The Baby Villain Dreams of Conquering the World

Chapter 101

Episode 101

'Who else but a demon weak to children? Did he appear because he felt sorry for the children who became sacrifices?'

The children knew they had been abducted by demon worshippers. They said that even though they wanted to go home, they were holding back and staying here because they were told they might die if they returned.

He saved the pitiful children, yet he was misunderstood as the kidnapper, and now a subjugation force had even been formed. The sheer absurdity made her dizzy.

'The roles of demon and human have been reversed. What are we supposed to do when humans are worse than demons?'

At this rate, she wondered if she could even spread her own infamy.

Flora let out a low sigh and intervened by sticking her hand between the arguing children to mediate.

"But you said I was the hundredth? Are there more children elsewhere?"

"There are ten children gathered here. The fairy said all the other children died."

"That's right, the spirit said the other kids were caught and eaten by monsters."

"The angel said some kids even fell off a cliff while wandering the forest after getting out of their boxes."

With multiple people answering one question, it was chaotic.

"Okay, okay. If the angel-fairy-spirit said so, then it must be true. So, do you know why only you are here? Ah, it's too confusing. Let the former leader do the talking."

"Um, he said he usually doesn't interfere in human affairs. I guess he couldn't stand it anymore and decided to save us. Ah, and also, mysterious races have to keep secrets, you know!"

Their way of thinking, still holding onto romance even in this situation, was almost impressive, as if they'd grown up reading many fairy tales.

"So where is the angel-fairy-spirit now?"

"We don't know. He usually doesn't appear before us. He always leaves food, books, clothes, and stuff while we're sleeping."

"I see."

That meant it would probably be difficult to meet Pascal right now, since they didn't know where he was.

Flora wondered what to do for a moment, then looked at the door the children had come through.

"Are we allowed to go outside freely?"

"Yeah! The fairy said we can roam comfortably inside the cave!"

"That's why the other kids are in different rooms! There are lots of rooms here! But we all sleep together because some are scared of being alone."

"I sleep with them to protect the scared kids!"

The former leader puffed out his chest as he spoke. Flora roughly patted his head in a 'good job' gesture and stood up.

"Then let's go meet the other kids."

"Hmm, but the other kids aren't in a very good state. They're too scared to come out of their rooms."

"They even cried when they saw the fairy, saying they were scared."

"Yeah, the angel just takes care of us, but they got angry, saying he won't send them home."

"But I understand. It's hard to believe this situation."

The children tried to dissuade Flora in unison.

"Besides, you just got here today. The other kids are very wary; it's better to approach them slowly. We haven't even gotten close to them yet."

"Especially the kid who came in right before you is really terrified. We haven't even properly talked to them yet."

Knowing they meant well for her, Flora grinned.

"That's exactly why we should meet them. We need to give them hope so they can gain strength."

"Huh?"

The children all widened their eyes in unison and tilted their heads.

Seeing their confused faces, Flora gave them hope, even though they were in the same boat but pretending to be okay.

"There's a subjugation force outside to rescue you. You can go home now, so shouldn't you be able to smile?"

At Flora's words, the children were speechless and just blinked.

But only for a moment. Soon, their round eyes welled up with tears, which then began to stream down their faces.

They started crying uncontrollably, so much so that it was hard to believe how brightly they had been acting until now.

"Waaah, hiiic. Re-really? Is it true?"

"Can I finally s-see my mom?"

"Sniff, sob. Thank goodness. Waaah, it's a miracle!"

"I'll really listen to Mom and Dad when I go back!"

"I'll be nice to my little sister, sob, I'll be good to her! Hic!"

They cried as if their world had collapsed, but the tears they shed were filled with the relief of finally being able to go home.

Watching the children cry miserably yet happily, Flora turned her body so they couldn't see her and hardened her expression.

Who is the demon, and who is the human?

Who is wicked, and who is just?

Who dares to definitively distinguish between them?

'Ah, I really do dislike humans.'

It's truly difficult to understand and accept, no matter how hard you try.

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Stopping by the village where the last victim occurred and conducting inquiries in the area took more time than expected.

Benio looked at the forest as dusk began to fall and swallowed a sigh inwardly.

There were too many unsettling aspects to this case.

Ordinary demons are a race that takes pleasure in instilling fear in humans. But this case was conducted too quietly and secretly to be considered their work.

