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Chapter 630: The Puppet Kingdom

The quiet estate, which was formerly devoid of human presence, had now become filled with scorched-red earth and unrecognizable remains of buildings. Perserque would have likely said that such an act might not garner support, given its sheer brutality. While the thought was absurd, it was still entirely possible. Yet, no regrets lingeredthe gravity of the provocation and the perilous nature of such actions were clear.

"Burning splendidly. Theres a sun on top of your heads," Davey muttered softly, retrieving his work of art, the counteractive mana cannon, that was carefully positioned in the sky.

As he descended onto the ground, which had become a sea of flames, the heat surged upward. Davey then stumbled upon a man crushed beneath the debris and approached him.

"You... Demon!" the man exclaimed.

"Demon, you say..."

"How many have you slain?!"

"How many? I had no intention of showing mercy to undiscriminating terrorists."

"And you call yourself a saint after all this?"

"Hmm, and who could be less suited to sainthood than me?" Davey mused to himself.

Pathologically altruistic individuals, like Saint Lena, contrasted sharply with his own nature. He would help others if it aligned with his vows or if the luxury to do so was his.

The current matter was about those who\'d attacked his domain during his absence. If Illyna had not been there, the assassin would probably have targeted someone else.

"Is it very painful?" Davey asked impassively.

"Cough Although I know nothing about other countries, the public sentiment in this nation will surely be on our side."

"That might be so."

After all, the human psyche was indeed peculiar. Residents could reject outsiders based just on the fact that they are from a different place. This could especially be the case between the kingdoms of Rowane and Boltis, since they had never been on good terms, akin to Korea and Japan in Earth\'s history.

Strange foreboding winds blew within the Boltis Kingdom.

Woosh!!!

With a wave of Daveys hand, water spirits gathered and coalesced at his fingertips. The water spirits then swiftly extinguished the fiery flames as they meandered through the village, looking as if they were gracefully dancing.

And as the spirits went on to fulfill their task, Davey slowly turned to the dying man.

"Its a pity that the world shall never behold your true face."

"Do not talk of righteousness when you have come to foreign lands with the intention to kill."

"..."

"I never initiated aggression. I had no ill will toward Boltis."

"Liar!!" the man screamed through the pain of his rending flesh.

"Your schemes are so obvious! You plan to invade this land, to indoctrinate the naive citizens of the kingdom with your ideology, and assimilate it into the Rowane Kingdom. For now, you have nominally left the Boltis dynasty in place, but it will soon fade away. The military will be disbanded, and history will be rewritten! This land will belong, not to Boltis, but solely to the Rowane Kingdom!"

Amidst the pouring streams, Davey crouched down and responded to the man\'s outburst, saying, "Speak correctly, Count Rembus."

"..."

"The war with Boltis was ultimately started by you.

"Absurd! It was you who ignored the laws of war and unilaterally declared it... "

"Hey." Davey interrupted, promptly gripping the man by the collar. Then he asked, "Do the people who abduct children to produce vile narcotics and distribute them in the Rowane Kingdom, leaving nobles\' children and young ladies as addicts, deserve to speak of righteousness?"

Silence followed as if Count Rembus was unable to find his voice.

"You\'d have every right to rebel. But you should have avoided provocation. If not, you should have withdrawn as soon as you felt even the tiniest sliver of doubt."

"..."

"Is it so wrong to punish the guilty?"

"At least... The citizens are innocent."

"Indeed, they are. So did I kill the country\'s citizens?" Davey was only met with silence. After all, his question was clear, and the answer to it was also very obvious. So Davey then added, "Your logic, ultimately, amounts to nothing."

Thud!!

Davey\'s hand penetrated the man\'s chest.

"The only logic you have is that my punishment was excessive."

Whatever path the Boltis\'s independence movement took, it lacked the foundation it needed to succeed.

"May the gods curse you," the dying man murmured bitterly.

Davey only shook his head slightly and said, "Have a good meeting with the gods... That is if a conscience still exists in your soul."

* * *

Gossip traveled fast and wide. Word spread overnight that Davey of Rowane had trespassed into the Boltis Kingdom. Following that, he was also said to have set ablaze a small territory and killed several nobles, including Count Rembus. There were even circulating rumors in Boltis talking about how the last living nobles were also being targeted. While those who usually gnashed their teeth at the nobility said they got what they deserved, there were others who claimed that Rowane was carrying out secret assassinations despite its ostentatious peace policies. Even within the Rowane Kingdom, whispers arose about the harshness of the incident. Moreover, even though the kingdom of Boltis had surrendered, it still voiced complaints that what Davey did was uncalled for.

It became very clear that the remaining nobles, as well as Count Rembus before his death, had manipulated public opinion to gain rights and incite independence.

