Dark and Angus Jeffrey didn't let the outcome of their duel drive a wedge between them—at least not on the surface.
After the duel, the two returned to their original seats and chatted and laughed like old friends, the very picture of a good junior and a good senior.
But word that Jeffrey had lost to Dark in a Magic Guide Duel had already begun to leak out.
The sharper-eyed spectators had even noticed that Dark left his face-down cards unused for the last two turns, and that gave the duel even more things to talk about.
People always love a bit of drama.
Even those who hadn't cared at first were happy to spread it around.
For all anyone knew, Jeffrey would get home tonight to find the news had already reached his father's ears.
…
In the private box.
Charles had fallen into a brief reverie after watching the duel.
He had finally gotten what he wanted: he'd seen Leomon and Gatomon perform, and he now had a much deeper understanding of the Holy Sword's power.
But for some reason, he had the feeling he'd overlooked something.
What, exactly, he'd overlooked, he couldn't put his finger on.
That slowly began to irritate him.
It was the same irritation he'd felt the instant he saw Dark defeat Angus Jeffrey.
The more he dealt with this young master of Demon family, the stronger one feeling became.
It was as though the Golden Generation that had gathered around Hero Bright in the age of war had stepped out of legend, alive and breathing.
Sometimes he truly couldn't understand why the world held so many geniuses.
He was no slouch himself, yet before those true geniuses he always felt inadequate.
Every time he made the comparison, he tried stripping away his status, and every time he found that without it he was no different from an ordinary man standing before them.
When he was small, he had once poured out his feelings to his father, the king.
But the king had only told him that he shouldn't think that way.
Everyone is born with something of their own; instead of envying others, he should dig into himself.
And there was no need to strip away his status before comparing himself to anyone.
Because his "status" was his "talent."
He had never understood those words, and he still didn't.
After a long silence, Charles abruptly opened his eyes and looked at Dark, who had sat back down. A spark finally flickered in his mind.
"Could he become the next Valkyrie?"
"Not a Hero, but a War God?"
Once the thought took hold, it was impossible to suppress.
In the kingdom today, the Hero was a figure who had already passed, one that existed only in "legend."
A man who had died, however great his reputation, posed no threat.
The Valkyrie's reputation was a little below the Hero's, but she was alive, and thanks to her Saint's Body she would stay alive for a very long time.
If, some years from now, Dark grew into his power as well…
Demon family might gain a second War God.
A family like that…
Thinking long term, if it couldn't be suppressed, it could only be won over.
"Hyping Dark up as the Hero is one strategy."
"Winning him over through that is another."
"The two don't actually conflict."
"It just means adjusting the emphasis a little."
"Eliza has earned the Valkyrie's favor, so finding a way to win over the Valkyrie's son is a method too."
"I need to think this through properly!"
Charles mulled it over on the sofa for a long time, until a wave of drunkenness suddenly rose in him and he toppled stiffly onto his back.
…
Meanwhile, in the circular corridor.
Jeffrey had forced himself to chat with Dark for the better part of twenty minutes. After failing to pry out the secret of the World of Sin, he found an excuse and slipped away.
Dark watched him go and let out a small breath of relief. He didn't actually enjoy this kind of insincere socializing.
What surprised him was that, although Jeffrey had left, several noble youths from his circle hadn't.
Both sides were young, and with no conflicts of interest between them, there was no shortage of things to talk about.
As they talked, Felice Laman couldn't help bringing up the "Son of the Hero."
To outsiders beyond St. Marian's Academy, the Son of the Hero was naturally a hugely tempting topic, and plenty of people wanted to know what Hero Bright's son was really like.
Since Dark happened to be in the same year, Felice couldn't resist asking.
Dark smiled faintly and casually let slip a few details of no importance.
He wasn't the type to speak ill of people behind their backs, so it was all information anyone could look up.
After listening a bit, Felice said in surprise, "Wait, little Gold is in Knight House? I thought… I was sure he'd be in Noble House!"
Dark blinked. "Maybe his courage is more representative of him than noble blood is."
Of course he couldn't tell Felice that Virt had Blood Clan blood on his other side—and that the blood of the Demon King might even run in it.
