Chapter 34: A Cunning Game
“Miss Diana, Miss Isha is not as simple as she seems…” Rex chuckled. Isabelle had earned his hospitality by offering something truly valuable.
Otherwise, with her fox-kin status, even a high-ranking one, she would have been nothing more than a military advisor, not worthy of his personal attention.
“Oh?” Diana raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on the sullen Isabelle. “Rex, if even you say so, then I’m interested.”
But as she focused on Isabelle, her expression changed, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. “Miss Isha, right…? Have we met before?”
A strange sense of familiarity, yet it vanished as soon as she tried to grasp it…
“Never,” Isabelle said, shaking her head, though she thought to herself, “These beastkin’s instincts are sharp.”
In truth, Diana had never met Isabelle, but they had… crossed paths.
Five years ago, at the massacre at the execution ground in the capital, Isabelle had been present, the true culprit. Diana had also been there, caught in the crossfire.
Diana’s eyes narrowed, then she smiled. “Well, if we haven’t met, then we must be fated to.”
Isabelle remained silent, not wanting to engage with the pushy Diana.
“Although you two seem to be enjoying your chat, I must remind you that we have important business today,” Brute, the lion-headed beastkin, said, his voice a low rumble.
“Oh, right. I almost forgot,” Diana chuckled, turning to Rex. “Rex, you know our true purpose here… it’s not some insignificant trade zone.”
“Yes, it’s about that explosion,” Rex said, his arms crossed, nodding.
“Wait,” Brute interrupted, his gaze fixed on Isabelle. “I’m sorry, but we have some matters to discuss. Could you please leave?”
Diana hadn’t been bothered by Isabelle’s presence, but Brute, more cautious, and feeling a sense of unease from Isabelle, wanted to eliminate this unstable element.
Before Isabelle could respond, Rex clapped Brute on the shoulder, smiling. “Brother, don’t be so tense. Miss Isha is not an outsider. And besides, you’re here to investigate the explosion, aren’t you? The gift Miss Isha brought me… it contains some information about it.”
He looked at the sullen Isabelle. “Don’t mind him, Miss Isha. Brother Brute is always a bit… paranoid.”
“I’m just being cautious,” Brute grumbled.
“Information about the explosion?” Diana’s eyes lit up, and she stepped forward, standing before Isabelle. “Tell me everything.”
Although annoyed by Diana’s condescending attitude, Isabelle, knowing she needed their help, suppressed her irritation. “The explosion… was caused by a demon.”
“A demon?” Diana’s pupils constricted, her body tensing. The other beastkin had a similar reaction, except for Rex, who had already been briefed by Isabelle.
“And a rather ancient one,” Isabelle added.
It was normal for the people of Solor to be unfamiliar with Dream Demons. They had gone extinct during the first collision between the Abyssal Demon Realm and Solor.
Even within the Abyss, only a single fragment of their power remained, a gift to Neily, the Vikarn researcher who had helped them build the sealing ritual.
So, Isabelle suspected Neily was behind this. She didn’t yet know she was dead.
“On what grounds do you base this conclusion? And where did you get this information?” Brute asked, his voice sharp, his gaze fixed on Isabelle.
The threat of the Abyss had only recently subsided. The demons had been gone for five years. News of their return was alarming.
The beastkin enjoyed a good fight, but they didn’t enjoy being slaughtered…
“Miss Isha’s information is highly credible. The details she described, the characteristics of the explosion… I sent a team to the Bewildering Forest to investigate, and they confirmed it,” Rex said, vouching for Isabelle.
He could see she was introverted, and as his guest, he felt a certain obligation to protect her.
Diana paused. “Do the human Empire and those pointy-ears know about this?”
“I don’t think so,” Isabelle replied.
The Dream Demons’ power was different from other demons, with few similarities. Without prior knowledge, it would be impossible to connect it to the Abyss.
Of course, she didn’t know that the North Empire, with its vast collection of Vikarn devices and schematics, had developed advanced detection and analysis technology. They could identify even the slightest similarity.
And in the Bewildering Forest, Norma, who had seen a Dream Demon’s true form for some reason, and with Bai’s distinctive features, had easily recognized her.
…So, in reality, all three parties believed the other two were unaware of the demonic connection.
They all assumed the other parties were only interested in the trade zone because of the explosion’s scale and its sensitive location.
“Very timely, and very valuable information, Miss Isha,” Diana purred, winking at her.
Isabelle remained unmoved. She had heard of the Hellblood Spiders, of their appetite for flesh, especially fresh prey.
Of course, she was in her soul form; Diana couldn’t eat her.
And besides, fox-kin weren’t on Diana’s menu. So, she simply put on a show, then turned to Rex.
“Rex, your guest has brought such useful information. How should I thank you?” she purred, her slender fingers tracing a line on his chest, her gaze hungry.
