LRAB Page 96
Page 96
"I, I said..."
“You said that only you and Mino know the exact location of the contract!” Calest’s eyes burned with rage.
"I think I'm not mistaken, am I?"
A terrifying sense of oppression hung over the room. Ota's eyes showed fear and confusion. Yes... why, why did that mole know the secret that only he and Mino knew?
Could it be that the mole is actually... himself?
Ota shuddered and quickly suppressed his wild thoughts, trying to steer his search for the truth behind the information leak in the right direction... but everything was as elusive as a fog, leaving him completely unable to find an explanation that would satisfy Callest!
The temperature in the air is steadily decreasing.
"No matter what, the fault lies with you humans!!!"
Callest gradually lost patience and exhaled coldly:
"If you cannot provide me with a reasonable explanation today... then all the rivers near the capital will freeze into glaciers that will never melt!!!"
"Please calm down, Lord Callest! This has nothing to do with those innocent civilians!" Otta's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes immediately filled with anxiety:
"If the glacier freezes, countless farmlands and villages in the surrounding suburbs will be plunged into dire straits... and an area spanning hundreds of miles will lose its vitality!"
"That's not something I need to consider."
For dragons, there is not much difference between a warm and comfortable forest and a freezing mountain peak; Calest simply needs a target to vent his anger... Both Ota and Calest are well aware of this.
Even the fact that they didn't directly raze the capital city at the foot of the mountain already greatly surprised Ota, making him wonder if the other party had changed their ways.
Cold sweat poured down Ota's forehead as his mind raced... What to do?! How could he find an answer that would convince Callest and redirect its rage away from humans?
Wait... really not?
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind, and Otta conceived an unprecedentedly despicable decision—
The inhuman choice caused his eyes to glaze over violently, but images of villages frozen in place after the river froze quickly flashed through his mind, and a heart-wrenching pain surged up instantly—
Clenching his fist, Ota gritted his teeth, raised his head, and made a decision:
“King Callest, since that’s the case, I won’t hide it from you anymore.”
"I actually know who was behind this disaster!!!"
The resounding words fell.
Under the astonished gazes of Kalia and the assembled paladins, Calest's dragon eyes slightly opened, and Ota confidently declared:
"That's right, the culprit who orchestrated all of this is now obvious."
"The true culprit who clearly knew the location of the Dragon Clan Pact, possessed the ability to destroy the entire Dragon's Lair Mountain Range, and appeared and disappeared without a trace, making it difficult for me and the other paladins to find them!!!"
A hint of guilt flashed in his eyes, but in an instant, an unprecedented look of hatred and reproach appeared on Ota's resolute face.
There's only one truth!!!
A clear and powerful voice echoed across the plains:
"The culprit who destroyed the Dragon Clan Pact is my former best friend, now the strongest hero in human history to have turned against the Demon Clan, and the most heinous traitor—"
"Mino Lake!!!"
Chapter 122 Mino, a disgrace to humanity!!!
Otto's words caused an initial silence in the room.
Kalia was the first to react.
"Brother?" Kalia's eyes widened in surprise.
On Kalia's beautiful face, a rare look of anxiety appeared. She said softly, "What are you saying? How could Brother Mino possibly..."
"Enough! Kalia!" Ota turned around, his sorrowful yet resolute gaze stunning Kalia, who was about to argue.
"How could I not know? Beneath the magnificent brilliance of my comrade-in-arms, the strongest hero in human history... lay a weak and powerless nature!!!"
With a desperate gamble, Ota raised his head, took a deep breath, and shouted as if he were going all out:
"Mino the Brave is nothing but a useless, traitorous good-for-nothing! A betrayer!"
"It was him! He destroyed the important notes in the Mage's Round Tower!"
"It was him! He betrayed the Ice Saintess from the same village, shattering her icy heart!"
"It was him! He destroyed the marriage contract between the Frost Dragon King and the Fire Dragon Queen!"
"He is the one we've been searching for, the despicable mole who has repeatedly inflicted heavy damage on humanity and has been exposed by the Kingdom Round Table on numerous occasions!"
The air fell silent.
Countless shocked gazes were directed at their prince, the noble king who had recently issued an order at the round table conference, forbidding any further questioning or insult of the glorious and great Mino Warrior, and bestowing upon him the second title, the highest honor in humankind.
With a hoarse, strained voice, Ota Kur proclaimed in a high-pitched voice:
"Mino Rek, who betrayed all of humanity and the kingdom, indulging in the hero's paradise and gentle haven woven by demons, can unreservedly leak the most important information about humanity without any psychological burden, even without coercion or enticement—a freebie for the hero!!!"
"He is a disgrace to humanity!!!"