Felice and the others exchanged glances, but they accepted his explanation.
After all, Virt Gold was the "Son of the Hero," and courage outweighing bloodline was only natural.
After another stretch of conversation, a plump young noble suddenly asked, "I heard the model Easter eggs your academy started selling at Easter were planned by a student?"
Dark was briefly stunned, then smiled. "That's right."
"Oh my!" the young noble exclaimed. "What a frightening design! They say the model eggs have been a runaway hit since Easter and are still expanding their market even now. If it goes well, I mean… hm, do you know who the student is? I'd love to treat him to a drink."
"If it's just a drink…" Dark said.
Seeing an opening, the young noble hurried to add, "Not like that. I have some ideas for a collaboration and I'd like to discuss them with him."
"Oh?" Dark's interest stirred. "What kind of collaboration? Could you give me a hint?"
The young noble glanced around and looked reluctant.
Felice eyed him coldly. "Eugenie, why the dramatic pause?"
Brown Eugenie scratched his head and had to say, "Laman, it's a trade secret."
"Pfft." Felice looked down her nose at him. "You? Trade secrets?"
Brown flushed, embarrassed. "What's wrong with me? I've been working on the family business since the first half of this year. I'm not who I used to be!"
"Fine." Felice arched an elegant brow. "Then tell us your secret and let me see if it's worth anything."
"Fine, I'll…" Brown suddenly froze, then snapped, "You tricked me again!"
"Tsk." Felice clicked her tongue and turned her gaze away.
Dark asked with great interest, "Eugenie… so you're from the Eugenie Trading Company?"
Only then did Brown's expression ease. "The Eugenie Trading Company is indeed the one my family owns."
"Nobles doing business is fine?" Dark asked curiously.
"It used to be frowned upon, but things are different now. Who turns down more money?" Brown said. "Still, the official head of Eugenie is my uncle, who holds no post in the kingdom."
Dark nodded with an odd look. He seemed to be seeing the first signs of the kingdom's future capitalization.
But in an age where individual power kept growing more outrageous, the kingdom's capitalization would probably have its own distinctive flavor.
Demon family had a hand in politics and the military, but its strides in commerce seemed small.
Even the Soul-Stirring Hall in which Demon family held a stake wasn't a purely profit-making venue.
Compared with politics and the military, Dark was actually far more interested in commerce.
After all, who doesn't love racking up the Ws?
Besides, researching Magic Guide technology truly required enormous wealth.
Demon family was rich, but that wealth belonged to the whole family. Even if he became head of the house someday, he couldn't dip into it on his own whim.
If he had a trading company directly under his own control, he could draw on it freely.
And maybe he could even turn some Magic Guide technology into cash.
With that in mind, Dark looked up. "I happen to know the person who planned the model eggs. Tell you what, tomorrow's Sunday. Shall I set up a meeting?"
"That would be perfect!" Brown Eugenie said quickly.
Dark smiled faintly. "It's nothing. How about tomorrow at one in the afternoon, at my place?"
Brown froze. "I couldn't impose like that."
Dark leaned back into the sofa and said lazily, "What's there to be shy about? We're all young people just visiting each other. Or do you have some reason you can't say?"
Brown turned his head slightly, looking awkward. "It's not that."
Felice suddenly said, "Just go."
Brown hesitated. "Then I'll really go?"
"Tsk." Felice clicked her tongue again. "What is there to hesitate over? If I got the chance to see the Valkyrie's home, I'd run there."
Brown rubbed his hands together. "True. Tomorrow at one in the afternoon, right?"
Dark smiled. "Right. Afternoon tea."
Then he turned to the others and asked politely, "Would you like to come along too?"
Who could have guessed that these people, who clearly ran with Jeffrey, would nod like rabbits, practically ready to bounce straight into the Duke's estate!
Dark felt a bit awkward, but it was too late to take it back. He could only have Trina note down each of their names so the gatekeepers would let them through.
Felice's eyes crinkled with delight.
…
Toward evening, the younger noble youths took their leave one after another, and the remaining two found excuses to drift elsewhere.
