"Noisy."
Gelmud muttered, "If it weren't for your magicules, to strengthen the Orc Lord..."
Pfft!!
Under the furious gaze of the Lizardman Princess, the trident pierced through the Lizardman Chief's heart, ending his life completely.
As for the Lizardman Princess and those who refused to submit to Gelmud,
Gabiru imprisoned them all, awaiting further orders.
"Gelmud-sama!"
Gabiru, having fulfilled his ambition of patricide, knelt respectfully on one knee, looking up at Gelmud seated on the chief's throne.
"Hmm, you did well, Gabiru."
"You are indeed a hero of the Lizardmen, worthy of the name I bestowed upon you."
Though he said this, Gelmud was full of disdain inside.
A Lizardman hero? Just food he had raised for the Orc Lord.
"Now, gather the warriors among the Lizardmen."
Gelmud said, "I need your strength."
"May I ask, what are you planning..."
"The Oni in the west of the Great Jura Forest have been restless lately."
Gelmud said, "They're invading and expanding their territory everywhere."
"You know, don't you, the benefits a hegemonic monster gains?"
Through continuous warfare and land conquest, monsters could gain vast amounts of magicules from their feats, allowing them to evolve.
"So that's it!"
Gabiru suddenly understood. "I won't let the Oni trample over the Lizardmen!"
The Oni, like the Lizardmen, were one of the hegemonic forces in the Great Jura Forest.
But compared to their small numbers, the Lizardmen had the clear advantage.
Now, hearing that the Oni wanted to start a war, how could Gabiru possibly bear it?
He thought of Souei, whom he had seen not long ago.
That person was most likely the King of the Oni!
No wonder he had such power.
Gabiru thought, I never expected the dignified leader of the Oni would disguise himself as an ordinary Oni to ambush me!
That's right. This was Gabiru's line of thinking.
He, Gabiru, was the strongest among the Lizardmen. He absolutely refused to believe that there were multiple Oni who could easily defeat him.
"Very good."
Looking at Gabiru, who had completed his delusion, Gelmud chuckled inwardly.
"Go, gather your troops."
"Once you defeat the Oni, you'll become the overlord of the Great Jura Forest."
After saying this, Gelmud left the army's base, praised Gabiru a few more times to make him feel proud, and then departed from the Lizardmen tribe.
"What a fool."
Gelmud truly hadn't expected Gabiru to be this stupid.
A few flattering words from an outsider and he was overjoyed, to the point of killing his own father and imprisoning his sister.
"Still, being a little foolish is better."
"If you were too clever, the name I gave you would've been wasted."
From the beginning, Gelmud developed Gabiru just to use the Lizardmen as sacrifices to feed the Orc Lord.
Even though there were a few hiccups caused by anomalies in the Great Jura Forest along the way,
He had full confidence in the Orc Lord.
Once Gabiru led the Lizardmen army into the trap he'd prepared, the Orc Lord would bring the Orcs and surround them completely.
At that point, the entire Lizardman race would be devoured by the Orc Tribe.
They would become nourishment for the Orc Lord and help him ascend to the throne of Demon Lord.
"Father, what should I do..."
Deep in the Lizardmen cave, inside the dungeon, the Lizardman Princess curled up in the dark.
Her heart was filled with unease and grief.
Her father was dead, killed by her brother.
And that monster, Gelmud, brought in by Gabiru.
She didn't understand.
Did Gabiru trust an outsider more than his own family?
"That guy couldn't possibly be so kind as to help him become the new chieftain."
It was exactly because she had been imprisoned that she could see the entire picture clearly.
The other side definitely had ulterior motives.
Gabiru was just a pawn.
What Gelmud truly wanted was the Lizardman race itself.
"No!"
"I can't sit idly by!"
The moment she realized the Lizardmen might be led to their doom by Gabiru, she endured the pain in her body and started searching for a way to escape.
Unfortunately, these cells were specifically designed to hold Lizardmen.
Their behaviors and actions had already been considered in the design.
"Damn it!!"
Cough cough cough!
After some frantic struggle, not only did the Lizardman Princess fail to escape, she also made her injuries worse.
"Gabiru..."
She wiped her mouth, ignoring the blood smeared on her hand, and shouted toward the bars, "I want to see Gabiru!!"
But in the dim, underground dungeon, only her own voice echoed back.
What's going on?
Soon, the Lizardman Princess realized something was wrong.
Silence.
It was too quiet.
Gabiru had launched a rebellion. Normally, there should've been many Lizardmen detained.
So why was she the only one here?
Where were the others who were captured alongside her?
Step... Step...
Footsteps echoed through the silent cave. The eerie quiet instantly made the Lizardman Princess alert.
"Eh..."
"A Lizardman? How interesting."
"Who?!"
The sudden voice startled the Lizardman Princess, making the scales on her body bristle. "Don't play games! Come out!"
"Oh my?"
A blue-haired girl stepped out of the shadows, followed by three tall Oni women.
The three were Aone, Aoba, and Aomi, close companions in daily life
Currently, they were under Souei's command, receiving training in assassination, surveillance, and intelligence gathering.
Not long ago, Souei sent the three to Rimuru's side to protect her and relay intelligence.
"Um... don't be nervous. We don't mean any harm."
Rimuru raised a hand, signaling for calm.
"Who are you?"
"Wait... you, you're..."
The Lizardman Princess noticed the three Oni standing behind Rimuru.
Her pupils contracted slightly and she instinctively backed up until she hit the wall, steadying herself.
"Why are the Oni from the Great Jura Forest here?"
"Don't tell me Gabiru's rebellion was orchestrated by you?!"
The moment that possibility entered her mind, the Lizardman Princess's gaze toward Rimuru and the others filled with guarded suspicion.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)