"… Na. I mean, his intelligence surpasses mine, and he's a natural at Mana Control, I'll give him that. But…"
Kuzon formed a wry smile, something that Kahn would have scoffed at but now dreaded.
"… He's still inferior to me. Well, I guess I have my superior bloodline to thank for that."
Kahn gulped slightly. It wasn't that he was afraid, but caution was something he had learned over the years. He refused to be careless.
"So, no. I suppose I'm the strongest student. Even among Lecturers, there are only quite a few I have to fear…"
Kahn remembered the 'partner' he collaborated with had mentioned a name to him. Perhaps this was a chance to see just how much truth dwelled in his words.
"What about the Lecturer, Neron Kalid?"
"Pfft. Puehehehe. Puahahahahahaha!!!" Kuzon burst out laughing.
It wasn't the usually composed laughter that one would expect from someone of his personality. No, it was more like a child's.
For the first time, it seemed like the golden-haired boy was acting like a kid.
"Oh, I do apologize… hehe… sorry about that…" Chuckles leaked out as the boy tried to regain his composure.
Usually, Kahn would have lashed out in anger, but… he decided to cling to his patience.
"… It's just, you said something funny. You compared me to Neron Kaelid."
'Does that mean this kid is superior? He's young and immature, but… he's still a member of the Midas race, so—'
"Neron Kaelid is definitely stronger than my father—no, anyone I know… and not by a small margin."
This was enough for Kahn's eyes to bulge in shock.
'A fully grown Midas?!'
Kuzon was saying that a mere Lecturer was stronger than an accomplished user of Magic? Surely, Kahn found that incredibly dubious.
"It may not sound like much, but you're seriously overestimating our race. Most people make that mistake." The boy chuckled.
Kahn felt like he was being called stupid, but he decided to let it slip.
"The ones who have most of the power are royalty. All royals are geniuses, possessing Special Grade Mana Cores. I suppose you could say we're the Midas of the Midas folks."
'We?' Kahn was already getting some bad vibes.
"Yeah. I'm the prince of the Midas Empire… or should I say, was? Hmm…"
The Shadow Demon felt like he was being assailed by too much information—more than he could handle—all at once.
"It only makes sense that I'm this strong… so, I suppose that answers your question. As for this Academy, I don't think they have anything to do with you guys. Humans don't really feel you guys are a threat. Many don't even know you exist, you know?"
Kahn was shocked.
What was he hearing?
He would have taken that stance before, but there was no way humans who knew nothing of Demons would counter his Shadows so easily. Or maybe…
'Was it this kid that took care of all the Shadow Clones? Then that makes sense…'
If that was the case, and Kuzon was telling the truth, then he had been overreacting all along. He was too hasty in his judgment.
He had been the first to break the vow between humans and Demons, and he actually dared to venture this far. Kahn realized it now.
'I should have just returned…'
No, he shouldn't have left the Demon Realm in the first place!
"I suppose I've answered your question. It's your turn now…"
Kahn grunted, not feeling very motivated to go back on his word. Other Demon Lords would have never stuck to a deal made with humans—well, except Rouge—but even then…
"Fine. Ask."
"Do you know anyone by the name of Kido?"
Kahn was surprised by the simplicity of the golden-haired boy's question. So much so that he cocked his head a bit.
"I see… so that's a no, uh? Figures…"
Kahn felt somewhat bad that he got all that information and couldn't even answer the kid's question. Still, once he realized that the boy would still die by his hands, Kahn shook off any useless emotion.
"I guess it was too optimistic to expect anything. But, I have to ask… what is the current status of the White Demon tribe?"
The White Demons, just as the Shadow Demons, belonged to the same Race. They were popularly known as Shapeshifters or Doppelgangers—a nasty bunch in Kahn's opinion.
Still, they were members of his Species. That afforded them some level of respect on his end.
"Do you really think I'll sell out my people?" The Demon growled.
"Hey, I answered your questions, didn't I?"
"S—still… ask another one. I can't reveal the internal information of my people."
The golden-haired boy sighed, most likely in exasperation. Kahn felt worse than before, but he hardened his heart. He wasn't going to betray his resolve.
"Fine. Tell me this at least… in the past nine years… have there been any suspicious activities on their end? I mean… have they left the Demon Realm to visit the human world? Have they had contact with anyone from the outside?"
'What are these strange questions?' Kahn's thoughts were troubled.
Still, he didn't intend to dodge the inquisition this time.
"No. I am not aware of anything like that. Besides, the White Tribe are not exactly the most open about their affairs. Even if they were to have snuck out, it wasn't within my jurisdiction, to begin with. I wouldn't know…"
Demon Tribes had some level of Autonomy, and while the Demon Lords had absolute power and were respected by all, their authority could only be directly used on the members of their respective tribes.
Only the Demon King commanded the absolute fealty of all Demons. He was their absolute monarch, as well as Kahn's master.
"… Useless."
Kahn snapped out of his reminiscing state as he heard a disgusted sound. He glanced in the Kuzon's direction, only to find him glaring—no, simply giving a condescending look.
Kuzon's casual smile had turned grim, and his lips curled downward to show a disappointed frown.
"You're so useless. You simply wasted my time." The boy's voice was chilly, causing Kahn to shudder.
He emanated a different air than before. The atmosphere felt dangerous.
"Oh well… there's nothing I can do about it now…"
Suddenly, heat began to rise. It was getting hot—uncomfortably hot—terribly hot.
Kahn could feel it… an intensity, unlike anything he had ever felt before.
This wasn't natural heat!
"… I'll just kill you and hope I'm luckier next time…"
Kahn felt terror.
He was only ten percent, after all!
He wasn't at full strength!
There was no way he could handle this… this power!
"… Let's finish this… Xenia…"