With his schedule free, Dark ate dinner on the circular corridor together with Diana and the others and the Magic Guide Spirits.
The evening water dance show was dazzling and made people want to linger.
The young ladies in their skin-tight school swimsuits, with their long, swan-like necks, left an especially deep impression.
But the main event was still the Magic Guide Duel exhibition match to follow.
Dark had stayed on purpose to see it.
Formal duels centered on winning fast, so duelists pulled out every trick and calculated every second of offense and defense. Their appeal lay in fierce confrontation rather than showy technique.
Exhibition duels had a completely different focus.
They leaned toward displaying dazzling technique during the duel, making the whole thing more dramatic.
The match's special guest, the Butterfly Princess, was an expert in exhibition matches.
Of course, even in formal duels her style was extremely flamboyant.
Dark and the others ate their fill and waited idly for the Butterfly Princess to appear.
Quite a few nobles came by to pay their respects—men and women, old and young, every sort.
But they all had some sense, and after greeting him they left without disturbing him further.
Most of them had come only to leave an impression.
Perhaps next time they met, they could say to Dark, "Long time no see."
…
At eight o'clock sharp.
The Magic Guide Duel exhibition finally began.
The duelist known as the Butterfly Princess made a gorgeous entrance riding a Magic Guide Spirit, and she was indeed a very beautiful woman.
She wore her red hair coiled up behind her head, exposing a slender, pale nape. She was tall and slim yet curvaceous, dressed in an ornate performance costume, with something of an actress's air about her.
Her opponent was a professional duelist trained by the hall, and naturally a woman of no small beauty herself.
Their duel was staged with extreme splendor and left the audience breathless with admiration.
But partway through, Dark couldn't help shaking his head.
It was gorgeous on the outside, but there wasn't much substance underneath.
This viewing made him realize the gap between duelists out in the world and St. Marian's Academy.
It was a veritable chasm.
"No wonder the duel tournaments at the Academy are so popular that the tens of thousands of seats always sell out."
After weighing it for a moment, he simply gave up comparing and watched it purely as a performance, and found it quite pleasant that way.
…
When the Magic Guide Duel ended, Dark didn't linger. He called Diana and the others and boarded the carriage home.
The carriage rolled through the quiet night, tranquil beneath the moonlight.
It was smooth sailing all the way.
…
Although the royal capital had been a mixed bag of all sorts lately, most people, as expected, valued their lives.
On this outing Dark didn't run into so much as a Thief picking pockets, and he returned safely to the Duke's estate.
Once inside, since it was so late, Dark invited Diana to stay the night.
Diana had no objection. After Dark told the maids to send word to the Greatbear household, she scampered happily into Aurora's room.
The two little sisters were all set for a night of chatting till dawn.
Dark only smiled helplessly and returned to his own room.
He bathed and changed first, washing off the dust, then sat down at his experiment table and summoned the system panel.
"System, display the indicators."
[Yes.]
A moment later.
Seven indicators appeared in Dark's field of vision.
▼
Pride: 98
Envy: 43
Wrath: 77
Sloth: 67
Greed: 91
Gluttony: 78
Lust: 91
▲
It was only the night of the seventh of July, so little had changed since the start of the month.
The system's tally didn't bother with rounding; it simply dropped everything after the decimal point.
Over this stretch, apart from Envy and Sloth each dropping by one, Greed and Lust had grown only slightly even after being drained.
The main event was, without a doubt, Pride!
Before today it had been drained down to barely over 90. Now it had leapt to 98 points!
"Senior Jeffrey really is a good man!"
Looking at the Pride he could now draw six more times, Dark couldn't help sighing.
He couldn't be bothered to care about Jeffrey's reasons for what he'd done, because childish games like that couldn't do him much harm.
On the contrary.
With experimental materials in short supply, he actually hoped a timely gift like this would come around a few more times.
"Anyway, let's start with a drop of Pride!"
Every time he drew Pride, Dark felt a pang of unease.
Because he still hadn't developed the exclusive Forging array for Pride IV. He hadn't even made any progress.
That gave this drop-by-drop accumulation an indescribable feeling.
It was like a little squirrel hoarding food for winter, only for winter never to arrive.
