"So, what do you think about the situation?"

Kevin remained silent for a moment.

After his introduction before Marquis Vratos and the brief glimpse he had gotten of Mephisto through the latter’s words, he had gone back down with Zero.

"This Mephisto... is he really the same calamity that attacked Invinctus Fortress in the north of the Empire?"

Kevin asked the question even though he already knew the answer. He mainly wanted to clarify certain points.

He took a breath before answering:

"He must be eliminated."

"Oh?" Zero’s tone carried a slight surprise.

Kevin immediately elaborated:

"This calamity has demonstrated remarkable intelligence, excellent political instincts, and disturbing knowledge about us humans. We cannot allow him to live any longer. He’ll only become more dangerous with time."

Zero softly applauded.

"Your analysis is correct. If it had been another calamity displaying such qualities, I would have ordered its immediate elimination, but..."

He paused, naturally prompting Kevin to respond.

"If it had been another calamity?"

Kevin frowned, wondering what made Mephisto so special.

Zero answered with another question:

"Did you read the report written by the Bureau of Internal Affairs regarding the fall of Invinctus?"

Kevin answered without hesitation:

"That’s precisely why I’m saying he’s dangerous and must be eliminated."

Zero raised a finger while letting out a sigh.

"How did he bring down Invinctus?"

Kevin opened his mouth, but Zero immediately continued:

"How did he discover what was beneath Invinctus when even we were unaware of it, and the Empire had carefully concealed its existence?"

Zero gave him time to answer, but Kevin had none.

"How did he manage to introduce that so-called parasite into the brains of Astoria’s inhabitants?"

Kevin tried to speak again, but Zero continued:

"Where is that laboratory now? Who dismantled it?"

Kevin remained silent.

There were too many unknowns.

A heavy silence settled as Zero simply watched Kevin think. Then he calmly declared:

"You know what’s written in the report. Now tell me what the report doesn’t tell you."

Kevin intertwined his fingers beneath his chin, recalling every word of the document. He analyzed the facts with all his experience until gaping holes began to appear in his reasoning.

Entirely black zones.

Questions without answers.

Zero let him think for a while longer.

Then suddenly, shock crossed Kevin’s face.

At that moment, Zero understood. Kevin had not found an answer... but he had just realized the extent of what he did not know.

"Good. Now I’ll ask you the question again: what do you think about the situation?"

"I don’t know..." Kevin finally admitted with resignation.

Zero immediately applauded.

"Now that’s the right mindset."

His voice had turned cheerful before he finally continued:

"Eliminating Mephisto now would mean losing the only thread leading to what we still don’t understand."

He paused briefly before adding, unhealthy excitement creeping into his voice:

"You want to know what I think?"

Kevin looked at him. His mask hid his eyes, preventing anyone from seeing the madness his voice nevertheless revealed.

"Mephisto did not bring down Invinctus alone. The Duchy of Araceae did not decide to invade us on a mere whim of chance. There are currently movements within that kingdom... movements beyond our understanding that may catch us off guard."

Kevin felt a chill run down his spine, even stronger than when he had first stepped into this city.

Zero was the deputy director of the Bureau of Archives and Exploration. If he was saying such things, then perhaps the worst was still yet to come.

But Zero paid no attention to the fear trying to seize Kevin.

On the contrary, he let out a diabolical laugh.

The laughter of a demon gazing upon a world in flames.

"I’m going to slaughter them."

---

Meanwhile, Mephisto had just returned from the meeting.

His mood was dark. The nobles’ absurdity had deeply irritated him.

That was why, upon reaching his residence, he ignored the greetings of the servants who came to welcome him.

He crossed the corridors without slowing down before beginning to ascend toward his private quarters.

Then suddenly, a brainwave transmitted a thought to him.

His footsteps abruptly stopped.

Without the slightest hesitation, he turned around and headed into an underground tunnel dug beneath the residence.

The deeper he descended, the clearer a humming voice became, while the lighting gradually grew brighter.

When he reached the depths forbidden to his servants, the dry, dusty smell of the tunnel gave way to the aggressive odor of chemicals.

The laboratory then revealed itself before him.

Capsules filled with liquid, measuring devices, dozens of pipes and electrical cables stretched across the room in an almost chaotic disorder.

The entire atmosphere resembled that of a clandestine modern laboratory that inspired absolutely no trust.

But Mephisto paid little attention to the surroundings.

His gaze immediately fixed upon two pairs of capsules connected together at the center of the room.

Inside one floated a brain whose size and shape resembled that of a human. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Inside the other rested a far larger cerebral mass, grotesque and deeply inhuman.

Both were connected to additional capsules in which two calamities bathed, their appearances similar to Mephisto’s servants.

"It won’t be much longer now."

The humming voice echoed once again while its owner kept his eyes fixed on a screen displaying countless streams of data.

Mephisto then turned his head toward him.

It was a young man.

At first glance, one would have given him no more than eighteen years of age. Fair skin, brown hair, black eyes, and delicate features capable of making many women blush due to his breathtaking beauty.

Everything about him resembled an ordinary human... at least until one noticed the imposing pair of goat horns deeply rooted into his skull, far too real to be part of a disguise.

"The transfer has reached its final phase. They’ll wake up any minute now."

Barely had he finished speaking when the brains contained inside the capsules began to dissolve.

They completely liquefied.

The next instant, the connected capsules violently exploded.

Glass scattered throughout the room while liquid spilled across the floor.

But no one paid it any attention.

The two calamities abruptly opened their eyes before bursting out of the capsules.

Both appeared disoriented.

Then Mephisto’s voice echoed through the laboratory, authoritarian and overwhelming:

"Your names?"

The two calamities immediately knelt before him.

"Albart."

"Bernard."