Lumine raised her hands animatedly, her expression twisted with anger and her teeth clenched.
She had been in the kingdom of Sumeru for some time, where she made a few friends, learned about the local history, and even met Barbara, whom Apep had once mentioned.
"Ah? It must have been something terrible to make you this angry."
Leon lifted his hand and touched Lumine's head.
He knew his puppy was, in truth, a girl with a kind heart—someone not only adorable but also helpful.
As long as an exclamation mark appeared above someone's head, she would immediately run over to ask if they needed help.
Such a good girl.
And now, she was saying that the people of Sumeru were unruly.
So Leon believed it must have been some deceitful person.
"What kind of unscrupulous people would make my Lumine so disgusted? Please, tell me carefully."
"Alright, alright! Your Highness."
She obediently allowed Leon to pat her head and, as her heart grew ever more occupied with him, she blushed while reporting the news she had gathered during her travels in Sumeru.
At first, Leon could still smile as Lumine spoke.
But the more he listened, the colder his smile became.
At last, the Black Prince's face darkened.
"There are people this ignorant and cunning in the world. My eyes have truly been opened."
"Prince Leon…"
"This is disgusting, damn it."
Even without seeing Leon's expression, one could feel his silent rage. Everyone present, including the dragon, could not help but break into a cold sweat and feel a sense of awe.
Lumine was certain now.
This time, the people of Sumeru were doomed.
They had angered someone who should never have been angered. They would regret the atrocities they had committed and pay the price in full.
According to the information Lumine provided, Sumeru was a kingdom of scholars.
In the past, the country had been ruled by a queen. She was a woman of wisdom, kindness, cleverness, benevolence, and beauty—leading the people of Sumeru in the pursuit of knowledge.
But to save her people from disaster, the beautiful queen gave her life. Before dying, she named her successor.
That successor was the Lesser Lord Kusanali.
Her true name was Nahida.
After the queen's death, the people of Sumeru longed for Nahida. But when they found her, she was not the ruler they had dreamed of.
Though young, she was as intelligent, kind, and caring as her predecessor, but… she could not grant them the boundless wisdom the former queen once had.
And so…
The people imprisoned the young queen.
They stripped her of the symbols of royalty.
They turned her into a puppet and a mascot.
Even her birthday was marked as a forbidden day, and no one was allowed to celebrate it.
"So that's how it is…"
Apep whispered.
Though she claimed it was nothing, in her heart she had long been complaining that Nahida had failed to uphold their agreement for so long while she herself endured the suffering of taboo for ages.
But upon hearing this news, her dissatisfaction faded—replaced instead by sympathy and indignation.
"I made a few friends in Sumeru who also revere the Lesser Lord Kusanali. At first, we planned to hold a banquet for the upcoming [God of Flowers Festival], which is her birthday. But the event was blocked."
Lumine said with anger.
In her eyes, the queen was undoubtedly virtuous, and being treated this way was utterly unacceptable.
Leon's violet eyes narrowed slightly, hiding the cold gleam within them.
"What is uglier: a king mistreating their subjects, or a subject mistreating their king? Only this time, it is the latter that disgusts me the most—and I cannot tolerate it."
He turned to face the direction of the rainforest.
Sumeru was a nation of scholars built within the rainforest. Even from the desert, one could see the faint outlines of its city. Leon gazed at the kingdom with chilling coldness.
Without turning back, he asked Lumine:
"Hey, Lumine, how long until this Lesser Lord Kusanali's birthday?"
"Well… about a month and a half."
"Ha~ excellent."
Leon pulled out his magical communication device.
He selected the top contact and placed the call.
The tool had barely rung half a chime before connecting, and a pleasant female voice came through.
"Master, your timing is terrible. I'm still in the middle of a mission…"
"Alpha, summon all available members of Night Raid immediately."
"...Please, give me your orders, my king."
On the other end of the communication, the blonde elf—who had been infiltrating an enemy stronghold and was exposed because of the sudden call—was about to complain. But the moment she heard Leon's words, she froze.
Though she did not yet know exactly what had happened, after following him for more than ten years, Alpha realized with dread…
Some fools must have managed to anger Leon!
"About 3,000 kilometers east of our kingdom lies a nation called Sumeru. Send people to infiltrate it immediately. I want full control of this kingdom within a month and a half."
"As you command, my king."
What an absurdly unreasonable order.
In just a month and a half, they had to infiltrate an unfamiliar country with no foundations and support Leon in seizing control of it.
Even for Night Raid, this was an immense challenge, but…
Alpha agreed without hesitation.
Because it was Leon's order, they would fight to the death.
Everything in this world would bend to his will, and they were the apostles who carried out his desires. Fulfilling Leon's will was both their duty and their mission.
"Please, tell me the details later, but for the past few days I've been in the Holy Land. There has been progress on the information regarding the Diablos Cult."
"Holy Land? Ah, you mean the information we obtained from the enemy in the Midgar Kingdom."
"Yes. Most of the girls are already here, so…"
"I understand. We'll settle this quickly."
It was said that the Holy Land was where the body of the demon Diablos was hidden. Some time ago, they had made progress on intelligence gathered from cult members and from Sherry's adoptive father—the one who had killed her mother.
Though the timing seemed coincidental, Night Raid, which had been immersed in this matter for so long, was about to bring forth yet another great upheaval.
Leon hung the magical communicator in his hand and declared:
"Coincidence or not, it is no more than a trivial matter. There is more than enough time… Lumine."
"Y-yes, yes!"
"Tell your friends there's no need to cancel preparations for the [God of Flowers' Birthday Festival]. In a month and a half, no one will stop them from celebrating. And by the way… I'll see to it that she participates as well."
Leon's words were deliberate, domineering.
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."