A few weeks later, at Kai's apartment.
A group of people gathered in the drawing room of an apartment.
They were standing around a man with shoulder-length blueish black hair who sat on a sofa, facing them all.
The man had his legs crossed, and his teal eyes keenly scanned the entire room with an emotionless glint, carefully observing everyone.
Standing beside him was a tall young man with a massive frame and dark skin.
Despite being so massive and scary, he possessed a face which could only be described as handsome.
It was Alberto. He stood with his arms crossed, exuding a bouncer-like aura, ready to strike down anyone who posed a threat.
On the man's left stood another dark-skinned individual with sleek, combed-back raven black hair.
It was Quinn. His deep, hollow eyes were closed, giving the impression that he was asleep while standing.
Amidst this assembly, all eyes focused on a young man who stood before Kai. His name was Zach.
He was a big social media influencer and he had been assigned the task of spreading rumors about Nero. With a wide smile, he informed Kai of his success.
"And at this point, rumors about him are already circulating," Zach exclaimed. "You don't have to worry about anything, young master Kai. My followers trust every word I say. So these rumors will undoubtedly spread even further."
"Good," Kai responded, though his eyes still had a hint of disinterest. "Our next task is to force Nero into using his Gift during the King's Tournament. Since numerous news channels will be present to telecast it as a live event, the rumor will transform into an undeniable fact."
"Understood," Zach nodded and took a step back, joining the rest of the crowd.
Almost immediately, another young man stepped forward. He had blonde hair and stood slightly taller than the others.
He pressed his hands together and displayed a smile so pleasing that it could even put the greatest politicians to shame.
"And you are?" Kai inquired, raising an eyebrow.
For a moment, the smile vanished from the young man's face, replaced by a frown, before quickly returning.
"I-I am Chris Wright, young master Kai," he replied. "You assigned me to keep an eye on Lucas."
"Ah, yes. That guy," Kai nodded. "So, do you have anything to report?"
This time, Chris' smile disappeared for a few long seconds when Kai referred to him as 'that guy.'
After all, Chris was the youngest son of the prestigious Wright family.
They are called the Lions who protect the North from Vampires.
Although his family mostly never gave him any respect, others never dared to treat him in such a manner.
However, Chris suppressed his frustration and plastered his amiable smile once more.
"Yes, indeed," he nodded. "It appears that the rumors about him are true. Lucas has truly become Leo Kurogami's disciple. He practically confirmed it himself when he arrived late for the first exam."
"I see," Kai mused, twirling the ends of his shoulder-long hair.
He then glanced at Grace, who stood among the crowd with her eyes focused at her feet.
'So she was right about him,' he pondered in his mind. 'But then, did I truly misjudge him?'
Kai could hardly believe that someone had managed to deceive him. He really did make a blunder, huh?
But he couldn't afford to dwell on his mistake right now, since the King's Tournament was about to start in two days.
He needed to focus on coming up with a plan that could help him control the situation from this point onward.
Nodding resolutely, he voiced his thoughts, "Alright, thank you for telling me this. I will personally handle Lucas. If you ever require a favor from me, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you," Chris replied, slightly bowing his head. "I will keep that in mind."
With a decisive nod, Kai declared, "Alright, thank you all for your efforts. You're free to leave now."
Upon hearing this, everyone gave him a look of acknowledgment and exited his apartment.
Only a select few individuals stayed behind—Grace, Alberto, and Quinn.
"Do you see now?" Grace spoke up in a feeble tone as soon as everyone left. "I told you to go after Lucas. I told you he was the mastermind from the start."
"Yeah, I still don't believe he's some sort of mastermind," Kai scoffed. "At most, I think he's suspicious. He's hiding more than he's revealing."
"Again!" Grace pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a frustrated cry. "You're being foolish again! I'm telling you! He's deceiving you! He has already done it before, and as long as you continue like this, he'll always stay one step ahead of you!"
"Grace!" Kai raised his voice. "His story checked out! He was at his headquarters, giving strategic commands to his troops when someone was fighting Quinn! Besides, he had a broken hand! How could that be Lucas?! Tell me, how?! Are you suggesting that a weakling like him defeated Quinn with a broken arm while managing his troops?"
"I..." Grace bit her lower lip in frustration. "I don't know. All I know is that it was definitely Lucas. H-He told me about it. He said you wouldn't believe me, and you aren't. Everything is happening just as he predicted! Why can't you believe me, just this once?"
Kai furrowed his brow in confusion. He was about to respond when Quinn interjected.
"It wasn't Lucas," he stated. "That guy is no match for me. Do you really think I was beaten by someone like him?"
"I don't know! Maybe you were, I don't know!" Grace snapped. "That guy is beyond my understanding! He has done things I can't explain! It's as if he knows the future! He's aware of things that nobody should know!"
The frown on Kai's face deepened. "What do you mean by that?"
"...I—" Grace hesitated, swallowing a mouthful of saliva before continuing. "He told Ella that I was using her sister as leverage to persuade her to join your group."
"Ella's sister?" Kai leaned forward. "You mean Ava Bright? Isn't she in a coma?"
Upon hearing those words, surprise and shock washed over Grace's face.
"H-How do you know about that?!" she asked, bewildered.
"It doesn't matter," Kai replied, averting his gaze and resting his chin on his hands.
Kai was aware of Ava's condition through the Book of Prophecy. He had planned to cure her coma to gain favor from Ella.
However, with Lucas making up a lie like that, Kai knew he couldn't pursue that plan anymore. It was no longer an option.
But a new question arose: How did Lucas come to possess knowledge about Ava?
It's not something that should be public knowledge right now.
'Does he have something like my Book of Prophecy?' Kai thought. 'Something that lets him know about the future?'
And if that was the case, perhaps Lucas truly was the mastermind who had almost helped Nero from revealing his Gift during the Mock War.
"Regardless," Kai let out a heavy sigh. "I will deal with him and make him answer all my questions."
Upon hearing this, a faint smile flickered on Grace's face which did not go unnoticed by Kai. Observing her reaction, he simply shook his head.
'I don't know what her issue is with Lucas, but she has been more of a nuisance than a help to me,' Kai remarked in his mind with another sigh. 'It's fine. All I need to do is win the King's Tournament, and then I can throw her away.'
