Uproar within the Empire

Nicola took from the space ring the bodies of hundreds of demon flies that attacked his territory and showed them. In addition, he also took Emanuel himself out of the prison in which he was in his spatial artefact.

The man seemed to have aged a lot in the short time he was trapped, in his body the black veins that had taken over his body could still be seen. "He attacked me with two more men from his family, both of whom were killed by me and their bodies destroyed."

Nicola told the whole story, revealed an aura of fury and an intention to kill inside the tent, but in front of two gold-level powerhouses these auras were soon suppressed. "If you check his body you will find proof of that."

Rhicina created a space barrier around Nicola, trapping him inside it before telling him to calm down. She then took the beacon out of her clothes, the stone not only shone but moved towards Emanuel lying on the floor, confirming the presence of demonic blood, and blood of a high rank apparently.

Nicola had been trapped in a space bubble so that his lineage would not interfere with the reading of the beacon, and he was soon released again. Rhicina inspected Emanuel's body in search of something to then raise her eyebrows in astonishment while making apear in front of them a spatial sealing sphere containing a worm, a fly larva that was inside the body of the Balta Family Head.

"I think this is more than enough proof, this way you can get law enforced acess to search his rooms. He told me that his master was Mantael, the Lord of the flies," Nicola said as well.

"Certainly this is great news, noble blood siding with demons, it looks like we have a few mice among us." Rhicina said. If there was anyone more angry than she on this subject, it was Scar, after all he knew the patriarch of the Balta Family, a good and just man who fought firmly on the front lines and would now have his name tarnished because of his filthy descendants. He made sure that enought will to hold himself and not to execute the traitor on the spot.

"I certainly know why he attacked you, Nicola. I remember that day as well," she said.

"With this two, I don't owe you any more help." Nicola replied a little dryly.

Rhicina knew Nicola's temper and didn't bother to answer. "Get ready to come back Scar, we have a long job to do, let's unearth the secrets of the Balta Family." She said opening a portal back to the army headquarters, after all this situation should be reported before the actions were taken, she carried the old and fragile dying Emanuel, the worm and the dead flies there. "Ah! One more question, where are you going now that your base has been destroyed ?"

Nicola shrugged. "I don't know either, but I don't intend to stay close to your political games again until it is time to complete the mission. So I'm leaving." Nicola told her, turning on her back and leaving the tent.

Rhicina looked at Nicola's back with curiosity, any other person would tremble in fear in front of her, after all even if ti was General Scar, she was capable of frightening. But the demon fox was not afraid of her, a smile formed in the corner of her mouth as she turned to look at the old man on the floor. The smile turned to a frown when she kicked him into the portal.

The following days became an uproar within the Empire, the Balta Family was invaded by the army and the rotten were found. Emanuel under the influence of hypnotic potions confessed everything he did, the atrocities and the people he killed. When he regained consciousness he screamed with rage and despair, rumors say that his screams could be heard throughout the City of Balta.

The demonic circle was found and destroyed, a witch hunt was formed among the lower noble families in an attempt to find other traitors to the Empire, after all two more families were found who were secretly serving the demons.

Their heads of household and those involved were publicly executed as an example and their heads were stuck in stakes in front of the imperial palace. The families involved in the betrayal lost their titles of nobility and their lands were confiscated by the emperors again.

These actions generated buzz and fear in people, commoners thought that any disappearance meant the work of demons and quickly activated the army, generating panic within the cities.

...

On a small road that cut through the forest there was a tree with a loophole in it, in that hole could be found a small bead of hair engraved with the image of a fox with nine tails. Nicola and the others were inside, gathered around a table inside the tower that existed in the spatial artifact.