NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48: Greed
With his goal met, a sinister smile appeared on his aged face. He was prepared for a long extended fight pressuring Ysera to surrender the command of the army with the other elders, but in the end, it wasn't necessary.
After stroking the jade medallion with his hands to feel its texture, confirming that the medallion was indeed authentic, he let out a laugh, showing a complete one hundred and eighty degree change in his attitude.
"Ysera, I am glad that you understand the hardship that the elders are facing. We are worried sick for the members of the clan that are under the threat of the goblins. I commend you for the sacrifice that you are making for the clan. Ultimately, we all strive for the interests of the clan."
"Yes. What a wise girl."
"Good going Ysera. I'm glad that you have realised your mistake and reflected on it."
"I'm sure that your father will be proud of your actions, Ysera."
Instantly after the Brugvun elder complimented Ysera, the other elders that were in cahoots with him followed suit and praised her as well. Under the pretense of having the interests of everyone, they shamelessly committed such a hideous deed.
Their unsightly greed reminded Venn of the politicians in real life. Everything from their hypocritical actions and words was the same and it truly disgusted Venn.
After getting the command of the entire Oni army, the Brugvun elder began pushing his luck in an attempt to quench his insatiable appetite. With his sheepish eyes, he demanded more from Ysera.
"Now that we got that matter out of the way, let's discuss more about how we shall be dealing with the goblins. Ysera, as you know, after we clear out the goblins from our land, you will be marrying Nigen and be his wife. In view of that, I want you to concentrate on the upcoming wedding, and hand over the command of the Shuten family troops to Nigen. I trust that you will support your future husband for the upcoming battle, right?"
Ysera was biting hard on her teeth and clenching her fists when she heard Nigyo Brugvun's unreasonable demand. The Shuten family troops are mainly composed of the family members, and are part of the family's assets. Being one of the largest families in the clan, their military might was the reason why the Shuten family had a voice in the clan, at least before the striking of the tragedy that involved his father. Thus, Nigyo Brugvun's request was akin to him asking Ysera to defang the Shuten family.
She had already relinquished her control of the military. Why isn't it enough? Ysera was crushed.
Unquestionably, the Shuten family would never agree to it. And as a matter of fact, Ysera's granny was the first one to object.
"Enough, old fart! I would advise you to stop while you are winning. The Shuten family had done its part, sending our men to be part of the main force. What's left of the Shuten troops are none of your concern, so keep your dirty paws away. Remember, the clan is still run by the Shuten family!" Her voices echoed loudly in the tent, and as it did so, a wave of invisible pressure was released with her being in the epicenter of it.
Venn could feel the immense pressure as well. Being near the epicenter, the suffocating pressure he was feeling was multiple times more than the others. The deadly pressure was applying an immense force on him and crushing him from the top down, his knees were on the verge of buckling, but he managed to stand his ground. Rather than the immense pressure, it was the fact that Ysera had used him for her own aim that crushed his body and soul.
Along with the words that were said by the Shuten granny, Venn found the last piece of the puzzle and started assembling them. After hearing snippets of the conversations of everyone, he had finally figured out the background of the Oni Clan.
He was just a mere chess pawn in the grand scheme of things.
Along with the death of Ysera's father, the patriarch, the Shuten family suffered a great loss and had its position in the clan threatened by the Brugvun family. It was possible that a large portion of the so-called Shuten family troops perished in the battle against the goblins as well.
Sensing that it was an opportunity to devour the Shuten family, the Brugvun family started forming an alliance with the other families. Using the excuse of the elders' meetings to formulate future plans against the goblins, they were going to pressure Ysera to hand over the jade medallion that could commend the entire army of the Oni, something they were terribly afraid of.
Ysera was extremely intelligent to see through their plans and refused to attend any of the meetings that they held. Sending the Shuten granny as representative every time, she managed to delay the meetings until today. Although the Shuten granny came to the meetings, the jade medallion was not with her. Most likely because after the death of the Patriarch, the medallion would be passed down to his successor, in which case happened to be Ysera.
With the decision of launching a war against the goblins eight days later, Ysera could not delay in attending the meeting any further. That was the ultimate time that the elders had given Ysera to respond. Any longer, and it would force their hands, making a civil war likely to happen.
Thus, she handed over the medallion to the elders and gave up her control of the military. Venn was unsure what she had planned after doing so, but it most likely would involve him.
If the Oni clan loses to the goblins, the Oni would face total annihilation. On the other hand, if the Oni wins, the Shuten family would cease to exist as well as it would be devoured by the Brugvun family. Either way, there would be no way out for Ysera and the Shuten family in both scenarios.
And that was why Ysera offered her body to him and promised to be his wife. As an outsider that knows nothing, he was the perfect scapegoat.
Even though it was only his conjecture, he doubted that the truth would differ much from it.