Chapter 194
Chapter 194: Positive Energy!
The Second Prince lay on the bed, his expression perfectly unmoved as he listened to Kavra's words.
"Miss Kavra, I'm not quite sure what you mean."
"Are you suggesting that I—a Prince of the Empire—would have dealings with a Demon?"
Kavra stood with one hand on her hip, looking at the Second Prince with a trace of mockery.
"Whether His Highness the Prince has dealings with Demons or not, I can't say for certain—but you really do need a bath."
"The stench of Demon on you is making me feel sick."
As though reminded of something, the Second Prince lowered his head, extended his arm, and brought it close to his nose for a sniff.
Since sustaining his injuries, he had spent all his time recuperating—in the past several days, he genuinely hadn't had much opportunity to bathe.
Though his wounds had in fact already healed.
Even under Kavra's pointed questioning, the Second Prince's expression remained composed. He simply remarked in an offhand tone:
"You Demon Hunters—do you have some unique method of detecting Demons?"
"I've actually found myself growing rather curious about your organization."
Kavra felt no surprise that the Second Prince had been able to guess at her identity.
After all, being able to smell a Demon's scent was an ability exclusive to Demon Hunters.
Once one became a Demon Hunter, one became acutely sensitive to the scent of Demons.
It was also the means by which they tracked them.
Kavra didn't respond. She simply watched him in silence.
Under her gaze, the Second Prince continued:
His voice seemed to grow even more measured, carrying within it a certain proud self-assurance.
"I know—you can't confirm whether I'm truly in league with Demons or not."
Kavra's tone took on a note of contempt.
"And if you are? So long as you're still recuperating on my turf—"
"I'll find a way to confirm it."
Just as the Second Prince had anticipated, Kavra could only detect the intense Demonic aura on him through scent alone.
But she couldn't confirm it.
Because of his identity.
He was a Prince of the Empire.
Owaise Sorel.
Unless there was clear, direct evidence proving the Second Prince was genuinely in league with a Demon—
Slandering a Prince was a serious crime.
It would cause severe and damaging repercussions for the Empire's reputation.
A Prince of the nation in league with Demons—regardless of the truth, the Empire's diplomatic standing would face pressure from other nations.
And the public's trust in the Imperial family would be dealt a devastating blow.
So Kavra had no choice.
Her only option was to find a way to confirm the matter during the window when the Second Prince was still injured and remaining in the Northern Frontier.
But the Second Prince had naturally come prepared. He spoke slowly:
"First, you should know—the reason I led troops to the Northern Frontier was precisely to investigate the Demon incident."
His meaning was quite clear:
The fact that he had led troops to the Northern Frontier was fully known to the public.
And given that some time had already passed while he recuperated, even with severe injuries, he ought to have recovered sufficiently by now.
The Delin Family had no more grounds to keep him here.
As a Prince of the Empire, his return to the Royal Capital was inevitable.
Kavra understood this as well.
At that moment, the Second Prince's voice sounded again, calm and measured.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're also searching for that Demon that appeared on the Extreme Northern Ice Plains."
"Perhaps we could even cooperate."
Hearing the Second Prince's proposal, Kavra furrowed her brow slightly, her expression carrying a trace of puzzled confusion.
"Let me offer you a lead then."
"Viktor."
The Second Prince's words reached Kavra's ears. She narrowed her eyes involuntarily and shot back:
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't tell me you haven't wondered—why is it that the moment Viktor arrived at the Extreme Northern Ice Plains, Demons appeared there?"
Kavra crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.
"Keep talking."
The Second Prince smiled faintly.
"I knew you'd be interested."
He picked up the water cup beside him, took a sip, and wetted his throat.
Fortunately, the Delin Family's sense of justice was generally high—even under conditions of recuperation in name and captivity in practice, they had not forgotten to provide him with food and water.
"It's self-evident—Viktor is strong. Impossibly, unreasonably strong."
This, Kavra understood very well.
She knew exactly how powerful her father was—and yet, even when cornered by a Knight at close range, Viktor had still managed to defeat him.
She didn't know the specific details, but her father had spent decades consolidating his standing at the 4th Tier.
And Viktor?
Barely 2 months ago, he had still been a 3rd-Tier Mage.
"Likewise—Demons can form Contracts with humans. Through a transaction, they grant the other party what they desire."
"Such as—power."
At that, the Second Prince gradually clenched his fist.
Kavra understood his implication, but still gave a faint shake of her head.
"I can't accept your reasoning. A Demon's terms of exchange have limits."
"It's impossible for one to simply conjure Viktor's position as a Council Member from nothing."
The Second Prince smiled, set down the water cup, and delivered a revelation that shook the air.
