The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 78

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 78
“What?!”
Crash!
The moment the Emperor uttered his bewilderment, Ludbreed Yudia slammed the table with brutal force and shot to his feet.
“Tsk.”
“Oh, you want to fight? Is that it?”
The Emperor let out a low growl, while Jedrian’s eyes gleamed with excitement as his body trembled with anticipation.
Kiriel, his expression utterly indifferent and detached, regarded the visibly enraged and agitated Ludbreed Yudia with the most apathetic gaze imaginable.
“I never heard about this! When and where is it being held? And why didn’t you share information about that little one’s birthday with me?!”
At Ludbreed Yudia’s successive protests, Jedrian, who had been brimming with anticipation, deflated like a punctured balloon.
The Emperor’s eyes widened slightly before his shoulders began to shake.
“It is a Family Party, so you lack the authority to attend.”
“…What?”
“My son is hosting a Family Party for his daughter, so you lack the authority to attend, Your Majesty. In any case, I shall take my leave now…”
As Kiriel turned to leave, he paused momentarily, catching sight of Jedrian, who was practically melting away.
The moment their eyes met, Jedrian’s eyes sparkled as he lifted his head.
“Why, why? Do you have something to say to me, Marquis?”
“Do you happen to know how to restore broken or shattered objects?”
“It depends on the situation, but if the fragments remain intact, it’s usually possible to restore them perfectly. Otherwise, I’d need to rewind the object’s time slightly, but since I’m human, I don’t yet possess such an ability…?”
Jedrian winked and floated upward, bringing his face close to Kiriel’s.
“Why? Do you have a favor to ask of me?”
Jedrian’s eyes curved upward in a sly smile.
Like a predator spotting an opening in its prey’s defenses, his gaze gleamed with dangerous intent.
“I’m happy to help, but in exchange…”
“Knowing that restoration magic exists is sufficient. I’ll seek out another mage.”
Kiriel spun around abruptly.
“I have a prior engagement, Your Majesty. I shall excuse myself.”
“Hmm… I cannot simply leave the ancient elves as they are, and if the child were to undergo demonification, that would become troublesome. I understand your concern for the child well enough, but might you not inquire about the child’s own wishes?”
At the Emperor’s words, Kiriel regarded him with an impassive expression before opening his mouth.
“Preventing a child from doing what they should not do is also a parent’s responsibility, is it not? That child is far too young. I wish for that child to…”
Kiriel trailed off before slowly opening his mouth once more.
* * *
“I wish for that child to grow up ordinarily. To whine, to throw tantrums, to do nothing at all if she wishes. To remain a child unburdened by any sense of responsibility, carrying no weight whatsoever.”
“…”
That landscape I witnessed when I first set foot in the Demon Realm.
A landscape utterly devoid of anything extraordinary.
“You and I both know how suffocating such a thing is, do we not?”
Kiriel’s gaze swept across those gathered in the Council Chamber before he turned away, his expression serene as he continued.
“Lives spent crushed beneath that weight from beginning to end.”
Those who could never maintain the ordinariness that even the Demon Clan Members themselves enjoyed.
They were the ones gathered in this very place.
Click.
The door closed without hesitation.
“Ahahaha!! Good heavens, good heavens. Whether it’s the old days or now, the Marquis has absolutely no consideration in his words. Well, he’s not wrong, but still.”
“Sigh….”
The Emperor exhaled a long breath and rested his chin on the back of his interlaced hands with an exasperated expression.
Tilting his head slightly, he regarded Ludbreed Yudia with that same troubled look.
“What can I do about it? Marquis Yudia. That elf seems to want to say something, but I can’t understand a word he’s saying, and he doesn’t seem particularly cooperative either.”
At the sight of the Emperor speaking in a weak voice while smiling slightly and openly displaying his bewilderment, Ludbreed’s brow furrowed.
“That stubborn fool has been like this more than once or twice. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
“That’s precisely why I’m asking you to do something about that point.”
