The abandoned mansion Zayil had claid as his headquarters for himself and his subordinates was now a scene of carnage. Bodies lay strewn across the hall, forming a grueso tableau amid a pool of thick, darkened blood. Severed limbs and other grotesque remnants of the demon horde were scattered throughout, untouched even after hours had passed.
A silence reigned there.
Beneath the mansion, concealed by a hidden trapdoor, lay a treasure vault—a cavernous repository of wealth amassed by Yazil, Gin, and their n over centuries of plundering villages and towns. Gold coins, gemstones, and priceless artifacts glimred in heaps.
But fortune had turned its back on Zayil and his horde. The treasure had a new master.
Jas.
The intruder was now deep within the vault, imrsed in the spoils of his conquest.
"This scent... it's intoxicating, I can never get enough of it," Jas murmured in a sensual voice as his fingers trailed around.
"Stop it already…" Cattleya mumbled in a low voice.
Jas turned, a crooked grin splitting his face. "Why don't you try to stop , then?"
"I can't…" Cattleya replied, shifting uncomfortably her body.
"Then surrender." Jas' smirk deepened as he continued his indulgent exploration.
"I can't sleep!!" Cattleya finally snapped, bolting upright. Her eyes blazed as she glared at the man kneeling several ters away.
Jas was sprawled across a mound of gold and artifacts, his hands roaming over the hoard with the manic glee of a madman. Or perhaps he truly was mad—no one who spoke sweet nothings to inanimate objects in such an intimate tone could claim otherwise.
Cattleya had been trying, and failing, to rest. Every whispered word, every faint scrape of tal as Jas handled the treasures, grated on her nerves. His strange, fervent sensual murmurs to lifeless trinkets made her shiver with discomfort.
"What?" Jas' face twisted into a scowl as he turned to face her, his earlier expression of adoration replaced with irritation. "Why are you even down here? If you want peace and quiet, go sleep upstairs."
"Among the blood, the bodies, and that stench? Never!" She shot back, her tone laced with disgust.
"Then don't sleep," Jas retorted. "You'll have plenty of ti for rest once your parents pay your ransom. Oh, I can't wait to see all that money roll in!"
"You're the worst…" Cattleya muttered, her face contorting in a grimace.
Jas had more wealth than anyone could dream of—gold, artifacts, treasures piled high around him—yet here he was, still scheming for more, demanding a ransom for her release.
Cattleya couldn't wrap her head around it. She was grateful he had saved her, of course, and being held hostage by him was undeniably preferable to being captured by demons. But why did he have to be such a jerk? He could simply let her go, yet he insisted on extorting her parents for even more money even after she promised him an artefact.
Then again, she reminded herself, they had made a deal. He had no obligation to save her beyond that agreent.
Her gaze drifted to the uniform Jas wore—the sa practical exam attire from Ocryphia's academy.
"Hey… are you really from Ocryphia?" She asked, breaking the silence.
Jas smirked as he slid yet another golden ring onto his finger. "No, I stole this uniform off one of your classmates," he replied nonchalantly.
Her eyes narrowed. "The bracer too?" She gestured toward the standard-issue bracer all exam participants wore. Though her own bracer had been deactivated, displaying no information, she had hoped his might still be functional—perhaps enough for Ocryphia to track her location. But it seed this hope was futile.
Jas didn't answer imdiately. Instead, he admired his adorned hands, each finger weighed down by an ornate ring. "What a sha I can only wear ten of these at once," he shook his head, completely ignoring her question.
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"You're already wearing too many!" Cattleya snapped, crossing her arms.
"Hm?" Jas glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you so grumpy already? What's the problem? On your period?"
Cattleya's cheeks flared crimson. "I am NOT!!"
"That's not very reassuring, Miss. I'd hate to imagine how dramatic you'd be if you were." Jas' laughter echoed as he turned his attention to a sword scabbard, squinting at the runes engraved on its surface.
"Enough!" Cattleya exploded, stomping the ground before storming up the narrow steps back to the mansion's main hall.
The sight and sll that greeted her were horrific—bodies strewn across the blood-soaked floor, the pungent stench of death clinging to the air. But even this horrible scene was preferable to enduring Jas's maddening presence.
As she stepped into the room, a chill breeze brushed against her skin, sending shivers down her spine. Wrapping her arms around herself, she glanced toward the windows.
