The Baby Villain Dreams of Conquering the World

Chapter 96

Episode 96

"They say they're going to subjugate the Demon Forest this time?"

A welcome topic popped up among the men gathered nearby, enjoying daytime drinks. Hearing the news from close by, Flora's ears perked up.

There was a fountain and a bench right next to them; it seemed perfect to sit, rest, and listen to the conversation.

"Shall we rest for a bit?"

"Sure, why not."

Basilian readily agreed, took a handkerchief from his pocket, and gently spread it on the bench Flora pointed to.

"Here, sit down."

Why did the proud smile on his lips seem to shine so brightly?

'He looks kinda cool.'

Wanting to try everything that looked cool, Flora energetically exclaimed,

"Oh, I want to do it too!"

Soon, she also pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and spread it right next to his.

"Here, sit down!"

"……Thank you."

Even with an expression that said 'this wasn't the point,' Basilian obediently sat on Flora's handkerchief.

Flora also plopped down on the seat next to him and immediately pricked up her ears to listen to the targeted conversation of the men on the adjacent bench.

"I heard the ducal house formed a subjugation force with determination. So knights and people from the Executor Bureau came out, and they even recruited mercenaries!"

"That's right, I heard it's swarming with people near the forest."

"Sigh, Madam Gran, who lives in the green-roofed house on the hill, still spends every night in tears, I hear. She lost her husband to a monster, and now her only son is gone too."

After a brief silence, the men wordlessly drank their liquor. Soon, one man made a 'keh' sound and was the first to speak.

"This liquor tastes so bitter...... Aish, is it just Madam Gran? Aren't there quite a few missing children in the village too? If you look, everyone passing by has a deathly pale face."

"Does the pain of losing a child ever heal, no matter how much time passes? That's why I wish they had formed this subjugation force sooner."

Agreeing it was true, the men all nodded together.

"Oh, by the way, I heard that even Lucifer from the north came leading a knight order."

"What? Did they come to help with the subjugation?"

"No, no. Isn't there a regularly scheduled Judgment time for Lucifer? I heard they were forced to come because of that."

"Well, even if they defeated the northern demon, they still haven't received forgiveness from God, have they?"

Watching the man click his tongue, saying how descendants suffer because of their ancestors' mistakes, Flora recalled the explanation about the Lucifer Judgment that Mrs. Finny had given her back at the orphanage.

'She said the Judgment upon Lucifer is a method to check if they haven't forgotten their ancestors' transgression and committed sins...... I wonder, if they receive Beshart's forgiveness, would they no longer have to undergo this Judgment?'

Thinking deeply, Flora shook her head.

'No. Why would Beshart be angry at Lucifer? If he can't forgive the Imperial Family or the other ducal houses who killed Mors, that might be different.'

Wasn't it Beshart who created Mors and threw him among humans in the first place? So if he were to punish anyone, it should be those who killed Mors.

'It's probably just the Imperial Family and the ducal houses playing tricks. Ugh, stressful.'

Concluding it was the descendants of the Heroes who were the problem, Flora held her forehead.

"But you know, I hear that Lucifer from the north is going around asking strange questions."

Strange things? As talk of Benio came up, Flora's ears, which had been momentarily lost in other thoughts, tilted toward the conversation again.

"He's asking about the circumstances of the abduction, or if there was anyone they suspected besides the demon, or if there were people they didn't get along with normally."

"What? If it's not the demon, who would do such a thing? Is that something to say in front of the bereaved families?"

"He said he's investigating considering the possibility of other crimes. I heard he asks very carefully so as not to upset the bereaved families' feelings. The soldiers didn't even ask about such things, but he's working very hard at it, isn't he?"

At the comment that the bereaved families weren't offended and answered quite sincerely, someone interjected.

"So what? It doesn't change the fact that Lucifer is the Betrayer of Humanity and the Hero of Disgrace."

As always, criticism toward Lucifer caused silence to fall around the men.

But it was brief; the man who claimed to have seen Benio directly finished the remaining liquor in his cup and laughed bitterly.

"Even so, when I heard the news that the northern demon had been subjugated, for the first time, I felt envious of the northerners. Whether they are betrayers or whatever, the fact that they subjugated it remains unchanged. I hope the western demon gets definitively subjugated this time too."

At those words, the man who had criticized Lucifer nodded with a sigh.

"That's right. Only then can the bereaved families send off their children properly, don't you think?"

