Tian Yi Hui (2)
Contrary to Astra's assumptions, Valléfor hadn't detected the existence of the girl with the demon eyes.
Varam had kept that information tightly under wraps.
But the clash with the Purple Flame Regiment and the standoff with Varam? That much had already reached his ears.
No matter that he'd been summoned from the demon realm, submitted to Balderic, and now served as a captain in Haven—he was still the sixth-ranked great demon among the 72 Demons.
Demons in the demon realm who acted as his ears were everywhere.
"How intriguing..."
Valléfor murmured softly as he walked down the corridor.
There was a strange delight laced in his voice.
Suddenly, he stopped and looked down at his hand.
Thick, sticky demonic energy rose like heat haze over his pale fingers.
Mark of Attachment
It was one of the curses he favored most.
It started with something trivial—a faint fondness—but over time, that emotion twisted into something pathological.
Like a drug addict, the victim couldn't even breathe without Valléfor's approval or attention, eventually worshipping him like a god and offering up their life without hesitation.
A curse that had never failed once in centuries.
No one else could see this thick, sticky demonic energy.
And during his duel with Balderic, he'd deliberately used only destructive magic. Knowing defeat was inevitable, he'd hidden the true nature of his power: curses.
But how the hell did he figure it out?
Valléfor was genuinely shocked by Astra's reaction, as if the man had pierced his most hidden weapon.
"What an intriguing fellow."
A meaningful smile spread across Valléfor's lips.
Astra had refused the handshake as if he'd seen right through his intentions. It wasn't mere wariness—it was a firm rejection, as if he didn't even want to associate with him.
And from his body flowed a rare black magic even in Haven, and from the shadows...
At minimum, Varam's level. At maximum... just a bit below mine?
It felt like the concept of darkness itself existed as an overwhelming presence.
True to his titles as the Demon of Greed and the Duke of Thieves, Valléfor had never failed to claim what he desired.
Ha... Sitting as a Haven captain was truly the right choice.
Now, something new had caught his eye.
His black eyes gleamed with pathological madness, and a chilling smile crept across his face.
In truth, he'd already been targeting Azellia.
A covert plan spanning years was already well underway.
As a dark elf, she retained an elf's intuition.
She sensed something within him—not precisely, but enough to always keep her distance.
The other captains had fallen for his kindly mask, but not her.
That only made him want her more.
So he'd been slowly, ever so slowly, herding her into his swamp with his scheme...
Then Astra appeared out of nowhere.
A human who saw through his essence just like her.
"How shall I play this time?"
Valléfor muttered to himself with a delighted voice as he walked the corridor alone.
"Make them kill each other? Or... something more fun?"
His fingers danced playfully.
"Make Azellia strangle Astra herself, and Astra stab her in the heart. Then, as they die, let them realize they've been manipulated!"
Valléfor's voice grew increasingly feverish.
"No matter who dies, in the end, per Haven's rules, I'll personally execute the one who slays a captain and claim all the fault..."
Ah... Just thinking about it is ecstasy.
Valléfor's steps slowed.
His breathing grew ragged.
"Hoo... hoo... Got too excited. Imagining this before the meeting was too much stimulus."
A massive mirror at the corridor's end reflected Valléfor entirely.
His face was flushed red, his usually impeccably groomed brown long hair disheveled. And between his legs, inexplicably, there was a noticeable bulge.
Valléfor stood before the mirror, gazing at his disarrayed reflection for a moment.
"I need to calm down... Can't attend the meeting looking like this."
He took deep breaths, then slowly pushed his body into the mirror.
It was as natural as stepping into a doorway, and the mirror's surface rippled silver in welcome.
Once Valléfor's body vanished completely inside, the surface stilled as if nothing had happened.
* * *
A bit more waiting, and Ryujin arrived. Tian Yi Hui began.
"Heh heh, sorry I'm late."
Ryujin's gentle voice echoed in the meeting room.
"It's fine. The others just arrived early—you're not late."
Balderic replied with her characteristic indulgent smile.
"Thank you, Balderic."
I quietly observed Ryujin, who looked like a kindly old grandfather.
Ryujin... I wonder what reaction he'll have.
The reason for this Tian Yi Hui was the continent meeting, advanced ahead of schedule.
If he learned his brother, Emperor Cassius of the Lunaria Empire, was behind it, Ryujin would desperately want to attend.
It was Cassius's scheme that had drawn the human supremacist from Lunaria to Haven and earned him the moniker "Blood Sword."
He knew it all too well.
Lost in those thoughts, I suddenly felt a sharp gaze.
Turning, I saw Valléfor staring right at me.
Our eyes met, and he gave a meaningful smile before politely bowing his head.
Tch... What the hell is he thinking?
His serpentine smile grated on me, so I immediately turned back to Balderic.
"Let's begin Tian Yi Hui. Since this is ahead of schedule, we'll skip regiment reports and go straight to the main topic."
Balderic glanced at the captains before continuing.
"The Lunaria Empire proposed advancing the continent meeting."
"Heh heh, my brother, you say?"
As expected, Ryujin reacted first.
I could sense the sharp emotion hidden behind his gentle expression.
"Yes."
"What's the reason... Ah, is it because of the chimeras?"
"No. The chimeras are still our secret. The official reason for advancing it is that Beltria Kingdom declared war on Karen Kingdom."
"That's not the real issue."
Ryujin saw through it immediately.
The brother he knew would exploit such chaos for gain, not bother with it.
"Right. Their true aim seems to be seeing Jin Gang Regiment Captain Astra."
As soon as Balderic finished, every gaze in the room locked onto me.
The captains' eyes mixed curiosity and wariness.
I met them with an emotionless face.
"Strange. Why would the Lunaria Empire want to see a Haven captain?"
Azellia's sharp question rang out.
I looked at her and said,
"What do you want to hear?"
"What?"
Azellia's red eyes narrowed.
"Are you saying I'm a Lunaria Empire spy?"
A chill laced my voice.
The room's air grew taut, some captains tensing subtly.
"Ha."
Azellia scoffed with a sigh.
"Hit a nerve? Reacting like that first thing. I never said that."
Her lips curled in mockery.
"It's not just words—it's the nuance."
I countered coldly.
"Fine, then I'll be direct."
Azellia leaned forward, stabbing me with her sharp gaze.
"What the hell were you doing locked up in Imperial Prison 3? For someone like you, escaping should've been easy—not just possible, trivial."
Her voice sharpened further.
"If you were really imprisoned there, I have to question your qualifications as captain."
The room fell into suffocating silence.
Gazes darted between Azellia and me; Valléfor watched with an amused smile.
How do I convince them?
Azellia was suspicious now, but if this dragged on, others might join her.
Such seeds of doubt needed crushing early.
"There's a way to confirm it yourself."
I proposed coldly.
"Ha."
Azellia breathed a mocking laugh.
"You want to fight me right now?"
"If you're curious about my level."
Azellia. The dark elf known as "Spirit Predator."
Unlike typical elves who borrowed spirits' power, she hunted them down and forcibly bound them to her body.
She wielded forcibly extracted spirit power as her own—a dangerous ability that shattered elven taboos.
But among the captains, she's the most approachable early on.
She slowly rose from her seat.
"Fine. If that's what you want."
Dangerous light flickered in her red eyes.
"I'll kill you. Follow me."