Chapter 238: Ch 237: Pinning it on Everyone

Leon’s sudden comment took everyone aback, and they looked at him with wide-eyed expressions. Most of them did not seem to know what to say.

After all, no one had expected the Hero to step forward and clarify the situation.

In the end, the secretary decided that he needed to salvage the situation. He quickly cleared his throat to hide his discomfort before speaking up.

"I see! So that’s what happened. None of the reports we received mentioned any of this. Please submit a proper report next time—"

"But we have not submitted a report yet. In fact, we have not even had the time to report this, which makes me wonder how you found out about it so quickly. And why did you call for this meeting without gathering all the facts first?"

Adrian asked, and the council shrank back at his words.

The duke could be terrifying when he wanted to be, and the council knew it. They did not want to end up on his bad side.

The secretary cursed inwardly, knowing that he and everyone who had pushed for this early meeting had made a mistake. But since they had already stepped into this muddy water, they might as well try to wade through it.

"People submitted reports about seeing strange things, and all of our elf relatives suddenly started burning and cursing the temple. What were we supposed to think? Besides, is there even any proof of all this?"

The secretary tried to turn the situation back on them, and Kael almost felt sorry for him.

’To think that such a foolish person has been left in charge of the council as its secretary. I suddenly feel sorry for them all.’

Kael sighed before deciding to step forward and present the council with the evidence they so desperately wanted.

He gestured for Leon to open the door, and the Hero followed his instructions.

Silence fell over the room once more when Kana walked inside with her head held high.

"Is that..."

"Lady Kana! She’s from the elf tribe."

"She’s the current leader, right? What is she doing here?"

The council tried to make sense of her presence, but Kana did not say anything at first. Instead, she looked up with a determined expression on her face.

"Today, I am here for an important reason. You all heard about the elf tree burning down, right? I will tell you everything that happened."

And Kana began to speak. She talked about the elves’ corruption and how they had been planning a rebellion.

The more she spoke, the worse the council members looked. Eventually, they decided to stop her before she could start naming the traitors among their faction.

"Lady Kana, stop! How can we believe this is not a fabrication? You are Lord Adrian’s fiancée. Perhaps you are acting on his behalf—"

"You do not have to trust my words. I can provide the names of other elves who are willing to testify under a truth potion. Unless...that is something you would rather avoid?"

She asked, challenging the council head-on.

The nobles who had looked reassured just moments ago suddenly looked terrified. They knew they would all be in trouble if she kept talking, so they quickly urged one another to stop her.

But the emperor, who had been dragged there after having his routine interrupted, decided that she should continue.

And Kana quickly provided all the testimony she had prepared.

The noble council looked increasingly frightened by her words, and by the end, they had no fight left in them.

"Thank you for all your help, Lady Kana. We will have all of these people investigated. Moreover, Adrian has already informed us about what happened, so I will grant you and your people a royal pardon this time."

The emperor was willing to cooperate with the duke, which was a huge surprise. No noble had expected this outcome.

In fact, they had intended to rely on the emperor’s usual dislike of the duke and use his authority to remove Adrian. So this outcome was completely unexpected.

"Adrian, my friend, I hope you keep your promise in return for this. I shall look forward to hearing good things from you."

Adrian nodded to show that he understood, but no one else knew what kind of deal the two had made.

Kael did not know either, and he had no desire to find out. Finally, this matter was settled, and he could return home...

Or so he thought. But the council had other plans for him.

"Grand Master Kael, the matter concerning you has not yet been resolved. We have received reports that you conspired with the Demon Queen during the attack on the elves. I am afraid that this is a serious offense, and we will have to punish you for it."

The council could not target the duke, so they decided to go after Kael through his connection to the Demon Queen. They tried to make him feel guilty for his actions, but Kael merely gave them a confused look.

"Yes, I am close to the Demon Queen, and I asked her for help. Do you have a problem with that?"

Kael’s lack of surprise and easygoing attitude made the council members frown. They did not like the fact that he was neither afraid of them nor trying to hide the truth.

Instead, he openly admitted that he knew the Demon Queen.

Cough.

"Don’t you think that’s going too far? Demons are the natural enemies of humans, and we were at war with them not too long ago. How can you trust them not to cause havoc? We will have to charge you with something—"

"Tsk, and this is why I hate humans. They are such fools. Hey, if I wanted to cause trouble, I wouldn’t need anyone’s permission. Would you like to see just how much trouble I can cause?"

Lyra finally spoke up, and the secretary frowned when he noticed her.

"Who’s this kid?"

He asked, and Lyra’s temper instantly flared.

"You bastard! I am the Demon Queen, Lyra! Ugh, I’ve had enough of these insults. Kael, I’ll be taking care of this fodder now. Don’t you dare try to stop me."