Her fingernails dug deep into her palms, her teeth bit her lip until it bled, and Ota almost shed two streams of bloody tears. An overwhelming sense of sorrow and guilt surged within her—Mino, I'm sorry…
Only by fabricating a lie about your allegiance to the demons can you provide a plausible explanation to the Dragon King Calest.
For the sake of the safety of all the people in the capital, I have to subject you to unwarranted infamy and slander... I'm sorry!
Bang, bang.
The massive feet thudded heavily on the ground. Callest, his face serious, straightened up and looked at Prince Ota before him:
“Prince Ota, are you saying that Mino… betrayed humanity?”
“That’s right.” Otta used all his muscles to control his facial expression, and said with absolute certainty:
"From the day he was captured and taken to the Demon King's castle, Mino had already betrayed his country!"
"You mean, he couldn't withstand the demons' imprisonment and torture, so he was seduced by them and became their evil lackey, becoming the source of harm to humanity?" Callest asked again to confirm.
"That's right!"
Ota gritted her teeth, her face contorted with shame and rage, and retorted, "He must have been defeated by the delicious food, the comfortable lifestyle, and the abundant gold coins... He even has soft, fragrant demon maids serving him from morning till night! How enviable, oh no, how shameful!!!"
Carles nodded, as if he understood something, and finally asked:
"You mean, even this contract was destroyed by him—his aim was to sow discord between me and you?"
Looking at the shattered mountain range, and thinking that Mino's spine could certainly withstand so many large pots, Ota nodded again:
“Only Mino possesses such power—my paladins can even tell you that only Mino can master that lost sword technique: Ex Curry Stick!”
"Only that legendary swordsmanship could destroy the entire mountain peak with a single strike!!!"
"So...it really is Mino?"
As if he had already made up his mind, the Frost Dragon King folded his wings and closed his eyes.
Ota breathed a sigh of relief and was about to give a reply with a smile.
Suddenly, Callest opened his mouth, and the air surged violently like a bellows.
next moment.
To Ota's astonishment.
The Frost Dragon King's deafening laughter echoed through the mountains:
"Hahahaha... This is so funny... Hahahaha, hahahahahaha!"
……
Minoan Sacred Border.
It is also known by the demons as the border of the first line of defense.
The area covered in black soil seemed even deeper than before, only visible upon close inspection... Countless black shadows, like venomous snakes, slithered and crawled through the craters and shadows of the border, resembling a scattered yet orderly sublime will.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, the shadows that covered the entire border line instantly contracted.
The pure shadows trembled slightly, the black faded, revealing a group of star-blue silk dresses.
Layers upon layers of newly blossoming blue-purple rosebuds entwined around the waist of the dress, revealing a face as worried as a young girl's:
"came back……"
Almost the instant she appeared, a dark spatial rift opened up on the black soil, and a figure carrying a greatsword stepped out.
"Apophis, Fim, are you alright?" Kleinna stepped forward and asked with concern.
When Kletina saw that Fim was still wearing the cloak of the Wolf Mercenary Group, her heart sank slightly. According to the plan... this was originally meant to be left in the Dragon Hidden Mountains to provide clues for King Calest to frame her.
Both the cloak and Apophis's unplanned and reckless travel demonstrate that the plan has not gone as expected.
"We're fine, but: the plan failed!!!"
Apophis knew the current priorities, and it succinctly summarized for Phim:
"Fim's performance in this operation was flawless, but we still fell victim to human cunning. There was indeed an ambush in the Dragon Mountain Range, but the ambush was—something no one expected: that newly minted hero!"
"Even before the blessing was complete, she already possessed the power to overpower two great demon officials!!!"
"What did you say?!"
Kleidina was slightly shaken. Even though she had prepared herself mentally, she was still shocked by the amount of information Apophis had revealed.
"You mean, the combined attack of the two of you great demons was repelled by that hero who recently awakened, Mino's sister Shana, all by herself?!"
Apophis nodded emphatically: "Although the other party concealed their identity with a cloak from beginning to end, that kind of power is beyond the control of ordinary humans. The only possibility is that it is a hero who has been watched by the goddess! Most importantly, the other party has admitted it themselves!"
Kleidina's heart sank to the bottom. She never expected... that Mino's younger sister, a hero even younger than herself, would possess power no less than Mino's!
She lowered her head and looked at Fim, who was standing quietly in place without any serious wounds, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Anyway, it's good that you're all alright... Apophis, Phim, you both need to go back and rest properly."
"Especially Fim, your pockets are all torn..."
After a brief pause, Kletina was taken aback. She saw that Fim, who had been expressionless, suddenly lower his head and began searching very quickly.
"Fim? What happened? Are you alright?"