The puppeteer told Layland about how none of her friends remembered her until she revealed herself. Though, in the end, only one person could remember her until he died. It was also not something she had planned. She was in the middle of exacting her revenge when one of her friends spotted her. As Layland had expected, that friend was Yūto.
She was glad that Yūto sympathized with her but they soon found themselves in a disagreement when they talked about Lunea. Yūto didn't like what the King had done to his friend but he also didn't want to see Lunea, his best friend die.
The puppeteer wasn't having it, so she tried to take over Yūto's mind and failed. Yūto ran away and she didn't chase after him. She still ordered one of the Heroes, one of her friends whom she had managed to control. She knew where Yūto was going, so she emphasized that Lunea was the main target.
She didn't like the fact that Yūto was protecting Lunea but she didn't want to see him die. He was a good friend of hers and had done nothing to harm her.
"Seeing that he is not here, it seems the poison managed to kill him," the puppeteer remarked.
"No, it didn't. I was the one who suffered from the poison," Lunea denied. "Yūto—he died when…" she mumbled as her gaze shifted to Layland.
"I kill that kid," Layland admitted easily. "I was caught up in the moment. He could have asked me to trade some of the Essence Peach instead of challenging me over its ownership, but he didn't. I didn't mean to kill him but he begged me to do it."
The puppeteer's eyes flashed briefly before settling down. She wanted to get mad but the moment she realized that she had practically sent her friends to death's door, she stopped herself. She no longer had any right to get mad over her friend's death. She refused to be a hypocrite.
"Hmph! Look at you. Being lovey-dovey with the person who killed the friend who sacrificed himself for you. Aren't you ashamed?" the puppeteer spat spitefully.
"Time moves and people change. Today's enemy may be tomorrow's ally. Distasteful it is, but you have to move on. Both of us were forced by the situation. He should get the Essence Peach and I couldn't die." Layland shrugged. "I respect that guy; therefore, I saved this girl. I believe he is quite happy with what I did."
"You have been using that girl for your benefit all this time—what are you talking about?"
Layland quirked an eyebrow. "Do you think I can only use Lunea to lure out all of the Antares' Heroes whom she was acquainted with?"
Indeed, although Lunea was extremely helpful, there was no actual need for Layland to rely on Lunea. It would take him much longer but he could find the Heroes and kill them one by one with the information Hadrian's organization, Black Merchant provided him.
It was quite distasteful for Layland to kill an innocent who had never done anything to harm him. Added to what he did in Brontes, his desire to do what Yūto had asked him before he died increased; thus, he decided to save Lunea and put her to good use.
Had it been not for the moral debt he owed Yūto, he wouldn't have saved Lunea even if he saw her right before his eyes.
"Have you forgiven him?" the puppeteer asked.
"I don't know…" Lunea lightly frowned. "Killing and getting killed is not unusual in this world of ours. I was saddened by Yūto's death but…is there any reason to get mad at Layland? He just did what he had to do. It was fair and square. I mean, look at Celia. Layland killed her father but she still can smile whenever she is around him."
The puppeteer scoffed. "You lot do have a couple of screws loose in your heads."
She then laughed, realizing that she also didn't regret what she had done to her friends for her gain. She just didn't like the descendant of the person who had almost violated her. She was finding reasons to make Lunea look bad, disregarding what she had also done. She didn't want to be a hypocrite but she already behaved like one.
"It is okay being selfish, you know? Everything starts from a selfish desire—you don't have to be ashamed of it," Layland remarked with a cheeky smile. "Enough with the chit-chat. Now, tell me what you have to offer…"
"Shanifa. I don't have a surname," the puppeteer introduced her name, finally.
"Well, I won't introduce myself since you have heard my name being mentioned a lot. Now, Shanifa, why don't you tell me what you have to offer?"
Shanifa the puppeteer remained silent as she looked into Layland's eyes. Layland also looked into her eyes, wondering what she was trying to figure out from him. A few seconds passed and Layland noticed a glimmer before it disappeared in her left eye. He could tell it was a power that he couldn't understand so he was immediately intrigued.
