Chapter 175: Accusations and Proof
First, timing was essential.
Citing the need for further investigation through interviews, the Ministry decided to release only verified victims, just as the elven delegation arrived to meet Lord Karion.
It was a smart move, and it was also how the great dragon realized something strange: these elves might not have even known that some of their own people were missing.
Because when the delegation walked through the hall where families were reuniting, they barely reacted. They glanced around, but there was no concern or curiosity. They were even annoyed by the fact that it was delaying negotiations.
They simply followed their escort and talked among themselves as if the crowd of sobbing families and rescued victims was nothing more than background noise.
Then, during their meeting with Lord Karion, they spoke only of one thing: recovering the Moonveil Codex.
They insisted it had to be returned immediately. They spoke of irreversible effects, balance, sanctity, divine order—every possible word that made them sound responsible.
As if the dragons didn’t already know.
As if the elves were the only ones capable of safely hosting the Codex.
The truth was, the dragons had their own ways. They didn’t have a pedestal, but they could seal time around the artifact, freezing its existence from the moment Kael fished it out of that safehouse.
So no, they weren’t in any rush to hand it back.
And with Kael’s anger, even Lord Karion wasn’t about to return it arbitrarily.
Riley, on the other hand, tried to conveniently block out the part where Lady Cirila mentioned that the golden lizard had threatened to wreck the Codex if he didn’t wake up soon.
He felt a little too hot and could only cough lightly, pretending to focus. "So... what happened next, my lady?"
As expected, the delegation that failed even to meet Dragon Lord Kael or retrieve the Codex returned to their court full of righteous outrage.
Even now, Riley could imagine the uproar that must have followed.
__
Sure enough, just a day before the elves stormed the MBE, the Queen, who had learned about the survivors being reunited with their families, erupted.
Back at the elven palace, the delegates complained of the dragons’ "disrespect" and "uncooperative attitude."
They also complained and reasoned that they failed to proceed with any form of negotiation because Lord Karion was insisting that Kael and the MBE were too busy prioritizing rescued victims. So discussions about the Codex would have to wait.
However, instead of being frustrated like them by the situation, the delegates hadn’t expected their rulers to react in that manner.
Unbeknownst to them, the elven royals latched onto the words "rescued victims" instead of the news about the Codex.
Her masked face twisted, her voice sharp with fury.
"How dare you return with so little information?" she hissed. "You met with them, walked their halls, and yet you know nothing?"
The delegation flinched.
How and why would they know anything about the victims when they had been sent there for the Codex?
And why was everyone looking at them grimly when they simply did their jobs as told?!
"My Queen, please—" one of them stammered, bowing deeply. "We... we did overhear something. Some of the rescued spoke while reuniting with their families."
The Queen’s gaze snapped toward him. "And?"
"They said... they said they had been detained for years. That there were many of them at first, but every day they would lose someone. Then new ones would arrive. One even said that if the dragon lord hadn’t arrived when he did, someone would have been taken again the next day."
Another delegate hesitated before adding, "One man claimed he only lived because the kidnappers prioritized the use of children. They would always take the children first."
The chamber fell into uneasy silence.
The Elowen family members looked shocked. Some even rose to their feet, worry flashing in their eyes.
The Queen, in particular, had to be restrained because she was about to go out of control.
But a certain prince felt as though something was wrong.
There were already victims being reunited with their families, but how come they hadn’t heard anything about it? Were no elves rescued?
The delegates exchanged nervous glances, their confusion evident.
Rowan, standing beside his father, was the first to speak calmly. "What about a list?" he asked. "Surely, the Ministry has a record of the victims. We can cross-check for our own people."
"There is no list, my lord," one of the delegates admitted nervously. "We overheard the staff discussing it. They said the victims’ identities are being protected. It’s a privacy measure. But all those whose families had reported missing relatives were contacted privately to claim them."
"!!!"
Rowan turned to his father. Their eyes met.
Neither spoke the thought aloud, but both understood it instantly.
They would not get a call.
Because, officially, the Elowens had no missing people.
Worse, officially, they didn’t even have a family member named Finnian Elowen.
And that was why Lord Arlen was drowning in his bullshit.
"Your Majesty," Riley began politely, "here at the MBE, we take accusations seriously. What I would like to know is how we could possibly be detaining your people?"
The question echoed across the hall. For a moment, no one answered.
