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Zaorom Nebiros, the head of one of the Six Great Houses, was a man consumed by a thirst for knowledge, a thirst he hid behind a mask of loyalty to the House of Lucifer.
I'd recognized the familiar gleam of avarice in his eyes during our first meeting. We'd been discussing the long-term effects of alchemical substances on a demon's body, and I'd seen on his face the same expression I'd seen on countless Corpse Herders and Necromancers in my old world, the unmistakable desire to disembowel their conversation partner to satisfy their "curiosity."
I'd had to personally deal with a few such individuals who'd gotten a little too interested in the "Ultimate Weapon of the Black Heart Clan."
So, I would not be trusting Zaorom, though he was an interesting conversationalist.
I had traded him the recipe for a body-strengthening tincture for a hefty tome titled "The Secrets of Nature," written by a minor Celtic deity.
It was an incredibly favorable deal, more like an investment in my research, as he himself had hinted.
The salamander's corpse crumbled to dust. I withdrew my hand, which was trembling slightly from the immense expenditure of aura.
This body was still too young to handle such a strain, but its plasticity would make the process of duplicating my spiritual meridians much easier.
For now, I needed to harvest some valuable organs from the remaining, relatively intact corpse and get home in time for dinner.
My mother was rarely home these days, having taken on some of Rofocale's duties, and I would not forgive myself for missing a meal with her without a very good reason.
….
"Dear sister, how was your visit to the heir of the House of Gremory? Did that demon, in his arrogance, overstep his bounds?"
Grayfia sighed internally, but she couldn't help but be charmed by the serious expression on the black-haired boy's face as he struggled to cut his meat with an air of elegance. It was the same question he asked every time she returned from the Gremory estate.
"Inflis, how many times do I have to tell you? Sirzechs is not that kind of demon. We inspected a new manufactory, and then we visited his children's choir. He played a new piece he'd learned on the piano. It was quite interesting."
"I am glad you had a good time, my dear sister," he replied, his joyful smile returning. He went back to his meat with the intense focus of a warrior facing a mortal enemy.
The sight made Grayfia want to pinch his cheeks until he finally dropped the formal address. It had nothing to do with him resembling a grumpy kitten that she desperately wanted to cuddle. Definitely not.
"Sister," Euclis piped up, "you know Father allowed me to start training with Captain Ansted a few months ago? Well, today, I beat one of the guards!"
"That's wonderful, Euclis. But don't get complacent. You still have a long way to go to reach the power of a high-rank demon."
"Yes, sister. Will you help me with my training?"
"I have a lot to do, but I will find the time."
"Thank you, sister!" The silver-haired boy beamed, then attacked his food with renewed vigor. Grayfia watched him with a mixture of pride and guilt.
The burden of being the heir weighed more heavily on him with each passing year. He was becoming a small copy of their father, his childish features slowly hardening into a cold mask.
Meanwhile, her other brother retreated further into his alchemical research, where he was displaying a talent that rivaled one of Sirzechs's own friends.
They were Lucifuges. They had to be the best.
"Sister," Inflis said, his voice pulling her from her thoughts, "could you inform Father that I will be occupied with an experiment for the next two days and cannot be disturbed?"
Grayfia frowned. "Inflis, you already spend hours in that stone box. Now you want to lock yourself away for two whole days? What if you get hurt?"
"I have already discussed this with Father. I have food and water, and one of the guard's deputies, Zerkel, will be stationed outside. I will send him a magical signal every six hours to let him know I am alright."
"But…"
"Sister, this is a very important experiment. Please, allow me to conduct it." He looked at her with those pleading, crimson eyes.
/A five-year-old boy in a dark corridor, his eyes as red as blood.
"Mother?"/*
It's not fair! she thought.
"Fine," she grumbled, unable to resist his gaze. "But at the slightest sign of trouble, you stop immediately."
"Everything will be fine, my dear sister. And may I ask you something?" He seemed unusually hesitant. Grayfia softened her expression and nodded.
"What kind of music pleases your ear and your sense of beauty?"
"Huh?"
….
"Make sure no one disturbs me," I commanded, "even if the Fallen decide to invade and meteors start falling from the sky."
"I will see to it, young master," Zerkel replied, bowing his head. He was clad in the silver and red armor of the House guard, a yellow insignia on his shoulder marking him as a deputy captain.
I gave him and his men one last look, then turned to my workshop.
To the uninitiated, it was just a featureless stone box.
But someone with my magic tutor's skill would have immediately detected the numerous magical barriers and then subjected me to a multi-hour lecture on the "stupidity" and "wasteful expenditure" of precious resources.
Unfortunately, I hadn't had time to become a master of this world's magic. I needed reliable protection now.
So, I had done what the wealthy sects in my old world always did: if you can't solve a problem with skill, throw money at it.
Or in my case, expensive reagents and power accumulators, which had depleted two-thirds of my savings.
I trusted no one in this Underworld with my life, except my mother. And involving her would raise too many questions, questions neither of us were ready to answer.
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Hey guys if u like the fanfic and want to read ahead by 5+ Chapters or just want to support take a visit on my patreon.
(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
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