Aldrian only smiled upon hearing Ghulani’s words, knowing that the gathering place he ntioned was the sa one he and Sylphia had visited before coming to the Boraz fortress. He had already killed so of the devils in Flacrest, but he knew those were not the only devils present in the city. He could deal with the rest later.
"Alright, I’ll help you. So, what do you need from ?" Aldrian asked.
Ghulani sighed in relief, then looked at Aldrian with a serious expression.
"Please help spread the truth about what the Larson family has done to the people of the empire. Ruin their reputation so thoroughly that they can’t lift their heads again. Right now, I’m alone and have no one to support . If I try to spread this news on my own, it will have little effect, especially after the incident in Flacrest. The masses won’t easily believe news like this anymore.
So, I hope you can help . You can share this information with the authorities in Flacrest and ask for a reward. I believe they will offer you sothing generous in return for such valuable information. I can’t do it myself because of my affiliations and circumstances," Ghulani said.
"With the rumor that the Larson family is connected to the devils, they will be forced to tread carefully and won’t act recklessly. If they sohow discover that I’m still alive, they won’t be able to focus their entire effort on finding because of their own problems."
Aldrian sneered inwardly at Ghulani’s excuse for why he couldn’t inform Flacrest himself. The truth was that Ghulani would be punished by Flacrest if they discovered he was a spy from the Larson family. On top of that, he was one of the few people responsible for spreading rumors that Flacrest was harboring devils.
Ghulani was one of the few people present the night Commander Marcus began showing signs of being a devil. He had acted as a re passerby at the ti. If Ghulani were brought to the Flacrest dungeon and confronted by Jil, one of the witnesses from that night, Jil would instantly recognize him, he had seen Ghulani’s face after all.
If the Flacrest discovered this, there would be no chance of them forgiving Ghulani, let alone offering him any reward. Instead, he would be executed publicly as an example to anyone daring to ss with the Flacrest family.
"I see. This is quite a dangerous request," Aldrian said, pretending to ponder. "If I spread the word that the Larson family is connected to the devils, they might track . But the reward is rather tempting. Alright, I’ll do what I can."
Hearing Aldrian’s response, Ghulani’s eyes brightened, and he quickly gave a slight bow.
"Thank you," he said.
"However, given the risk of this task, I’ll need you to do sothing for as well," Aldrian added.
Ghulani stunned.
"To do sothing?"
"Yes," Aldrian replied. "Sothing you can handle while staying hidden from the Larson family’s sight."
-------------------------------
Three weeks later,
In the Larson family mansion, the atmosphere was tense. Over the past week, rumors about their alleged connection to the devils had begun to spread, and more people were talking about it with each passing day. At first, many were hesitant to believe the rumors, recalling the Flacrest incident. The masses adopted a cautious stance, choosing to observe and wait rather than jump to conclusions.
However, out of nowhere, soone began spreading details about what the Larson family had done to the empire. It was revealed that the devils could move freely within the empire due to the Larson family’s assistance. This claim was supported by evidence that many people could see for themselves. Several locations harboring devils within the Larson grand duchy were leaked to the public, allowing cultivators to "take a look."
When a few cultivators began investigating the locations ntioned in the rumors, they found traces of devils. The situation escalated when several devils clashed with orthodox cultivators at another rumored location of the devils. All along, the rumors had been backed by strong evidence, and the information within them proved to be true.
This was a stark contrast to the Flacrest family’s case, where Commander Marcus’s actions could be attributed to his own misconduct. This ti, however, the scale was much larger, with nurous locations across the Larson grand duchy reported as havens for the devils. There was no way the Larson family could have been unaware, especially since so of these places were directly under their control and surveillance.
The fire grow bigger over the past two days, as several cultivators from the Larson family were caught red-handed communicating with the devils. This caused an uproar throughout the territory, and people started questioning what had happened to the Larson family. Was the Larson family betraying the empire? The situation worsened as discussions shifted, with many now speculating that the Flacrest incident—and even the downfall of the Duclan family—were the Larson family’s doing.
The rumors had gotten out of control, and the Larson family was powerless to stop them. Now, the Grand Duke and all the elders were in a eting room, their heads throbbing as they tried to figure out how to handle the situation.
"Do we know who is spreading these rumors?!" Grand Duke Larson shouted, his face flushed with rage and veins bulging on his forehead. His fury was palpable, and it was clear he wanted to kill soone right then and there.
"How could the rumors spread so fast without anyone from our family knowing? What the hell are you all doing?"
"My lord, we have a few suspects we’ve been trying to track down, but their traces suddenly vanished. So of our n have even lost contact with us. We suspect that so unknown party is behind this, given how coordinated the attack on our family has been," one of the elders explained.
"I already know that much, you fool! I know the suspects are the survivors of our spies at Flacrest. It’s because of your incompetence that we’ve ended up in this predicant!" Grand Duke Larson shouted, releasing his pressure toward the elder. Instantly, the elder’s head slamd into the table under the intense weight.
"For days, I’ve given you chances to fix this problem, yet you still failed. What use is there in keeping you here?" the Grand Duke asked coldly.
"rcy, my lo—" The elder’s plea was cut short as his head exploded, a wind-shaped blade passing through it, killing him instantly before the dagger vanished.
The others in the room were horrified. They knew that if they didn’t offer sothing useful to the Grand Duke at this mont, they could be next.
"My lord, I have a few suggestions on how we can get out of this situation. Although there’s no guarantee it will clear our na completely, at least it will divide public opinion. We can decide on our next step after that," one of the elders said, his voice slightly trembling.
"Tell ."
"This coordinated attack and the leak of information must be the work of the traitorous spies who survived our assassination attempt in Flacrest. However, there’s no way they could have spread the rumors this widely and quickly on their own. There must be soone with much higher powers aiding them."
With how quickly the news had spread, reaching even places directly under their watch in the Larson Grand Duchy, it was clear that soone was helping behind the scenes—soone bold enough to offend the Larson family.
"If we examine the situation, the rumors seem to have originated from an unknown source. We’ve already tried to identify it, but so far, the results have been null. However, since we can’t locate the mastermind in the near future, I’m thinking we can take advantage of the anonymity of these sources to turn it in our favor."
The Grand Duke frowned at this but then his eyes widened as the idea finally clicked.
"So you want to create a scapegoat to bear our sins?"
"Yes, my lord. We can tell the masses that the other party, whoever they are, has connections to the devils. We can claim that they’ve been saring the Larson na out of jealousy or so other motive. So of our own people have also betrayed us in this matter, which is why certain mbers of the Larson family are connected to the devils. We’ll say it’s because of the other party’s instigation that they betrayed us. The people won’t know the true nature of our family, and public opinion will be divided, easing so of the burden on our family," the elder explained.
Grand Duke Larson pondered after hearing the elder’s suggestion. While the plan wasn’t entirely flawless, it was enough to lift so of the burden off his family. With divided opinions, they could at least garner so support from the masses, unlike now when most people were beginning to look at them with hostility.
A smile suddenly crossed Grand Duke Larson’s face. In his mind, he already had a na—one he could use as his family’s scapegoat.
The Duclan Family.
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