Starting Today I'll Work As A City Lord

"Divine item, give it to me, give it to me!" The Blade City Lord struggled up from the bed, staggered forward, and snatched the dried fruit, collapsing by the bedside. His hands trembled as he reached for the nearby candle.

"Almost there, almost... the divine realm, here I come!"

He held the dried fruit over the flame, roasting it until a wisp of black smoke appeared. Then, with a sudden motion, he leaned forward and took a deep breath, inhaling the black smoke through his nose from the fruit.

"Heh heh heh…"

In less than three seconds, the Blade City Lord was slumped on the floor, drool trickling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes vacant, his cock hard, his pants turned wet and a strange laugh escaping his lips from time to time.

This scene filled Freya's amber eyes with murderous intent. That so-called "divine item" was nothing more than a Moon's Fruit—an accursed fruit that, when burned, emitted a black smoke causing terrifying hallucinations. Worse yet, it was highly addictive. 

The cravings typically arise from both physical and psychological dependencies formed from Moon Fruit use, where substances alter the brain's chemistry, especially in areas related to reward and pleasure. As the brain becomes accustomed to the Moon Fruit, it requires increased amounts to achieve the same effect, reinforcing the cycle of craving.

Once addicted, one had to inhale the smoke daily, or they'd suffer terribly, as if thousands of ants were crawling beneath their skin. A truly horrifying fruit, cursed as the Moon's Seed.

Freya could hardly believe that such a destructive substance, capable of ruining lives, existed here.

"Heh heh heh… truly, it lives up to the name of a Moon. Each taste is terrifying."

The man suddenly burst into laughter and turned to the person next to him, saying, "Find an opportunity and invite those managers over tomorrow. I want them to taste the divine item."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"…" Freya's amber eyes widened as she looked at the two men who had turned around. She recognized the middle-aged man with golden hair inside.

With a mane of thick, wild golden hair and a pair of semi-rounded ears, it was none other than Santner, the lion beastkin prince from the Valtoria Kingdom and brother to King Brutu himself.

How was this possible? Wasn't Santner supposedly confined to Valtoria Kingdom? How could he possibly be here?

"As long as we control those managers, Blade City will be ours."

With a flick of his long hair, Santner spoke coldly, "Make sure they speed up the armor production."

"Understood!" Replied a nearby dog-beastkin knight.

"This…" Freya suddenly understood. Santner was using the Moon's Fruit to control the Blade City Lord, secretly taking control of the entire city. But what was his true aim?

"Your Highness, those nobles should have been captured by now. Not sure if they'll pay the ransom." Said the dog-beastkin knight.

"As long as one or two hand over the gold, it'll be enough. Just a little entertainment; nothing worth fretting over."

Santner waved his hand dismissively and asked seriously, "What I need most right now is iron ore. Has the person sent to buy it not returned yet?"

"Soon, probably within a day or two."

"Good!" Santner turned to look at the Blade City Lord, who was now deep in his hallucinations, and shook his head, saying, "The world is truly unfair. Such a worthless race, yet they live better than us beastkins."

"Your Highness, soon they will all be under your rule." The dog-beastkin knight replied respectfully.

"Let's hope so. It's that little girl we haven't found yet!" Santner said through gritted teeth, his face darkening. "I wonder if she's dead!"

"No! Most likely, she's dead. If so, everything will be..." Santner stopped mid-sentence, his eyes flicking towards the outside.

"Crk~~"

Freya, reacting emotionally to what she had just heard, accidentally scraped her greatsword against the wall, causing a faint noise. Her face changed instantly...

"Who's there?" The dog-beastkin knight immediately stepped in front of Santner, his sharp gaze fixed on the doorway.

"Creak!"

Freya pushed open the door, her face cold and her amber eyes filled with killing intent. "Prince Santner, was it you who spread the rumors about the princess?"

"Hahaha…"

Santner froze when he saw Freya, then burst into laughter. "Freya, so it was you. It seems those nobles who recently bought fox-girls and met their deaths... that was your doing, wasn't it?"

Freya hesitated, then clenched her teeth, her voice icy. "So, you're the one spreading those rumors?"

"Of course. How else could I draw you out? I didn't expect it would really be you, Freya!" Santner took a step forward, spreading his arms with a fanatical gleam in his eyes. "You have the map, don't you?"

"Yes! It must be with you—her belongings have always been in your care."

Before Freya could respond, Santner interrupted urgently, "Hand it over. I need the treasure on that map to restore the Valtoria Beastkin Kingdom."

The treasure he spoke of was the kingdom's vast wealth of gold, silver, and copper. When the curse of winter set in, the King of Valtoria had moved all the treasury's contents and created a map, entrusting it to his beloved youngest daughter.

Santner needed that gold to raise an army. His plan was to take control of the western lands, a campaign requiring abundant grain, armor, and warhorses—supplies he'd need if he intended to challenge the Kingdom of Siacan.

"You've lost yourself to madness!" Freya gripped her greatsword tightly, watching Santner's wild expression, her mind drifting to the beastkin slaves outside Blade City.

She understood now. Santner would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, even luring her here as part of his ruthless strategy.

"Madness?" Santner froze momentarily, then quickly caught her meaning. Straightening his clothes, he replied coolly, "Some sacrifices are simply necessary."

"You're unworthy of being a prince of the Valtoria beastkin Kingdom. You're just a power-hungry fool, consumed by ambition," Freya replied icily. In that moment, comparing him to Bella, she realized how kind-hearted Bella truly was.

"Tch... You fucking bitch! When did you gain the right to speak to me like that? Did you forget what I did to your family?" Santner scowled, his tone icy. "Hand over the treasure map willingly, or... you'll regret ever being born!"

"Hmph! You want it? Come and get it!" Freya shot back, turning and sprinting away.

"After her! I want her alive. That map must not fall out of our grasp." Santner commanded coldly.

"Yes, Your Highness!" The dog-beastkin knight bolted after her.

"Thud, thud, thud…"

Freya chose the most secluded routes, determined to escape the manor and Blade City itself. She never would have imagined that this was all an elaborate trap set to lure her in.

"Slash…"

Any beastkin who tried to block her path was mercilessly cut down as she fought her way through, blood-streaked, and finally burst out of the city lord's manor…

"Princess, please… you must be safe. I'm still here, still fighting for you!"

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