Seeing Elaine on her knees made me happy.
Until I remembered what it cost me.
I just burned my trump card while Furcas sat proudly on his horse, farming aura and looking down at the two of them like they were beneath him.
’Why are you acting so smug? Did you forget you’re severely weakened?’
That was the whole reason I went through all that trouble in the first place. I didn’t know if we could overpower them, so I had to make sure they believed we could.
Furcas slowly raised his weapon.
Elaine recoiled, the color draining from her face.
’Hey! Put that thing down! I’m trying to avoid a fight here!’
He followed my command, so at least I didn’t have to worry about him going rogue on me.
My only real complaint was that I couldn’t summon him again for another thirty days.
DING!
[Special Condition Detected.]
[Furcas has encountered a demonic entity. He may devour the target to strengthen himself.]
[Reward:]
[Monthly Summon Limit: 1 → 2]
[Summon Duration: 1 Minute → 2 Minutes]
’Devour?’
The creature was still bowing its head, completely unaware that it was now on the menu.
’System, does Furcas need to be here to consume it?’
[Negative, Host.]
[If a Demon Contractor willingly surrenders their contracted demon to you, the System can complete the devouring process at any time.]
The keyword was anytime, which meant I didn’t need to risk antagonizing Elaine right now.
She might be bowing her head, but I was pretty sure that would change the second I tried to kill her demon.
I adjusted my tie, pulled out a chair, and sat down with my legs crossed.
Like a boss.
Instead of speaking right away, I let the silence stretch for a few seconds, just long enough to make her wonder what I was going to do next.
"Since you at least have the eyes to recognize my greatness, I’ll forgive you this once. But don’t mistake my mercy for kindness."
I snapped my fingers just as Furcas’s time ran out.
Right on cue, the ground cracked open beneath him. His horse slowly sank first, followed by the old man himself, until the floor swallowed them both.
"Thank you for sparing us."
Elaine finally let out a relieved breath.
"You should be." I leaned back slightly. "But there’s one thing I don’t appreciate."
I narrowed my eyes. "People who hide things from me."
Elaine stiffened and opened her mouth to respond, but someone beat her to it.
"My apologies, Senior."
The man from earlier walked through the entrance and headed toward us with the same confident expression he wore before.
’Good. My guess was right. He was hiding and watching us the whole time. Good thing I didn’t start a fight.’
"State your name." I tapped my fingers against my knee, pretending to be impatient.
He paused for a second, caught off guard by my overbearing attitude, before bowing his head.
"I am Sebastian Vale. Elaine’s older brother."
Oh, that explained the looks.
"So you sent your sister to test me." I gave a dismissive grunt. "That’s rather bold of you."
"Not at all." He shook his head. "I knew from the start that you had everything under control. You even managed to charm her earlier."
"Brother!"
Elaine’s cheeks turned red as she whipped her head toward him.
"I’m sorry, Senior. Don’t listen to him. He’s talking nonsense."
Not gonna lie, that was pretty nice to hear.
Her denying it only made it better.
"Don’t worry. I found our little conversation quite enjoyable too."
Her cheeks turned even redder.
Sebastian chuckled. "See? I told you."
"Brother..."
For someone who looked terrifying a few minutes ago, she sure was easy to fluster.
"Now, where were we?" I turned my attention back to him. "I believe you were questioning my intentions."
He just nodded, giving me nothing to work with.
Asking too many questions could blow my cover, so I decided to guide the conversation and let him do the talking.
"I have to admit, though..." I leaned back in my chair. "Your little setup here caught my attention."
Sebastian smiled. "Thank you, Senior. It’s an honor to hear that, but I’m sure our little group is nothing in your eyes."
He reached into his pocket.
"And as an apology for earlier, please accept this."
He pulled out what looked like a black marble about the size of a ping-pong ball.
’What is that—’
DING!
[Cursed Energy Crystal Detected.]