Reborn As Noble

Chapter 1293: Collapse of Pride ( 1293 )

Gracelle sat on the floor, watching Mimi being chased around by Delya, and a soft smile spread across her lips.

How wonderful all of Javier-sama’s future wives are...

Especially Liana. Despite how scary she can be, she still takes care of me, making sure everything is fine and perfect for my recovery. And Gloria, with her teasing but warm nature. Felicia, so graceful and composed. Mimi, so playful and carefree. And Delya, so sweet and passionate about the little things.

They’re all so different, yet they all care for each other... and for me.

She kept smiling as she watched Mimi easily evade Delya’s grasping hands, darting around with feline grace, her laughter echoing through the hallway.

Her eyes drifted down and landed on a single dark piece lying near her, a small, heart-shaped piece of chocolate.

She swallowed hard.

So this is the sweet they call chocolate...

The one the demon princess loves so much.

Seeing Mimi eat one earlier, her face lighting up with pure bliss, made Gracelle’s curiosity grow.

I really want to try it.

Her hand slowly reached out toward the chocolate piece on the floor.

But before her fingers could touch it, a faster hand snatched it away, popping it into a mouth and chewing it with exaggerated delight right in front of her.

”Ah-ah~ No, no, nya!” Mimi squatted in front of her, wiggling her finger. ”No, no~ Husband-sama will be mad if something happens to you because of this, nya~”

”Mimi! Don’t you dare run!” Delya called out, still chasing after her.

”Eheheh! Chiaw!” Mimi saluted playfully before darting away again, laughing as she continued her mischievous escape.

Meanwhile...

Amazarak Fallen Nation.

Inside one of the buildings.

Vane sat in the throne room, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, his posture calm and composed, yet radiating an unspoken authority. He adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the dim light of the room.

Gorak and Jaigar stood rigidly in front of his huge desk, their gazes fixed downward, unable to meet his eyes. The air in the room was heavy with tension, making every breath feel shallow.

”So, Gorak...”

”Y... yes, Sir Vane...” Gorak swallowed hard, still staring at the polished surface of the desk, his fingers twitching nervously at his sides.

”I heard from Falce about what happened during your mission to gather intelligence,” Vane began, his voice calm but edged with a cold, measured tone. ”You were tasked with gathering information on safe passage through Armand, correct? And you were to negotiate with a source for that information.”

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses.

”You found a source of information, a traveler who knew the routes through the Elven Nation and into Armand. He gave you the details you needed, the name of a guide, the safe passage, everything.”

He paused, letting the silence stretch.

”And yet, you chose not to honor the deal. You paid him with copper coins instead of silver, insulted him, and then tried to hunt him down when he humiliated you in front of the dwarves.”

Gorak remained silent, his jaw clenched, unable to form a single word in his defense.

Vane leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping. ”Do you realize what you’ve done? You had a valuable source of information, someone who could have provided us with more intel in the future. But instead of securing that relationship, you burned it. You made an enemy out of someone who could have been an asset.”

He paused, his eyes narrowing.

”And now, because of your arrogance, we have lost a potential ally. Worse, that traveler now knows we are interested in Armand. If he has any connections there, he could warn them. You may have compromised our entire operation. Your actions were not just a failure, they were a liability.”

Vane slammed his fist on the table, the sharp sound echoing through the room, yet his face remained calm, a cold smile curling on his lips.

”So tell me, Gorak. What should we do if this Silver Armor guy informs the guide about your behavior, your arrogance, and your failed deal? How are we going to investigate Armand now? Hmm?”

Vane gave Gorak a sharp glare before leaning back on the throne, his voice dripping with cold mockery.

”Tell me, Gorak! What should I inform Supreme Leader Julius about this? Or better yet, what should I tell our Supreme Goddess? Huh? That her chosen hero failed a simple negotiation? That he let his pride ruin a valuable intelligence opportunity?”

”I... I...” Gorak stammered, his mind racing but unable to find any excuse or justification for his actions.

Vane shook his head slowly, his voice dripping with contempt. ”Why couldn’t you use your brain for a moment? Why couldn’t you think of the consequences? Why couldn’t you see beyond your own pride? You were given a simple task, and you turned it into a disaster.”

He turned his gaze toward Jaigar.

”And you, Jaigar.”

”Y... yes, Sir Vane...” Jaigar stiffened, his voice barely above a whisper.

”You were entrusted by Goddess Rafazelia herself to prepare this base for our invasion. And what have you accomplished? The base is barely functional. The prisoners were starving and exhausted. There was no system for resource management, no plan for sustainability, nothing. You focused on meaningless cruelty and shortsighted pleasure rather than the long-term success of our mission.”

He paused, his eyes cold behind his glasses.

”Tell me, Jaigar, how do you plan to explain your failures to your goddess? That you wasted time, squandered resources, and nearly crippled our operations before they even began? If I were to report this to her, do you think she would be pleased?”

Jaigar’s face paled as he dropped to his knees, his voice trembling with desperation. ”Please, Sir Vane! Don’t report this to my goddess! I swear I’ll follow your orders from now on! I’ll do whatever you say! Just give me another chance!”

Gorak stood frozen, his body trembling before his legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees, his voice shaking with fear. ”Please... don’t tell Julius... I’ll do anything... just don’t let him know...”

Vane glanced at them coldly before turning his gaze toward Gorak’s remaining girls, Valcrea, Noji, and Zume, who stood rigidly in the corner of the room. His aura flared, pressing down on them with an invisible weight.

”And you three,” Vane said, his voice sharp. ”Falce told me everything. How you mocked her, threatened her, and treated her like she was disposable. You are chosen people, selected to support your assigned hero, and yet you failed to maintain unity within your own party. You let your arrogance and cruelty drive away your most valuable support.”

He paused, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses.

”Perhaps I should inform the Supreme Goddess that you three are failures, unable to fulfill even the most basic duty of supporting your hero. Perhaps she should reassign you to less... important roles.”

Valcrea’s eyes widened as she dropped to her knees, followed by Noji and Zume, their heads bowed low.

”Please, Sir Vane!” Valcrea’s voice was low, trembling with fear. ”Spare us! We promise to behave and do better in the future! We’ll follow every order without question!”

( End Of Chapter )