Chapter 204
Chapter 204: This Title Is Truly Outrageous
Heni had gotten herself into trouble.
After returning to the Manor, Heni kept bowing and apologizing to Leah over and over.
Leah couldn't help but press a hand against her head in mild exasperation.
"Heni, you've genuinely surprised me."
Leah truly hadn't expected Heni, who looked soft and gentle as a little lamb, to actually send the Second Prince flying with a single punch.
According to the injury report, several of the Second Prince's ribs had been broken, and he had lost consciousness and fallen directly into the pool.
She looked Heni up and down, mind a little numb.
Heni's build didn't look like she possessed any particular strength—so how on earth had she managed to put the Second Prince in that state?
Had it not been for the fact that the Second Prince was injured within the Academy grounds, with Principal Rashel's 【Natural Sparrow】 spotting it just in time and remotely fishing the unconscious Second Prince out of the pool with Magic—
The Second Prince, having fallen into that deep pit, might very well have left his life there.
Heni kept her head down and didn't dare make a sound.
Although it was Safirose who had thrown the punch, Heni had no intention of giving her up.
After all, she understood in her heart that Safirose had done it to help her.
So she bore the responsibility herself.
Heni closed her eyes, head still lowered, and hurried to say:
"I'll accept any punishment without complaint—I won't cause trouble for the Clavena Family!"
"Even prison is fine!"
"Haah."
Leah let out a helpless sigh, one hand on her hip, and shook her head.
"The issue isn't really about prison."
The matter had been temporarily suppressed for now, and not many people yet knew that the Second Prince had been injured.
And right now, the Second Prince was unconscious and unresponsive—that was the crux of it.
He had already arrived at the Royal Capital badly wounded to begin with, and had spent nearly half a month recuperating at the Delin Family's estate before recovering.
Then, barely recovered, he had taken another blow like this from Heni.
The fact that no Wanted Notice had been issued immediately was practically a mercy from the Emperor, given Viktor's face.
After all, however useless the Emperor's son might be, he was still the Emperor's son.
"It mainly comes down to whether the Second Prince will choose to make an issue of it—and beyond that..."
"Don't go outside for the next few days. We'll talk once Viktor gets back."
Having said her piece, Leah turned and left the room, leaving Heni alone inside to calm down gradually.
Once she stepped out, Leah's expression instantly returned to its usual composure.
If this had truly been something Heni did herself, she naturally didn't believe it.
How frail would the Second Prince have to be to get sent flying by a single punch from a delicate girl like Heni?
Most likely, someone else was the one who had actually injured the Second Prince, and Heni had simply taken the blame for them.
But regardless, she still had to deal with the situation.
After all, Heni was family.
Leah drew out the crystal at her waist and held it before her.
A faint beam of light swept across Leah's face, and the white light deep within the crystal began to flicker gradually.
"Hey, Gwen?"
"It's like this—I need you to come over here... mn, to protect someone."
***
On another hilltop stood a dozen or so men wearing different masks.
They wore identical Cloaks and looked out over the Royal Capital from above.
It was the garb of Demon Hunters.
A masked woman among them slowly stepped forward from the group, arms folded, and said flatly:
"The Kingdom of Carencia—it's been a long time since I've come back here."
"Kavra has provided a lead. The Empire's Second Prince is highly likely to have made dealings with a demon—or even a Primordial Demon."
A Demon Hunter nearby relayed the information to her. The woman listened, then nodded.
"Additionally, a Count of the Empire—Viktor Clavena—is also suspected of having a connection to demons."
"However, we need to be mindful of the Council's side, so... we can only send 1 team ahead to investigate first."
And beneath her mask, her eyes roiled with a dense, killing intent.
"Then let us begin."
"Verify, and then..."
"Purge it."
***
The sun gradually sank behind the western hills, and pale blue crept across the sky alongside the first scattering of stars.
Demon Hunters clad in Cloaks wove continuously through the Royal Capital with their agile bodies, weaving over rooftops and streets without making a sound.
Before long, they had moved into position near the Clavena Family Manor.
They were the 1st scouting unit. Their primary objective was reconnaissance—to determine whether any demon was concealed within the Clavena Family.
A separate combat unit would infiltrate the Royal Capital to seek out the Second Prince.
"Where is Kavra?"
"No word from her at all."
One Demon Hunter said while lowering his head.
"Forget her for now."
"Viktor Clavena is absent, and the Manor's defenses are thin—we can move in."
"Remember: our only targets are demons. Do not harm anyone."
Demon Hunters would never attack ordinary people unprovoked.
The several Demon Hunters around him nodded.
"Yes."
They leaped nimbly into the Clavena Manor. The moment they drew near, they felt an extraordinarily dense demonic aura.
