After the subject about Lescar and how Yoelona was responsible for his friend's disappearance, Luke skipped the part about his long journey and how he picked up a Legendary Skill, going straight to the part about eting his gang.
"When I found redith, it was such a relief that I thought I was in a dream... But that night, when Yoelona told the reasons for her coming to Oukiwa, I knew things wouldn't be so simple."
It was a coincidence of fate that Yoelona had removed Luke's friends from Oukiwa just a few weeks before the First Servant threatened their lives.
This also served to prove to everyone that the First Servant didn't know everything that happened in the world, as they had impressions at first. At that ti, the great demon not only knew Luke's identity before the half-wolf even t him, but he pushed him into an accord and soon after broke it to beco the half-wolf's sworn enemy.
"I feel like... he wanted to attract your attention to all of this, attract your anger." redith noted. "First, he instigated your curiosity with the Goblins near the Mansion in Vasconcelos, next the clues about the Chaos Followers, the Demons, the attack against Matthew, us... Why does he have such an interest in you?"
Luke shrugged, because he couldn't imagine any reason for it. Before the event on the second floor of the Vasconcelos Dungeon, he didn't even know who demons actually existed.
Alexis pondered and spoke:
"At first, I thought he wanted to lure you to him, to maybe switch receptacles, to switch possessed bodies. We don't know who he is, what he really looks like, how powerful his receptacle is. Maybe he wants one that is more powerful? Like it or not, Luke, you are very strong."
Looking at his own fist, Luke reviewed whether that could really be the reason.
He had made more progress in the last few months than he had in his entire life; maybe he really did have sothing special?
This possibility began to make sense to everyone present because the First Servant had threatened Luke's friends, luring him back to Oukiwa, and soon after Luke's return to Oukiwa, the Chaos Followers, a religion headed by demons, had narrowly avoided committing a terrorist attack.
But Luke was thinking differently from everyone else because he didn't believe this could be the reason.
"I don't think the First Servant wants to possess . I think that until now, he was just testing , or maybe... taking attention away from the central plan?"
"And what plan would that be?" Ayumi arched her eyebrows, curious.
Then, the half-wolf sighed and resud telling her everything that Yoelona had told him, about how she had escaped from the lki Empire and that at the ti, more than twenty years ago, the demons were already planning sothing big. Now, the demons had not only combat strength with monsters on the surface, but also influence in the Broteforge Empire, with the Chaos Followers manipulating the minds of civilians who have almost nothing, and also political and naval influence with the Smakusa Noble Family.
"Of everything you've said now, the one I'm least surprised by is the Smakusa Family. Ever since the Horizon Clan was annihilated in our Dungeon, the Patriarch Erick Smakusa is more uncomfortable than ever." Ayumi said, and placed her cup of tea, served by Martha, on top of a bedside table. Where also was one of the lamps that illuminated the room. "He wants to pass a law forcing Nobles to live only in lands where we have a strong influence, with the excuse of maintaining peace and order in those places. However, this will disband the Oukiwa Council and divide the nation into nine powers, sothing that goes against the Emperor's wishes."
This matter transford the mood of the room from absorbed to apprehensive.
"Couldn't we use the letter from that Countess to jail the Patriarch of the Skamusa Family?" Nathalia asked.
This possibility had been discussed several tis during the long trip to Oukiwa. So, redith was the first to answer the young Elf:
"A letter written by an unknown woman of a invalid title is worthless. Because we know Masink's real na, we could try to make him confess in front of the council, about the demons' relationship with the Smakusa. However, Erick Smakusa could use this to try to convince everyone that we are the ones on the side of the demons, and that we are trying to fra him, thus distorting our advantage over the First Servant, which is that we know about his central plans."
Ayumi was surprised by the half-fox's wit, thus realizing that the good things Luke had comnted in the past about redith weren't exaggerated at all. "You are undoubtedly right. When the Horizonte Clan massacre happened, Erick tried to put the bla on the Oukiwa Guild and that under the Strogueher's command, so other Clan may have done it, which is just a rumor."
"Mom, it's not just a rumor... Seventy percent of the adventurers have left Oukiwa, and people don't even walk the streets anymore after everything goes dark. People are afraid, and it's already beco a half-truth in their minds." Nathalia stated, leaning forward and propping her elbows on her knees in a serious pose.
"In other words, there's a chance that this Patriarch sponsored the spread of this rumor, right?" Ynosuke was following the matter closely, as problematic as trying to read that kind of situation.
Luke looked at his long-haired friend and spoke:
"I confess that I read so books during our trip, especially about The Calamity... Maybe the intention of the demons is to create small insecurities in the population, to weaken the spirit of battle and unity. That's why so many silent attacks, so many strange events."
Among so many possibilities, this was the one that was clearest and most obvious to Luke.
During The Calamity, the demons had taken advantage of the various problems that had plagued the world to be empowered. Perhaps they were trying to recreate those conditions again to subjugate humanity. With a major war going on in the Hati Continent, if the demons dominated the Broteforge Empire, no one would stop them from dominating the rest of the world.
"If what they want is to weaken this nation from within, so they can destroy us at a mont of vulnerability, we have to act as soon as possible, because this is the perfect ti to attack Oukiwa." Shiro spoke, looking into the eyes of each of the people present in that room.
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