"I told you! I didn't like those immigrant bastards from the beginning!"

"Oh my goodness. Who would have imagined something like this would happen?"

"That's what I'm saying. I mean, how well did our empire's people treat them..."

After the children died, the lanterns in front of the empire's people's gates did not go out. In memory of the children, everyone lit lanterns in their homes with one heart.

That unity turned into a fierce anger towards the immigrants.

The eyes and ears of the empire's people were already closed, and they did not want to hear any excuses they made.

All the people of the empire and the parents of the children, who had been pulling the bowstring of anger and resentment tautly in search of a target, mercilessly released the bowstring they had pulled towards the immigrants.

"You know Lisa, right? That guard's daughter."

"Ah! I know her. You mean that house down the street from the bakery intersection?"

"Yes, that house. They said they found her daughter's doll."

"Oh my, where?"

"You know that place where the Esna people live. They said a kid there was holding that doll."

"Oh my... how terrible...! So you're saying they killed Lisa and gave the doll to their own child?"

That doll alone was enough circumstantial evidence. No, it was more than enough.

They were just looking for a place to turn the arrow of blame, and it didn't matter what the truth was.

"The father saw it and knew right away! Lisa's mom made the doll herself, so they said the kid's name was even written on the back."

"Oh my... then it's certain."

"Tsk, tsk... the kids and their parents are the only pitiful ones..."

People were busy showing their own sympathy and sense of justice, making a gossip out of other people's misfortune.

Some went to comfort the parents who had lost their children, as if to understand their sorrow, and some even took up arms themselves, saying that those who had harmed the children should be punished.

"I heard that His Majesty the Emperor will personally interrogate the criminals this time..."

"Yes, isn't he amazing? And I heard they're going to compensate the children's parents too?"

"That's right. I heard the amount is quite large..."

"Phew, is money the problem? You can't trade your child for ten million gold..."

"Ahem. But I heard some parents even protested that the money was too little..."

Some used their child's death to fill their own greed.

The repercussions of the innocent children's deaths were unfortunate and unfortunate.

***

The imperial palace's underground prison. Sharp screams echoed incessantly there.

"Guhhhhh!!!"

As the torturer mercilessly rubbed a heated piece of iron on the man's chest, the unpleasant smell of burning flesh wafted out.

The torturer's expression was impassive, as if the man writhing in pain was none of his business.

"Now, speak. Why did you kill the children?"

The man sitting in front of the half-conscious man asked dryly.

"Y-Your Majesty... I... I... the children... guhhhh!!!"

Before he could finish his answer, the heated iron was rubbed on the man's shoulder once more.

"Tsk, tsk... as expected of an Esna human. You're so bad at understanding words. I'm not curious about what you didn't do. I'm curious about what you did."

The man called the emperor tidied his fingernails and glanced at him.

"Now, answer again. Won't you be enough? I don't want to harm... your family as well."

"M-my family has done nothing, nothing wrong!!!"

A rough voice like scraping iron burst from the man's mouth.

"Right, right. I know that well. As you know, am I not a benevolent emperor? That's why I didn't cast you out when you came to the empire, isn't it? So... I just want to punish the sinner."

The corner of the emperor's mouth curled up slyly.

"Khuk... huk... yes... that's right... I... I..."

The man who saw that realized. That if he didn't become the sinner, his family would not be able to escape harm. That the emperor did not need the real culprit, but just someone who could become the culprit.

"Right, right. How nice it would have been if you had done this from the beginning. You could have died with a relatively intact body."

The emperor got up from his seat.

"Behead this one tomorrow morning as well. It will be a public execution in the square."

"Khuk... ughhhh..."

A resentful cry burst from the man's mouth.

"Ah, and bring this one's family as well. They need to see clearly what crime their father committed."

"Ugh! No!! Please... please!!!"

The man cried out. He pleaded earnestly not to call his family, saying it was fine for him to be any kind of sinner.

"Then you shouldn't have committed a crime."

The emperor, who had turned away coldly, left the prison.

A total of fifteen criminals were made like this.

But the emperor knew clearly. That what would quell the anger of the empire's people was not finding the real culprit, but something that could immediately soothe their anger.

***

"So many people?"

"Wouldn't that be enough to calm the anger of the empire's people a little?"

Aman and Lucas were talking in the academy's back garden.

He could hear about the outside situation even inside the academy, but this was much better than the information conveyed by the students.

The ones who knew the truth were set. And those who did not want the truth as well.

The outline was gradually beginning to take shape. Who the enemy was, and who the allies were.

But he still didn't know for sure.

Such cases existed in any country. It was common to frame someone with false information, or to execute them before the frame-up was revealed.

But this case was on a different level.

No matter how high the anger of the empire's people had soared, the fact that someone had been framed for the deaths of the children, and sixteen of them at that, without even properly identifying who the culprit was, smelled fishy.

"It makes my teeth chatter."

"I know, right. I didn't know they would go this far either."

Aman's expression was just nonchalant as he agreed with Lucas's words that it made his teeth chatter.

"Are you really sure it makes your teeth chatter?"

"Uh-huh! It makes my teeth chatter. Phew, how scary."