Since everyone had concluded it was the demon's doing, no detailed investigation had been carried out. He had deliberately taken time to inquire around the village, but this meager effort wasn't enough to dispel his doubts.

'Will it be resolved once we subjugate the demon?'

Given that the subjugation must start tomorrow, it was regrettable, but he couldn't delay any longer.

'I thought I could leave Flora in the village if it was safe, but that's not possible either.'

He wasn't entirely comfortable leaving Flora at the tent with a minimal guard, but it seemed there was no other way.

'I need to warn her again not to go anywhere else before I leave.'

She's a curious and energetic child in all matters; if he doesn't firmly tell her 'no,' there's no telling where she might run off to.

'At least I should see her face a lot before I go.'

If he left without a word, she would clearly be fiercely angry. He needed to spend time with her tonight and reassure her by saying he was taking medics with him this time.

Benio's steps gradually quickened.

He knew killing a demon wasn't easy, but the thought that once this was over, he could return home with his little sister made his heart feel a little lighter.

However, the moment he returned to the tent, he was not greeted by his smiling little sister welcoming him.

"Young Duke! Ria, no, Flora has!!"

Seeing Basilian pacing in front of his tent with reddened eyes, looking as if he might burst into tears at any moment, Benio sensed that something was terribly wrong.

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Duke Bellasia couldn't shake off a persistent, uneasy feeling.

'Why is there no report?'

Several days had passed, but the secret knight he had placed near the Lucifer side was being too quiet.

He wondered if they had been discovered, but if so, the other camp wouldn't be this quiet either.

'Should I send another knight?'

Anyway, starting tomorrow, Lucifer and the mercenary band would begin paving the way for the subjugation in earnest, so he did need personnel to monitor the situation.

"Hmm."

He was tapping his desk with his finger, lost in thought, when...

"Please wait a moment! Such a sudden visit is…!"

"You must at least seek the Duke's permission…!"

He heard the knights guarding the Duke's tent trying to stop someone, and then the tent flap was thrown open with a loud noise.

"……Young Duke Lucifer?"

Wondering who would be so audacious, he hadn't expected it to be the very person causing his worry.

He already resembled his father and had a fierce look, but with his face set in a furious expression, the knights who had been blocking him stopped, seemingly intimidated.

Seizing the opportunity, Benio shook them off and strode purposefully up to Duke Bellasia.

'Could he have found out?'

Seeing that he had clearly rushed over immediately after uncovering the secret knight's backer, Duke Bellasia gulped.

"What is the matter at this late hour?"

He asked kindly with an innocent face, planning to play dumb if the topic came up.

"Where are the Executors staying?"

"What? You come here suddenly in the evening just to ask that?"

"This is an important matter for me. Please tell me where they are."

At his unusual tone, Duke Bellasia sensed that something had happened that he wasn't aware of.

"I think you need to calm down first."

However, the Executors were under his jurisdiction; he couldn't possibly tell their location to someone who held such hostility toward them.

At his words, Benio took a deep breath and tried his best to calm his agitated mind.

"Then I'll ask differently. Return the child the Executors took to me."

"A child?"

"A knight came and took a child from the mercenary band under the pretext of protection. Hand that child over."

"Are you causing this commotion over just one child?"

Duke Bellasia, who had been listening calmly, let out a hollow laugh, erased his usual smile, and asked with a serious face.

"You barged into a Duke's quarters without any contact, all for that trivial reason? I'm utterly astonished."

The more he thought about it, the more offensive it seemed, and Duke Bellasia openly criticized him.

"Young Duke, I understand you're the overall person in charge of the mercenaries and care about their minor affairs, but you must maintain a certain line of propriety. And this is the first I'm hearing about this matter."

"......"

"There is no one among the Executors who took a child. I was just there, so it's no lie. And you said a child, right? If they're young, everything around them seems fun, so they probably just went out to play for a while."

"According to the mercenaries, a knight came and took her despite their refusal."

"Sigh. You and Athanas are probably the only nobles who would believe mercenaries' words so readily. And even if she did disappear, she's just a mercenary band's child, isn't she?"

Duke Bellasia patted Benio's shoulder as if to console him.

His smiling face, saying it was no problem at all, overlapped with the righteous image he usually projected. Needing to eradicate criminals and protect his people and felt deeply hypocritical.

Benio silently stared at the hand patting his shoulder. Sensing the tension, the Duke seemed about to turn away.

"Are you saying it's okay if a mercenary band's child disappears?"

"That's not what I meant. It's just......"