Chapter 252: To the Capital (4)

“Ah, ahh…! Aaaaaah…!”

When a newspaper article that flew in from the capital announced the annihilation of the rebels, I once again came inside Petunia Titi’s asshole. As my dick trembled with a bururu vibration, rubbing against her mucous membrane, she let out a bitch-like cry, reveling in the sensation of release melting deep within her body.

“Evan. Look at the newspaper. It seems like we should probably get going soon.”

With her tongue lolling out, sprawled on the floor, I gave Petunia’s butt a smack, and got up. She, who was once an ally, due to our failure to establish proper trust, ended up becoming much closer to me. I sat on the chair next to the bed and read the newspaper article.

[Hero Wolf Massacres Civilians in the Capital.

Hero Wolf, using the suppression of the rebellion as a pretext, is massacring civilians in the capital, drawing public condemnation. Under the guise of searching for the Hero family that went missing on the day of the rebellion, he ordered the search of commoner residential areas and commanded the killing of anyone who resisted or acted suspiciously.

The number of civilians estimated to have died on the day of the incident, involved in this search operation, is 3,742. 142 mansions were destroyed caught up in the rebellion suppression, and since the founding of the kingdom, after the Great Earthquake 540 years ago, it has gone down in history as the worst civilian casualty incident.]

“Holy shit. This guy is fucking insane.”

I was so dumbfounded that this was all I could say. Hero Wolf had gone crazier than I could have ever imagined, so it seemed I needed to head to the capital as soon as possible. Looking beside me, Elena, perhaps feeling the same way, was looking at me with an anxious expression.

I stroked Petunia Titi’s hair and said.

“Petunia.”

“Huh…? Huh?”

“Get up, we’re going to the capital now.”

“The, the capital? The capital……”

The elf’s face, previously clouded with lust, regained its alertness. She grabbed her trembling waist and said to me.

“Are we finally going?”

“Yes. The time has come. We need to get everything ready. Pack some clothes to change into. We might be able to depart sooner than you think. Elena, help Titi pack her clothes too.”

“Got it.”

I patted Petunia Titi on the shoulder, then headed down the stairs. On the first floor, Sophia was folding laundry, yawning. She asked me as she folded a towel into a neat rectangle.

“Master. What’s wrong?”

“We got word from the capital. We need to head up there as soon as possible. You should get ready too.”

Upon hearing they were going to the capital, Sophia’s usually playful expression stiffened. It was understandable that she was nervous. Everything they had done up until now was preparation for this very moment.

She nodded with a determined look and began folding the laundry even faster. Satisfied with her urgency, I smiled and went outside. Just then, Isabel was returning after finishing her work managing the vineyard. She was walking with a grim expression, but upon seeing me, she hurried over and folded her parasol.

“Evan. Something terrible has happened. In the capital……”

Since they subscribed to the newspaper even at the vineyard, she seemed to have received the news of the tragedy in the capital even faster than I did. Her pale face quickly regained its color as she saw me nod, confirming I already knew. I gently stroked her cheek and said.

“You heard?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’ll need to deal with the Flancia family too, right? It’ll be the most annoying if they try to latch onto us later, claiming loyalty or whatever.”

Isabel nodded at my words and said.

“They said they took good care of the Hero’s family comfortably. So, we just need to handle those people appropriately now. Evan. I’ll write a letter suggesting they join us on our way to the capital. I saw the letter the family head sent. Apparently, before the rebellion broke out, they had already liquidated their assets and moved them to a region near the capital.”

They were truly cunning people. There was no benefit in letting humans who only cared about survival and sucking up to power live long. After all, the Flancia family was just a family driven by the desire to seize power.

“Killing them in the capital would be too conspicuous.”

I nodded at Isabel and said. Isabel smiled in agreement and opened the main gate.

“Then I’ll send the letter right away. Evan.”

“Ah, send letters to Lumia and Alice too. Have them meet us near the capital when we depart.”