"That's because you don't know enough yet, Miss Kavra."
"Are you familiar with—Primordial Demons?"
Kavra paused, and could only listen as the Second Prince's voice, carrying a note of sardonic amusement, continued:
"What we call Demons are all born from human emotion. They craft the terms of their transactions based on those very emotions."
"When a gambler squanders his entire fortune and still owes millions."
"When a husband is humiliated before his own eyes yet can do nothing but seethe in impotent fury."
"When a person looks down upon the mediocre with arrogant contempt."
"It is precisely because of this that Demons can, through these emotions, perfectly discern exactly what a person needs."
Every sentence the Second Prince spoke seemed to materialize before Kavra's eyes.
A gambler—wife and children gone, home shattered—standing in the dark of night with no path forward, drowning in grief and regret.
An unlucky soul whose home was broken into by bandits, watching helplessly as his wife was violated and his children slaughtered, able to do nothing but rage in utter powerlessness.
A man standing beneath a gilded tower, watching the ordinary masses pass by, swelling with arrogant self-importance.
These images came apart into countless threads, burrowing into Kavra's mind.
The more she listened, the more unsettled she felt. She could only fix the Second Prince with a cold, detached stare and steer the conversation away from the territory she had no wish to enter.
"What does any of that have to do with what you were saying?"
The Second Prince smiled slightly and came to the point.
"The 7 great Demons born from these emotions in their purest form are what I've been calling—the Primordial Demons."
"They continuously devour human emotion to fuel their own endless growth."
"So long as emotion endures, they will only grow stronger."
Kavra listened to his account and felt a creeping, muddled unease.
Then the Second Prince continued:
"Have you ever wondered why Viktor became so powerful?"
"You're saying Viktor has a connection to a Primordial Demon?"
Kavra asked suddenly—but the Second Prince only shrugged.
"That's your own conclusion, Miss Kavra."
"Though I will admit, I was leading you to think that."
Kavra narrowed her eyes, her tone edged with danger.
"So then?"
"What do you gain from coming at Viktor like this?"
"Nothing."
At that, the Second Prince dropped his smile, his expression returning to calm.
"The Clavena Family is currently at the height of its power. Everyone wants to forge ties with them."
"Everyone wants to know Viktor."
If one side could secure Viktor's support—or rather, the Clavena Family's support—
The throne would be within easy reach.
But the Emperor would never agree to Viktor backing either of the 2 Princes, and so he had made Viktor Auréliane's teacher.
The Second Prince's brow lowered slightly. A glint of cunning flickered in his eyes as he continued:
"Though our reasons differ, our goals are the same."
"You and I both want to find that Demon."
"So why not give it a try?"
His voice seemed to carry a subtle pull, drifting softly into Kavra's ears.
"Or is it—because the other party is Viktor?"
"You can't bring yourself to act?"
Kavra let out a cold snort and fixed the Second Prince with an icy stare.
"There's no need to provoke me—no one despises filth like Demons more than I do."
"But—"
Thwip! Thwip!
2 silver-white daggers sliced through the air and buried themselves into the side of the Second Prince's bed.
The Second Prince, lying on his sickbed, felt the sharp gust of wind rush toward his face—and didn't move an inch.
In one of Kavra's eyes, a red flame ignited.
That single crimson eye looked as though it would swallow the Second Prince whole.
"You're just as filthy."
With that, Kavra turned to leave—but left behind a voice that lingered long after she was gone, drifting into the room.
"In a few more days, your injuries will be fully 'healed.'"
"I'll take you back to the Royal Capital safe and sound."
With the crisp sound of receding footsteps, Kavra gradually departed.
Finally, Kavra's silhouette vanished entirely, and even the sound of her footsteps faded to nothing.
Every muscle in the Second Prince's body let go at once.
Cold sweat broke across his skin in a rush.
He clenched his fist, teeth gritted, his body trembling uncontrollably.
It was the terror of someone who had narrowly escaped with their life.
That aura just now—unmistakable.
A 4th-Tier Demon Hunter.
Kavra had, at some point without his knowledge, broken through to the next Tier.
The Second Prince understood it clearly—in his current state, he was absolutely no match for Kavra.
Though he hadn't expected to find himself in the hands of a Demon Hunter either.
Even Kavra's identity was something that had been revealed to him by the Greed lurking within his own body.
Fortunately, Kavra's interest in Viktor far outweighed her suspicions of him.
After a long while, the Second Prince finally collected himself.
He drew a long, steady breath. The heart that had been hammering in his chest settled back into calm, and the clarity returned to his eyes.
"Now then—let me sit back and watch how this unfolds."