It was pitch black outside.
"Lord Gin, we have to do sothing!"
"Do what, exactly? Gorn?" Gin replied.
Cattleya's gaze shifted toward the two demons who had sohow survived the massacre Jas had wrought. They were casually strolling back into the blood-soaked mansion after running errands for Jas.
The scene, absurd as it seed, was all too real.
"I can't believe we're taking orders from a human! Doesn't it disgust you?" Gorn growled, his fists clenched tightly.
Gin let out a low chuckle. "You think of him as human?"
"He is human," Gorn snapped, though his voice wavered slightly. "A weird one, sure, but how did we co to this? Obeying a human?! It's humiliating!"
Jas had forced them into his service, coercing the demons into helping with his ransom sche. The threat had been simple and chilling: either comply or face a fate worse than death—being captured alive and handed over to Horizon, where their bodies would be dissected and studied. Faced with such a choice, Gin and Gorn had begrudgingly chosen obedience.
"Because he's stronger than us," Gin replied bluntly.
"But—!"
"I see that you found new bodies? What innocents's life have you taken this ti, I wonder?"
Gorn was interrupted by Cattleya.
The two Demons turned their attention toward her.
She was standing nearby, watching them with a look of open disgust.
Gorn's teeth ground together. "Lord Gin! This is our chance! Let's grab her and escape! That human is still busy obsessing over the gold!"
Though his reluctance to leave behind the vast wealth they had accumulated over centuries of pillaging was equally clear, he knew they had no real choice.
Gin, however, was unmoved. "You think he's distracted, but he's always watching us. Run if you want, but it'll an death—or worse."
Gin had no illusions about their situation. It was a miracle they'd been allowed to live this long, and he had no intention of testing Jas's patience. Behind that playful, almost careless deanor, Jas had clear boundaries—and crossing them was a risk Gin wasn't willing to take.
"You demons are pathetic," Cattleya suddenly cut in disdainfully.
Both demons turned toward her, startled by the venom in her tone.
"What did you say?" Gorn asked, his slit eyes narrowing dangerously.
Cattleya glared back at him. "I said, you're pathetic. You're supposed to be these fearso, terrifying demons, and yet you're trembling at the feet of a single human. It's laughable."
For a mont, Gorn looked ready to strike her down, his gaze darkening as his claws twitched. "You dare—"
"What are you going to do? Kill ? Go ahead!" Cattleya snapped. "Prove just how low you've fallen, you pitiful demon!"
Her boldness stunned both of them into silence. Gorn's hand froze mid-air.
"Hmph." With a huff, Cattleya turned on her heel and stord out of the mansion.
Gorn stood there, speechless, his anger montarily overwheld by Cattleya's outburst.
"Lord Gin…"
"Don't say anything."
"It's noisy up there. Co down, my friends."
Gin exhaled heavily and began descending the steps. Lorn hesitated, his fists clenched tightly, but eventually followed.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they found Jas standing amidst the treasure, his back to them.
"We've done everything you asked. We sent the ransom ssage to Ocryphia, just as you instructed. It's completely untraceable. But… there's sothing I don't understand," Gin said.
Jas didn't turn around. "Go on."
Gin continued, his tone growing sharper. "You asked us to demand a ransom for both Cattleya Starlight and a boy nad Leon Cromwell. But we've never taken any boy with that na. What exactly are you planning?"
Jas finally glanced over his shoulder. "That's none of your concern. Now, tell about the ransom."
Gin hesitated for a mont before replying, "As instructed, we demanded paynt in Holy Coins. Ten for Cattleya Starlight and three for Leon Cromwell."
Holy Coins were the rarest and most valuable currency in the entire Holy Continent, worth more than entire treasuries in the hands of the right people.
"Excellent work," Jas said, a broad smile spreading across his face. "Exactly as I envisioned. Now, let's prepare for tomorrow. I'm counting on your talents to make this performance flawless. You do rember your roles, don't you?"
"Yes," Gin replied, while Gorn nodded reluctantly.
Jas turned fully toward them, his arms outstretched, laden with glittering gold jewelry. He smirked a little.
"Then show your best and I will give you a worthy life or...."
Jas stared at them with his red eyes.
"Disappoint and death will be the least of your concern."
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