The Baby Villain Dreams of Conquering the World

Chapter 98

Episode 98

"Why are you so late!"

"My apologies. The mercenary scum kept clinging and being a nuisance, so it took more time than expected."

"What could mere mercenaries say to make you so flustered! I told you to handle this quietly before the Young Duke Lucifer returns!"

It seemed the knight's words were taken as an excuse, as the man didn't hold back his scolding.

'Ah, I know who he is.'

I was unsure looking at his face, but hearing his voice full of irritation, I recognize him now.

That man is Count Tassen, the lord of the territory that suffered the most damage.

I remember him speaking up a few times during the meeting, being annoying.

'So it's the Count, not the Executors?'

I thought the Executors, who must have seen me, would have taken the lead, but it seems not.

'Or perhaps it's a bit underhanded, so the Executors are keeping their hands clean and watching from afar.'

Anyway, it seems my prediction was correct. Me becoming bait is an unchangeable fact.

"Do you think this is a joke? Everyone's lives, the future of the eastern territories, depend on this! Where on earth have you lost your mind?"

Whether it was deeply shameful to be spoken to like this over mere mercenaries and a child associated with them, the knight's expression was grim.

"Anyway, as I heard, she's not bad. Child, how old are you?"

As if finished with his anger, the Count looked Flora up and down, nodded in satisfaction, and asked.

"Seven years old."

Without answering Flora's questioning gaze, he turned his head and seemed lost in deep thought.

Flora, with a frightened face, asked the knight who brought her here,

"Sir Knight Mister. What you said is different, isn't it? You said the Executors would protect me."

In response, he gave her a blatantly pitiful look.

"Tch, do you really think those esteemed people have the leisure to protect something like you?"

Then, with a rough hand, he grabbed Flora's wrist and forcibly dragged her stiff body along.

"Put her in here. We'll carry it and move."

"Yes, understood."

"Wh-what? Wait a minute, Mister?"

Before Flora could even grasp the situation, the knight lifted her up and put her into the box placed next to the Count.

Faced with the unusual situation, Flora made a tearful face and urgently grabbed the knight's wrist.

"Sir Knight Mister? What are you doing? Am I being sold off somewhere strange? I don't want to, I'm scared."

Putting her all into the act, Flora herself seemed immersed in her own performance, as tears began to well in her eyes.

Even the knight, who despised mercenaries, froze for a moment upon seeing the child cry.

It seemed Count Tassen's patience had reached its limit, as he clicked his tongue and approached.

He looked down at Flora and spoke solemnly.

"Listen well, child. You are now taking on the most important role in this subjugation. That is, to be the bait."

"……Bait for the demon?"

Seeing her frightened face grasp the situation immediately, Count Tassen nodded with a satisfied expression.

"Then I'll die, won't I?"

Tears welled up profusely on Flora's face.

"Why do I have to die? I don't want to die."

Perhaps feeling a pang of sympathy at the sight of her pearly tears falling, he continued his explanation in a rather kind voice.

"We don't know why the eastern demon wants young children, but if it desires them so much, it will appear before you. We will be waiting for that moment."

Seeing Flora's face still showing incomprehension, he moved his lips leisurely, with an air of generosity.

"The subjugation force will be lying in ambush around you. And when the demon appears to target you, everyone will attack it."

"So I just need to lure the demon? I won't die, right?"

"Of course not. This is all the subjugation force's plan, so trust us."

Subjugation force's plan, my foot.

Benio had never once mentioned this.

If they planned this behind Lucifer's back, he might not know, but Janet said there was no trace of them holding a secret meeting.

"But you lied about the reason for bringing me here from the start, so how can I trust you, Mister?"

She couldn't just let this slide quietly. Sniffling, Flora refused their forceful demand, filled with a sense of injustice.

"You told the mercenary ajeossis that the Executors would protect me when you brought me here. What will you do if something happens to me? My Oppa definitely heard you."

At that statement, the knight listening quietly from behind scoffed.

"Who would listen to the words of mere mercenaries?"

If they knew who this 'older brother' was, they wouldn't be laughing so easily.

Benio hasn't returned yet, but once he does and hears the news, the subjugation force will be in an uproar.

'He's not just an innocent pushover anymore.'

