How to Live as a Tyrant’s Spoiled Brat Chapter 401

(402)

There are demons that are difficult even for a knight to deal with, pests that spread all kinds of diseases and eat away at crops, and even swamps that you can sink deep into.

Asog was a land that was difficult for people to live in in many ways.

However, humans are a poisonous species, and there were many who escaped to the jungle to avoid taxes and conscription and lived by cultivating hard-working farmers.

There were fire-breathing drakes and high-ranking demons, so it wasn't uncommon for the jungle to be engulfed in flames.

However, the great lords around Asog acknowledged that the current fire was more severe than any previous fire.

It was a power that was simply unbelievable for a single human being to have had.

“They say the fire spread from ‘Taktsang Mountain’ to ‘Gori River’ today.”

“It’s half the size of an average Baekjakryong.”

Since they had to maintain a siege using forts, they had to meet often anyway to discuss supply issues.

As we gathered in the hall, drinking and chatting, various stories about Valencianus naturally came up.

“What incredible power! I knew the Dragon Blood Royal Family was strong, but I didn’t know it was this strong.”

“It’s not something you should like. The problem is that you are using that power for destruction and venting your anger.”

“Taking it out? Did you just say taking it out? Are you saying that His Highness the Grand Duke is unable to control his emotions and is doing this?”

A nobleman answered cynically.

“Doesn’t that seem right?”

An awkward silence fell over the room.

Coughs could also be heard here and there.

Valencian's notoriety in high society stemmed from his murders of high-ranking nobles.

“Haha. I think that’s a bit too much…….”

The nobleman who had answered cynically continued speaking.

“Of course there must be something going on. It must have something to do with the foreign race. Don’t we all know who lives in that forest?”

“…….”

Silence fell once again.

In the first place, they were the ones who prevented the common people from knowing about the existence of elves.

They also traded, knowingly or unknowingly, for elven magical tools and items that were hard to find in the forest, and many of their ancestors took elven men or women as their wives or husbands.

The cynical nobleman continued speaking.

“Let us be honest. We profit greatly from trade with the elves. This wonderful table was made from elven wood, the swords and bows we wear were made by elves, and the silk clothes we wear were woven by elves.”

"but."

Another noble came rushing in, but he did not back down.

“Yes. But! It seems that His Majesty Valencianus intends to kill all the elves. No. He will definitely do so. I have never seen such a tall and long wave of flames in the world.”

“……Then what do you want to do?”

“I want to know at least why. You have entrusted us with the care and protection of the elves for a thousand years, and you know what kind of relationship we have with them, and now you want to kill them all.”

The nobles nodded one by one.

“That is true.”

“If you are going to issue an order to kill, you must tell me why.”

“You tried to assassinate His Majesty the Emperor. If that were the case, we would mobilize our entire army to come out, but for now, you are just… expressing your anger.”

The mood changed and after a while, the most important question was asked.

“So who’s going to ask that?”

“…….”

An awkward silence fell again.

It was a similar situation to a gathering of mice discussing how to tie a bell around a cat's neck.

The opponent was the Dragon Blood Emperor, a wizard who could maintain flame waves tens of kilometers long.

“I guess Count Epilum…….”

“Haha. Count Sesail is better than me…….”

As the virtue of compromise was demonstrated everywhere, one girl raised her hand.

“Your Excellency, Count Epilum. I will go.”

“Rosa!”

Rosa Epilogue Epilum.

She was the eldest daughter of Count Epilum.

She had curly, rose-colored hair and was known for her wisdom and intelligence from a young age.

Naturally, Count Epilum was terrified and tried to stop her.

“No! I can’t send you to the bastard who killed Marquis Freuheit and raped his daughter.”

“I think that’s just a rumor.”

“There is no smoke without fire.”

“Then, let’s stick together and become the Grand Duchess.”

“King Asenortha, are you trying to compete with Cariosa?”

“……That might be difficult. But I’ll try.”

