Chapter 317 Test of Loyalty
<A few days later, Elysia's POV>
The days afterward had been rather uneventful. After inheriting Alice's power and gaining myself a new companion, there wasn't much for me to do. I bumped into Teivel a few times when exploring the mansion and it was clear from his expression that he wasn't fond of me.
Me coming out of the dungeon must have ruined some kind of plan of his, which has resulted in me getting followed everywhere I go. I hadn't seen who it was, but I kept catching glimpses of them, not to mention I could often vaguely sense their mana from somewhere behind me.
Even in my room, there was no longer any privacy during the day, making it hard for me to teach Alice without it being suspicious. It also made it hard for Yumi to relax since, if she was caught, it would likely mean her death.
'Maybe I should deal with them just so that they are out of the way.' I really wanted to turn around and grab whoever it was by the neck, but then I risked angering Teivel. Something just needed to happen soon, otherwise I'll end up doing something stupid.
"Elysia."
As I was making my way back to my room, Teivel called out my name, which was unexpected. He had stayed away from me and avoided saying a single word until now.
"Yes grandfather?" I turn around to face him, but my face meets his chest. Teivel stood uncomfortably close and I almost attacked him out of instinct because of it. I had even started conjuring up a flame before stopping myself just a moment before it appeared, but from the twitching of his lips he clearly noticed my reaction.
"Come with me." Leaving no time to even ask a single question, he teleported us with his flames.
We appeared atop a rooftop in the underground city, getting a great view of some sort of fight that was taking place below us. A ragged black haired kitsune was being tackled to the ground by a few other male Kitsune. From what I could gather, it seemed like they were catching a food thief.
"I want you to deal with this criminal." Giving me only one instruction, it was clear he was testing me for something.
"Do you want me to punish him? It seems like they have it under control." I wanted more clarity on what my role was, as I didn't see a point in stepping in. The man was already captured and from the looks of things, he was about to be beaten up.
"Do what you think the Queen of the Dahlia's should do." Teivel gave me a cold glare and I took that as a warning not to ask any more questions. His answer though was enough to clue me in about the kind of response he is looking for.
'Looks like it's time for my ruthless queen act.' Gazing down at the people below, I quickly thought of what I wanted to say.
"Bastard! Stealing our food! It's hard enough to bring food back for everyone and here you are stealing it for yourself!" One of the Kitsune was scolding the man for his actions, which confirmed my assumptions.
"Halt!" Wanting to get everyone's attention, I yelled from the roof, causing everyone to look up. In my head, I envisioned myself walking down some fiery stairs, but I wasn't sure if I could even create a solid platform out of fire.
So instead of embarrassing myself, I hopped off the roof and gracefully landed in front of the apprehended man. There were some confused looks, which I imagine was because they had no idea who I was. However, there was a clear disparity in clothing between us so they understood I was someone important.
"My name is Elysia Dahlia and I see we have a filthy crinimal here." As soon as I said my name, the people watching began to whisper in disbelief.
"The lost daughter?"
"She has returned?"
"Wasn't she pronounced dead?"
There were many questions about my existence, which was no doubt part of the reason for this test.
"You two sit him up." I glared at the two kitsune that were holding the thief to lift him up from the ground so he could make eye contact with me. They hesitated to listen to my orders at first, but it didn't take them long to cave in. After all, if I were the real deal, then defying me meant antagonizing the Dahlia family.
Once the thief was upright, I conjured up my blood red flame, causing an audible gasp from everyone around me. I assumed my flames were proof of my heritage, dispelling any doubts they may have had.
"Now tell me thief, why shouldn't I burn you alive right here and now?" I planned to burn him to ashes regardless, but I wanted to give a sense of false hope. Teivel seemed to be the type to play with their food before getting rid of them, so this should be an enjoyable watch for him.
"B-because I was hungry… I HAD NO CHOICE. YOUR DAMN FAMILY DOES NOTHING FOR US!!! WE SUFFER WHILE YOU LIVE LAVISHLY IN THAT MANSION OF YOURS!!!"
Something had clearly snapped inside of this man. Strangely enough, a quick glance tells me that people are living fine here, but I guess not everyone is as fortunate.
*Sigh* "Step away you two." Knowing what was about to happen, the kitsune shoved the thief to the ground and quickly backed off. With a click of my fingers, the thief combusted into red flames as I absorbed his life essence.
Under normal circumstances, I would have just let the guy go, but I had no room to be nice.
Taking a quick look around, I saw many people cower in fear while others bowed down in hopes that they wouldn't be next on the menu. While I had no intention to cause any more harm, I still held my cold stare until I was teleported away by Teivel.
'I really need to learn how he does it. There is no way our flames alone can teleport someone, there must be some trick to it.' Being able to quickly teleport to other places was a really handy tool, but I wouldn't even know where to begin to learn it.
"It seems like my doubts were unfounded. Maybe it is indeed the Queen's will that you are to take over the throne." Appearing inside Teivel's office, he stood with his back turned to me.
"Why else would I come back if I weren't here to join the family?" It frustrated me that I had to play along with wanting to be part of the family, but it was a necessary act in order to avenge my parents.
"You make a good point. It was almost too good to be true, but then again, miracles can still happen." Judging from the tone, it really seemed like Teivel was convinced I'm here to stay.
'All going according to plan so far.' If things keep up like this soon I'll be able to inherit grandfather's knowledge only to use it against him, as well as annihilate everyone connected to my bloodline.
"So, when am I going to rule this place? Surely that was the point of that little test back then, wasn't it?" Taking a gamble on the forward approach, I hoped that it wouldn't backfire.
"Ha! You sound just like your grandmother did when we inherited the throne." I hit perfectly with my gamble, now all that was left was confirmation.
"Starting tomorrow, I will teach you how I rule this place as well as some of the magical techniques that have been passed down. However, this does not mean that you can relax. I still do not fully trust that you are here in good faith, but if you can prove me wrong and beat me, then this place is yours to command." Teivel faced me with a crazy smile, which served as a warning, but also showing some true acceptance, finally welcoming me back into the family for real.
'Now I know where I get my smile from.'
"Sounds like a challenge. I'm sure it won't be long until I take over everything." It seems continuing my bold remarks served to amuse Teivel.
"Just wait and see what kind of training I will put you through. It took me years to learn everything, so don't think it will be handed to you on a silver platter." Little does he know I have a system that literally lets me cheat. It made me excited to see the shocked expression on his face when I master all the skills in only a matter of a few weeks.
'Fufu~ I'm going to have so much fun toying with him before I finally kill him.' It was difficult holding back my urge to kill Teivel so far. Now though, those thoughts were easily eclipsed as I hyped myself to crush this challenge and then kill him with the very skills he taught me.
"I'll be sure to work hard and learn as much as I can, grandfather."
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