Deep beneath the cold dungeon, filthy prisoners groaned and stretched their hands out, begging for food. It seemed they had been starved for days.
Damian walked forward, his eyes cold and indifferent, not sparing any of them a glance.
Suddenly, he stopped.
"Hey, you…"
His gaze shot toward Mira like a bullet.
"What trick did you use to charm everyone? How did you make the master fall for you?"
Mira frowned and stared directly into Damian's hateful eyes. She blinked, confused.
"What do you mean? I don't understand anything you're saying."
Damian let out a cold laugh, dripping with mockery.
"Stop pretending to be innocent. There's no one else here, so cut the act. I can see through the hearts of others, so don't even try to…"
"Oh…" Mira interrupted him, her tone tinged with amusement: "That sounds interesting."
She tilted her head with a faint smile. "If you can see through people's hearts, then why don't you guess what I'm thinking about you right now, Damian?"
Damian stiffened.
"I… of course I know, but… why should I answer you anyway!"
Mira shrugged, lips curling into a half–smile.
"Well, I assumed you actually knew. Turns out you were bluffing. Never mind then. I'll go finish my mission. Think whatever you want, I don't really care."
"Don't use that coquettish voice with me!" Damian snapped, his face flushing red: "It won't work on me, you bitch!"
He swung his arm, conjuring a spiral of flames that shot straight at Mira.
A loud explosion echoed through the dungeon. Prisoners screamed and panicked.
When the smoke cleared, Damian froze in disbelief. His attack… had been bent out of shape and vanished.
"You… you twisted my spell. But you didn't even move!"
Mira giggled, sounding nothing like her usual self.
She tilted her head, eyes shining with naive innocence while her pouting lips formed words that chilled Damian to the bone.
"Hahaha… I like you that much and you still don't like me back. I tried so hard to get close to you too. Honestly, you're more troublesome than I thought."
Damian's expression twisted with terror. His instinct urged him to step back.
Mira noticed his feet retreating. The sight amused her enough that she snorted softly. She lifted her shoulders casually, her tone playful.
"Looks like you don't like me very much. Earlier you said you could see through my heart, so why don't you tell me… what my heart thinks of you right now?"
Damian trembled harder, his face draining of color. He stumbled back in panic and collapsed onto the ground.
"That's impossible… someone as weak as you could never block my eight–star fire spell. A four–star like you shouldn't be able to…"
He screamed, unable to accept reality, desperately clinging to whatever pride he had left.
Mira giggled and nodded along to Damian's hysterical outburst.
"Yes, you're right. Since I only have four stars, I definitely can't do anything to you. Please make sure to tell everyone that."
Damian's panic grew even more frantic.
"You… so you did it on purpose. You fake… you're such a…"
Mira raised an eyebrow and let out a soft hum.
"Oh? You think I'm a demon?" Her lips curled into a teasing smile: "Why would you think I'm a demon?"
The fear in Damian's eyes deepened.
"What the hell… did she just read my thoughts?"
"Damian, you're so funny. How could I possibly read your mind?" Mira laughed lightly, her voice gentle as a breeze. "I'm just a normal human being… just like you."
"No… you're not human!" Damian shouted in terror. "Get away from me! What in the world are you?!"
His gaze suddenly fixed on Mira's wrist on the platinum bracelet identical to the one Everen wore.
Mira followed his eyes and smiled.
"You like this bracelet? It's pretty, isn't it? If you want, I can make one for you too."
"Make… make one? What do you mean? A Connection Artifact only forms on its own when it detects demonic power inside a person. Humans can't create them, only beings that are not human can…"
He stopped, as if a realization struck him.
"Wait… I remember now, that bracelet looks exactly… Tell me, what is your relationship with Lord Everen? Why do the two of you have the same bracelet? Are you… are you also a demon like him? Are you just like him, a demon…"
Before he could finish, Damian fainted from sheer panic.
The dungeon fell silent except for the dripping of water in the distance.
Mira looked down at him and murmured softly.
"He said Everen is a demon… If he's a demon, then why can't I see his soul?"
On the upper level of the dungeon, Everen and Kaelino were interrogating prisoners one by one.
Criminals with severe charges were taken into a private room filled with newly imported torture tools from the Empire, sharp and terrifying under the dim light.
"Speak. Who is the one behind all of you?"
