~ Support & Read 60 Advanced Chapters on Patreon
~ Bonus Chapter every 200 Powerstones!
<><><><><>
"Me? Of course I'm a demon~! Could there be any other possibility?"
For the briefest instant, an unnatural flicker flashed across Liala's pretty face. She quickly smoothed it away, masking any odd expression beneath her usual warm, welcoming smile.
Of course, that might've fooled any random passerby... if there had been anyone else here.
But Bokue was sitting just a few feet away. For someone of his caliber, that tiny shift was about as subtle as cramming an elephant into a refrigerator—blatantly obvious, impossible to ignore.
Clearly, there was some deeper story behind that reaction.
Bokue silently noted it. Still, since Liala seemed unwilling to share, he didn't push. After all, he wasn't here for gossip. Juicy rumors might be fun, sure—but he wasn't about to pry into something she clearly didn't want to discuss. He wasn't some trashy tabloid reporter.
"Ah, right, right—anyway!"
Liala smoothly changed topics, lifting her tea cup, blowing gently across the steaming surface, and taking a delicate sip.
"Though I didn't exactly love Zolgear or anything, I still have to admit I'm curious... how exactly did you end up fighting him, Bokue-kun?"
"Ah, well, that's kind of a long story,"
Bokue didn't bother keeping secrets. He explained directly.
"Long story short—Zolgear tried kidnapping Wilbert's daughter, Mio Naruse. So I just went ahead and killed him."
Liala: "..."
Bokue: "..."
"Something wrong?"
An odd silence suddenly descended, prompting Bokue to ask, somewhat puzzled.
Did he seriously just ask 'something wrong'??
Liala mentally groaned, twitching her mouth in mild disbelief.
"Though it's hard to imagine—since there's never really been a case like this before—I have to ask... Bokue-kun, are you... affiliated with the Old Demon Lord faction?"
"Huh? Hell no. Of course not."
Bokue flatly dismissed the idea. He'd just killed Ramusas himself not long ago—how did that make him part of their faction?
"Whew, thank goodness."
Liala exhaled softly, visibly relaxing as she gently tapped the generous curves beneath her elegant white dress, inadvertently causing a captivating ripple effect. But she quickly regained composure and pressed onward.
"Well, if you're not Old Faction, then what exactly did you come here today to discuss with Leo-chan?"
"Oh. I just wanted to talk with him about leaving the Old Demon Lord faction's capital city intact once you guys take over."
"..."
Bokue's casual, offhand request once again brought silence from the golden-haired beauty across the table.
Keep the Old Capital intact?
That was literally the definition of being a loyalist! And he still claimed he wasn't with the Old Demon Lord faction!?
But thanks to their earlier conversation, Liala decided she'd at least give him the benefit of the doubt.
"But if we were to preserve the Old Capital, the others in our faction might object..."
"It shouldn't be that big a deal, should it? Human society has plenty of examples where old capitals get preserved."
Bokue thought for a moment.
Take Kyoto, for instance. Though its people might resent Tokyo being internationally recognized as Japan's official capital, no Tokyoite had ever dared suggest tearing Kyoto down to the ground.
"But more importantly, the Old Demon Lord faction's capital was actually Wilbert's legacy, supposed to be inherited by Mio. Ramusas had just occupied it for himself. And now that Ramusas is dead, it naturally reverts to Mio's ownership. That's why I wanted it preserved..."
"W-Wait, what did you just say??"
Liala nearly dropped her tea, her eyes wide in shock.
Bokue paused.
"I said, the Old Capital officially belongs to Mio now."
"No, no, not that—I meant the thing before that!"
"You mean about Ramusas being dead?"
"H-how did he die?"
"I killed him."
Bokue said it simply, matter-of-factly. After thinking about it for a second, he added,
"Like I mentioned earlier, Ramusas also tried kidnapping Mio. Plus, he'd embezzled all the inheritance Wilbert left for Mio."
"..."
Liala inhaled deeply, closed her eyes, and took a long breath to steady herself. After a brief cough, she remained silent.
This revelation was honestly too huge to swallow instantly. Ever since Wilbert, the previous Demon Lord, passed away, the Old Demon Lord faction had steadily lost its dominant grip on the North.
Meanwhile, the Current Demon Lord faction had been growing stronger and stronger, eventually surpassing the Old Faction to achieve its current peak.
Yet even with this massive shift, the Current Faction hadn't been able to completely wipe out the Old Faction. And that was mainly due to Ramusas. Though weaker than his brother Wilbert, Ramusas was still a powerful figure—strong enough that even Leo wasn't absolutely certain he'd win in a one-on-one fight.
Combined with the Old Faction's loyal elites, if war broke out, the odds would be something like 60-40 in favor of Leo's side. A solid advantage, sure, but definitely not overwhelming.
Yet now Bokue casually told her Ramusas had already been taken care of?
"Um... Bokue-kun, forgive me if this is a bit rude, but... what exactly is your relationship with this Mio?"
"Oh, she's my sister-in-law."
Bokue kept it simple, omitting a rather important detail.
Mio definitely was his sister-in-law, true. But that relationship had evolved from an innocent "Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!" in the daytime, to a breathy, affectionate "B-brother-in-law~" at night.
Truly fantastic.
"...Sister-in-law?"
Liala looked even more baffled now. Had Wilbert ever had another, older daughter? This entire situation was becoming messier by the minute.
"Ah, forget it—never mind that. What's important here is that Bokue-kun wants the Old Demon Lord capital preserved, right?"
Liala shook her head clear of confusion, once again smiling sweetly at him.
"I don't think that will be much of an issue. After all, you did take out a major Old Faction powerhouse for us. That significantly boosts our odds in the coming decisive battle. Even if you aren't technically one of us—or even a demon, for that matter—we still owe you a favor."
"I'll discuss this personally with Leo-chan. So just relax, okay? Big Sis will handle everything!"
She paused briefly, then added,
"But Leo-chan's been pretty busy these days. He'll probably only be available around dinnertime. So, would you mind coming back tomorrow? By then, I should have a definite answer ready for you."
"Tomorrow, huh... sure, I suppose that's fine."
Bokue shrugged casually.
It wasn't as if he had anything urgent waiting, anyway.
<><><><><>
~ 60 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
<><><><><>
Keep the chapters coming—Support with Power Stones!