The minotaurs have declared war?

Minotaurs were notorious for being difficult to deal with and could pose a serious problem, especially if they were here to make demands.

As we approached the envoy, Skarz took the lead, his chest puffed up in pride. "I am Skarz, honored son of the great Fenghis Rhan, ruler of the Andarbani territory," he declared, his voice booming with honorifics as he gestured to the other minotaurs surrounding him.

I couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, causing Skarz to glare at me with animosity. "What business does a lowly human have here?" he demanded, his tone laced with disdain.

But as he sensed my mana, his expression shifted, surprise and curiosity flickering across his features. "Your power is off the charts," he muttered, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed me more closely.

Then, he saw Serena holding hands with me, and his suspicions were confirmed. "You are the village head," he said, his voice ringing clear with an air of pride.

I cleared my throat, ready to introduce myself, but Skarz cut me off. "How can a scrawny human child be the leader of a monster village?" he sneered, his words dripping with condescension.

But before I could respond, Fasit and Serena came to my defense, their voices ringing out in unison. "Watch the way you speak to our lord," they warned, their expressions fierce as they faced off with Skarz.

To my surprise, the minotaur envoy backed down, his pride momentarily wounded.

It seemed like Skarz had a lot to learn about the art of diplomacy, after all.

As Skarz's entourage retreated back a bit, I took a deep breath, ready to introduce myself as the village head, finally.

But before I could even utter a single word, Skarz shook his head disapprovingly, his gruff voice ringing out with disdain. "A human child as a village head? I still find that hard to believe," he scoffed, his eyes darkened with suspicion.

I glanced over at Serena, and she squeezed my hand reassuringly. "It's alright, my lord. Just tell him who you are," she whispered, her voice filled with confidence.

I took a step forward, trying to regain control of the situation. "I am Lumiere, the village head, and this is my fiancée, Serena. The grygan beside me is Fasit, the chieftess of the evolved grygans," I introduced, my voice ringing out with authority.

Skarz's eyes widened in surprise as Mojito stepped up, his small frame barely reaching Skarz's waist. "It's all thanks to our great lord, Lumiere, that the grygans have evolved to high grygans," he boasted, his small muscles bulging in an attempt to intimidate Skarz.

Skarz sneered, clearly not impressed. "And how exactly did he manage to break the curse placed on the grygans?" he demanded, his eyes flickering with suspicion.

"He did it through kindness and care," I tried to explain, but Skarz wasn't having any of it.

"Don't be foolish," he spat, his tone condescending. "He is just trying to deceive you and make you his servants. He is the King of Curses, after all."

Serena's grip on my hand tightened, and I could feel the tension building as Fasit stood up to defend me. "Even if he was the devil himself, we would never turn our backs on him. Lord umiere and Lady Serena have been kind to us, healed us, and developed our village. They have done more for us than anyone else ever has or could," she declared, her voice almost trembling with emotion.

Serena couldn't have said it better herself, and I felt grateful for the support of my loyal followers.

But Skarz was clearly enraged, his chest heaving with fury. "You dare speak ill of the great Fenghis Rhan's son? I will not tolerate such disrespect. You will kneel before me and pay homage to the true lord of these lands," he bellowed, his eyes blazing with anger.

Fasit shook her head defiantly, her feathers ruffling in annoyance. "We will never bow down to someone who treats us like slaves. We have our own leader, and his name is Lumiere," she stated firmly.

Skarz's expression turned even darker as he drew out his sword, the sharp point glinting in the sunlight. "Very well, if you will not submit to my authority, I will have to force you to submit," he growled, brandishing the weapon in front of him.

I tensed, realizing that this could escalate into a deadly confrontation if I didn't act quickly. "Stay back, everyone. There's no need for violence," I called out, holding my hands up in a gesture of peace.

As Skarz lunged forward with his sword, the ground began to shake beneath our feet. Gasps and cries escaped my companions as they were pushed back by the shockwave of his powerful dash. Mojito tried to stop him, but Skarz easily overpowered him, sending him crashing to the ground like a ragdoll. I gripped myself tightly, ready to strike at any moment.

But suddenly, Serena stepped forward and took action.

She began to chant a spell, her voice low and melodic.

I watched in awe as she formed a shield made purely of mana and divine aura. [Divine Shield] she called it.

