Free Web NovelChapter 566: 566:Drag Down Those Vermins
Lyria slowly turned her head, and her calm expression now carried a faint seriousness while her eyes met his.
"And if even one of us moves," she said quietly, "the entire world will be pulled into it."
Micheal gave a slight nod, and his face hardened.
"That is exactly the problem," he replied.
"This balance is fragile, and once it breaks, it will not stop."
The room fell silent again, and the weight of those words lingered in the air while the calm surroundings felt heavier than before.
After a moment, Lyria spoke again, and this time her voice carried a colder edge.
"This is not a mortal war," she said.
Micheal looked at her with a slight frown.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Lyria stepped away from the balcony slowly, and her steps were measured while her gaze sharpened.
"A war at this scale does not happen without support," she said. "Not like this."
She paused briefly, and her eyes carried a deeper meaning as she continued.
"I am sure some of them have gotten involved, and they are using this as an opportunity to farm."
Micheal’s expression changed slightly as he heard that, and a faint tension appeared in his eyes while his posture stiffened.
"You mean... them?" he asked.
Lyria gave a small nod, and her face remained composed.
"Yes," she replied.
Her voice stayed calm, but the implication behind her words felt heavy.
"If they have truly stepped in, then this war is no longer about territory or revenge," she continued.
"It’s just a war of personal gain."
Micheal remained silent for a moment, and his thoughts moved quickly as he tried to process everything while his gaze lowered slightly.
"Then the situation is worse than we thought," he said.
Lyria did not deny it, and instead she let out a faint breath.
"It is, but what can we do? Even the parties involved know this, but they can’t help but step into it even after knowing that this is a trap," she replied quietly.
Her gaze shifted again toward the distance beyond the balcony, and her expression remained calm, yet there was a trace of heaviness in her eyes.
"We are just starting to see it clearly now."
The room fell into silence once more, and the peaceful surroundings did nothing to ease the tension that had settled between them.
Because both of them knew that what was coming next might not be something anyone could easily stop, and even standing still might not keep them out of it for long.
The silence inside the chamber lingered for a few more moments after their discussion ended, and the faint sound of wind brushing past the balcony curtains was the only thing that could be heard.
Then Queen Lyria finally spoke again.
"What about the traitors?" she asked quietly, and although her voice remained calm, there was a faint coldness hidden beneath it while her eyes shifted toward Micheal.
Hearing that, a faint smile slowly formed on Micheal’s lips as he straightened his posture slightly and tightened his grip over the staff in his hand.
"Do not worry, Your Majesty," he replied calmly.
"We have already rooted them out."
His eyes slowly turned colder as he continued speaking.
"Those vermin dared to bite the hands that fed them."
A faint killing intent flashed through the chamber for just a brief second before disappearing once again, but the air already felt colder than before.
"They needed to be cleaned."
Lyria listened silently, and after a moment she gave a small nod, but her expression slowly darkened while a deep scowl formed on her face.
She hated it.
She hated this kind of internal corruption more than open enemies.
An enemy outside the walls could at least be fought openly, but betrayal from within only poisoned everything slowly while tearing apart trust piece by piece.
Her fingers tightened slightly behind her back as disappointment flashed through her eyes.
"At times like this..." she said softly while lowering her gaze faintly, "even our own people begin looking for ways to profit from chaos."
There was clear disappointment in her voice, and even the calm atmosphere inside the chamber felt heavier because of it.
Micheal remained silent and did not interrupt her.
He already understood her feelings well.
For the elves, loyalty toward their homeland was valued above almost everything else, and seeing nobles secretly cooperating with outsiders during such a dangerous period was something difficult to tolerate.
"The war outside is already enough," Lyria continued quietly while turning toward the balcony once more.
"And yet greed still blinds them."
A cold breeze entered through the balcony again and caused the curtains to sway gently while strands of her silver hair moved slightly in the wind.
Micheal lowered his head slightly before speaking again. freewebnøvel.com
"Their families and connections are already under investigation," he reported calmly.
"Anyone tied to them will be watched carefully."
Lyria stayed silent for a moment after hearing that, and then her eyes slowly narrowed while a colder expression appeared on her face.
"Also, I want you to weed them out and punish them so brutally to the point that those who are having afterthoughts will feel their skin crawling in fear."
A dense killing intent suddenly radiated from her body, and even the surrounding mana in the chamber became unstable for a brief moment.
"I want you to skin them alive and set an example out of them. I don’t care who they are, whether noble elves, merchants, or others. Whatever they are, I need you to chop them thoroughly."
Her voice remained calm while saying those cruel words, but that calmness only made it feel even colder.
Micheal’s expression did not change much after hearing her order, and he simply lowered his head respectfully.
"Just leave it to us, Your Highness."
Lyria closed her eyes briefly after hearing that, and the killing intent around her slowly faded away.
"Make sure innocent people are not dragged into this carelessly," she said after a moment.
Even now, she did not wish for fear to spread recklessly among her people.
Micheal nodded immediately.
"As you command."
The chamber fell silent once more, but this time the silence felt colder than before.
Because both of them understood clearly that when the world began collapsing from the outside, the rot hidden within often became just as dangerous.