Saying they were no longer in the mood to drink, the men clinked their last glasses and left the spot.

Flora, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation with her chin propped in her hands, let out a soft chuckle once they had completely left.

Though a short conversation, she had gained quite a bit of information.

First, the commoners' view of Lucifer wasn't as bad as she thought.

If people in other territories, excluding the north, had been busy blindly criticizing them before, now there were those who defended them.

'Is it natural, since they gave hope of escaping from the demon?'

Anyway, this empire really fears demons.

'The road ahead is still long, but should I be satisfied with this much progress?'

Even if the pace is slow, since it's changing positively, perhaps the view of Lucifer will change over time.

'By the way, it is strange.'

Just like those gathered in the subjugation force, all the people in this village suspected the children's disappearances were the demon's doing.

'Listening to them, the soldiers didn't even investigate in detail, so why did they conclude this case was the demon's work?'

Even if the children disappeared while playing near the Demon Forest, it could be the work of monsters other than the demon, or it could be the doing of a criminal targeting children.

It's a case that spread across the entire territory and is so bizarre that they assume it's the demon's work, but what if it's not?

Did no one besides Benio think of this?

Or were they prevented from doing so by someone's pressure?

Just as Flora was unknowingly forming a bitter smile...

"Did you satisfy your curiosity?"

Oops, she had momentarily forgotten about Basil beside her.

"Huh?"

Wondering if he was sulking about being left alone, she turned her head to see eyes no different from usual looking back at her.

"You came to the village because you wanted some information, right? That's why you eavesdropped on the men sitting next to us too."

"'Eavesdropped'? The connotation is a bit off."

"We overheard it by chance. Okay?"

At his indifferent voice and tone suggesting they just move on, Flora couldn't help but laugh.

Anyway, true to being someone's subordinate, he was perceptive and sharp.

"How did you know?"

"How did I know? Have I known you for just a day or two? When you have a goal, your eyes shine like that; it's impossible not to notice."

It ultimately meant he was very interested in Flora and had been watching her every time, so he knew.

"So, now we just need to go see the green-roofed house on the hill?"

'He's like a ghost, honestly.'

To deduce the next destination from the earlier conversation… Just how well did Basil know her?

Flora nodded and got up from her seat.

"Let's just take a quick look before sunset. We need to get back before Oppa returns."

"Right, right."

As Basilian's reaction was more easygoing than expected, Flora asked,

"But aren't you curious why I want to go to that house?"

"You've never been able to resist your curiosity once it's piqued. You must have become curious about something and are trying to solve it. Just let me know later once you've figured it out."

His straightforward response, not prying into details, made Flora grin.

His attitude as a subordinate was very satisfying, so nodding energetically was a bonus.

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The green-roofed house on the hill stood alone, separated from other houses nearby.

'So the child from that house went missing on the way home, right?'

Indeed, being a house sitting alone on a hill, the road was sparsely populated, making it likely there were no witnesses.

Holding Basilian's hand tightly as they climbed the path, Flora, upon arriving near the house, suddenly spotted a woman rushing out of the house.

"Eric!"

The woman who came out of the house with a face full of desperation hurriedly ran toward the two, but the moment she realized Basilian wasn't the child she was looking for, her expression turned despairing.

As she plopped down, startled, Flora hurriedly ran over, and Basilian quickly followed.

"Are you okay?"

"Ah, thank you, dear. I'm fine."

The woman answered in a voice that was clearly not fine, tears already welling in her eyes. She glanced at Basilian and laughed bitterly.

"I came out to welcome my son, thinking he had returned, and ended up falling. Were you very startled?"

'So this woman is Madam Gran.'

She had guessed, given she rushed out from the green-roofed house on the hill, and seeing her reaction to Basilian seemed to confirm it.

"Was Eric your son?"

"……Yes, he was my son."

The use of the past tense suggested she still held onto hope for her son but also anticipated his death.

The woman suppressed her sorrow and forced a smile as she looked at the two.

"This is a remote path; you never know what might happen. Go back to your parents before it gets any later."

Though Flora wanted to talk more, Madam Gran was firm.

The two had no choice but to turn back the way they came, and the entire way back, they could feel the woman's gaze on them from afar.

As if she wanted to confirm they returned safely to the village.

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After the brief encounter with Madam Gran, the two returned to the village.

Perhaps because people were concerned about young children wandering alone, they began to feel worried glances from around them.

Occasionally, voices could be heard among the people asking, 'Were there children like that in this village?'