The Author's POV

"Kevin Voss, 876?"

As soon as he heard those two names, Mo Jinhao's demeanor immediately changed to a gloomy one. This was especially so after hearing 876's name.

Mo Jinhao still couldn't hide the shame that he had suffered at his hand in spite of the many years that had passed since the events that led them to sign a truce with the Union.

"Are you saying that the ones that are responsible for all of this are either one of these two?"

Mo Jinhao's voice turned ferocious as he gazed at Hemlock's back.

The burning anger that he had been hiding deeply came rushing out all at once. Hemlock turned around before he could say anything else.

"Calm down. It's still a hypothesis, and even so, I believe that the one that is most likely the culprit is Kevin, not 876."

"Uh?"

Mo Jinhao tilted his head when he heard Hemlock's words.

"Why do you think so?"

"By now, we both know 876's real identity. Ren Dover, right?"

"Correct."

Mo Jinhao calmly nodded his head as his face turned expressionless.

The rage that had just a few seconds ago been bubbling to the surface of his body had already subsided and retreated to the depths of his being once more.

Hemlock secretly nodded his head when he saw this.

It was this particular trait of Jinhao that made him an especially scary individual. He was someone capable of holding a grudge for a very long time without losing sight of himself. A very important trait for someone so high up in an organization.

"According to the information we have, Ren Dover is the rightful successor of the Keiki style, and based on the reports you've shown me regarding the demons whose contractors have been killed, the demons' injuries do not indicate that their attacker was a practitioner of an incredibly fast sword art."

"At least, from what I've figured, the demons did not experience a sharp, singular pain, a trait that symbolizes the essence of the Keiki style. Furthermore, with someone who is now ranked 18, killing a bunch of <S> rankers should be a trivial thing."

Hemlock perfectly laid out his train of thoughts to Jinhao who further questioned.

"So you think it's because of this that it isn't 876?"

"Not quite."

Hemlock shook his head.

"876 may be employing a different art on purpose in an effort to erase his traces."

"That makes sense."

Mo Jinhao's body relaxed further onto the sofa he was sitting on as he asked.

"...If that's the case, why do you think that it's more likely Kevin Voss who is the culprit?"

"Simple, really."

The tips of Hemlock's mouth curled into a thin smile the moment the question reached his ears.

"According to my knowledge, Ren is a close friend of Kevin Voss. If I were in his position, I would have known that by concealing the Keiki style, Kevin Voss would become a target of suspicion, putting him in danger."

"If Ren was as good a friend to him as the reports claim, he would never do this; therefore, I am more inclined to believe that Kevin Voss is the true perpetrator."

"What you said makes sense."

Mo Jinhao's brows relaxed after hearing Hemlock's train of thought.

'As expected of him, he isn't the leader for no reason.'

Jinhao gained a better understanding of the situation after hearing his assessment. There were still a few things that did not make sense, but compared to his previous hypothesis, this one seemed the most plausible.

"If that's the case how should we pr━"

Knock━! Knock━!

A soft knock on the door abruptly cut him off in the middle of his sentence. Both his and Hemlock's heads turned to look in the direction of the entrance to the room, wondering as to who had knocked on the door.

A voice that was croaky and raspy rang in their heads not long after that.

"Pardon my intrusion, but I have something to report."

Jinhao's complexion changed the moment he heard the voice while Hemlock's remained serene.

Casting Jinhao a glance, he waved his hand in the direction of the door as it flung open revealing the features of a demon.

"Is there anything you need, Everblood?"

"I do. I do."

Everblood entered the room slowly and greeted Jinhao, who promptly ignored him. Smiling, he walked up to Hemlock, seemingly unbothered by his Jinhao's attitude, and cracked a twisted grin that reached the corners of his eyes.

"...I've got a very interesting idea, do you want to hear it?"

***

Suriol's expression was that of defeat as he stared at the human standing before him.

He never in his life expected to lose so badly to a human, and not only that, but he also never expected to have his core imprisoned inside of the human.

With just a single thought, he could end his life in an instant.

Even so, Suriol had the pride of a demon. He wasn't going to let the human walk all over him just because his life was in his hands. He wasn't like the other traitorous bastards who would do anything for the sake of their lives, even if it meant killing their own people.

"What do you need, human?"

He inquired in a chilly tone as he looked at the human.