"...Never mind."

He was in no mood to deal with that cheerful and cheerful lizard.

Even after seeing the children die so tragically, even after seeing the children trapped in iron bars without a single bowl of porridge! That lizard was nonchalant and cheerful.

"You're very serious, aren't you? For a human matter."

"...What do you mean by that."

"No, more importantly, what do you want to do?"

"I have to find them. I'll find them and tear them to shreds."

Lucas clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

"Right! Let's do that!"

"Hoo... more importantly, what happened to the children who were there?"

"Oh my, you're asking now?"

"..."

"I ate them all. I was hungry~ and well, it was annoying to find their parents!"

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

It was nonsense. There were very rarely, rarely dragons that ate humans.

And that was one of the grotesque acts that was done a long time ago to set an example for other humans. But there had never been a dragon with such a strange hobby.

"That's right. It's nonsense. So would you please not look at me with those scary eyes?"

Lucas, who was exhausted from the cheerful lizard's prank, shook his head.

"So where are they?"

"First, I have something to look into before I find their parents... I've put them in a good place. Don't worry."

Lucas barely managed to hold back the urge to ask, 'Where is that?'

Wherever they were, they were fine, so that must be true. He had to believe that.

Because there was no other way, even if he didn't believe it.

"Is there no way to stop the execution?"

"Nope. There isn't."

"..."

"There isn't. It's unfortunate, but we just have to say goodbye to those humans. We just have to protect the other humans in the meantime, I guess."

It wasn't that Lucas didn't know. With the years he had lived, there was no way there would be such a method.

Of course, it was easy to use magic to get them out.

But it was uncertain whether he could get all those humans out with a human body, and asking Aman for help was also not an option.

Dragons are proud magical creatures. There was no guarantee that a lizard so sincere about his excursion would do something to disrupt the flow of the excursion.

If he saved them now, all future work would be ruined.

Catching the real culprit, and finding their leader.

'There's no choice. Hoo, should I just open a good path of reincarnation for them when I become a god...'

To him, who had been a dragon, sacrificing the few for the sake of the many was all too natural. Especially if it was a human matter.

***

Blaine, who had rushed over after hearing the story of the missing children, ultimately could not take her son, Lucas, back with her.

In the carriage heading to Citata, the maid Laila observed her expression.

"The young master will be fine."

"Yes, our Lucas is a bright child..."

Of course, she was still worried. It was worrying from the beginning that Lucas, who was only eleven years old, was at the academy in the capital alone.

But in the letters they exchanged every week, Lucas's change was gradually felt.

At first, it was just a formal letter saying he was fine, but as the days went by, a line or two about trivial daily life, such as what he had learned and what he had eaten, was added.

'He must have been frustrated... Citata is such a barren land... I was too complacent.'

Lucas, whom she had seen in person, was doing better than she had thought.

His dry expression had come to life, and he had made friends.

'Skir O'Neil...'

One thing that bothered her was that he had become friends with the son of the O'Neil Duchy, who was practically the one who had brought about the downfall of her family.

The O'Neil Duchy was the number one contributor who had driven out the first prince and enthroned the illegitimate son, Grad Luclire, as emperor.

'A parent's karma cannot be passed on to their children.'

She wanted to separate her son from his friend named Skir right away. But Blaine was a wise woman.

Children are just children. She could not ruin their pure friendship by putting the adults' relationship first.

Blaine's expression hardened as she looked out the window, thinking about this and that.

"Stop the carriage."

"Pardon? Suddenly?"

"Stop it!"

The horses' feet slowed down at Blaine's shout. The carriage stopped, and Blaine, who got out of the carriage, looked back the way she had come.

There was a child.

A small child, who seemed to be half out of her mind, was walking down the road.

"Oh my! My lady, there's a child!"

"You never know. It could be a band of thieves using a child as bait to rob people!"

Laila quickly stood in front of her master at the coachman's shout.

"No, it's okay."

Blaine, who gently patted Laila's shoulder, walked towards the child.

She stopped in front of the child, who was so out of her mind that she didn't even notice the carriage stopping or Blaine walking towards her.

"Child."

"Aaaah!! Aaaah!! Please save me!!!"

She had just called her gently, but the child was startled and stepped back.

"It's okay. It's okay. I'm not a bad person."

Blaine, who slowly approached the child, whispered softly.

"Please save me!!! Please save me!!! I'm sorry... I really found that doll... I found it..."

Blaine's eyes turned red at the child's repeated cries, who had now collapsed on the ground.

This small child must have walked alone on the forest path for who knows how long.

Her feet, which were not even wearing shoes, were full of scratches, and her face and head were covered in scabs.

She must have gone through something terrible.

"It's okay... it's okay..."

Blaine, who slowly approached the child, hugged the small body tightly.

"I found it... please believe me... don't take my dad away... he's my dad..."

The child's muttering gradually subsided.

"Laila. Can you make it so that we can go with the child?"

Blaine's eyes were moist as she spoke gently to Laila.

"Child, let's go with me. Let's go with me..."

"Please save me..."

"I won't hurt you. I promise."

The child in Blaine's arms gasped for breath and fainted.

(End of Chapter)