite not being able to properly manage a small territory, they dare to accuse me of causing a forest fire.”
“Ufufu! Ahaha! That’s bad luck for you!”
By indirectly mocking the fact that Izanis territory had been engulfed by the Autonomous District, Rubyphia couldn’t contain her laughter. The sight of me, usually so meticulously courteous, exhibiting outright hostility and malice was apparently too entertaining for her.
“That wasn’t just some random claim! There are witnesses, and the fact that a forest fire broke out after you flew over our territory is irrefutable!”
“Calm down. I have a devil of knowledge in my service. They should have thoroughly read all records from the Defteros Kingdom… I’ll send you data later on how wildfires commonly occur every few decades during the scorching summer…”
I replied to green’s escalating tone with a cold smirk.
And by the way, I’ve already confirmed the details with Sophia. It turns out that although there are varying scales and damages, wildfires occurred in Defteros Kingdom at least once every few decades. The last small fire incident was about 15 years ago. There hasn’t been an exceptionally long gap since then, so it wouldn’t be too strange if there was a slight discrepancy.
“I heard you were keenly after farmlands, but doesn’t this fire provide a great opportunity? Why not gather your clan and cultivate it together?”
With my further provocation, Rubyphia burst into laughter, while green’s forehead was veined with anger, and the food fighter was just dumbfounded, making chaotic scenery. Meanwhile, the Sleeping Princess remained blissfully ignorant of it all, still sleeping.
“…Hmm. What’s this?”
And then Aiogias made his entrance. Seeing Rubyphia laugh and Emelgias wear a stern expression, even the thickest of minds could sense that something was off.
I looked over at my elder brother with my arms crossed, leaning casually.
“Brother, don’t you think your subordinate needs better discipline?”
“What…?”
“He’s been blabbering that I’m the cause of the forest fire in Izanis territory.”
Aiogias’ emotionless gaze locked onto green.
“To be so audacious as to flood the Autonomous District with beasts and still make such claims… It’s a complete hassle!”
“That’s a baseless accusation…!”
Green glared at me and retorted like a growl.
“Acting like a victim of all the hassle… It’s just a bunch of weaklings fleeing from land now devoid of human races!”
“I can understand normal beasts coming out, but how would carnivorous magical beasts purposely stroll out from deep within the forest to a land devoid of prey?!”
Up until now, I had been pretending to be angry, but now it was my turn to really lose my cool.
“I know well that you guys from the Izanis Tribe conducted that massive mountain hunt! The residents of Defteros County were overjoyed, saying, ‘Hunting has become easier now that the dangerous magical beasts have decreased!’”
For the record, this was info from Enma. Where there are towns, there’s logistics; where there’s logistics, there are skeleton carts. When I asked for information gathering, he quickly got to work digging up details. He mentioned that eavesdropping on casual citizens’ conversations was straightforward.
There were plenty of nocturnal elves entering and leaving Izanis territory, so it was easy to gather confirmations from that source too.
“You guys either intentionally drove magical beasts into the Autonomous District or your whole clan is just a bunch of lousy hunters, easily letting brazen creatures like Asurabear escape. Either way works. Ah, that’s right! I almost forgot.”
I mockingly laughed. Would he acknowledge that it was intentional, or would his entire clan be labelled as complete fools?
“……..”
The green brat’s cheeks twitched as if they were about to explode.
“…With an overflow of magical beasts and a massive wildfire, the former western Defteros seems to be cursed by fate.”
And then Aiogias smiled, gently intervening.
“Emelgias, I understand your territory is in chaos, making it difficult to maintain a calm demeanor, but perhaps you’re letting your emotions get the better of you?”
He chuckled lightly while patting Emelgias on the head, the tension in the air beginning to diffuse.
“Zilbagias, please show some understanding as well. The destruction of the Autonomous District is indeed tragic; it’s something I feel deeply as someone who carries the future of the Demon Lord Kingdom. Shall we set aside time later to discuss possible solutions?”
Ah, this guy’s trying to downplay all the beast issues and the forest fires while making himself look good at the same time.
“Hmm… If you insist brother. Still, as a person accused of groundless accusations, I’m left with no outlet for my indignation.”
“Ha ha, that’s true… Emelgias.”
“……..”
The green brat gritted his teeth, glaring at me.
“Emelgias.”
In a wholly calm manner, Aiogias urged him. However, the hand resting on green’s shoulder dug in like a vice.
“…I’m sorry.”
Green squeezed the words out like a plea.
…
I hesitated just a moment.
Should I provoke him further with a playful “I can’t hear you!”?
Maybe that would be too childish… but then again…
Thinking rationally, I’m only six years old.
“Hmm? Your voice is too soft; I can’t catch what you’re saying!”
I pretended to cup my ear and made a troubled face.
“…I’m sorry!!”
Green practically shouted, his voice so loud it almost made my ears ring. There we go, he’s capable when he puts his mind to it.
“Hmm… I shall accept your apology, brother.”
I flashed a grin—then shot a glare at green.
As if I’d forgive him for just a measly apology. Seven lives have been lost due to the magical beasts; my father was killed by him, my mother’s dead too. And Claire? She’s in that state because of him.
I will make him pay back every ounce of his filthy life… and his whole clan will go down with him…!!
—The two, Zilbagias and Emelgias, glaring at each other with palpable madness, certainly didn’t appear to be reconciling—
“…Speaking of discussions…”
I decided to switch gears, transforming my face into a bright smile as I turned to Rubyphia.
“We haven’t had many good chances to talk, have we, Ruby sister? How about we share some tea sometime?”
Out of the blue, my blatant invitation made Rubyphia, who had been looking on with a bored expression, light up with a radiant smile. It was like a flower blooming—no, more like a fierce flame bursting into life.
“Yes, I’d love that.”
Rubyphia immediately agreed while casting a meaningful glance at Aiogias.
“I’ve always thought it would be nice to chat with you.”
In contrast, Aiogias wore a smile that seemed conspicuously stiff.
“Yes, we are all gathered now… What’s the matter?”
And finally, the Demon Lord made his appearance.
Sensing the strange atmosphere, he wore a confused expression.
“No, nothing, Father.”
I welcomed the Demon Lord with a beaming smile.
“It’s nothing serious. Besides, it’s all been resolved.”
—Rubyphia was beaming, Aiogias’ camp wore sour faces, and above all, Emelgias looked like he could burst with rage.
Nonetheless, I asserted my statement so firmly that no one could chip in, leading the Demon Lord to nod and say, “Hmm. I see,” without pursuing the matter further.
And so, the dinner party began.
Oh man! I don’t know why, but today, the food tasted especially good!