Then, with deliberate calm, Riley slid a thick folder across the polished table. The rustle of parchment filled the silence as he flipped it open to reveal the names and seals of those who were lawfully imprisoned.
"These," he said, tapping the pages, "are the individuals currently detained within the Ministry’s correctional wing. All of them are undergoing proper trials. All verified and all approved by the judicial council."
He paused, tilting the document slightly so the elves could see the familiar insignia at the bottom of the page.
"And these," he added sweetly, "are the signatures of the High Lord himself."
Riley blinked innocently, eyes widening as if the sight of it surprised even him. "So tell me, how could we possibly be detaining anyone illegally?"
The room was quiet enough to hear someone gulp.
Then, out of nowhere, one of the younger delegates blurted out, "The rescued victims! You’re keeping information about the rescued victims!"
"!!!"
Riley swore he saw the veins on both Prince Rowan and Lord Arlen’s necks bulge. The poor fool had spoken out of turn—and probably sealed his entire delegation’s fate.
Riley looked genuinely aghast. "My lord," he said, voice soft with disbelief, "how could that be when you yourselves submitted reports stating that everyone was accounted for?"
He reached for another folder, flipping it open with theatrical precision. "See? The paperwork’s all here. Signed, sealed, and submitted by your office."
He looked around the room like a teacher waiting for an answer from misbehaving students. "So I’m afraid I don’t quite understand why we’re having this conversation."
The delegate’s face paled. "Th-there may be others," he stammered, "kin who were kidnapped recently and were not part of the report!"
Riley blinked. "Oh? But that would be impossible. We interviewed everyone, and all of those rescued were taken long before the last deadline. So how could there be anyone missing?"
The elves began to shift uncomfortably, their panic turning defensive. "How would a human know that for sure?" one of them snapped. "What would you know of these matters?"
Riley froze. His brows furrowed, lips pursed into a pout that looked both hurt and offended. The elves seemed to think they’d silenced him, at least until Riley turned—slowly—toward the dragon lord seated at the head of the table.
Kael, who had been silent the entire time, lifted his head slightly as Riley reached for him.
To the elves’ collective horror, Riley’s small hand slid into Kael’s.
The dragon’s fingers immediately clasped back, intertwining with Riley’s in full view of everyone.
Gasps rippled through the chamber.
Prince Rowan’s expression tightened. He knew what that meant. The elves were about to owe massive reparations.
Riley didn’t even blink at the reaction. He simply continued, his voice steady and calm.
"I understand you have doubts," he said, eyes glinting, "but as someone who personally saved the victims, how could I possibly not know who I rescued? And why would I not want to return them to their loved ones?"
His tone hardened. "And I know you’re worried about those without families. But my lord, surely you understand our vigilance."
He leaned forward slightly, his expression shifting—gentle concern fading into something sharp, almost predatory.
"If you were kidnapped," Riley said slowly, "and rescued after months of torment... and you learned that people knew but never reported it... that they didn’t look for you, didn’t lift a finger—only to suddenly appear later, pretending to care—would you trust them?"
His voice was still polite, but every word carried venom.
"Would you feel safe?" he continued. "And if you were the one who risked your life to save them, would you simply hand them over to anyone who asked? Even if those people might be dangerous? Criminals, even?"
The elves sat frozen.
Riley’s expression changed again. The polite mask cracked just enough to reveal something sharper beneath—the kind of cold, measured fury that made the hair on the back of their necks rise.
His brows furrowed. His lips curled slightly, almost into a snarl. His eyes, suddenly bright with conviction, pinned the delegation where they sat.
And in that moment, members of the Elowen family realized the truth: they didn’t just know about the missing Codex.
And now the human they had dismissed was tearing them apart with a smile.
Still holding Kael’s hand, Riley suddenly brightened. His tone flipped to something almost cheerful.
"Oh, but don’t worry, my lord," he said with a smile that made every elf in the room flinch. "I’m not heartless. All those families who deserved to see their missing loved ones already did. It was really heartwarming, too."
He tilted his head slightly, still smiling. "So, really, I don’t know what you’re talking about."
Then his eyes gleamed. "Though, how disrespectful it would be to waste your time completely, right? So what about hearing another story? I do know an interesting one about a particular artifact. Would you like to hear it?"
Kael watched him in silence.
And for some reason, as his aide smiled sweetly while cornering the elves, the dragon thought—
Cute.
Maybe he’d keep these elves around a little longer.
After all, his twig seemed to enjoy playing with them.