Hearts lurching, it shot straight up to their throats in an instant.
The Demon Hunters all grew serious at once.
This foul demonic aura could not be faked.
"The Clavena Family really does have a demon."
They exchanged nods and pressed forward, cloaked in the darkness of night.
Not a single sound escaped them—not even their footsteps on the grass produced the faintest rustle.
Before long, they had slipped inside the Manor.
"Something feels off—getting in was far too easy."
One of the Demon Hunters suddenly murmured softly.
All along the way, they had barely spotted a single guard.
The enormous Manor felt as though it had been deliberately thrown wide open just for them.
The lead man's face grew grave.
But all at once, his eyes snapped wide.
"Trouble—fall back first—"
The remaining words lodged in his throat like a stone, and not a single one could come out.
Then, a sharp voice rang out, dripping with amusement.
"Since you've gone to the trouble of coming—don't be in such a hurry to leave."
A mass of dark shadow, like a crow, began spreading outward from the floor, swallowing those Demon Hunters completely.
The Demon Hunters could only watch helplessly as everything around them changed.
The house seemed to begin warping. The surrounding walls turned impossibly soft, and wave after wave of darkness poured in to submerge everything around them.
Even the moonlight had, at some unknown point, been swallowed away.
Then abruptly, that amused voice rang out again:
"Let's play a game."
"Since you came here looking for a demon—then..."
"Come and take on a demon."
In the boundless darkness before the Demon Hunters' eyes, a mysterious silhouette the size of a giant kept swelling in the depths of the dark.
The Crow's voice rang out once more:
"Wrath."
"Don't kill any of them."
The instant those words fell, from the darkness all around, a torrent of savage crimson steel shards erupted from thin air, swirling wildly.
A red crocodile the size of a giant, its head brushing the ceiling, lolled a long tongue between fangs glistening with saliva, eyes burning red.
It stared down at the group of Demon Hunters before it like a man looking down at a cluster of insects.
A vast, bell-deep voice slowly rang out:
"Embrace—your ruin!"
***
The other combat unit weaved through the skies above the Royal Capital. Dark silhouettes flitted like phantoms over roof beams and streets, not making a sound.
They pressed forward at speed while relaying information between themselves.
"Chief, the team that infiltrated the Clavena Manor has gone dark."
"Like they vanished into thin air."
Among Demon Hunters, there existed a very special item.
It was an accessory called the 【Soul Huntlink】.
Also crafted from black crystal, it was forged into earrings shaped like eyes.
This was the communication tool Demon Hunters used when carrying out missions.
The earrings came in pairs, so Demon Hunters on missions would typically operate in 2 teams simultaneously, with each pair of compatible earrings allowing matched partners to communicate.
"Chief, what do we do?"
A Demon Hunter wearing the earrings addressed the woman at the head of the unit.
Upon hearing that one team had gone dark, everyone froze for a moment.
Even their pace visibly slowed.
The woman's speed slowed as well.
She was weighing it—whether to turn back and reinforce them, or to press on to their original destination.
Deep in the night, the Imperial Palace was at its most lightly guarded.
At this hour, the aged Emperor had already fallen asleep.
And Demon Hunters with exceptional stealth abilities could slip into the Imperial Palace without anyone noticing.
The original plan had been: if the Second Prince was confirmed to truly be carrying a demon, they would immediately force the demon into full awakening and draw it out.
That way, even if a battle truly broke out, they would have a means to pull the demon away from the Royal Capital.
All the Demon Hunters were waiting for their leader to give the order.
Every gaze was fixed on the masked woman at the head of the formation.
The woman stopped on a rooftop, standing atop a chimney, eyes narrowed, head lowered, staring at the Imperial Palace not far away.
"The rest of you turn back and reinforce them."
"The Imperial Palace—I can infiltrate it alone."
Upon receiving the order, those Demon Hunters all gave a firm nod.
No one worried about her, because Demon Hunters would never doubt this woman's strength.
After all, she was 1 of the 7 most powerful cadres among all Demon Hunters.
Those team members exchanged glances, then leaped outward in different directions, their figures vanishing in an instant.
Only the woman remained, gazing ahead toward the Imperial Palace.
Her infiltrating the Palace alone was actually far more prudent.
Even if she were discovered, she could leave the Palace on her own.
Except for that old thing Aubrey, no one could stop her.
She drew in a long, slow breath and pulled her hood down.
The dark clouds gradually receded on a gentle breeze, and clear moonlight poured down like a lake's surface broken at its edge, slow and steady.
It fell upon her long, silver-white hair, as though washed clean by a quiet river.
"I'm back."
"Aubrey."