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For Leohart, tonight was destined to be sleepless.
Yet, he wasn't the only one who found himself awake through the long night.
Meanwhile, in the neutral territory of the northern Underworld, the Cardinal Institute—long supposed to have shut down operations for the night—still held a faint candle flickering inside its dimly-lit conference room.
Seated around a grand meeting table, several older northern nobles clad in luxurious silk listened intently to the day's report. Standing before them was Admirath—the messenger who had delivered news earlier to Bokue Keikain and his companions in the ruins of the Old Capital.
"Lord Madonis, as I've reported, Ramusas, the leader of the Old Demon King Faction, is dead. The Current Demon King Faction's advantage will expand immensely with his death. What shall we do now?"
"Hmm..."
At the head of the table, Lord Madonis—a very aged demon—sat deep in thought. Gray horns, golden spiraled eyes, and a pale, goblin-like face etched with Third Hokage-style wrinkles running down from beneath his eyes gave him a chilling, sinister appearance.
He listened quietly, his sharp nails drumming softly on the tabletop.
"To think Ramusas would be killed at such a critical juncture—this certainly complicates matters."
"However..."
Madonis paused briefly, then directed a sharp gaze toward Admirath.
"You mentioned Ramusas was already dead when you arrived. Who exactly killed him?"
"About that, how should I say it... it might sound a little unbelievable, but..."
Admirath shrugged casually, smiling.
"No matter how you look at it, the one who killed Ramusas appeared to be a young human boy."
"WHAT??"
"A HUMAN...??"
"IMPOSSIBLE, HOW COULD A MERE HUMAN KILL RAMUSAS...?"
Gasps and whispers erupted immediately around the table.
❁❁❁❁
Madonis raised a hand, swiftly silencing the noise before continuing.
"Tell me everything. His name, his relationship with Ramusas, and why he killed Ramusas?"
"I'm afraid I don't know the details."
Admirath maintained a calm smile. Even without providing the answer his superior sought, his tone betrayed not the slightest hint of remorse.
"Considering he easily killed Ramusas, taking me out would've been effortless too. My mission wasn't just to deliver a letter to Ramusas—if I'd gotten myself killed by angering him, who would bring back word of Ramusas' demise?"
"Hmm. True enough."
Madonis felt his initial anger fade at Admirath' logical explanation. Although Admirath hadn't obtained the killer's identity, delivering the news of Ramusas' death was undeniably important.
It disrupted their plans—but now, at least, they had time to make preparations.
"By the way, Lord Madonis, regarding that human boy who killed Ramusas—there was another interesting thing I noticed."
"...Interesting? What do you mean?"
"When I arrived, I saw several familiar faces with him," Admirath said softly, lips curved into a smile. "Among them was the daughter of Wilbert—the former Northern Demon Lord—Mio Naruse."
"WHAT??"
Madonis—despite his age and experience—leaped from his seat in shock.
Wilbert's daughter returning to the north to kill her own uncle? This sounded like something straight out of an absurd soap opera.
But wait... in that scenario, things might actually make sense.
"Lord Madonis, did you realize something?"
"Hmm..."
Hearing Admirath' question, Madonis shook his head slightly, still uncertain.
"It's merely speculation, but perhaps Ramusas had the same idea as Zolgear during the upcoming decisive battle."
"...Ah. I see."
None seated there were fools. Hearing Madonis' words, they all nodded knowingly.
Simple enough to figure out.
After all, Zolgear had previously coveted Wilbert's immense power and ended up being kicked aside like a roadside pebble. With Mio Naruse being central to both men's demise, it seemed clear they'd died by the same hand.
And with that, Ramusas' death made perfect sense.
"Seems that human boy is fiercely protective of his people," Madonis murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps we can exploit this—using him to replace Ramusas' position, pit him against the Current Demon King Faction, and ultimately fulfill our plan."
"By the way, Admirath—you mentioned seeing other familiar faces too. Who were they?"
"Ah, this might also sound surprising—"
Admirath deliberately paused.
"But at the scene, I saw members of the Gremory Family. Specifically, Venelana Gremory—the acting head of House Gremory—and her daughter Rias Gremory, the future family head."
"...I see."
Madonis frowned slightly.
Indeed, it was an open secret in the northern territory—the former Demon Lord Wilbert's lineage was split from the House of Gremory, one of the top-ranking noble families among the 72 pillars of the Underworld.
However, House Gremory, like most noble houses, had shown little interest in northern affairs—until now.
Why suddenly get involved?
Clearly, something more was going on behind the scenes.
"Forget it. What's the status of the excavation of the Demon God Weapon by the Current Demon King Faction?"
Admirath quickly replied, "The excavation is complete, Lord Madonis, though deciphering its functions will take about two more days."
"Two days... just right."
Madonis chuckled coldly, his expression sinister.
"They still have no idea what they've excavated, do they? No matter—as long as we have that weapon, neither Leohart nor that human boy will stand a chance. Soon, the entire northern territory will belong to our Cardinal Institute! Hahaha!"
His laughter echoed loudly, already imagining his future reign.
Ring-ring-ring!!
Suddenly, a landline phone by the wall shrilled loudly.
Admirath, standing closest, glanced at the caller ID, then pressed the speaker button.
"Cardinal Institute. Admirath speaking."
"Ah, Admirath. It's Leohart—is Lord Madonis there?"
Leohart's youthful voice sounded slightly exasperated.
Admirath hesitated briefly.
"Lord Madonis is resting. Perhaps I could assist you instead?"
"Well, it's regarding the ownership of the Old Capital—actually, forget it. It's complicated. I'll discuss it directly with Lord Madonis tomorrow."
The line disconnected abruptly, leaving silence in its wake.
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