“Huh? Wouldn’t it be better if you sent it yourself? Both Alice and Lumia must be eagerly waiting for a letter from Evan.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

Isabel was always the one to point out what I was missing. I understood her point and went back inside the gate to write the letters. Inside, Taffy was in the living room, looking half-asleep. She seemed to have already gotten an explanation from Sophia, as she looked at me and asked.

“Evan. When are we leaving?”

“Soon. It’s only been discussed so far, we haven’t decided when we’re departing.”

Since the departure was just mentioned, it would likely take a few days once preparations were complete. The distance from our home to the capital wasn’t something we could just decide to travel on a whim. We had to carefully choose our mode of transport and figure out how we would enter the capital. After all, the capital, having already experienced a rebellion, would likely restrict entry for outsiders.

I ruffled Taffy’s hair once and said to her.

“Taffy. Go back to sleep for a bit longer. We’re not leaving yet.”

As if waiting for those words, Taffy seemed to sink into the floor, then quickly moved to the attic room at the top and dove into her coffin. Seeing Sylvia standing on the second floor, I asked. It was because I couldn’t see Milia.

“Sylvia. Where is Milia?”

“Lady Milia? She’s in the basement.”

“The basement? Why did she go down there? It’s full of those filthy pig-bastards.”

To be precise, they were the source of the power that allowed me to rise to my current position, but I hated giving them grand titles, so I called them ‘pig-bastards’. They were the thugs who colluded with the master who used to beat me, wreaking havoc throughout the village. After being raised underground for several years, they had completely lost their reason and become beasts, living solely to receive food fed to them in the basement. Why on earth did Milia go into that place, which was practically a pigsty?

“Didn’t she go down there last time too? What is she doing inside?”

“Curious about what I’m doing?”

Milia opened the door and walked out. Even after entering the filthy basement, she remained impeccably neat. She brushed off the dirt clinging to her clothes, adjusted her attire, and then closed the door with her usual elegant smile.

I said.

“You probably already heard, but we’re heading to the capital soon. So, it seems like your current research will have to be put on hold.”

Once we went to the capital, we might never return here. This meant the pigs in the basement would have to be disposed of too. Milia seemed to understand my implication and nodded, saying.

“There’s no need to stop the research. It’s all finished. In the first place, I was researching it specifically to use it when we go to the capital.”

“Use it when we go to the capital?”

Was she suggesting using those pigs as food? Seeing my puzzled expression, Milia seemed to realize she needed to explain further. Still smiling, she walked past us and headed towards the area next to the mansion. There was a large, flat area there that hadn’t been restored since Petunia Titi had scorched it with arrows. Soon, all the residents of the mansion, except for Taffy who had already changed and gone back to sleep, followed her out to the plain.

As we all watched her, Milia blushed and said.

“Evan, it’s embarrassing when there are so many people watching……”

“So, what exactly is this research?”

It was hard to tell if she was joking, so I cut straight to the point. She began drawing a circle on the ground, then sketched a complex pattern inside it. Sophia looked at the shape of the magic circle and said.

“It’s a summoning circle? It summons nearby demons. It’s something Lady Milia often uses when calling for servants.”

“Summoning circle?”

Strictly speaking, the creatures in the basement were closer to demons than humans now. They had become bloated monstrosities by constantly consuming demonic energy. Milia said to Sophia.

“As expected, my Sophia is so capable.”

But I still couldn’t understand her plan. Why summon those things, which were at best plump pigs? Why reveal their grotesque forms in this vast open space?

“What exactly are you planning to do with them after summoning?”

The magic circle began to glow purple. A gloomy aura gathered, and Milia beamed, bathed in the light. She said to me.

“We’re going to ride them.”

“What?”

My question was answered with smoke and a loud bang. Dust enveloped Milia, and we couldn’t help but frown at the smoke blanketing the entire plain.

Through the smoke, I saw pale white skin. A massive, bloated body looked around in all directions, with a drooling face. Milia raised her hand high and announced.

“Ta-da! A white horse specially prepared and modified for our Hero!”

“No.”