“Rosa!”

Rosa turned around and left the hall.

'I have to stop him.'

She once got lost in the forest when she was young.

There was an elf who saved her when she was about to die from a swamp giant attack.

The blonde bob and the blue-green eyes were still vivid before my eyes.

'It's already been a thousand years. I don't know what happened, but at least it's not this.'

* * *

Even Valencian could not fight forever, and the Nibelungs and their sailors needed supplies.

“You disgusting bastards!”

Valencianus raged like a volcano for three days, then returned to the County of Epilum to resupply the Nibelungs, and then raged for another three days.

Today was his third return.

Rosa, wearing a white shawl over her neat navy dress and glasses to appear intellectual, asked to see Valencian.

“Rosa Epiloze Epilum wishes to meet His Highness the Grand Duke.”

It was a funny thing that he had to 'ask' to meet a guest in his own castle, but the other person was a notorious scoundrel on the continent and the Emperor's twin.

The countess, known as her closest confidant, entered the room, and a moment later the door opened.

“Come in, Countess Young Lady.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty Rudy.”

Rosa gasped as soon as she saw Valencian's face.

'How can someone look like that?'

As befitting the emperor's twin, who was said to have inhuman beauty, he had a plump forehead, a high nose, and a firm chin.

But the inhuman aura in his golden eyes, the lightly brushed white hair, and the white teeth visible between his red lips reminded him of the strange rumors that followed him.

Valencian, sitting across from her at the table, poured strong wine into his cup and tea into hers.

“Young-ae. On behalf of the royal family, I would like to express my gratitude for the full assistance you and your family have provided.”

Rosa chose her words, secretly admiring his sharp rhetoric.

If things continued like this, I would have gotten caught up in the conversation and ended up leaving without even being able to get to the main point.

“No. It is my duty as a vassal. Moreover, since you are not issuing a conscription order but rather buying it at a fair price, I should only select the best products for you.”

Valencian smirked as if he had read her thoughts.

“Judging by your attire, it seems you have not come here to enjoy my company. It seems you have come to talk about your work as the young lady of the count. Does this have anything to do with the work I will continue tomorrow?”

Rosa was just grateful that he brought up the subject first.

'You can accept whatever I say? I'm fine with it.'

“Actually,” she continued, her voice cracking.

“The ash is flying so hard that it is causing serious damage to nearby crops. Livestock is starting to die and people are coughing.”

The Duke of Mangnani answered indifferently.

“This year, there was a great harvest in the West. The Imperial Court will compensate for the property damage and also provide compensation for the cough. Also, I will arrange for the priests to make a pilgrimage to serve here this year after speaking with the saint. Is that okay?”

It was an attitude befitting of someone in power.

The cool, shining yellow eyes pressured Rosa to get to the point quickly.

Rosa opened her mouth as if she was biting a fishhook.

“Right now… are you really carrying out a scorched earth operation against a different race?”

Valencian nodded with an almost absurd dignity.

“If you want to pull out weeds, you have to pull them out by the roots. And you have to make sure to shake off the soil as well.”

“Do you really have to go that far?”

“If you can do it, why not?”

Rosa felt angry at the very intention of trying to dissuade her.

If they crossed the line just a little bit more, she and her father would end up like the previous head of the Freuheit family.

But even in that anger, she was able to find information.

'I'm not looking to profit from conquest. It's more like revenge or retaliation.'

'There are rumors that the foreign race attacked the palace in preparation for a showdown with the Corrosion Cult. Since then, His Majesty Jaylilith has not appeared at any official functions.'

'He was a mysterious person to begin with, but it is certainly strange that His Majesty Valencianus bestowed the awards of the Knight Commanders, the greatest contributors.'

At the end of her analysis, Rosa came to one conclusion.

'Surely not… His Majesty the Emperor?'

She raised her head with a start and saw Valencian smiling sinisterly and pouring a glass of wine.

His handsome face was filled with the guilt of a man who had lost the world through his own fault.

