"So, what did you come here for? If it was just to spout wicked threats, I'm not sure if you have thought things through."
Every word that he spoke seemed to carry an immense amount of power, almost as if his entire being was just made up of pure strength. Complemented by the sharp glint in his green eyes, I would have been quite nervous if it wasn't for the fact that this wasn't my real body.
Luckily, it wasn't.
"Don't be so serious, Mr. Cane. And didn't I already explain myself? My words were but warnings for you to heed. Also, weren't they quite effective in bringing you out here? If I didn't say those things, would you have even shown your face?"
"That's true. And yet, you haven't even explained what these warnings were based on."
'Didn't our conversation just begin?'
Though I internally bashed the old man, I had no choice but to bite my tongue. Though I could act out with most of the people I spoke with, this man wasn't one of the ones I could act recklessly around.
Even the principal was only an [A]-ranker, though his power lay elsewhere, but the old man in front of me now was something else. An [S]-ranker, one of the people in this world who could be said to be above everyone else.
If [A]-rankers could be said to be kings, there was no doubt that this man was one of the gods.
And from my understanding, even among the [S]-rankers, he was a monster.
So even if I would be safe no matter what, I couldn't risk becoming his enemy. Mostly because it would be a nuisance to try and navigate the future with an [S]-ranked as my enemy.
Despite that, I couldn't help but smile widely behind my mask.
"Because you should also understand that no matter how safe Ainu is, at some point, your granddaughter will be exposed as the heir to the Hurricanes. If I managed to uncover that truth, don't you think more people will inevitably come to the same conclusion?"
Though the biggest reason why I suspected something was up with her was the fact that I was literally part of her class, there was no need for me to tell the old man that.
After the erratic actions of that green-haired girl, it had been impossible for me not to try and uncover more, and with that, it hadn't taken long before I got to know the truth. Being able to move around as I pleased and having two bodies were quite handy tools when looking for information.
Still, it wasn't a lie that I believed her secret to be exposed sooner or later. Though I had convinced the ruler of that disgusting academy to keep her safe, nothing was certain when dealing with the monsters that were [S]-rankers.
"So, you are telling me that you can keep her safe, no matter what? How am I supposed to believe that?"
"Because you don't have a choice. Right now there is no way for you to move around Mensch as you please, not without risking getting caught. Or worse, risking getting your steps traces back here."
With his hands holding the wooden cane in front of him, it was hard to distinguish what kind of thoughts were going through his head. Nevertheless, I knew that I was still far from convincing him to work for me.
"So, what do you actually want from us?"
"I want to make a deal, a deal on the basis that not only will I make sure your granddaughter will survive, but I will make sure you all survive."
No matter how strong Mr. Cane was, there was no way he wasn't worried about the future of his family. Even now, here in their so-called holy lands, they were still living inside the nation of Mensch. In other words, it wasn't a question of if they would get discovered, but when.
Sighing, Mr. Cane appeared to be fed up listening to the naive words of a man who didn't understand the world.
*FWOOOSH!*
And just as his patience ran out, a harsh wind started blowing in the room.
"That's enough nonsense. There's no way a fledgling like you could promise us such things. I understand that you might have believed yourself to be strong, but don't think for a second..."
"I am currently building a base in the wastelands, a base that no matter how they try, the king of Mensch will never be able to find. If you choose to accept my proposal, I will allow you to live there freely."
Meeting his gaze head-on, I was intent on showing him that I was serious. No matter what, I wasn't going to let the fish that had started to nibble on my bait go.
"One month from now, it will be fully established, and I will give you the location. After that, it should be simple for you to send a scout to check whether or not I am speaking the truth or not."
As the winds calmed down, the eyes of the head of the Hurricanes narrowed.
"So in the end, I will have to wait for a month no matter what? What happens if we decline?"
"Decline? Oh! You're thinking about possibly getting rid of me right here and now to make sure I don't spill your location!"
Unwilling to respond to my little assumption, I could only smile.
"Try it."
*Schiing!*
Out of nowhere, the girl who had guarded the door suddenly dashed through the door, and before I knew it, her spear was lodged into my chest. Yet, when they saw that there were no signs of blood, the face of the girl paled while Mr. Cane's hardened.
"See? There's no use. No matter what you do here, I won't die."
Taking hold of the spear, which the girl instantly let go of in surprise, I removed it from my chest and stood up, inspecting the silvery weapon a bit closer. While doing so, I kept on talking to the foolish old man and whom I assumed was Celina's sister.
"Now, I would stay for longer if I could, but sadly I'm quite a busy man. Ah, don't worry about the whole 'trying to kill me' thing, I don't mind. You aren't the first one to do so, after all."
Removing my mask, I knew that part of making an exit was to leave a good impression behind. Therefore, I absolutely wanted him to see the heartwarming smile that I had on my face.
"I'll be back in a month to give you directions. Please make sure to have an answer for me after that. It would displease me greatly if you suddenly decide to do something rude like this again. It would displease me to the point where I can't be sure if your lovely granddaughter will be keeping her life."
And with that, I let go of the connection to my clone.
****
[Mr. Cane's Pov]
"I'll be back in a month to give you directions. Please make sure to have an answer for me after that. It would displease me greatly if you suddenly decide to do something rude like this again. It would displease me to the point where I can't be sure if your lovely granddaughter will be keeping her life."
*Poof!*
'He's gone...'
What an absurd event this had been, suddenly getting to see the man that supposedly sold his soul to the demons, followed by him telling us that he had a way to save us.
Though I wasn't sure exactly what his proposal would bring about, there was no question about the fact that he was planning on using my family as a weapon. To use us as a military power in the future.
To be fair, I couldn't care less about what plans he had for us in the future, if it meant that he could allow my family to have a future. If it meant that my two granddaughters would have the chance to live their lives freely, I would happily lay down my life.
But how could I believe the words of a mere youth that hadn't even seen a fraction of this world? There was no way someone like that could have the power and authority to bestow liveable land to us. Or so it should have been.
'That man... is special...'
Although it was absurd to see him willingly accept Linda's spear right into his chest when he could have easily dodged it, and then stand up as if nothing happened, that was not the main reason why I thought of him to be special.
No, it was because of what he showed us when he removed the mask.
Removing the mask, he showed me something that made me more inclined to believe that the demons would sell their souls to him, instead of him selling his soul to them.
Because behind the mask was the smile of the devil himself.