“You are… Via Shirleyford?”
Alef was very surprised.
He had lived in the Saint Luo Empire for many years, so naturally he recognized this saintess candidate, Sylvia’s biological daughter.
Just recently, the new Saintess Sophie had succeeded, and as the twin sister, Via had disappeared from the public eye.
The Holy Land had announced to the outside world that Via had temporarily gone into seclusion to cultivate.
He truly had not expected that he would one day cross paths with Via.
What surprised him even more was that the aura emanating from Via was clearly not something a human could possess.
This was unmistakably the aura of a demonkin.
“Yes, so Mr. Alef knows my name?” Via said with emotion.
“Of course I know you. You are one of the saintess candidates of the Holy Land, the younger sister of the current Saintess Sophie.”
“Oh? So Sophie has already become the new Saintess?”
Via showed a hint of surprise, then felt that this was quite reasonable.
Sophie was indeed more suited than others to become the Saintess.
“Aren’t you human? Why do you control the abyssal aura? Could it be that you came into contact with human taboos and became a demonized person?”
Alef had lost his previous composure.
He was now somewhat nervous.
He stared fixedly at Via.
His previously at-ease demeanor was gone.
“Why do you know that I am a demonkin?”
“Mr. Alef, it shouldn’t be strange that I know, right? After all, back then, you were one of the few demonkin who refused Demon King Ville’s invitation and chose not to join the Royal Court,” Via paused. “You left the Desolate Fallen Continent and quietly came to the Saint Luo Empire. It seems you’re doing quite well for yourself now.”
“Why do you know?!”
Alef suddenly stood up.
He slammed the table hard, leaving a very conspicuous handprint on the surface with force that did not belong to a human.
Killing intent appeared in his eyes.
In the past, he was a demonkin living in the Desolate Fallen Continent.
His strength was among the very strong batch.
Demon King Ville had also invited him to join the Royal Court.
However, out of curiosity about the outside world, he did not accept the invitation.
Instead, he left the Desolate Fallen Continent, came to the human world, disguised his identity, and developed in the human world.
Compared to the demonkin who fought and killed all day, he preferred the silent confrontations hidden beneath the surface among humans.
After many years, he had established his own forces in the human world.
But due to the sensitivity of his true identity, once the fact that he was a demonkin was completely exposed, he would lose everything.
The girl before him knew his identity as a demonkin.
If it spread, all his years of management might turn to nothing.
Via said unhurriedly, “Rather than standing like this, why don’t we sit down and talk? Don’t be so tense, Mr. Alef. Although you didn’t invite us, we came visiting in the middle of the night. No matter what, we’re guests, right?”
Alef calmly placed his hand under the table and pressed a button on it.
In this way, the guard team patrolling the manor would receive the message and rush over from here.
It should take no more than two minutes for his subordinates to completely surround the room.
His guards, like him, were all demonkin, and they were carefully selected fierce combat experts.
Having this powerful private armed force was also one of the factors that allowed him to establish a firm foothold in the human empire.
“Please sit, Lady Via.”
Alef made an inviting gesture, letting Via sit on the sofa in the room.
“Mm.” Via was not polite and sat down directly.
“Lady Via, what do you want to talk to me about?” Alef asked straightforwardly.
“Talk about the future, talk about ideals.”
“These invisible and intangible things, what’s there to talk about?”
“Mr. Alef, relying on your identity as a demonkin and spending heavily, you recruited many demonkin from the Desolate Fallen Continent to smuggle into the human world and established your own forces here. Whether from the human side or the demonkin side, what you have done is not allowed.”
“So what? My brothers wanted to eat their fill, so I gave them an opportunity.”
“No matter how nice your words sound, neither humans nor demonkin will accept you. The moment your identity is exposed, everything you have will be lost. The human side will abandon you, and the Holy Land will come to capture you and purify you.”
Via pointed out Alef’s vulnerability.
“Even if you’re very lucky and escape the Holy Land’s pursuit, returning to the Desolate Fallen Continent, as a demonkin traitor who escaped from the Desolate Fallen Continent to the Saint Luo Empire, you will also bear a bad reputation and be rejected by other demonkin.”
“Such a thing could never happen.”
“Can you guarantee it for a moment, but can you guarantee it for a lifetime?”
Alef fell silent.
He naturally knew his situation was very awkward.
Although he had been careful enough, the risks still objectively existed.
Asking him to abandon his industries before something happened and secretly return to the Desolate Fallen Continent—he didn’t want to.
He had already gotten used to living in the human world.
Returning to that poor and chaotic place in the Desolate Fallen Continent, of course he was unwilling.
His current self seemed glorious, but he was also in a predicament.
“So, what exactly do you want to express?”
Via turned her head and looked toward the room’s door.
“The guards you called, they’re all outside now, right?”
Her gaze seemed to pierce through the door panel, seeing the guards who had already gathered outside.
“It seems you really care a lot about the things you own.
Then, what can you bring me?”
“If I say I have the opportunity to let you gain recognition from the demonkin and also from humans, and continue developing in the human world without any worries, would you believe it?” Via smiled.
“This is impossible!”
Alef immediately denied the possibility Via proposed.
How could such a thing be easily accomplished?
He was a demonkin.
Gaining human recognition was extremely difficult.
Moreover, what capital did the other party have to say such words?
“Mr. Alef, you don’t believe it at all?” Via’s tone did not feel surprised.
“Show me evidence! The current you is nothing more than a saintess candidate abandoned by the Holy Land. What can you achieve?”
“Saintess candidate? That was just my previous identity.”
Via hooked her finger, and a newspaper flew into her hand.
Then, she threw the newspaper in front of Alef.
“Border report.” Alef lowered his head, looking at the newspaper, noticing the content he cared about most.
He glanced again at the silver-haired loli standing beside Via.
This shouldn’t be an ordinary demonkin.
It was an Abyssal Beast!
Suddenly, he realized something.
His eyes widened as he looked at Via.
“Could it be that the person who caused the commotion at the border… was you? What exactly are you now!?”
“Finally noticed?” Via smiled.
“I am the one who inherited from Demon King Ville, unified the Desolate Fallen Continent, the new Demon King of the demonkin.”