'If you mention this directly… … you will die.'

Rosa opened her mouth slowly.

“Have you ever heard of Amrita?”

“Amrita?”

He shrugged his shoulders, pretending to be innocent and honest.

“You know the World Tree, the tree that the elves worship? The tree whose branches reach the sky.”

“Does Young-ae think I’m a fool? Of course.”

“It’s a potion made by mixing various herbs with the seeds of the World Tree as the main ingredient. As you all know, the nobles around Asog have been interacting with the elves, knowingly or unknowingly. They provide seeds that cannot be obtained in the forest, and receive various magical tools and medicines. I also received Amrita. It is a potion that contains the power of regeneration and immortality of the World Tree, so it has a better effect than the Covenant of the Church of Light.”

“!”

A strange expression appeared on Valencian's face.

'Okay.'

Rosa continued, hiding her relief.

“I don’t know why Your Majesty wants to end the alien race that has been in hostile coexistence for a thousand years. We, who don’t know that, cannot simply give up the benefits they have gained from their existence. I believe you understand what I mean.”

Valencian emptied the remaining wine in his goblet in one gulp.

“Amrita. Is there anything left in the family?”

His eyes were gleaming with the greed characteristic of a dragon, and beyond that was a desperate look that seemed as if he would grab onto the hem of his trousers and hang on.

Rosa shook her head as if she felt sorry.

“It’s a story that only appears in our family history books. We don’t trade regularly, and we don’t do anything grand. It’s just something we want to brag about when we meet other lords.”

“I understand. I won’t hold you accountable for that crime.”

Rosa took a deep breath and looked at Valencian.

“Will you reconsider the scorched earth operation? If not, please tell me why you are doing this.”

Instead of answering, Valencian summoned Tentia and sent Rosa away.

* * *

Valencian drank for a long time.

He too was deceived at the most desperate moment and became a butterfly caught in a spider's web of hope.

“Lord Tentia.”

As the moon was setting, he called out to the knight who had been standing behind him for a long time.

“Yes, Your Majesty Valen.”

“I was thinking of burning everything. If Justinian comes out, that’s good. If he doesn’t, I can cut off his hands and feet.”

“Me too, Your Highness Valen.”

“But an unexpected hope has arisen? Is this hope or a lie?”

I didn't know that Amrita would be stronger than the divine power of a saint.

However, the power of the World Tree affects the body and mind in a different way than divine power.

“Can I believe this?”

Tentia took a moment to choose her words.

“Your Majesty has always been rational. You have believed in what you can see and count.”

“It was all for Jaylilith. Reason was a subcategory of the emotion called loyalty, and it was a means.”

“I guess it wasn’t just loyalty?”

“Did you get teased?”

“Do you think I’m an idiot?”

The atmosphere lightened a little, and Tentia continued speaking with a proud smile.

“I think that’s good too. It’s consistent. What you give to others should be objective, so you believe in what you can see and count, and you keep thinking about what you really want? It’s strange.”

"yes."

These were the words that only Tentia, who had served Valencianus as a scoundrel, could say.

“Do what you’ve been doing. Choose the one that objectively gives you more when you succeed. Feelings change, but money doesn’t.”

“That’s not what I came here for.”

“Then consider it a bonus.”

“!”

Valencian shrugged his shoulders for a moment.

The bonus came with what was originally intended to be obtained.

Tentia continued speaking with a proud smile.

“I, Tentia, believe that whatever Your Highness does, He will succeed. I, Count Rudy, and Your Highness Sereraji will do our best to help you achieve that. We will take Amrita, take all the Elven royals hostage, and even pull out the World Tree, tie it to the Nibelungen, and return to the capital. What are you hesitating for? Are you not Your Highness Valencianus, whose boldness and determination have made his name known throughout the continent?”

"under."

Valencian burst out laughing.

His eyes lit up with gunfire again.

“Okay. Let’s try sending an envoy…….”