Her horns and bat-like wings appeared, a sight that left me speechless. I wish she'd hidden her divine and enchanting appearance.

The shield she created sent Skarz flying several meters away, crashing into a tree. His entourage and even Mojito and Fasit were frozen in shock at the sight of her.

—They had never seen a goddess that resembled a demon before.

Serena's eyes narrowed at Skarz. "How dare you try to harm Lord Lumiere! I ought to kill you here and now," she growled, her hand hovering over her sword.

I placed my hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "Serena, we can't resort to violence. Let's find another way," I said firmly, using my most commanding voice.

"What's the fifth rule on our <<Successful guide to living among humans>>?!" (Lumiere)

She hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. "You're right. We can't let our emotions get the best of us," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The fifth rule was - "Do not belittle anyone simply because you're stronger, tamper justice with mercy."

But the problem of the minotaurs still loomed ahead of us. We needed to find a way to protect ourselves and our people without resorting to violence.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

[POV: Omniscient Akashic Records]

Lumiere's eyes narrowed as the minotaurs and their envoy approached them again.

He felt that Serena's imposing form might get the message across to these ignorant and proud minotaurs.

Picking up Mojito from the ground, Lumiere used a bit of [Water Magic] to heal the small wound on his left arm. His anger simmered just beneath the surface as he still seethed over Skarz's actions. But he wore a calm face and asked Skarz what his actual reason for coming here was.

Skarz smirked, his arrogance unyielding. "I came to confirm if the village head was indeed a King of Curses. Now that I know, there's no need for any peaceful transactions," he said, his tone mocking.

Lumiere's confusion was short-lived as Skarz's next words hit him like a ton of bricks. "In three days, the minotaurs will bring war upon the grygans," he said with a twisted grin.

Suddenly, all sound disappeared, leaving a great silence in its place.

Lumiere's eyes turned from amethyst to a flaming red, a sight that left even the Grygans around him moving back in fear. They had never seen their village chief in such a way before.

The thick stream of energy emanating from Lumiere made everyone feel his mana pressurizing them to an almost mortifying extent.

"Repeat what you said," Lumiere's voice was cold and unfeeling, the redness in his eyes not fading for a moment.

The minotaurs began running back, but Skarz still stood there, feeling the full brunt of Lumiere's anger.

By this time, Serena had already returned to her human state, but she could feel the fear radiating from Lumiere. She didn't want to see him like this.

Fasit chimed in, "The redness in his eyes," she paused. "It's similar to the one we witnessed when Balrog cursed us." This made Serena's fear escalate as she wondered just how far Lumiere was willing to go when pushed to his limits.

The silence that enveloped everyone was deafening as they waited to see what Lumiere's next move would be. He continued to glare at Skarz, his threatening eyes sending shivers down everyone's spine.

--- Status ---

Name: Lumiere Venrite

Race: Human

Age: 18 Y/O

Titles: The fifteenth child, The eleventh son, Naturally dead, Bastard child, Integrator, All-Fatherʼs courtier, Business man, Meld Master, Prodigy, Savior of the Grygans, Lord of the Grygans, King of Curses.

Class: High Mage

Physical Strength: 28/28

MP: 25,000/25,000

Magic Arts:「Unlocked Elemental Series — [Fire Magic] (Rank B), [Wind Magic] (Rank B), [Earth Magic] (Rank B), [Water Magic] (Rank A)」, [Plant Magic] (Rank B), [Summoning Magic] (Rank S+), [Purification Magic] (Rank SSS+), 「Unlocked Curse Series — [Curse Fire Magic] (Rank E), [Curse Wind Magic] (Rank E), [Curse Water Magic] (Rank D), [Curse Earth Magic] (Rank E), [Curse Plant Magic] (Rank E)」.

Magic Skills: Integral Skill [Appraisal] (Rank C) | Additional Skills: [Lung Master] (Rank D), [Status Modification] (Rank SSS+), [Enhanced Stamina] (Rank D), [Poison Resistance] (Rank C), [Magic Detect] (Rank A), [Element Merger] (Rank B), [Mana Pressure] (Rank A) | Unique Skills: [Beginner's Luck] | Curse Skill: [Fire Demon's Curse].

Sacred Benefaction: All-Fatherʼs Crest of Guidance.