The prisoner chained tightly to a nailed wooden board screamed in agony. His fanged teeth clattered, froth spilled from his mouth, and a foul stench filled the room.
"Shut up, you beast!"
The sound of a whip cracked through the air, tearing flesh and mixing with screams that seemed to come straight from hell. The room was thick with blood, rusted metal, and the cold clatter of chains.
Kaelino recorded every detail of the forced confession, his eyes sharp as he observed every twitch and reaction.
From the initial evidence, he confirmed that this man was a demon worshipper, involved in sending a report to the leader of a cult that revered demonic beings right after the Selection ended.
That was why the High Demon appeared in time. Nothing had been coincidental.
Kaelino narrowed his eyes, his voice low.
"So it wasn't chance. Everything was arranged."
He stepped closer, his shadow falling over the trembling prisoner.
"What demon does your leader worship? Speak now."
The prisoner shook violently.
"I… I don't know! I only saw… its image… on the altar they summoned from. But… but its name… I don't know!"
Everen leaned lazily against the wall, lips curving in amusement. His voice flowed soft as wind and cold as a snake sliding across skin.
"In that case… can you describe it?"
The prisoner nodded frantically, breath uneven.
"In the drawing… it had two horns glowing blue, eyes red like blood, and a terrifying smile with long fangs sharp enough to slice anything with a touch… Ah, right, there was also a symbol on its forehead."
Everen chuckled.
"Oh? Then why don't you draw that symbol for me?"
The man grabbed a piece of white chalk with shaking fingers and drew the sigil on the stone floor. After seeing it, Everen let out a faint mocking laugh.
Kaelino glanced over, raising an eyebrow.
"You recognize that demon, Everen?"
Everen laughed, the sound echoing ominously through the dark room.
"How could I possibly recognize him? I only found the description amusing, that's all."
Kaelino sighed, ignoring the deflective sarcasm. He knew Everen never revealed everything he knew.
Suddenly, the prisoner gasped as another memory came back.
"Yes! I heard them call 'his' name… Zephy… ros…"
Kaelino's eyes narrowed.
"Zephyros?"
Everen's quiet laugh blended with the sound of cold footsteps across the floor.
"Well now… how amusing."
Two hours of interrogation passed.
When they emerged from the blood–scented dungeon, Kaelino said to Everen,
"You knew beforehand, didn't you? The demon that attacked the arena that day was none other than the Wind Sin King, the Lightning Gale Blood Sovereign Zephyros."
Everen let out a refined chuckle, laced with disdain.
"Oh, you're so clever. Unfortunately, I'm not as clever as you, so I couldn't figure that out."
Kaelino shot him a sideways look, half suspicious, half probing.
"Is that so? Then let's say you're ignorant. Though… I believe you understand more than anyone."
A mocking smile tugged at Kaelino's lips. He closed his notebook and brushed past Everen, clearly uninterested in arguing further.
As the two prepared to return to the Seventh Division Headquarters, they suddenly saw Mira supporting an unconscious Damian, taking hesitant steps through the hallway.
Both men frowned simultaneously. Everen in particular flicked his hand, causing Damian to fall to the ground like a worthless sack.
"Mira, are your hands alright? That bastard must have caused you trouble."
Mira shook her head and smiled sweetly, bright enough to light up the dungeon.
"Not at all. Damian isn't very heavy, he just fainted out of nowhere and scared me so much. I felt bad for him, so I carried him back to the barracks."
Everen quickly asked, "Did you finish your mission?"
"Yes… I did. It's just…" Mira lowered her head, her voice trembling as if she were about to cry. "… that place was so scary, so I got a little frightened…"
Everen smiled and reached out to pat her head, but Kaelino slapped his hand away with a harsh smack.
"Don't touch her. I warned you already, Everen."
The two nearly clashed again if Mira hadn't rushed between them.
"You two, stop it already! Don't fight anymore!"
Hearing her voice, both men stopped immediately. Though fire still burned in their eyes, neither spoke another word.
All three returned to the headquarters, leaving Damian behind in the cold dungeon.
A nearby prisoner shook his head and whispered,
"Poor guy…"
Back at the dining hall, the atmosphere was as lively as usual. Though they now belonged to different units, everyone still gathered to eat like old times.
Mira told them everything.
"I heard… the one they kept mentioning… the one the High Demon referred to… was the demon called Zephyros."