Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem Chapter 1198: Relaying the News

Chapter 1198: Relaying the News

“Tell me. Why is Ayame with the enemies?”

For the first time, Elder Chizuru’s expression faltered.

The elder studied Kaede’s face for a long moment before letting out a slow, tired breath.

“So you noticed…”

The calm tone only poured oil on Kaede’s fury. Her hand shot forward, gripping the old woman by the collar and dragging her close.

“I ordered you to ensure she’d be watched!” Kaede hissed. Her breath came out sharp. “You promised she’d be given a choice in her master, her path. So explain. What is she doing at the side of that man?”

Chizuru’s eyes didn’t flinch. Her hands remained still at her sides.

“She was watched. And she made her choice. That man… she picked him herself.”

Kaede’s fingers tightened. “That’s not possible. She would never!”

“She would. Ayame rotted away in the slave house for a year before deciding. No one forced her. No one coerced her. She went with him of her own free will.”

The silence that followed was short but filled with suffocating tension. Kaede’s teeth ground audibly. “Why him? Of all people, she chooses a career criminal?” Her voice trembled with disbelief. “She was a noble spirit. Braver than any child I know. I used to look up to her!”

Chizuru’s arm lifted slowly, and her fingers brushed against Kaede’s hands that clutched her collar. She didn’t pry it off, just traced the back of Kaede’s knuckles.

“It can’t be helped, my child. Deep down, you already know. Ayame lost her way long ago. Her spirit is rotten, corrupted. This only proves it.”

Kaede’s eyes lost their edge as fury gave way to a mess of thoughts. She let go and turned away, pacing toward the nearest lantern. The flame’s dim light caught the edge of her jaw, set tight enough to ache.

“When I sentenced her, I thought it would give her a life she could e to enjoy, even if it wasn’t what she imagined growing up. She could’ve used the opportunity to grow stronger. To live in peace. To stay out of my sight.”

She stopped pacing and rested her palm against the wooden beam beside her. “I sent her to Greenvale for that purpose. She was supposed to find a decent master, an adventurer. She could’ve hunted beastkin, killed monsters, and lived the life of a warrior.”

Her voice dropped lower, bitter.

“The clauses I granted to her contract should’ve ensured she chooses the right master! But she chose the life of a criminal?! … And now she will stand in my way.”

Chizuru stayed silent, watching the woman intently.

When Kaede finally looked back, her eyes had steadied again.

“So be it.”

…

The chamber of elders remained heavy with silence after Kaede’s departure.

Inside, the four remaining elders exchanged uncertain looks. They did not know what came over Kaede.

The eldest of them, Hozumi, slowly reached forward and adjusted the crystalline orb resting on the table.

One of the elders cleared his throat and bowed toward the artifact.

“Your Majesty… our apologies. Lady Kaede appears to be taking her defeat with some difficulty.”

From the orb came the deep, posed voice of the king.

“Such is youth,” Alexios said. “Black Fang is no small opponent. She should not feel ashamed of the loss. Living through defeat is the finest lesson a warrior can receive.”

The same elder bowed deeper. “We will ensure she sees it that way, Your Majesty.”

“Good.” The king’s approval came after a pause, low and final. “You mentioned you had an immediate report to deliver. Was it Kaede’s defeat?”

“… Not exactly.”

Hesitation spread through the room. No one spoke, letting the weak hum of the artifact fill the air until Elder Hozumi voiced his thoughts.

“The matter we report is graver, Your Majesty.”

That sentence alone said more than any explanation. For the Fujimori elders to treat their clan head’s defeat as secondary meant only one thing…something far worse had happened.

“Graver…?”

King Alexios sat upon the high seat of polished stone that had its back carved with the sigil of the royal house. The hall was vast and silent, save for the quiet breathing of the armored men and women lining both sides. They were his Aegis Vanguard, elite among elites. None moved as their ruler conversed.

The king’s expression remained unreadable. Deep lines traced the corners of his eyes, but the gaze beneath them was still sharp, carrying the weight of a lifetime spent on the battlefield as well as the throne.

“Explain,” he said at last.

Hozumi cleared his throat, intending to do just that. His tone, though aged, held the steady edge of someone who had made peace with the gravity of what he was about to say.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will speak plainly.”

Silence from Alexios’s end told the man to go ahead.

“It concerns the one called the Devil. According to our latest report… Ayame Fujimori is expected to be his slave.”

The king’s brow lifted, but before he could form a response or ask for more information, Hozumi continued.

He had a long list to deliver.

“Devil arrived at the stronghold Kaede and Chizuru were besieging. That was how Black Fang came to face them. She wasn’t originally stationed there. We suspect Devil brought her through his portal ability.”

The king leaned back in his throne with a low exhale through his nose. His hand brushed against his beard. Though it was mostly a reflex, when Felicity asked why he was doing it, Alexios liked to say that the motion helped him think.

“That cursed ability again… The range and versatility alone make him a nightmare to face just from a sheer utility standpoint. I’ll notify the other parties not to underestimate it. If he can move the Consortium’s heavy hitters at will and they agree to being transported onto the front line like this, it changes everything.”

Hozumi’s tone grew even heavier. “That is not all, Your Majesty.”

Alexios’s brows drew together. “Go on.”

“Unlike Lady Kaede’s dimensional movement skill, his portal behaves differently. Kaede’s is larger. She can move troops in bulk, but Devil’s lacks any observable cooldown. Unlike Kaede, who can fortably cast it twice in a short span of time without facing backlash… He cast it over a hundred times during the battle, according to Chizuru’s direct report.”

Alexios’ hand movements stilled. He was sure he had heard wrong just now. “A hundred?”