The words were a request, but his tone was quite forceful.
Since it was obvious that the Emperor was playing weak like a cunning fox, that wasn’t really a problem.
“If I act forcefully toward the Marquis, I’m afraid he’ll resent me. And being resented by the next Marquis wouldn’t be pleasant either.”
Ludbreed narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue inwardly.
Wasn’t this just another way of saying he’d resort to force if things didn’t go his way?
Refusing wasn’t a problem. The Udiah Duchy wasn’t so weak that problems would arise from refusing the Emperor’s words once or twice.
However….
‘The matter itself is indeed serious.’
The ancient elves were already halfway through their transformation into demons.
If beings with such intellect and intelligence became demons, the world would fall into chaos once more.
Subjugating demons was troublesome, but it wasn’t an enormous problem precisely because they lacked intelligence.
Or more precisely, because they lacked intelligence that surpassed humanity.
But what if the ancient elves with their intellect became demons?
For now, they were in a state of lost reason due to addiction to demonic energy, but there was certainly a possibility they could become demons capable of communication.
We were steadily purifying them, but it was uncertain when they would regain their senses.
“What Kiriel that reckless fool said isn’t entirely wrong. He’s still young.”
“Yes. And that’s why you all kept your mouths shut about how you discovered the location of the ancient elves.”
The Emperor spoke with a leisurely smile on his face.
The corner of Ludbreed’s mouth twitched once. Opening his mouth with a distinctly irritated expression, he spoke.
“And you deliberately pried it out of us at that.”
“Hmm, I’m the Emperor after all.”
His expression as he added that it was naturally something he should know was quite confident.
“The affairs of the Udiah Duchy and the Holy Temple are my domain.”
The Emperor, resting his chin on his interlaced hands, let out a soft laugh.
When the Emperor slowly closed and opened his eyes again, all trace of benevolence had vanished from his gaze.
“Marquis, I have no taste for taking detours when the answer is right before me. I understand what you’re all worried about. So arrange a suitable venue for me. Minimal personnel, naturally with information and identities protected. I hope you understand that this is the maximum I can offer.”
“Tsk.”
At the Emperor’s warning, Ludbreed clicked his tongue openly.
The Emperor shrugged. He had noticed that the sound of that tongue click was essentially no different from surrender.
“I’m always grateful for your support.”
“…Do you realize you’ve always been an irritating person, both then and now?”
“I appreciate the compliment as well.”
The Emperor spoke with leisurely ease, his expression serene and composed.
Despite appearing so smooth and unruffled, remembering how turbulent his rise to the throne had been filled me with nothing but revulsion.
He’d cut down the Previous Emperor’s throat, then his brothers’ throats.
He was the man who’d slaughtered everyone except his sister, who had been a princess, before finally seizing the throne.
“Speaking of which, what became of those who kidnapped my granddaughter? I understand the Imperial Palace took them away to handle the matter.”
Since the Crown Prince was involved, the Emperor’s fury was hardly insignificant either.
The moment the mastermind was revealed, that country and clan would vanish without leaving a single seed behind.
“Ah, well…”
The Emperor smiled coldly.
“I heard that while the King of Riversdale Kingdom was on his last legs, your granddaughter summoned a Divine Beast. A Phoenix, to be precise.”
“…”
Ludbreed’s jaw clenched visibly.
The Emperor chuckled quietly.
“So why couldn’t you suppress the leaking information? Have you grown lax in peaceful times, or are you simply getting old?”
“It was too public a place to contain. Tsk. There are always loose-tongued fools everywhere.”
“You should have dealt with them properly when you had the chance. You’re too soft. You need to be stronger—so much so that no one would dare think of defying you.”
At the Emperor’s words, Ludbreed clicked his tongue briefly and rose from his seat. Or rather, he tried to.
“…What are you doing over there?”
He would have succeeded, if not for the man dangling in mid-air like a bat, hair hanging down, floating something around aimlessly.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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