While Rowane was closest to Davey, it was also the place where he had the least influence. Unless certain boundaries were breached, he strictly stayed an observer when it came to Rowane\'s governance. Naturally, he had no power to intervene even when the lines were crossed, but an implicit understanding began to circulate that he was an exception. But regardless of the public opinion, he maintained his usual composure.

It was after the Boltis incident that Edison and Tiara saw the sorry state of their counteractive mana cannon at the massive workshop, and their expressions had become ashen as they stared at the half-destroyed condition of the cannon.

"We spent so much time and effort to build this... "

"It was shattered in a single blow?"

The dwarf and the girl looked on with disbelieving eyes as Davey nonchalantly opened the cannon\'s joint.

Sssshhhhhhhh!!!

"All burned out. The excessive mana backlash destroyed it. It became disposable after one use."

"No... It can\'t be... Not my masterpiece!" Tiara screamed while clutching her head.

At the same time, Edison was murmuring incredulously, "I can\'t believe it. We coated the interior with mithril, used black iron, and metals highly resistant to heat. But to end up getting damaged this much... How strong must the atmospheric mana backlash have been?"

"Indeed, quite powerful," Davey replied, looking at the half-destroyed cannon.

With elemental mana and devil mana gathered in one hand, he deliberately allowed them to repel each other.

Boom!!!

A massive explosion ensued, and a storm whirled around. Tiara and Edison were also pushed back, yelling, "Yikes!"

"Whoa! Almost fell over!"

"Grand... Grandpa..."

Edison caught Tiara before she could fall. And after regaining his balance, he then stood back with the blushed-faced girl a good distance away, stroking his chin and muttering, "Such a powerful reaction... Surely, it has great power, but usage seems impractical."

"Typically, yes."

"Something feels off."

"I respected the persistence and pride of Edison, the technical advisor."

Davey only passed on the foundational knowledge, and it was up to them to apply and innovate. He provided materials without much interference in their workthat was to honor his promise that they could accomplish it on their own.

"But it failed."

"Just... Give us a bit more time and budget!" An alarmed Tiara rushed to Davey and begged earnestly, saying, "No... I can\'t accept it! If I fall out now, for not being able to make it, this will be a nightmare that will haunt me for the rest of my life!"

They had struggled terribly, but the base knowledge and techniques Davey provided transcended the alchemy faction\'s prior achievements, offering a glimpse into a higher plane of wisdom.

After all, Atrellia, the continent of magic, and Yurgian, the continent of alchemy, were both more advanced in some aspects than Tionis.

"So... Please, no dismissal!" Tiara pleaded, her face looking pale with desperation.

Davey responded with a mild grin, "Why would I dismiss you?"

Apparently, they were still unaware of how persistent Davey could be.

"If it doesn\'t work, we\'ll make it work. You did desire something Davey paused for a brief second, seemingly backtracking at what he initially wanted to say. He then went on, Fine, I won\'t give you answers. You must find them on your own."

That was the challenge. The path to discovery was theirs to traverse, a choice they had to make on their own.

"Don\'t worry. I\'ll provide some intense short-term training."

The way Davey approached with steady steps was not threatening harm or death, and yet, it still felt somehow terrifying.

"You\'ll grasp the secrets of the universe after a lesson that would only last for thirty-six hours. Let\'s do it together."

Having said so, Davey then deftly caught Tiara\'s shoulder as she tried to slip away.

"You\'ll participate, right?"

She nodded reluctantly, fear evident in her faltering smile. "Yes... Yes."

"It might be strenuous, but I trust you\'ll manage."

She wanted to scream that learning from him, even without pain, felt terrifying when he spoke formally.

"Don\'t worry. How bad could learning knowledge be?" Davey\'s eyes flashed with a hint of mania. "I happen to be an excellent teacher."

And for the first time, Tiara realized just how merciless this man could be when imparting knowledge.

* * *

Davey\'s heavy-handed suppression became the talk of the town, sparking rumors of an impending international conference. Majority consensus accepted the Rowane-Boltis conflict as justified, given the line Boltis crossed. Any nation would rage over such offenses. But following Davey\'s unexpected incursion, which destroyed a Boltis territory and killed many of the nobles, rumors started to circulate, which prompted a meeting.

The small move dared by the Boltis Kingdom truly caused a ripple of effects.

There was even a revelation uncovered by Illynas counterpart, the Hero Reina, that the backers of Count Rembus\'s independence movement were none other than the nobles who were loyal to the Sixth Prince of the Pallan Empire, Prince Rendos.

Hearing this, Davey chuckled coldly. They said it was all taken care of. That there would be no loose ends.

"Time for Sullivan to do some explaining," he mused.

It was time for Sullivan to justify what happened to Davey.