The chaos ended not long after, and night had already fallen. After the incident, several soldiers from both houses followed Commander Newton to the lord's manor. They demanded an explanation for what had happened and questioned why he had not been there to protect his own people.
Perez, meanwhile, sat quietly in his quarters writing a report to his father. An event like this could not be ignored, and he treated it with the seriousness it deserved.
Edsel had already returned to the room. He sat in front of Les, watching as the man slowly opened his suitcase and began taking out different tools.
Les had already finished treating the injured soldier. Now it was Edsel's turn, and the room had grown quiet with only the two of them inside.
As each tool appeared from the case, Edsel could feel dark mana clinging to them.
"What are those tools?" Edsel asked, staring at them with innocent curiosity.
Les didn't answer right away. Instead, he lifted a small vial filled with a strange liquid.
"When this enters your body, it will stabilize your mana."
Edsel frowned slightly. "But I don't have any injuries."
Les' brows tightened in annoyance. Why was the kid asking so many questions? It didn't matter. The needle he was preparing contained a hypnotic liquid. Once it entered Edsel's body, the boy would confess everything.
"I'm curious," Les said suddenly. "Is Desmond even your real name?"
Les scowled at the question. "Of course it is."
Edsel quickly dismissed the answer and raised his hand as the needle approached. The moment the tip pierced his skin, pain shot through him and he instinctively tried to pull away.
"Good," Les said calmly. "Don't resist. The more you struggle, the faster your mind will break."
Edsel's body stiffened. Slowly, his expression faded until his face became completely blank as he stared at the table.
"Jump."
Edsel immediately jumped from the chair. When he landed, the empty look returned to his face.
Les still wasn't satisfied. He stepped forward and slapped Edsel hard across the face. Edsel staggered slightly but didn't react.
A wide grin spread across Les' face.
"Good. He's obeying."
He leaned closer.
"Let's see… what's your real name and age?"
"Edsel Domitius. Age sixteen."
Les' smile vanished.
"I said your real name."
"Edsel Domitius."
Les frowned deeply while studying the blank face before him. He was still responding, and his face was still empty. Why was he not answering with his real name? Was he actually a human after all and not what Les had suspected?
"Damn it, and here I thought that he was a demon too," Les muttered while sighing in disappointment. "What a joke. I was worried about nothing in the end."
He paused for a moment before asking another question. "But why do you possess dark mana inside your body? Answer me. Why do you have it?"
Edsel's lips moved faintly.
"Re… nate."
Les blinked.
"Huh?"
Edsel muttered again, his voice barely audible.
"Re… nate…"
Les stepped closer, leaning toward Edsel's mouth so he could hear him clearly.
"Speak louder, you bastard. What did you say?"
Edsel slowly lifted his head.
"I said… what is a nameless demon bastard doing in human territory?"
Les's eyes widened in shock and terror. The moment he tried to step back and create distance between them, Edsel's hand shot forward and grabbed his head with an iron grip.
Before Les could react or defend himself, Edsel slammed his head against the wooden table with tremendous force.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
He repeated the motion multiple times until blood splattered across the surface and Les groaned in pain while struggling weakly.
"Y-you… how did you go back to normal…?"
Blood dripped from Les' mouth as he looked up, his face swollen from the repeated blows.
Edsel tilted his head slightly, studying him.
"Your face is pretty durable."
Despite the assault, Les was still conscious, though his face had turned red and bruised. For a demon, his persistence was impressive.
Edsel looked away for a moment before answering the question.
"As for your question… those petty tricks don't work on me."
"H-how?!"
Confusion filled Les' voice. His mind raced as he tried to think of a way out. If he used brute force and stabbed the boy, he could escape through the window afterward. The number of soldiers outside wasn't overwhelming. If he moved quickly, he might still survive.
He just needed an opening.
"Do I look like an easy target?"
Les froze, when he looked up, he met Edsel's eyes. The gaze staring down at him was cold and dangerous and his legs immediately gave out beneath him.
An overwhelming pressure filled the room, crushing the air itself. The killing intent surrounding Edsel made the space feel smaller with every passing second. Les felt as if his body was being torn apart piece by piece before being stitched back together again.
He knew it was an illusion but the fear was real.
"So," Edsel continued calmly, "should I kill you by stabbing your brain? I'm sure that's your weakness." His lips curved slightly. "Or should I absorb it… like I did with the orcs?"
Les trembled violently. In his eyes, Edsel was no longer a child but a massive monster stood before him, towering so high that Les felt like nothing more than an insect beneath it. The presence alone made him feel unbearably small.
He wanted to run.
He wanted to scream.
How could a human child possess this much dark mana… this much killing intent?
In his mind he saw a gigantic mouth opening wide, rows of sharp teeth waiting to devour him. The creature leaned closer, ready to swallow him whole.
It's over.
The thought screamed through his mind. His breathing grew frantic and his chest tightened as panic consumed him.
He was dying.
He was definitely dying.
"STOP! PLEASE—STOOOP!"
The killing intent vanished instantly.
The room fell silent, Les collapsed to the floor, gasping desperately for air. Tears ran down his face as he tried to calm his shaking body. His nose ran, and his mind struggled to make sense of what had just happened.
He had felt this kind of presence before, Only once, From the Demon King himself… from the Lich.
Yet somehow, a human boy possessed the same terrifying power.
A pair of dark chains suddenly rose from beneath Edsel's shadow and wrapped tightly around Les' neck.
"W-what is this…?"
Les grabbed the chain instinctively, but it wouldn't move.
Edsel held the other end loosely in his hand, casually playing with it as if it were nothing more than a toy.
"Just a little trick I learned on my own," he said calmly and his eyes settled on Les again. "And from now on… I'm your master."
Les wanted to reject the words immediately.
But the moment he tried, a strange force surged through his body. His limbs refused to move, and his mouth wouldn't open.
His body had already begun to obey and Edsel seemed satisfied.
"Ah, right. From now on you'll teach me dark magic," he added lightly. "Otherwise I'll have to get rid of you myself."
He tightened the chain slightly.
"You don't want that, right?"
Les swallowed hard. The terror from earlier had not faded, At that moment, he realized something horrifying.
He had just met someone far worse than the Demon King.