Staring back at him, the human opened his mouth and replied.

"Firstly, I have a name. It's Ren. I would much appreciate it if you referred to me using that name."

When Suriol heard the human's voice, the pupils in his eyes began to constrict ever so slightly.

His thoughts were consumed by nothing but rage. Suriol's face twisted with rage as he recalled the fact that the human before him had completely dashed any hopes he had of rising to the rank of Prince.

'...So what if he can kill me on the spot? When the time comes and he lowers his guard, I'll use this chance to kill him.'

In Suriol's mind, his life was already over.

For as long as he could kill Ren, Suriol was satisfied.

Ren, on the other hand, didn't appear to care about his thoughts as he pointed in the direction of the gate that was standing in front of him.

"The reason I called you is because I want your help. Tell me how to open this door."

"This is…"

Suriol didn't realize he was back in his own castle until Ren pointed it out to him. To be more specific, he was standing next to his treasury.

"Ah, I see."

He only needed a quick glance to quickly understand the situation. As he tried to think of something, a plethora of different ideas rushed through his head all at once.

"You want to enter the treasury, don't you?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

Ren replied with a calm look. When their eyes met, Suriol felt a chill run down his body, and behind his closed lips, he clenched his teeth in a show of defiance.

It appeared as though the human had figured out whatever it was that he was intending to do just by giving him a single glance.

.

'Since he knows, I might as well say it.'

Suriol gritted his teeth and decided to speak up.

"If I tell yo—"

"No."

He was cut off before he could even finish his sentence.

Staring at him with an all knowing look, Ren spoke up.

"I will not grant you freedom if that's what you're asking. Even if I make you sign a contract that will stop you from taking revenge on me, it would honestly be a waste to lose someone as strong as you."

Ren stepped toward Suriol.

Suddenly, just as Suriol was about to retreat, he was paralyzed by a terrifying pressure that was pressing down on his body and preventing him from moving in any way.

The pressure didn't come from Ren's strength; rather, it was coming from the core inside of Ren's body. It was becoming increasingly clear to Suriol that Ren had concentrated his mana directly on his one and only weakness, which was the reason for the pressure.

Suriol was rendered completely helpless as a result of this, and all he could do was watch as Ren did whatever he pleased with him. Soon, Ren's hand paused on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you."

To his good fortune, Ren didn't appear to be planning on killing him, as evidenced by the fact that he still hadn't killed him yet.

"…Although I'm not entirely interested in having you join my mercenary group, what I am interested in is in having someone manage the planet for me. I could have Silug do it, but he doesn't really have a knack for this type of stuff."

"Uh?"

The expression on Suriol's face froze for an instant as he slowly raised it to look at Ren.

"What do you mean, manage the planet?"

"It's as it is implied."

Ren let go of Suriol's shoulder before shifting his attention back toward the large door.

"...while I am away, I require someone to manage the planet. This means ensuring that everything is running smoothly and the demons are unaware of what is happening. Ensure that nothing leaks out during the process, and for that, I need a person who knows the planet like the back of their hand."

Ren slowly turned his head to gaze at Suriol.

"I'm sure you know better than me who's the most fitting person for this position, right?"

"What makes you think that I will accept?"

Suriol asked while staring back at Ren.

Taking note of the calm and confident look on the human's face, Suriol 's face was rather complicated.

'What makes him think that I will accept his offer?'

He could not comprehend where the humans' confidence originated from. Did he seriously believe that he would voluntarily become his slave?

He was a Duke ranked demon.

A being that stood at the top of the food chain. What made him think that he would willingly bow himself down, and submit to him?

Furthermore, he was the one that dashed his hopes of ever becoming a Prince rank demon.

'Preposterous'

Was all Suriol thought as he glared at Ren with a ferocious expression.

"My answer is still a no."

"Haa..."

Suriol watched as Ren let out a troubled sigh and rested his hands on his hips in an akimbo position.

"...How troublesome, how troublesome."

He started to mumble under his breath in a voice audible enough for everyone to hear. Suriol's face gradually bleached as he heard Ren's words.

"Should I just feed him to Angelica? ...She might just be able to break through to Duke rank if I give her his core. But I don't know if she will accept it, I do remember her saying that she dislikes this type of stuff. Then, should I just kill him and be done with everything? or should I just use the core to buy the loyalty of one of the demons here? Hmmm..."