Transmigration To Magus World-Chapter 30: The Scapegoat

Everyone should always have a final escape route prepared, even if you never end up needing it, but you must be ready.

Valentino was the escape route Aizen had prepared.

From the moment Aizen chose to align himself with Valentino, he had already selected him as a backup plan in his conflict with Leo.

But Valentino wasn’t a fool, and Aizen Certainly wasn’t either, so the method of using this escape route required careful consideration.

Now, there were three corpses lying in Harmony Courtyard.

The bodies belonged to Guts, Jerry , and another trusted disciple who often conveyed messages for Valentino.

Beyond these three, there would be no more deaths. In fact, only these three people usually lingered in Harmony Courtyard.

Of course, there were also the two black-clothed disciples standing guard outside. When they woke up, they might face either slaughter or appeasement, but Aizen no longer cared. His only concern was to intimidate and subdue Valentino, the person in charge.

"What do you want me to do? I will absolutely do it, as long as it doesn’t mean sending me to my death," Valentino asked cautiously, his voice full of submission as he looked at Aizen.

Lilith stood nearby, laughing lightly, her beautiful eyes captivating and enchanting.

But Valentino didn’t dare to look at Lilith anymore. Even though he had already cursed her in his heart, he kept any bitterness or defiance from showing on his face, displaying only respect and fear.

Smart people always know when to submit, and Valentino was such a person.

Aizen was very pleased with Valentino’s cooperation, proof that his approach—resorting to force before reasoning—was the correct one.

People like Valentino were like dogs; if you didn’t scare them, they would think you were easy to bully and bark at you recklessly.

Aizen tapped the flat of his sword against Valentino’s face. Every cold tap made Valentino shiver, but his sycophantic smile only grew more ingratiating with each strike.

Even though he was scared, he had to keep smiling.

Aizen’s lips curled into a cold smile. He relished this feeling. In the past, Steward Edric often slapped him like this, mocking him as a dog.

Back then, Aizen had to endure it, not daring to show any anger in his eyes, or he’d be beaten even worse.

He had never learned to smile subserviently like Valentino, so he suffered greatly. Now, seeing Valentino grovel before him, Aizen felt satisfied, but he did not become addicted to this sense of superiority.

Such feelings, like a drug, could lower one’s vigilance.

Aizen refused to drop his guard, so he quickly ended the humiliation and dropped a bombshell.

"Leo is dead. I killed him."

When Valentino heard this, his pupils contracted sharply, shocked like never before. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"He’s... dead... you killed him?"

Valentino looked at Aizen as if he were a madman. Aside from calling him crazy, he couldn’t find any other words to describe Aizen. His fear deepened, and this time it was genuine.

He had always been at odds with Leo, but he knew how powerful Leo was. Yet, the strength of Leo wasn’t the real issue.

The key was Leo’s close relationship with a certain high-ranking figure in the left faction—he was that person’s favored one.

Anyone who killed Leo would have to be prepared to face the wrath of that high-ranking figure.

Cold sweat broke out on Valentino’s back. Why was Aizen telling him this? What was his intention? Was Aizen planning to rebel against the left faction?

That was impossible. A smart person wouldn’t do that. Although factions competed, they often maintained a certain degree of harmony for mutual benefit.

Even if Aizen killed Leo and sought refuge with another faction, the high-ranking member from the left faction could easily have Aizen killed, even without drawing a blade.

Even if another faction valued Aizen’s strength and refused to give him up, Aizen still wouldn’t last long. No faction was entirely free of spies or internal betrayal.

For a major faction, black-clothed disciples were no more significant than ants. Sacrificing one wouldn’t raise any eyebrows or attract much attention.

Aizen could see the fear in Valentino’s eyes, which was exactly what he wanted to see.

"I killed Leo to help you. You have a distant relative who’s a fairly high-ranking member in the left faction, correct?"

Aizen’s voice was filled with persuasive allure.

Valentino shook his head, then nodded, giving a bitter smile. "While I’m under his protection, that family connection means nothing. If you’re hoping I can ask him to plead on your behalf, you’re mistaken. He won’t offend the person backing Leo for my sake."

"No," Aizen waved his hand. "I don’t need him to plead for me. I need him to plead for you. You’re the one who killed Leo. You’ll take the blame."

Valentino’s eyes widened, and he gasped. He understood Aizen’s plan. It was indeed a clever way to extricate himself. But he soon shook his head bitterly. "It won’t work. Even if you kill me, it won’t change anything. He won’t plead for me. I know him. That little bit of family connection isn’t enough for him to offend anyone."

In the Demon Clan, no one would help another person without a benefit, not even family.

Parents might act for the sake of their children, but aside from parents, any talk of family loyalty was meaningless compared to real benefits.

Aizen seemed to have anticipated this. "Who was it that helped you get your position as the representative?"

Valentino paused. "It was him, my uncle."

"How much profit does he gain from your position each month? Is he satisfied?"

Aizen smiled.

Valentino understood. He fell silent for a long time. "You want me to take over Leo’s territory, forcing him to have no choice but to support me?"

It was undeniable; it was a good idea.Valentino now grasped Aizen’s plan.

If family ties weren’t strong enough, what about substantial profits?

The left faction had only two representatives in the western courtyard. Both were exceptional, and their presence suppressed the right faction and other groups, securing valuable resources.

Now that one of them,Leo, was dead, only Valentino remained as a capable representative.

Even if Valentino admitted to killing Leo, would the left faction really cut off their own arm and kill him for the sake of justice?

If they did, who would they appoint to manage the vast black-clothed disciple territory? Who could stand against the right faction’s Red Lady?

No one. Even someone as capable as Lilith would struggle to compete with the Red Lady. Perhaps Aizen, with his venomous sword skills, could work with Lilith to manage, but even then, the left faction’s leadership wouldn’t want Valentino dead.

Even if the high-ranking figure backing Leo wanted to kill Valentino out of rage, it wouldn’t be allowed.

Because Valentino would soon be representing his uncle’s interests and taking over Leo’s position in Demon Mountain City, acting as the new representative there.

Not only would he be representing his uncle’s interests, but also those of the entire left faction.

Until the Clan Grand Competition, Valentino absolutely could not die. As for what would happen afterward...