When Pride built up to 30 points, he might still have no leads.
By then he'd probably have to find a way to burn through those 30 points.
That would be truly, wholly sad.
Dark sighed and groaned, then fell asleep with his arms full on either side.
…
The eighth of July, just past noon.
The sky was slightly overcast. A few raindrops splattered down, but the dark clouds hung at the horizon and refused to fall, leaving the air sultry.
Felice Laman, Brown Eugenie, and three other thick-skinned nobles arrived one after another.
When Alvit learned that her darling had invited guests to tea, she excitedly ordered Ollie to receive them with full ceremony.
If she hadn't had official duties to attend to, she'd surely have done her duty as a good mother and handled the arrangements herself.
Dark was relieved that Alvit was so busy with official business. He told Ollie to keep things as simple as possible and received the guests in the second-floor drawing room.
"Is the Valkyrie… I mean, the Duke not here?"
The moment she saw Dark, Felice asked eagerly, stars filling both her eyes.
"The capital's been unsettled lately."
Dark answered lightly and moved the subject along.
Felice's disappointment was visible to the naked eye, but the moment she stepped onto the mansion's second floor, she was captivated again by the [Paradise] that filled the corridor.
Like Alice stepping into a dream, she lifted the hem of her skirt and looked left and right.
The other four young nobles followed behind her, trembling with nerves.
Accepting the invitation with a thick skin was one thing. Knowing what to do once they actually got there was another.
Evidently their families had briefed them before they came, and they were even stiffer than yesterday.
Dark led them into the drawing room, dismissed the maids, and made the tea himself.
His casual manner helped the young nobles relax a good deal.
Dark didn't really understand why these few people had pushed themselves into a tea party he'd proposed offhand, but that didn't stop him from playing the proper host.
"Try this, a specialty of the Free City—lemon tea."
Under Felice and the others' astonished eyes, Dark picked square ice cubes from an ice box with tongs and dropped them into the cold-brewed lemon tea.
As the ice and water mingled, the temperature of the tea fell swiftly to freezing.
Dark swirled the specially chosen glass cups and then set them in front of each guest in turn.
"Is this iced tea?" Felice couldn't help asking.
Dark smiled faintly. "Evening fragrance, one lemon."
…
Just as Felice and the others were cautiously sipping their iced lemon tea, Diana and Aurora came giggling into the drawing room.
Felice was surprised to see the two of them, but she didn't let it show.
The news that the Greatbear house's Pearl in the Palm was on intimate terms with Demon family's young master had long since spread through the gossip circles of noble ladies and young misses.
But because the two were still young, the middle-aged ladies who were so keen on matchmaking had quickly set the matter aside.
The noble daughters, however, paid it close attention.
Especially the ones Dark's own age.
Dark's reputation had been terrible before, but there were noble sons even more outrageous than he was.
By comparison, at least he had no messy scandals involving men and women.
Add to that his family background and status—above all, being the Son of the Valkyrie, which was a huge bonus!
Alvit was the kingdom's idol among women, and the fact that marrying Dark would make a girl her "daughter" was simply too enticing.
So Dark had always been among the top three choices for many girls his age picking a prospective match.
It was only because he hadn't reached the right age that the Duke's estate hadn't had its threshold trampled flat.
Now that Dark was a year short of fourteen, an intimate girl had suddenly popped up at his side. It would have been strange if nobody noticed.
Felice had no interest in a boy three years younger than herself, but she was thoroughly happy to watch the show.
Seeing Diana plop down beside Dark without a trace of reserve, she squinted, grinning like a fox that had just landed a huge juicy scoop.
Chances were that once she walked out of the Duke's estate today, the rumor that Dark and Diana were already living together would fly out uncontrollably~
Dark himself remained completely oblivious. He made iced lemon tea for Diana and Aurora too, then said to Brown Eugenie, "Brown, your… ah, your trade secret. Is it all right to talk about it here? If not, we can go somewhere else."
Brown rubbed his plump cheek and couldn't help asking, "But what about the planner?"
Dark smiled and pointed at himself.
Brown went from puzzled to surprised, then gasped, "Don't tell me you planned it?"
Dark said slowly, "If you mean the one who proposed the model eggs, then yes, that's me. What did you want to collaborate on?"
Brown looked around and steadied himself. "Can we go somewhere else?"
"Then somewhere else it is."
Dark nodded and said to Felice and the others, "Let Aurora and Diana keep you company for now."
With that, he led Brown out of the drawing room.
Felice watched his back and smacked her hands together. "Confirmed!"
…
In an empty room two doors down, Dark invited Brown to sit and asked, "Go on."
Looking at this duke's son who had only just turned thirteen, Brown suddenly felt rather small.
He was nervous, but he spoke anyway. "It's like this. Don't you think the model eggs from St. Marian's Academy look a lot like Magic Guide Chess pieces?"
"Magic Guide Chess pieces?" Dark's mind stirred and he understood. "You mean bundling the model eggs with Magic Guide Chess in a joint promotion? Like designing the models inside the eggs as Magic Guide Chess pieces."
Brown nodded hurriedly. "Exactly. Isn't that a good idea? Look, the models in the eggs may differ in popularity, but at the end of the day they only have display and collection value, no real use. But if they were compatible with Magic Guide Chess… they'd undoubtedly become far more precious!"
Dark narrowed his eyes. "But you should know that making Magic Guide Chess pieces costs money. If every egg model were turned into a chess piece, the cost would skyrocket first of all, and ordinary people couldn't afford them. Second, Magic Guide Chess is, in the end, a niche game spread only among those with mana, and its rules are too complicated."
Brown blurted, "But we can refine it!"
Dark raised a hand to stop him from going on. "I get it. You want to simplify the rules of Magic Guide Chess and refine it into something playable without mana. That would bring the cost of the pieces down too. But if that's the case, why not just tailor a brand-new board game for the egg models?"
Brown: "That…"
Dark smiled faintly. "Actually, there's a ready-made way to play right now, no tailoring needed. You know that nobody doesn't love Magic Guide Duels."
Brown simply couldn't fathom how the thirteen-year-old across from him could produce such a pile of things he'd never imagined, when Brown had hardly said a few words.
But Dark already had a fairly mature idea. "The practicality of the egg models is indeed a problem. As the times change, so does people's willingness to buy. If they have no practical use, it really will be hard to keep the egg models' popularity going forever. And the audience will keep narrowing. A truly epoch-making product should be entertainment for everyone."
Brown listened with growing wide eyes. He could no longer follow what Dark was after.
But in truth, Dark had only conceived of making a "Duel Disk" after Brown's prompt.
The Duel Disk was originally the special duel device in Yu-Gi-Oh! used to project monster images and card effects.
But a projection device like that demanded extremely high Magic Guide technology.
With all the complicated effects and outlandish chains, if they were to be realized, the Duel Disks would probably end up like Magic Guide Chess, a niche product only for those who could wield mana.
So it needed simplifying.
Strip out the complicated Ultimate Moves, strip out the life point system, and keep only each piece's attack and defense, plus at most one direct-damage or simple control-type Ultimate Move.
The projections manifested by the Duel Disk wouldn't even need to move; they'd just "fire" their attacks.
That way, the whole duel would become very simple.
As for the gameplay, it could come from adding the rules of Magic Guide Duels and a per-turn limit on summons.
Finally, to make the Duel Disk widespread, they'd also need to develop a top-up card—no, an energy-charge card!
Having nearly exposed his sinister intentions, Dark went on. "But if we're imitating Magic Guide Duels, using the egg models isn't actually convenient. We could pair each egg model with a card that slots into the Duel Disk and sell them as a bundle. Then anyone who wants the egg model, or the duel card, has to buy the egg!"
Brown: "…"
As he spoke, Dark grew more and more enthusiastic, and he pulled over paper and started drafting designs on the spot.
If this game succeeded.
Selling the egg models and cards would be one profit point.
Selling the Duel Disks would be another profit point.
Selling the charge cards would be yet another.
It would be hard not to rake in a fortune!
"Last night I was just thinking about earning some pocket money, and today the idea turns up."
Dark was naturally thrilled.
