Chapter 277

"We must eradicate that problem before it gets any worse."

"Watch your words, Councilor Mirner; we’re talking about a noble."

"If we had put a stop long ago to the pretensions of all the nobles who still yearn for the past, do you think we’d be in this situation?"

There was a heated debate regarding the stance the Republican Council would take against the Marquisate of Sevec.

While everyone considered Mart Sevec a traitor, it was also true that he was a high-ranking noble, which is why some Councilors did not consider it prudent to overstep their bounds, as that could provoke the wrath of other nobles.

Even so, there were Councilors who desired not only the downfall of Mart Sevec but also his death.

This fact caused the debate to drag on.

In part, the most extreme Councilors were part of the faction led by Councilor Granz Zelf and Councilor Balnud Leron.

From one of the balconies, Granz Zelf silently observed every discussion, taking note of what each councilor said—even those in his own faction.

And going even further, he sometimes turned his gaze toward the two boxes where the two Senior Councilors were seated.

Councilor Granz didn’t even realize he was the victim of a lucid dream that replicated exactly what another demon saw and heard through him.

And when his turn came, he was able to express his position, since what he said in his lucid dream was repeated by the demon possessing him.

"That marquis is just a young demon who has let himself be consumed by pride after acquiring some power granted to him by those Believer and Fanatic demons. If we allow him to achieve his current goal, what do you think his next goal will be? To dissolve our Republican Council, perhaps? Take all of that into account when making your final decision. My position is the annihilation of that demon and the dissolution of that territory as a marquisate."

Granz Zelf delivered those words without hesitation, but if he had known he was being possessed by the very demon he was opposing, he most likely would have wet himself in fear.

Granz Zelf suddenly felt the gaze of one of the Senior Councilors, and a cold sweat broke out on his face.

...

In his luxurious study.

Two drops of blood fell onto his desk.

"Husband," Menna said as she approached him and sat on his lap, then wiped away the blood trickling down Mart Sevec’s beautiful face with a light blue handkerchief.

Once the blood flowing from his nose was wiped away, he caressed Menna’s soft, beautiful face.

"Thank you, my beautiful Menna."

He kissed her lips, then stood up and walked toward a window.

"One of them sensed my presence," Mart thought as he looked in the direction of the capital of the Argariz Republic.

He brought one of his elegant white hands to his chin.

"Were they hiding their power? Is it a ’named artifact,’ or does their power surpass mine? Or was it because of Granz’s level?" Mart shook his head and decided to stop thinking about it.

But first, as was his custom, he conjured a notebook and jotted down:

"Do not let your guard down against the Senior Councilors of the Republican Council. Their identities are a mystery."

"Did something happen?" Menna took Mart’s left arm between her large breasts, which were covered by a beautiful, casual white dress that hugged her body, accentuating her sensual and attractive figure.

"Nothing we need to worry about right now—let’s go explore the city."

She nodded with a mischievous, cheerful smile on her face.

Then, the two of them left the studio together.

...

In one of the two main boxes.

"That’s my great-granddaughter’s descendant—how interesting," thought the senior councilor, who had noticed the presence of Marquis Sevec.

The senior councilor tapped the armrest of their seat with one of their fingernails, and only their physical image remained in their place.

...

The capital city of the marquisate was bustling.

Some of the nobles Mart had summoned had already arrived, with only five days left until the official ceremony.

There were temporary food stalls in the city; it looked as if some kind of festival was taking place, and the shops were overflowing with customers.

"Mom, I want to eat that, Mom," a small, feline-looking humanoid demon with two white horns on either side of its forehead and a black horn in the middle tugged at its mother’s sleeve, pulling her toward one of the food stalls selling sweet treats that demons loved.

Mart and Menna blended in with the crowd of people coming and going, both dressed in blue robes and hoods of the same color.

Menna looked happy; she dragged Mart toward a food stall selling skewered Hellish Larvae.

Hellworms were a kind of plump worm, orange in color with a white belly, oozing with fluids and entrails; they were usually eaten roasted.

Golden beetles emerged from these very same hellworms.

For this reason, these hellworms were raised on specialized farms to prevent the extinction of most wild golden beetles.

Although there were demons who claimed that wild golden beetles were even more delicious.

"I’ll have four sticks of hellish larvae."

"Right away. Would you like me to add some Azfur sauce?"

"Yes, I’d love that."

The old demon running the temporary food stall was quite friendly.

Mart watched silently and, without letting his guard down, used his "Perception of All Things" on the food; he wasn’t going to let anything happen to his wife because of a momentary lapse.

Since the food was free of impurities, he continued to scan his surroundings, but almost as soon as he noticed something, the system also sent him a warning.

[Warning: 100 meters away, there is a demon with a power rank similar to that of the host.]

As he looked off into the distance, standing among the crowd, he saw a demon dressed in an elegant black-and-white robe adorned with silver chains, wearing a white mask that covered their face.

But Mart recognized them immediately—that demon was the very same Senior Councilor who had noticed their presence several minutes earlier.