Shanifa pointed her index finger at Layland. Surely, she said, "You are going to be the next Ninth Demon King."
Boom!
Everyone was mind-blown by the revelation and so was Layland. He could tell Shanifa didn't try to figure him out to find out about that information. Shanifa had glimpsed into the future. It was not a statement but a prophecy.
"I know I won't fail." Layland nodded his head with a satisfied smile, making Shanifa blink her eyes in astonishment. "Anyway, is that what the Temple gave you? The ability to see into the future?"
"No…the Temple gave me the Eye of Causality, with which I replaced my left eye. It allows me to calculate the possibility of an event based on people's karmic value."
"Are you talking bullshit now?"
"The world has its way to determine our fate," Shanifa retorted. "I can't explain it but karmic value does exist. It determines the likelihood of the world giving you shit or fortune."
"Can you see it?"
"The karmic value? Yes."
"What about mine? Is the world going to give me shit soon?" Layland asked, genuinely intrigued but sounding mocking.
"I can see your karmic value but…I don't think it has anything to do with how the world will treat you."
"Then, how can you even calculate my future if my karmic value contributes nothing to my life?"
"The calculation for you is based on your prowess and growth. No matter how many times I try calculating your future, you will always succeed in achieving what you want."
Layland didn't believe what Shanifa said immediately. She sounded genuine but it didn't erase the possibility of her being a liar. To make sure she was being honest, Layland took out a gourd and put it on the table. He gestured at it and told Shanifa to guess its content.
Her left eye glimmered as she looked at the gourd. Eyes wide in shock, she looked up at Layland.
Shanifa turned her eyes to Lunea and shouted, "Run!" It baffled Lunea, so Lunea couldn't help looking at her questioningly. "He is going to harm you!" she warned.
Looking at Shanifa as if she was a lunatic, Lunea turned to Layland. She couldn't help gulping nervously as she looked at his cold smile.
"Now, Shanifa. Tell me what is inside the gourd," Layland said calmly.
"It is empty…but something will be inside it soon." Shanifa looked at Lunea solemnly. "The Princess' eye will be in that gourd."
Shanifa's statement made Lunea's body tense. It had been a long time since she last felt it. She was terrified by Layland's touch. His hand that was caressing her thigh was warm but chills ran down her spine each time he caressed it. How could Layland be that cruel to her?
"Why did you tell Lunea to run, Shanifa?" Layland asked, intrigued.
"Because you will say that the Princess wouldn't have to be hurt had I told her to run," Shanifa answered distastefully.
Layland smiled brightly and then ruffled Lunea's hair to calm her down. "Calm down, girl. What that woman said will not happen. I won't hurt you for nothing."
"Y-Yeah…I was just shocked," Lunea replied, still slightly shaken.
Turning to Shanifa, Layland said, "Now, tell me what you have to offer, Shanifa."
Shanifa stared at the gourd silently, prompting Layland to keep it in his Spatial Storage. Quirking an eyebrow afterwards, he pressed Shanifa to speak with his eyes.
"In exchange for my life, I will let you have Cresundia," Shanifa proposed.
"It is no longer yours, girl," Layland rebuked.
"My movement is limited, but I still have it completely under my control. The Temple has begun spreading its influence all over the Kingdom. It will gain the people's sympathy soon, but it is not too late to stop it."
"So?"
"As we toy with the Temple, convert everyone in Cresundia into Demon King's worshippers. You prefer this way, don't you? I can tell from the way you liberated the suppressed territories in Antares. You want to secure as many resources as possible, don't you?"
Layland leaned back on his chair. Lunea's back covered his vision but he didn't care, since he wasn't so eager to keep looking at Shanifa's face. He pondered for a while. It was clear that Shanifa thought quite similarly to him. She would be a useful aide. However, he wasn't sure whether she had a hidden agenda or not.
She was a Mentalist and a Hero. Who knows what she would do once he dropped his guard? Still, with that in mind, he decided to play with fire. Two could play at the game. Should Shanifa try messing around behind his back, he would let her meet her painful demise.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel