The core of his soul was darker than night and his actual body reeked of sweat and alcohol. He was obese to the point where one could barely tell that this was a human. He had a neatly trimmed beard and wore luxurious clothes.
I recognised the clothes from the information that I had received from the five broken humans before I went to kill the Oni. He was part of one of the richest families that currently reside in Agartha.
He sat cross legged on one of the chairs surrounding one large table. His eyes kept following Quinte wherever she went, what made her verry uncomfortable.
Surprisingly, the smell of blood filled my nostrils. I looked around to find the source and saw that Rick had a bruise on his face and blood dripping down his nose. He quickly wiped it away when he saw that I was looking.
I turned to the man who was nonchalantly sitting back in the chair. "Did you hit him?"
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I did not know that your toy had any value. Or was it your meal perhaps?"
I growled at the man. "I can tell even from all the way on the other side of the room that you're not. And these people are not my toys nor my food!"
He looked shocked for a moment. He was used to treating people like objects, so he did not know why they had a higher status for me.
He cleared this throat in an uncomfortably loud tone.
"Anny way, I'm glad that the rumours were true and there was indeed a demon living in this area. I persona-"
"Shut up or say why you are here so I can decide if I should kick you out or make sure that there wouldn't even be ash left of you. I would also appreciate it if you tell me the reason why you hit him and apologise!"
The former pinkish and arrogant face of the man turned pale for a moment and he took a more reasonable posture. Horrific scenarios flashed through his brain as he was trying to think of what he could do to get out of this alive.
"I-I did it because they would not immediately bring me to you. You truly have my deepest apologies. A-as for the reason why I'm here. I wanted to get knowledge and become basically all-knowing. I have made sacrifices for demons in the past and I heard that they can be verry old, so I wanted to know everything you know."
It surprised me that he didn't ask for someone stupid enough to love him. But then I realised that there were probably a lot of people out there who did everything he asked for because of his money.
I sighed. Of course, I couldn't grant him infinite knowledge, even I didn't know everything. I was sure that if he put in some serious effort and studied, he could gain more knowledge than that I could give him. And even if I could give him infinite knowledge, I would never give it to him just because he mutilated some chickens or something along those lines.
He did not offer anything in return and even hurt one of the humans that I decided to help. No one wanted him in tis building in the first place, he just came in and caused trouble.
"I will not tell you everything I know. But, since you at least tried to be honest, I will tell you something else."
Slowly he started to get more relaxed, probably hoping that I would tell him about another way to gain what he desires without too much effort.
"Beatrice. Can you please escort everyone out of this room except for this man? And make sure that Rick gets some treatment it is still bleeding."
"yes, my lord." She gave a quick bow and did as she was asked.
She glared at the man with a crocked grin right before she left the room. She knew that I could get in serious trouble if I brought any physical harm to him and that my earlier threats were just there to mislead him. Therefore, she already had a hunch of what I truly was about to do. Or at least attempt to do and her suspicions were only confirmed when I asked them to leave.
But she did not mind witnessing it if I wouldn't have sent her away. After all she was just as angry with him for his disrespect and behaviour as me.
However, I was afraid that I micht trigger some traumatic memories or hinder their recovery if I made any of them watch. Even if they might be beyond saving, I would still like to do my best to at least have a chance.
I stared deep into the eyes of the man. "You came here seeking for knowledge, did you not? Then, you must know that knowledge isn't always useful. And it would all go to waste if you were to die tomorrow."
He spat on the ground. The disgusting blob of greenish liquid on the floor reflected the light of the candles in the room. It truly amazed me how carefree he was.
"How can I die so soon if I know how to evade that threat?"
I growled at the man. "You know, I once thought the same thing. But when it was proven wrong, it was one of the most terrible experiences of my life. I had an elder sister. She always knew everything about everything and could always decide what was the best course of action, like she could see into the future. But, in the end it did not matter. She died and I received a permanent reminder of what happened that day. Now let me give you a reminder of what happens when you hurt someone that I have decided to take responsibility for."
The man stood up from his chair as fast as he could and walked backwards.
"Please- please don't. I can be useful."
I approached the man, like how I approached others before him. The only difference this time was that I would not kill.
"Don't worry. I will not kill you. I was originally not planning on finding out how to do this. But it micht be useful if I know how to do this. And since there is a perfect test subject right in front of me… it would be a waste not to grasp this opportunity."
With that I let my consciousness break through his mental barrier in an attempt to find a way to corrupt him even further and make him my tool.