The tactic worked. The young minotaurs, confused by the situation, instantly erupted with rage the moment they saw their goddess Ines—who had selflessly comforted their loneliness night after night—now roughly bound and thrown to the ground. They surged forward, encircling her at the center, each determined to protect her. Some of the more hotheaded even raised their weapons, ready to attack Charles and his group.
Anno's hand immediately went to her sword, her expression taut with anxiety. This was exactly the scenario they had strategized against countless times—acting too rashly against Ines would spark exactly this kind of chaos.
But now, it was far too late for regrets. She silently resolved: if things got any worse, she would immediately ignite her Flametongue sword and carve a bloody path out of the crowd.
Ekta raised her hand as well, a Fireball ready to launch at a moment's notice. Nidalee's face was tight with worry, her gaze searching the distance for any sign of her father. At this point, she could only hope he arrived in time to defuse the crisis.
Adele, too, was filled with panic—utterly at a loss. The situation had spiraled far beyond her expectations. She had never thought she'd be exposed like this, and certainly hadn't imagined that triggering violence would lead to such disaster.
She had absolutely no idea how to handle things now, so her only choice was to turn a pleading look toward Charles and her mother.
Of everyone present, Charles seemed the least concerned. Theresa might worry for his safety, but Charles had complete confidence in her strength—he wasn't even a little afraid that things might go truly wrong.
He simply stood with arms folded, calmly watching Willo and Adele—curious how the mother and daughter would handle the crisis.
Facing the enraged and anxious minotaurs, Willo stepped boldly forward, spreading her arms wide as she called out loudly, "Everyone! Please calm down—just listen to me for a moment!"
"Ines is actually a fiend disguised as a minotaur, while the priest and his companions are here as our friends. They didn't come for war—they're here to cleanse this evil!"
"All of you have been deceived by Ines! You must wake up!"
Her voice rang out, the sincerity of her words and expression disorienting many. Some minotaurs with cooler heads started to doubt, but the impulsive majority—held in check only by her authority—still looked ready to charge at any moment.
In the distance, more alliance members were arriving—young and old, men and women, high-ranking and low, all converging: humans, half-orcs, werebears, minotaurs, and satyrs, though the minotaurs remained the most numerous.
Everyone's faces were filled with suspicion and doubt—until suddenly, a deep male voice rang out, "Ines Madam has always been so good to us—how could she be a fiend?! This is slander—Seinite lies!"
That struck a chord in the hearts of many minotaurs, who immediately exploded in angry rebuttal.
"This is slander!"
"Willo Matriarch, get out of the way and let me chop down that human!"
"We can't let the Seinites divide us again!"
...
Ines hurriedly squeezed out a few tears, putting on her most frightened, pitiful, and aggrieved face as she cast her gaze toward the young bull minotaurs standing nearby.
This look only added fuel to the fire. Under the beautiful woman's gaze, the young minotaurs' rationality crumbled.
"Everyone, please—just listen to me! Please trust my explanation!" Willo pleaded.
But clearly, the furious minotaurs were in no mood to listen. Another outbreak of violence seemed all but inevitable, and anyone could see that if things exploded, the Alliance of the Mountain Purifiers and Liberl Port would become sworn enemies forever.
In the back, Charles shook his head gently, sighing under his breath.
Then he let his sharp gaze wander to the rear of the crowd, picking out those with a distinct air of command—elder minotaurs and dignified matriarchs, whose long years in power needed no words to inspire respect.
Good. Most of them were here. Since Willo could not pacify the angry minotaurs, he would try another way to redirect their rage.
In truth, if only the minotaurs had been present, Charles might have been curious to see how a full-on battle would play out. But this was bigger—every kin was represented here, and at least three members of his own group clearly did not want a bloodbath.
First, Anno. She wanted to unite everyone against the demons, even though she personally despised the warmongers whose greed started wars.
Second, Theresa. She had just said last night that she hoped to see the satyrs all tamed into Charles's followers. If open war erupted now, that dream would shatter instantly.
Last, Nidalee. No matter what, her father still stood among those on the other side...
Charles could easily just step back, let everything fall apart and indulge his desire for revenge, but making the women who cared for him suffer was not something he wished to see.
So, better to calm the conflict here and now.
Having made up his mind, he strode forward, clapping his hands and calling out in a ringing voice, "Ines has abused her position to steal alliance resources and funnel them to the fiends—at a time when we've needed them most!"
Those words had a visible effect: a portion of the minotaurs calmed, while a handful of the older bulls started eying each other, calculating silently.
Not everyone had been seduced by lust. Even those who enjoyed Ines's company in bed had at times wondered—why is she so generous? Was she truly a saint?
The seeds of suspicion had been sown. Still, a few whispered doubts would never be enough to topple Ines and her hard-earned influence.
But this was only the beginning. Charles never expected one speech to bring her down. To truly destroy the image she'd created, the minotaurs themselves would need to voice the truth.
"You're just slandering!" a brash young minotaur hollered, determined not to believe Ines was a spy. "You're a liar from Liberl Port—nobody listen!"
At once, the crowd surged again, some reaching for the axes at their belts, ready to throw.
Willo's face went pale with fear—she threw her arm out to shield Charles, urgently motioning for him to step back. "Don't speak, please—let me calm them!"
But Charles ignored her, his own voice rising even higher, "Every accountant! Every treasurer! Directors—haven't you all noticed the gaps in the records?!"
"Isn't it true that ever since she showed up, the books stopped matching up all over the alliance? No matter how hard you looked, could you ever find the thieves who took your gear?"
He shouted himself hoarse, hoping to jolt the crowd's memory. "This is what succubi do! When they ravaged Liberl Port, this was their crime—stealing supplies and treasure. Maybe you didn't know, but we've seen all their tricks!"
"Everyone, really think—look at your accounts! Isn't it true?!"
Even in the heat of the moment, Anno blinked back surprise. The speech sounded awfully familiar...
A second later, realization dawned, and her eyes widened in shock.
Theresa caught on too, the corners of her mouth curving in a subtle smile as she let her prepared spell fade; she knew now that things would end in safety.
Only Ekta was still lost. She blinked, then turned to Nidalee: "Nidalee, why is he saying all that? Does it make any difference?"
Nidalee didn't really know, but forced herself to remain composed. "Just let it play out. You'll see."
Sure enough, as Charles's call echoed out, the wild crowd gradually started to settle. Some young minotaurs still looked ready to riot, but suddenly an older bull stabbed his finger in the air and shouted, "No wonder! Last month we were missing eight hundred gold pieces—must've been this succubus's doing!"
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