43. The Despicable Outsider
If the formidable backing behind Louis the Ninety-Nine is some unseen dangerous big boss, then I might need to be cautious. But the so-called “support” he hysterically boasted about to Kephir…
[Louis the Ninety-Nine believes his backing is the hidden power of the Great Yīng Empire.]
Isn’t that just the Moon Fairy?! Your backing has a pretty good relationship with Kephir! So why should I be worried? How can the protagonist group’s fishing enforcement be called “fishing enforcement”? It should be called luring the snake out of its hole, feigning east while striking west, playing the pig to eat the tiger! Brilliant!
In any case, at the beginning, due to his excessive pride, Louis the Ninety-Nine had completely exposed his identity, intentions, and accomplices. The elder from the elf clan, surnamed Feng, also jumped higher and fell harder. Once all the conspiracies were laid bare, they couldn’t even muster a rebuttal; they were nearly beaten to death by the out-of-control elves. It was only thanks to the strict orders from Aidefu that the situation was brought under control.
In the end, Aidefu’s royal guard directly took over the territory of the elf elder, who was then taken away by Aidefu for investigation on multiple charges. As for Louis the Ninety-Nine, although he was from the Great Yīng Empire and theoretically not bound by the laws of the Prulus Kingdom, he couldn’t escape. According to the extradition treaty between the Great Yīng Empire and the Prulus Kingdom, Aidefu had already dispatched a team to escort Louis the Ninety-Nine back to the Great Yīng Empire for trial.
Though it was a hasty and utterly unprepared “deep infiltration,” I managed to expose and resolve the conspiracy of Louis the Ninety-Nine, who had colluded with the elf parasite elder from the Prulus Kingdom, before any innocent elven girls could be deceived. Everything came to an end…
Not quite.
For Aidefu, it was certainly a success; she eliminated one of the kingdom’s parasites and gained more territorial control, establishing her own authority. For the little fox Zelus, having dealt with the murderer of her kin, the chieftain of the Austro-Hungarian tribe should have no complaints left.
However, for me, it wasn’t so joyous, as a lingering doubt in my heart only grew larger with the resolution of this matter.
A few days after everything settled down, and after several “little villains” received their respective “punishments,” we returned to the Prulus Kingdom, where we were receiving Aidefu’s gratitude. After all, if I hadn’t nudged Aidefu earlier, indicating that I would handle Louis the Ninety-Nine, she might still be hesitating on how to act.
“I have revoked that elf elder’s citizenship and directly taken over his territory. The evidence is irrefutable, and this time, no old-timer dares to oppose. As for that human, I believe the escort team should have already left the city and will soon arrive at the Great Yīng Empire for handover.”
At this moment, in the office, Aidefu bowed deeply to express her gratitude. “Thank you very much for your help to the Prulus Kingdom in preventing the most troublesome events from occurring. Such deeds, in my view, deserve the National Defense Medal.”
Let’s skip the medal; after all, neither Kephir nor I did this for the sake of hanging heavy iron pieces on our chests.
After the formal thanks, Aidefu finally relaxed her tense demeanor. Following her, the little fox Zelus—mysterious chieftain of the Austro-Hungarian tribe—who had quietly slipped into the Prulus Kingdom, was now sitting in Aidefu’s chair, wagging her tail, and also expressed her thanks to us without any pretense.
“I’m grateful too! Although I can’t get my kin back, at least we’ve cut off the source, which is something good~”
With that, the two little girls exchanged a glare, not sure what they were competing over, until Aidefu finally spoke up.
“So, do you have any requests? Especially you, Oujilide; feel free to ask me for anything~ Wha·te·ver·you·want~”
No, Aidefu, don’t look at me with those expectant eyes; I won’t be making any strange requests. After all, I didn’t come to the Prulus Kingdom to “take advantage” of you. Some doubts and “requests” can be brought up in this situation… I think it’s time to voice them.
I exchanged a glance with Kephir; I’ll take care of this troublesome matter.
After glancing at the script and pausing for a moment, I
—
Though Adéve had only told us before that “she knew the identity of the fairy,” in reality, her understanding of that self-disciplined fairy, Icarus, went far beyond that.
Adéve might have known from the very beginning the identity and whereabouts of this self-disciplined fairy, Icarus. No… even more so, Adéve might have some kind of connection with Icarus, akin to the cooperative relationship between Kephir and the Moon Fairy, allowing Adéve to harness Icarus’s power!
In this incident, Adéve seemed to have gained insight as if she had opened her third eye, knowing the identity of the criminals selling citizens, their locations, and even the timing and methods of their actions. It was likely the result of using Icarus’s power to “see,” after all… didn’t this perfectly align with the conveniences brought by Icarus’s “insight”?
This is why I had this doubt: why, despite Adéve knowing so much about the self-disciplined fairy, did she still cautiously conceal her explanations from us? She hadn’t expressed any desire to keep things from us, so why… at this point, was she still unwilling to speak?
“Adéve, is there… a reason that makes it inconvenient for you to speak?”
I certainly didn’t think Adéve was some two-faced little villain; her actions clearly stemmed from some hardship. Given the situation, I decided to straightforwardly ask! Let’s help her to the end!
In the next moment, I saw Adéve, initially surprised, become hesitant and indecisive after calming down, her reaction more akin to… guilt.
“No… it’s not that I can’t tell you, it’s just… haha… it’s just… not the right time yet, haha…”
She forced a smile while avoiding my gaze, looking as if she was continuing to find excuses to buy time.
I instantly understood the reason behind Adéve’s reaction! However, just as the script began to unfold…
【Adéve is unwilling to reveal the fact that O’Keelith cannot meet Icarus!】
An anomaly occurred!
A cold, unfamiliar female voice echoed in the room without warning!
“Leave our fairy kin, cunning outsider.”
—