After a good while, Brown saw how seriously he was designing and quietly stood up, trying to slip out of the room.
Dark looked up. "Where are you going?"
Brown froze and turned back awkwardly. "I just didn't want to disturb you."
Dark asked, puzzled, "Aren't we discussing a collaboration?"
"Well…" Brown hesitated. "But those are all your ideas. I haven't contributed anything."
Dark's mind stirred as he caught on to what he was thinking, and he smiled. "That's not so. The Eugenie Trading Company belongs to your family, right? If this plan succeeds, we'll need distribution and promotion as well, and there will be plenty of places to work together."
Brown shuddered at his words and hurriedly sat back down.
Though he hadn't offered any ideas on the planning, distribution and promotion were exactly what the Eugenie Trading Company was good at.
If he could help his family land a deal this big, one anyone with eyes could see the value of, his standing within the family would be secure.
By then, nobody would dare mock him for scoring zeros at school again!
I, Brown Eugenie, am not stupid!
…
Dark organized his thoughts, gathered the pages covered in writing, and smiled. "Don't be too hasty. This is only a plan. Whether it can succeed or fit the market is still up in the air. All I can say is that, with the model eggs' success preceding it, its odds are relatively good. So there's no rush to tell your family."
"I understand!" Brown said at once. "Trade secret!"
Dark nodded, with an air of "you really get it," and gave him a thumbs-up.
The relationship between the two grew a good deal closer all at once.
By the time they returned to the drawing room, they were comfortable talking with each other.
Surprised at the change between them, Felice asked curiously, "Looks like the collaboration talk went well?"
"Not bad," Dark said with a nod.
In fact, the plan had three profit points.
The lion's share would of course be in egg model and card sales, which belonged to St. Marian's.
He planned to obtain the manufacturing and sales rights to the Duel Disks and charge cards, which would be his own profit point.
The Academy would take the big share and he'd take the small share. Surely Professor Silf and Principal Cynthia wouldn't object.
After all, the whole plan was his creation.
"Still, there's no hurry. I'll talk it over with Mother and Claire after the execution Ritual in mid-July."
"Then I'll pick one of the head maids from home to found a new trading company and liaise with St. Marian's Academy."
"Let me think. The Libra head maid might be a good choice."
Dark sat down on the sofa and opened his mouth to bite the grape Diana conveniently held out—peeled, of course.
After that, the tea party passed in the most ordinary way.
Since they weren't close, Dark didn't take them to play on the back mountain.
At around four, the tea party was declared over and the five guests left one after another.
Apart from Brown, who had gained something, and Felice, who had gotten her gossip, the other three nobles seemed to have come just to go through the motions, and who knew what they were after.
"Maybe I should look into where their families stand?"
Dark propped his chin and thought. For something like that, asking Scorpio Chris should easily get him the intel.
But the moment Chris came to mind, something stirred in him and he remembered the two Elders of the Cult of Knowledge he'd run into yesterday noon.
"Hey, I forgot!"
…
So he shook off Diana and Aurora, found Ollie by himself, and had her summon Chris.
The petite Chris was in her usual fresh outfit, her single ponytail tossed casually behind her.
"Good afternoon, Young Master."
When she emerged from the shadow in the corner of the wall, Dark was no longer surprised.
"Sit."
He pushed the iced lemon tea he'd prepared earlier across the table.
Chris sat as he indicated, picked up the cup, stuck out her pink little tongue, and licked it lightly.
"Ssss~"
The cold and the sweet-sourness hit her taste buds at once, and she couldn't help pulling her tongue back in.
Dark couldn't help smiling. "How is it?"
Chris raised the cup to her lips again and took a small sip, squinting as she savored it for a long while before saying, "Tea bestowed by the Young Master would taste good even if it were laced with deadly poison."
Dark: "…"
Could we maybe be a little normal?
Ollie, standing attendance beside them, covered her mouth and giggled. "Ice with lemon tea really lifts both of them. It's such a simple pairing, and I never thought of it before."
Having said that, she went on, "And as for the milk tea you mentioned, Young Master, I have some idea how to make it now. Would you like to try it tonight?"
Dark nodded. "Sure."
