How to Make the Perfect Demon Lord-Chapter 72: The Mystery Under The Bridge

"Let’s not rush to conclusions here."

Kasa cut in, the air tightening with suspicion.

"Are you sure you connected the power capsules?"

He tried to reason with them, to search for some other explanation for the capsule’s disappearance. But deep down in his soul, he already knew the truth. The capsule had been taken by someone. And that very someone was still on the premises—that was the worst part of it. A wolf among sheep.

"Certainly. We cross-check everything every time we want to teleport."

A female scientist replied, determination in her voice. The way she said it left no room for doubt; she was telling the truth.

"How many people go near the machine?"

"Only us, the scientists."

"That narrows it down quick. Alright— all of you scientists, come with me to the back room. Let’s have a chat about all this."

... .... .....

In a matter of minutes, all eight scientists had gathered in a storage room. Countless boxes of foodstuff lined the shelves, others stacked on the floor depending on importance and how carefully they needed to be stored to avoid rotting.

They stood in a rough circle, with Jamie and Kasa off to the side. The atmosphere carried the unmistakable vibe of a detective searching for a murderer—only this time, no one had died. Luckily. If it hadn’t been for Jamie’s intervention, perhaps that would not have been the case.

"We’re all here. So what are we going to do now?"

Kasa spoke into the tense cluster. Since entering the room, Jamie hadn’t explained how he intended to uncover the betrayer, and the silence made everyone more anxious than necessary.

Perhaps that was exactly what Jamie wanted.

He slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a silver nickel.

Everyone stared at it.

A nickel? In a situation this serious?

Is he actually serious?

Confusion rippled through them. And as if to make matters worse, he began flipping it between his fingers, switching it playfully from knuckle to knuckle.

"We’re going to play a little game. I’ll throw this nickel up, and then I’ll catch it. Your job is simple—watch its journey through the entire process I just described. Did I make myself clear?"

They were baffled. This was not what anyone expected. Instead of interrogations and fact-finding, they were handed a coin game. The rules were simple enough, so they agreed, though irritation simmered beneath their compliance.

"Alright then. Let’s begin."

Flick!

The coin shot into the air, spinning as it rose. Every gaze locked onto it, just as instructed. It spun again as it descended, landing neatly in his palm.

Flick!

He repeated the motion twice more. All of them followed the coin, adhering to the rules of the childish little game they had been coaxed into playing. They were intelligent scientists, for God’s sake. Being reduced to this made them feel subtly insulted—undervalued.

"I know who the traitor is."

He announced it with a small, certain smirk.

Impossible. Just by playing a silly coin game, he’s uncovered the truth?

One of the scientists swallowed hard.

What’s your plan, Jamie? Kasa wondered. I hope you’re not just bluffing.

"The traitor among us... is you."

He pointed directly at the scientist who had welcomed them upon arrival at the construction site.

"What?!"

Murmurs erupted instantly.

"Absurd. How can I betray my own kind?"

"It’s you. Don’t deny it."

"Do you have any proof?" Kasa asked sharply. The implications were too large to rely on instinct alone. They needed evidence—something concrete enough to justify whatever came next.

"When I threw the coin upward," Jamie began slowly, savoring every second, "I made you play a trust game. After hearing the simple rules, with your high intelligence, all of you were convinced there had to be some hidden layer to it—some secret strategy. But there was nothing."

He paced once, eyes glinting.

"So when I threw the coin the first time, all of your eyes were on it... but about seventy-five percent of your focus was on me. The second time, your brains started to realize there was no ulterior motive. Only forty percent of your attention stayed on me, sixty on the coin. And by the third time, less than twenty percent of your focus remained on me. The rest shifted fully to the coin."

The scientists stared at him in dawning comprehension.

"Incredible... his observation skills are top-notch."

They looked at him as though he were something beyond ordinary. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"All those numbers apply to people who trust me—people whose relationship with me is intact. That’s true for all of you... except him."

He pointed again at the accused scientist, who stood rigid, as though framed for a crime he had not committed. His face twitched faintly, ready to defend himself, yet holding back, waiting for his turn to speak.

"When I started, he had seventy-five percent of his focus on me. The second time? Still seventy-five. The third? The same. That means he was afraid the entire time—afraid I might reveal something, afraid I might act, because he believed I suspected him already."

Jamie’s voice hardened.

"That constant vigilance... that fear of exposure... directly points to him as the betrayer."

An unbelievable silence flooded the room. Jamie had solved it in a way not even detectives in movies or manga would dare attempt. It felt unreal.

But one problem remained: the accusation needed confirmation.

"Do you have anything to defend yourself?" Kasa asked firmly. He wouldn’t allow the man to claim he’d been framed later.

The scientist lowered his head, his face blurring into something hollow and unreadable.

He stayed quiet for several seconds.

Then—

"You little fuck."

The words dripped with immeasurable hatred as he yanked the power capsule from his lab coat.

Even though the capsule looked half burnt.

The other scientists moved away from him as though he carried a contagious disease.

"Of course I betrayed you. Who do you think you are, huh? A half-demon who just comes among us and acts like he’s a big shot?"

"Why would you do that?, we are a family, all of us" Kasa demanded, sorrow clouding his eyes. Unlike Jamie, he had personal ties to these people. He had recruited them. Seeing one stray from the path they began together deepened the wound far beyond professional betrayal.

"We’re going to lose this fight like we always do .So I joined the winning side of the goddess. They told me to feed them information and make sure none of the demons return to Astro. In exchange, I’d receive the utmost immunity."

He laughed like a man unhinged, as though his confession carried no consequence.

"The deal was too good to pass up, I accepted it on the spot."

"You’re an idiot.You think the Goddess will let you live? She killed humans and forced their souls to fight for her amusement—and you believe she’ll spare you? You’re the dumbest scientist I’ve ever seen."

Jamie’s voice cut through him like thunder splitting the sky

"That doesn’t matter."

The traitor tightened his grip on the power capsule, prepared to crush it in his own hands.

"As we speak," he said, eyes gleaming with manic certainty, "the Goddess is already on her way here... with her entire army."