CHAPTER 807: AN UPROAR

At this time, the entire city where the Valian family’s manor was located was in an uproar as information spread among the populace. The devils had been hiding among them all this time, and they were actually in places that no one would ever expect.

There were devil hideouts not far outside the city, and even some within the city disguised as business properties. The information spread from an unknown source, but because it concerned the devils, many took it seriously and came to check for themselves.

What they found truly shocked them, as everything turned out to be true. Although they did not find any devils, they discovered many traces of them—artifacts and even more shocking evidence showing that they had dealings with noble families.

Because there were so many places scattered across the city, many people managed to inspect them before the Valian family’s cultivators could block access. By the time they acted, it was already too late for the Valian family, as many had already seen what was inside those places and the evidence that pointed toward them.

The devils were actually able to live in this city and operate freely because the Valian family covered for them. There had been several strange, unsolvable cases in the past related to the devils, which made many wonder if the devils were hiding in the city. The most notable was the kidnapping case, where even until this moment, the victims have still not been found.

However, with the situation now, they could finally connect the dots, and everything began to make sense. It was no wonder those cases were never solved, since the noble family here had also been covering for the devils.

The worst part was that today, many figures from outside the empire had come to visit with the intent to meet Grand Duke Freindor. They wanted to build a good relationship, sensing that the grand duke had great potential to replace Empress Vilena because of his growing popularity and the support of other noble families.

Because of their presence, the headquarters of their powers also heard about this news and had to reconsider whether to build a relationship with the Valian family.

Although it was still too early to conclude that the Valian family was connected to the devils, the evidence strongly pointed against them. It was safer not to form any ties for now. They needed to look deeper into the matter and see how it would unfold.

At one place in the city, three robed figures gathered. One of them was Vars, and the other two were his subordinates from the Dark Saber group. They had just regrouped after spreading out to different locations.

"Done. We can leave now," reported one of the figures, a woman from the Dark Saber group, through voice transmission.

"I’m also done. Mission complete," another subordinate reported. Vars nodded.

"Alright, let’s get out of here and move to the next place. There’s still work to do," he said before walking away, followed closely by the other two.

Who else could it be, if not them, who caused the uproar at this moment? They were the ones who spread the information about the devils and released the evidence for everyone to see.

Where did they get all of it? Of course, it came from the materials they had swept from the devils’ hideouts that had yet to be inspected by anyone in the capital. Their master’s information was precise, and even the hideouts located in the most hidden corners of the capital were known to him. They only needed to check those places, take everything inside, and copy items such as scrolls so that others could find them.

Just as Aldrian’s avatar had said, if there was no solid proof to show the people, then let them see it for themselves. Create the evidence and let others form their own conclusions.

The avatar gave details about several hideouts within the Valian grand duchy and made Vars and his subordinates memorize them. They needed to reach those places before sunrise and carry out what Aldrian had already planned—to spread the evidence.

It was true that some of the hideouts had already been destroyed by the Valian family, but they could simply rebuild them and place bits of evidence here and there to make it believable. They recreated the destroyed caves using earth laws.

How did they know the shape of the cave interiors?

Well, they just shaped whatever came to mind, as long as it looked convincing. That was why anyone who had ever entered the cave in the past would now be utterly confused. They would find the cave paths different. If someone inspected them closely, they would also notice that the caves had been recently constructed.

However, Vars and the others did not care. Even if the Valian family discovered that this was the case, their mission here was already complete. They only needed to draw people’s attention to these places and let chaos unfold. The people themselves would handle the next course of action.

At this moment, they intended to move on to the next locations. They needed to carry out the same plan against other noble families who were in cahoots with the devils. Today was truly a busy day for them, and they intended to follow the avatar’s orders until the very end.

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Just as Vars and the others expected, at this moment, the grand duke who was inspecting the cave that once served as the devils’ hideout wore a fuming expression. He had visited this place in the past, and of course, he knew the cave’s path. But the moment he stepped inside, he realized that the entire layout was different.

The reconstruction was done well enough to fool many into thinking that the cave had always been like this.

But none of that mattered anymore, as evidence of his involvement with the devils, evidence that appeared out of nowhere had already been discovered. He also heard that the devils’ former hideouts within the city had been found by many people, and he assumed those places must also contain similar evidence.

Because of this, he became even more certain that someone already knew about his connection with the devils and had even gotten hold of their belongings. Whoever it was, they were now toying with him. The damage from today’s events would be devastating for him, and the only perpetrator he could think of was the imperial family.

But then he grew confused. If this was the work of the imperial family, why would they wait until now? Why strike at this moment, when they themselves were being criticized by so many people?

If they had known about his connection with the devils for a long time and even possessed the evidence, they would likely have acted against him long before last night’s assassination attempt.

He did not believe that they could have planned all of this overnight after what happened last night. This kind of scheme must have been prepared for a long time, calculated precisely to inflict the greatest damage on his reputation.

There was no way out for him now, as many would begin to question his integrity and credibility.

He gritted his teeth in frustration. Whether it was the imperial family or some unknown force behind this, he no longer cared. The only thing that mattered now was finding a way to repair his reputation and dispel the growing doubt among the people.

With news like this likely spreading to other territories, he might find himself standing on the execution platform before gaining anything at all.

"My lord, I think it’s better if you make an announcement and clearly deny everything to reduce the damage. Although the scroll in Leader Regnor’s hand contains the truth about our connection to the devils, we can find an excuse and even put the blame on someone else. Perhaps we could say that this is part of the imperial family’s plan to destroy your reputation," the grand duke’s butler said from behind him.

Grand Duke Freindor thought for a moment, then walked outside.

"That is also what I have in mind and the only thing that comes to mind right now. We must calm the uproar first," he said, his expression filled with anger.

Later, while the city was still in turmoil over the revelations about the devils’ hideouts and the suspected connection between the grand duke and the devils, the grand duke himself finally made an official statement.

He denied any connection with the devils and claimed that everything the people had heard about him and the devils was a lie or a fabricated story meant to smear his name. He told the populace that this might be the work of someone who wanted his downfall, or perhaps part of a larger conspiracy meant to conceal something far greater.

Those who heard the grand duke’s words understood that he was referring to the imperial family. It was true that the ones who would benefit most from this situation were them.

After all, the grand duke, who had the highest chance of becoming the next ruler with strong support from many, would instantly fall. No matter how popular someone was, once they were linked to the devils, they were finished.

However, not everyone immediately believed what Grand Duke Freindor said. Many chose to wait and observe how the situation developed. With the information spreading and uncertainty rising, no one wanted to stand on the wrong side.

Then, only a few hours later, another piece of information released, causing yet another uproar—one that would ignite fury across the empire and direct it toward Grand Duke Freindor and the opposition faction.