Ollie: "But the one I make is hot milk tea."
Dark: "Milk tea only has soul when it's hot."
Ollie looked delighted.
Only then did Dark say to Chris, "Come to think of it, that man called Ignaz Cooper. Is he still in the ice cellar?"
Chris shook her head and said, utterly unconcerned, "Him? I was afraid he'd dirty the ice cellar, so I tossed him out early on."
"Tossed him where?" Dark asked curiously.
"The Grey Mist Forest," Chris said.
"There?" Dark said.
Chris grinned, and a rare, alluring smile fit for her twenty-five years crossed her face. "Doesn't he like dreaming? I'll let him dream his fill!"
Dark froze, remembering the grey mist dream he'd experienced aboard the Magic Guide locomotive, and asked curiously, "What sort of dream will he have?"
Chris flicked a fingertip and produced a rainbow-colored poisoned needle, spinning it slowly. "Probably something like a Venomous Snake Hell. If he likes snakes, he may never want to leave."
Dark imagined it for a moment and couldn't help shivering.
Other people might not know, but if he were thrown into a pit of venomous snakes… He couldn't bear to think about it. He couldn't!
To change the subject, he hurriedly said, "It's been a whole month. Is he still alive?"
"I don't know," Chris said, shaking her head. "I'm no demon, so of course I had the forest rangers there help keep him alive. Whether a ranger took his anger out on him in some way is not something I need to concern myself with. Maybe they get along well and Mr. Ranger has been taking good care of him?"
"Haha." Dark gave a dry laugh, thinking Chris might have some mistaken notion of what a "demon" was.
So he went with his earlier plan. "Since he's still alive, let him stay there two more months. When school starts, I'll let him go."
The corner of Chris's mouth curled. "Understood."
The Young Master really was merciful, punishing that man for only three months before releasing him.
Dark couldn't bear to look at her smile, so he lowered his head and drank some iced lemon tea. "So, have the few people who came to the estate today been looked into?"
Chris put on a professional smile. "Of course. I sent the intelligence to the Duke last night. If the Young Master wants a copy too, I'll have one sent right over."
"Bring me a copy," Dark said with a nod. "Also, send someone to keep an eye on Aaron Rhodes and Aviva Julius of the Cult of Knowledge."
Chris made a small gesture with her hand and said softly, "Is the Young Master asking for…?"
Dark broke into a sweat. "Respect the old and cherish the young. They're that old, it can't be easy for them. What I meant was, if they forget to eat and sleep and their bodies can't take it, give them a hand."
"Oh," Chris said. "The forced-sleep technique. I'm familiar with it."
"All right, all right," Dark said. "Just bring me the files."
Chris nodded, but clearly had no intention of leaving.
Dark didn't know how she sent the message, but soon a maid of the Scorpio Palace Maid Corps knocked, came in, and handed Dark a thick stack of documents.
Dark glanced at them and set them on the table to read from the top.
First was one of the three noble youths.
Even though they'd attended the tea party, Dark's impression of them was still very faint, limited to knowing their names.
He flipped through casually and understood. "A fence-sitter."
"Yes," Chris nodded. "Someone dispensable. If the Young Master would like him to disappear…"
"No need," Dark said hurriedly, raising a hand.
Chris looked puzzled. "What is the Young Master thinking? I meant making him steer clear of you."
"Right." Dark lowered his head and moved on to the next file.
After reading through the files of the other two noble youths, he found that these three were truly just bystanders, and their fathers too were all mooching around wherever they could.
But people who survived in the cracks like that were under considerable pressure.
He didn't look down on them at all. He just shook his head and sighed.
People like that could never be friends, of course.
Then he reached for Brown's or Felice's file, and suddenly found that the thick stack hadn't shrunk at all!
"So whose files are all of these, exactly?"
With a sweatdrop, Dark leafed through and separated Brown's files from Felice's.
Then he discovered, to his dismay, that Brown's had only five pages, and at least fifty of the remainder were all about Felice!
He couldn't help looking up at Chris, but she looked rather smug, wearing an expression of "correctly divining the Holy One's will."
But isn't the Holy One whose will you divined Alvit?!?
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