The grand hallway stretched endlessly as I walked through it at a controlled pace. Honestly, with most of what I wanted from this damn castle already done, I wasn’t in any rush.

All that remained was meeting the Demon King and leaving for my academy, back to my ever-busy schedule filled with weirdos once again.

After a few more minutes, I finally arrived before a massive obsidian door, as if it had been made for giants. According to legends, the First Demon King carried the bloodline of some ancient giants, long extinct now.

But I knew the truth.

Ashanvar, in that life, had simply used some strange technique to increase his body mass. Nothing special, honestly.

As soon as I approached, the two guards standing beside the towering doors greeted me. They were elite demons, each with a barely noticeable horn protruding from their heads, a sign of the purity of their bloodline.

"The lord is waiting for you, Young Master."

The one on the right muttered as they pushed the doors open.

"Thanks, Penor."

With a polite nod, I stepped inside without hesitation.

A vast room greeted me. It was grand and yet minimally furnished. At its center stood a massive table carved from ancient wood and behind it sat Ashanvar, his gaze as amused as ever.

The door shut behind me at once as he began.

"I don’t see that pitiful ghost behind you. Did you somehow kill it or something?"

Tsk.

Of course he knows that snake too.

At one point, I even wondered just how many people this guy actually knew but then again, I didn’t really care since he had no intention of sharing it with me.

"He is sleeping without trouble."

I replied calmly.

"Hmm, that’s good, I suppose. And judging by your tone, you already know who that guy is."

He let out a chuckle.

"It’s always amusing how you know things you should never have known." He said, gesturing toward the chair in front of him. "In any case, why don’t you take a seat? We have a lot to discuss, after all."

I didn’t hesitate and took a seat.

"So, what was it that you needed to discuss?"

I cut straight to the point.

"Well, nothing special. I just wanted to ask how your stay here was. What did you think about demons? And how was your time with your family? After all, as your master, I am interested in the life of my disciple."

A mischievous smile played on his face but I would be a fool to trust that smile. Still, I didn’t say it out loud.

"It was... an interesting experience. The demons were even more respectful than the servants back home. And I had a good time with my family as well."

My voice sharpened.

"Now that we’ve discussed my life, how about you get to the real point?"

"Always in a rush. You know, in the process of staying sharp and always one step ahead, you are forgetting something important and that is enjoying life."

He said it while looking up at the ceiling.

"I was like you once. But in the end, when I lost people close to me, I realized how much of a fool I had been, chasing power instead of valuing what I had in that moment."

...What happened to this guy? Why is he actually acting like a master?

"Don’t you want me strong enough to kill you? And now you’re telling me to slow down?" I asked him.

"Yes, I still want you to grow stronger and one day, kill me." His voice softened. "But I don’t want you to lose yourself in the process."

He paused, his eyes slipping back into that familiar, playful way.

"But well, it’s your life, so live it as you see fit. Just remember, power without someone to protect is meaningless. When you rise to the peak, only then will you understand how lonely it is at the top."

His smile was faint but knowing.

"So cherish your relationships... while you still can."

"Alright."

I didn’t say much and just nodded.

"In any case, let’s get back to why I called you here." His tone slipped back to its usual edge. "What exactly happened in the Divine Treasury?"

My eyes sharpened.

He hadn’t asked me anything about it since I woke up, so I knew this was coming.

I began my explanation carefully.

"I don’t know much myself. I was at a banquet with my friends in Anciana when I suddenly got pulled into that place. There were many monsters inside, but most of them were relatively low-ranked."

I deliberately kept certain details to myself.

"After passing through several chambers, I eventually reached a place where everyone else had gathered. Then some strange beings descended... and after that, I can’t remember much."

I didn’t mention Vael’runn or how I fought with it alongside Arza. I left out everything about Winter and Eidolon as well.

Since my appearance was different back then, I was sure most of the people who saw me wouldn’t have known it was me either and the ones who would have recognised me, like my friends, well, they wouldn’t have told him anyway or so I hoped.

The Demon King only chuckled.

"Well, I didn’t expect you to tell me everything." His voice sharpened slightly. "But it’s not like I have much use for that information anyway. I was just curious about how or why you summoned The ▒▒▒▒▒."

He said it casually, but the intent was obvious.

He was probing me. He wanted to see if I could hear it... react to that name.

Naturally, I couldn’t hear it since I didn’t know the name of that thing but I knew exactly what he was referring to.

That Eye.

The one I had summoned using the forbidden information to kill the mind harvester.

I let a faint frown form on my face, my usual smile wavering just enough.

"I... can’t hear the name. Who are you talking about?" I asked, feigning confusion.

"Hmm, I see." He nodded, stroking his chin.

"Is that all you wanted to ask?" I started to get up, but before I could, he spoke again.

"Oh, wait. There is something else I need to give you before you go."

I paused, tilting my head slightly as he pulled out a book and a letter from his desk.

"What are these?" I asked, curiosity slipping into my voice.

The Demon King smiled.

"I believe you have been practicing the VoidPulse martial art of your family but judging by the state of your body, it clearly doesn’t suit you." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He continued, almost casually.

"Along with your dragon heart, those... unusual mana pathways and your altered anatomy, that technique is doing more harm than good."

His smile widened.

"This book is a martial arts manual I created in the past and I think it’ll suit your body far better. Consider it a gift from your master."

...Damn.

This bastard even knows about my Dragon Heart and the changes in my body.

Those were the first things that shifted when my race evolved into an Arcane human. I met Ashanvar after that, and he never said a word about it. So, I always thought he hadn’t noticed.

Looks like I was wrong.

But I wasn’t about to reject a free gift.

Ashanvar had lived countless lives, hundreds of thousands of years. A technique created by him would easily surpass anything the Ashborn Founder could have made.

And after learning more about that founder from Naga, I was already a bit skeptical about relying on his technique. Who knew if that bastard had left behind some way to exploit it later? Having two options instead of depending on just one... that sounded far safer.

"Thanks."

I smiled brightly, taking the book and the... letter.

"What about this letter? What is it?"

"Ahh, the letter." Ashanvar’s eyes sharpened. "One of your friends from the treasury asked me to give it to you."

"A friend...?"

I tilted my head slightly, my smile still in place but before I could check the name, he spoke again.

"You know... the old man. Eidolon."

...Oh, shit.

So he does know.

My smile stiffened for just a moment.

Didn’t that guy leave with Winter to his Divine Realm?

What is he still doing in the mortal realm?

What exactly did he tell Ashanvar about me?

Countless questions surged through my mind, one after another but I forced myself to stay calm. This wasn’t bad. Not yet. And I doubted Eidolon would have revealed anything truly dangerous.

"That old man... I never thought I would see him again after so long. I knew his son had been taken in by Trickster, but I didn’t expect him to create the treasury to exist for that purpose."

He looked straight into my eyes.

"For someone so stingy, Eidolon spoke quite highly of you. He said you were the one who gave him a second chance."

He continued, almost amused.

"But more than that, he told me all about how you bravely punched that arrogant bastard, Vael’runn. Ah... how I regret not being there to see it. That bastard always got on my nerves too."

The moment those words left his mouth, my smile froze.

...Yeah.

That dumb blacksmith told him everything.