The Little Demon King is Too Bothered by Her Brave Dads - Chapter 87

“Yes, Marquis Philomel is correct.”

The Emperor continued in a leisurely tone.

“We should rightfully be wary of the demon race, but being cautious of them costs an astronomical amount. Using the limited budget efficiently is also a duty of the state.”

Meanwhile, the other nobles were merely glancing furtively at Marquis Philomel.

The Philomel family itself was among the ranks of the great nobles, and they had the backing of the Empress.

They couldn’t dare to go against the Marquis.

Moreover, with the Emperor supporting the Marquis like this…

But then.

“My opinion differs from that.”

A resolute voice rang out.

It was Lakius.

“This time, the demon race has co-opted a human merchant group, using them as their pawns.”

Cesar stopped his continuous yawning, Siegfried’s gaze gleamed with interest, and Kirios finally opened his eyes.

The nobles, too, were startled and looked at Lakius.

“Until Master Siegfried uncovered the truth this time, no one suspected that merchant group. This is a very serious matter.”

He was merely a fifteen-year-old boy.

It would have been understandable if he felt burdened by the countless gazes of the nobles fixed upon him.

Yet Lakius continued calmly.

“Moreover, while all the magic tools spread in the Orleans Duchy have been recovered, I’ve heard that the recovery of magic tools spread mainly in the old Carolingian lands and nearby northern territories is still ongoing.”

In the completely silent Grand Council hall, only Lakius’s voice resonated clearly.

“We must dispatch personnel to recover all the magic tools as quickly as possible. Also, there’s no guarantee that such incidents won’t happen again in the future.”

A look of satisfaction spread across the faces of the three heroes as they watched their disciple.

Lakius concluded his speech calmly.

“Rather than leaving the investigation to each family, I believe the Imperial family should take the lead and examine the situation directly.”

At this, Marquis Philomel narrowed his eyes and glared at Lakius.

“I wonder, are you saying this because the previous Empress was of Carolingian origin?”

For a moment, Lakius’s face stiffened slightly.

“…What did you just say, Marquis Philomel?”

“Well, isn’t that so? Everyone knows that the recognition of the Carolingians has increased a lot lately.”

Marquis Philomel shrugged his shoulders spitefully.

“What was it called, a manga biography series? I hear they arbitrarily selected King Theodore as a great figure of the Carolingians?”

Then, as if for everyone to hear, he asked Lakius.

“Well, King Theodore is almost a legendary figure, so that’s one thing. But isn’t Alexander III practically the king of a ruined country?”

“……”

It was almost like mockery.

That was understandable, as Alexander III was Lakius’s maternal grandfather.

“……”

Lakius didn’t protest immediately.

Perhaps he was afraid of making a slip of the tongue if he got caught up in anger.

Instead, the boy glared at Marquis Philomel with a fierce gaze.

Anger blazed like flames in his red eyes.

‘W-What?’

Marquis Philomel instinctively flinched at that sharp aura.

But that was only for a moment.

‘How could I, be intimidated by a mere fifteen-year-old First Prince?’

Feeling somewhat insulted, Marquis Philomel deliberately widened his eyes and raised his voice.

“Now that public opinion favorable to the Carolingians has formed, are you trying to use that?”

“Did you just say ‘use’?”

“Of course! Otherwise, there’s no reason for you to insist on helping the Carolingians by using the Empire’s budget!”

“Marquis Philomel.”

Lakius bit his lip hard, trying to suppress his emotions.

Then he sharply refuted Marquis Philomel.

“The Carolingians have long been annexed by Decartes. So the Carolingian people are citizens of Decartes.”

“Ha, the same citizens? How can you put Decartes and the Carolingians on the same level? How dare you group those lowly ones with us as the same imperial citizens!”

Marquis Philomel sneered loudly for all to hear.

At that moment, Lakius felt his head turn white with anger.

‘Stay calm.’

Lakius gritted his molars, trying hard to calm his emotions.

Getting angry and losing his reason here would be falling right into Marquis Philomel’s trap.

He must respond as calmly as possible.

After all, there were many eyes watching in this Grand Council hall.

“Also, I’m not saying to help only the Carolingians, but to thoroughly investigate all territories where magic tools have spread.”

As if explaining to a child, Lakius continued speaking clearly and slowly.

“Recovering the magic tools not only helps the safety of each region but also contributes to the security of Decartes as a whole. Don’t you understand this part?”

“Isn’t the Empire’s finances difficult right now!? It’s not an urgent matter, so it can be dealt with later!”

“How is this not an urgent matter? You said to deal with it later, but when exactly is this ‘later’?”

As the two engaged in this heated argument.

No one else opened their mouth.

They were just watching each other’s reactions.

Even the Emperor, who should have been mediating the situation, was just looking on with an indifferent face.

…As if he was hoping for Marquis Philomel to trample on his son’s opinion.

And then.

“My, this is really interesting.”

A low voice tinged with laughter rang out.

It was Cesar.

“As far as I know, everyone here still has their heads attached thanks to that king of the ruined country.”

“……”

“……”

For a moment, silence fell around them at the sharp-tongued remark.

Even Lakius and Marquis Philomel, who had been raising their voices, fell silent.

Regardless, Cesar continued speaking.

“It’s funny how none of you are even opening your mouths.”

Cesar glanced sideways at Marquis Philomel.

“And meanwhile, some have exceptionally long tongues.”

“Grand Priest Ce-Cesar! What nonsense…!”

Marquis Philomel turned to Cesar with a pale face.

Cesar smiled as innocently as a single lily.

“Why, did I say something untrue?”

Then he shot back again.

“Does anyone here not know that the Carolingians have been acting as a breakwater, preventing the demon race from crossing over to Decartes all this time?”

“……”

“……”

Once again, an uncomfortable silence descended.

Lakius looked at Cesar with a surprised expression.

And for good reason, as Cesar was now openly taking Lakius’s side.

At the same time, a smooth voice broke the silence.

“Cesar, just give up.”

It was Kirios.

“It’s a waste of breath to speak so kindly to these fools who are worse than my magic tower guys.”

Kirios shrugged and shot a sharp glance at the nobles.

“Isn’t that right?”

Kindness?

Could that tremendous sarcasm and the adjective ‘kind’ really go together?

Inwardly, Lakius was shocked.

“I thought they only had grease in their bellies, but it seems their heads are greased up too.”

Kirios sneered, twisting the corner of his mouth upwards for all to hear.

It was a clear mockery.

“That’s why they’re still squeaking nonsense even now. Right?”

“……”

“……”

It was an outburst in the presence of even the Emperor, but no one could stop them.

Only the old Grand Duke Orleans seemed to have a somewhat satisfied expression.

Siegfried called out to Kirios as if to restrain him.

“Kirios.”

Kirios expressed extreme irritation.

“Ah, what? It’s not like I said anything I shouldn’t have, right?”

“I never said you said anything you shouldn’t. However.”

Siegfried stared at the nobles with emotionless golden eyes.

“There’s no use in exchanging words with pig bastards who only know how to squeal from the safety of the rear every time.”

“……”

“……”

People unconsciously averted their gazes.

Unlike Kirios who was blatantly outspoken, and Cesar who was subtly so,

Siegfried, as the head of the only ducal family in the empire, was quite a sensible figure.

For such a Siegfried to speak so crudely meant……

‘The heroes must really…… be furious to the top of their heads.’

The three heroes were legendary figures in many ways.

With their noble purpose of protecting humanity, along with their military might that had subjugated no less than five demon kings.

Even the Emperor was keeping his mouth shut and staying out of the situation, so there was no way the nobles could oppose such harsh words.