Chapter 164: Chapter 33: Suggesting Satan Ye Not to Learn

How could one describe Yila as a person? This had to be explained from many different angles… In the eyes of the little fairies, Yila was naturally a kind person, a great pastry chef, and a wonderful person.

In Satan Ye’s eyes, he was a great teacher, a friend of his father, and the savior of the Demon King Territory… In the eyes of other leaders, it might be similar, just changing from ‘teacher’ to ‘colleague.’

In the eyes of Little Demons and goblins, he was a great person… of course, those who should be afraid would still be afraid.

These were all good descriptions…

Then, in the eyes of the Empire’s Noble Faction nobles, what kind of image did Yila have? Actually, it varied, for example… powerful but hateful, a cruel guy, an indifferent monster, and the like.

However, they all had somewhat negative impressions… Were these impressions really baseless slanders? And where did Yila’s nickname “Cruel Blood Witch” come from?

Was it given to him by other magicians with a rebellious streak? There might be some truth to that, but considering the nature of magicians, if Yila had always been a kind and friendly figure, his nickname would have been something more cordial.

Like “Blood-colored Mage,” for instance.

…

But that was all in the past. What needed to be known now was… Yila really resented people with simple minds trying to complicate matters, which could be tolerated in the Empire, but now his opponents were posturing and playing tricks.

Moreover, Yila also hated others blocking his path… not in a physical sense. If others didn’t block his way, it wouldn’t matter if they acted like jesters. But if they did block his way,

and also acted like jesters,

then they were really asking for death…

“Speak, why didn’t you pay tribute on time?”

Yila said flatly, pressing the half-demon leader down with one foot, pinning him firmly to the ground, facing Satan Ye obsequiously. He asked, “Don’t tell me it was just for fun?”

In response, the half-demon leader named Somjet struggled on the ground in humiliation. But because his legs were already broken, under the dual influence of physical and pain factors, he couldn’t sit up despite Yila not using much force.

And it was at this moment that everyone… whether half-demons or other leaders, realized that the side of Yila rarely shown was not ‘brutality,’ but ‘cruelty.’ It was evident he was not angry.

The World Spell on Yila’s neck remained purely black… proving he was not angry at all.

It was sheer indifference, a disdain for life. It seemed he never considered others’ lives as important, as if he were stepping on a bug rather than a living half-demon.

This was an expression of his cruel nature… However, the usual kindness he showed was not a facade, but rather the complexity of Yila’s character.

Cruel yet gentle, indifferent yet kind.

“I just… wanted to negotiate.”

Pressed heavily to the ground, the half-demon leader said, struggling, “The Half-demon Territory earns a lot, the current taxes… are too high.”

Ah, so that’s it…

Because the revenue base was large, the amount of gold coins needed to be paid would increase proportionally. Not satisfied with the ten-percent tax rate, he wanted to negotiate for lower taxes, right? So, just this?!

*Sigh, so troublesome… No negotiations, idiot!*

Yila said this, sighing, and casually moved his foot away… Reducing taxes was out of the question. If taxes were reduced, it would have to be done for all territories, not just the Half-demon Territory.

Just for such a reason, he went through such trouble to stage a spectacle, only to end up killing himself. Did he really think his actions were cool?

Under the icy gazes of Yila and the other leaders, the half-demon leader lowered his head, lost in thought… To be honest, Yila had seen such attempts to hide their true thoughts far too often.

Moreover, judging from Satan Ye’s actions, she was also very aware of what would happen next.

“Go f…”

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the half-demon leader suddenly lunged with his broken leg, slowly thrusting a hidden dagger towards Satan Ye’s direction, only to be speared in the shoulder and pinned to the floor by Lodya at the front.

“Splat~”

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Blood spurted out… The half-demon leader started coughing.

…

“How should we handle this?”

Lodya asked, first looking towards Yila, then at Satan Ye, saying, “Attempting to attack His Highness the Demon King should count as a capital offense.”

However, Satan Ye, who was sitting idly in her chair, casually swished her tail and swung her legs in the air, said, “He’s too dumb for me to feel any anger… Mr. Yila, what do you think?”

Yila shook his head helplessly, looking at the writhing and struggling half-demon on the floor. He waved his hand, saying, “Kill him. There’s nothing in his heart but hatred, not an ounce of loyalty.”

Upon hearing Yila’s words, the half-demon’s face instantly twisted. He tried to hide his resentment, but… out of sheer terror, his face contorted comically.

“Yes!”

“Boom!!!”

With the knight spear crashing down, the last thing the half-demon leader saw was the spear growing ever larger. His head exploded into fragments in the great hall.

“Hmm… a farce.”

Yila commented, walking nonchalantly, every step seemingly treading on the hearts of the half-demon guards and the impostor half-demon leader. He casually picked up the book Somjet had been holding earlier.

The book was titled From the Strongest Lord to the Demon God; it seemed to be another fantasy novel… Previously, the Lizardman Lord also enjoyed similar novels. These lords might have been led astray by such novels?

Thinking this, Yila, under everyone’s gaze, in this stillness, simply walked behind the fake lord who dared not breathe audibly and said nonchalantly, “The weather hasn’t warmed up yet. Why are you sweating so much?”

“…”

“…”

“What’s your name? When I ask you a question… you answer.”

With Yila’s voice behind him, the counterfeit half-demon leader, sweating profusely, stammered, “My name is Serus, I’m… Lord Somjet… no, Somjet’s brother.”

Yila squinted his eyes, smiled slightly as he recognized something in the half-demon’s gaze. He placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry anymore, Lord Somjet, the Serus who impersonated you has been killed… Now, let’s discuss the tribute.”

“…”

“…”

“Yila… no, Lord Yila, did you say I’m… Somjet?”

Half-demon Serus… no, the new half-demon leader, New*Somjet, said, pointing to himself in disbelief, yet showing an inexplicable joy on his face.

“Yes~”

Saying this lightly, Yila patted his shoulder encouragingly, adding, “Do a good job… The tribute remains at ten percent, and also repay the previous five quarters’ dues.”

Even though the betrayal began three quarters ago…

…

The crowd: For some reason, it feels incredibly sinister.

Satan Ye: Mr. Yila is so cool!