Of course, to the knight, unaware of this hidden meaning, her act of putting on a brave face must have looked quite ridiculous.

"Child, you're saying this because you don't yet understand how the world works……"

"Sir Piet, am I not speaking?"

His naked sneer was cut off by Count Tassen.

"We can't just use a civilian child as bait, can we? Do you wish for another child to be in your place?"

Just as he seemed to be acting somewhat kindly, a threatening tone immediately emerged.

"Would you prefer another child to be here, crying and trembling in fear instead of you? I didn't take you for such a bad child."

Still with a tearful face, Flora shook her head. Then his fiercely scowling face bloomed into a wide smile.

"None of the things you're worried about will ever happen."

At his firm words, Flora held out until the very end and replied,

"Are you really sure you won't regret using me as bait?"

Perhaps Flora's demeanor felt like a last desperate struggle, Count Tassen reluctantly raised his hand.

"Child, you will be the one to save everyone."

He stroked Flora's brown hair with his coarse hand.

He quickly withdrew it as if touched by something dirty, but his smile never left his lips, so skilled was he at acting.

"Now, get inside the box quietly. We have a long way to go until we reach the prepared location."

In response, Flora also nodded with a resigned face. She showed clear reluctance, but there was nothing more she could do.

As Flora settled into the box, which was just the right size for a child to fit in, the lid was closed.

As her surroundings turned dark, Flora stretched out her legs, which she had drawn up tightly, and leaned back against the box.

The knight must have lifted the box, as she soon felt her body rising into the air and the sensation of walking.

'So what's the real goal?'

Did they really sneak her out like this just to use her as bait?

'There's no reason to do it while Oppa is away.'

It would be one thing if they had requested cooperation from Lucifer, but this procedure made no sense.

And the fact that only Count Tassen was here was also highly suspicious.

They were clearly aiming for something, but she just couldn't figure out what.

'Ugh, what's the point of thinking? I'll find out their intentions when I face them directly.'

How could she possibly read all the thoughts in people's heads?

She was about to give up thinking when...

"Finally, this time, we can welcome Him, right?"

A sound that made her doubt her ears began to be heard.

"An innocent, tender, young soul under ten years old. The scripture clearly states that if you offer 100 children as sacrifices, He will appear personally and grant your wish."

"Don't worry, Count. Unlike the false information we've encountered so far, the scripture is genuine, isn't it?"

At the words comforting the anxious Count, an agreeing voice was heard, saying that was true.

'What is this?'

At the unusual words, Flora's ears perked up. She urgently roused her consciousness, which was about to fall asleep, and listened intently to the two men's conversation.

"Still, we're lucky it worked out. Who would have thought there would be such a young child among the mercenaries? It was difficult to prepare new sacrifices after the subjugation force was assembled."

"Perhaps He is cheering us on. If we hadn't overheard the Executors talking, we wouldn't have believed it."

Huh?

No matter how she heard this, it absolutely wasn't about using her as bait.

"According to the scripture, He said that the souls of children are the very source of His power, His driving force. We will bring Him joy and finally be able to stand by His side."

The back-and-forth conversation was so frustrating, as if something was on the tip of her tongue but wouldn't come.

"Yes, the great deed will finally be accomplished today. After a long time, we have gained the opportunity to welcome Him. Finally."

'It feels like I should remember, but I can't quite...'

"By the way, it seems you caused quite a commotion bringing her."

"It's just a small commotion among the mercenaries; others won't even pay attention."

"I told you to be cautious even about trivial matters."

At the sharp reprimand, the knight answered confidently, as if telling him not to worry.

"Originally, Lucifer is the only one who listens so intently to mercenaries' words."

Then, as if conscious of Flora in the box, he whispered in a slightly lower voice.

"If they mention the Executors, we can just play dumb, and if the child disappears, we can just claim she ran off on her own and suddenly vanished."

'You idiot, I heard every word of your "whispering".'

"Hmm."

At the Count's uneasy voice, he added one more thing.

"And even if it becomes a problem, it won't cause any trouble for you, Count. If anything happens, I will take full responsibility."

As the knight laughed boldly, the Count finally answered,

"Alright."

"Yes, even that Lucifer wouldn't go so far over mere mercenaries like he did during the meeting."

"Originally, once He appears, everything will be settled anyway."