"You—"
Lady Sophia placed her hand in front of Alec again, stopping him from doing anything. I sensed a hint of nervousness in the stiff way she moved, but it could also be that she was looking for something from me. She wasn't just strong, but also very smart it seemed. I couldn't help but keep comparing the two heiresses in my mind. Should I beat this one up for fun too someday?
"Lord Eugene," Sophia said. "You are correct. We are here to chase after someone, but I don't believe it concerns you. We aren't interested in having you tag along either, please feel free to move on your own."
"What do you mean it doesn't concern me, lady Sophia?" I leaned back in my seat, observing her with a haughty gaze.
"It is a matter of myself, the heir of the Margrave of Mirxa, and I have received permission to investigate on my own from the ruler of this land, Marquis of Hall. While you, lord Eugene, are just the regent of a small city, you don't even have a title of your own. And dare I say, you probably can't even be called the child of Hall with your current status, what makes you think you can order me around like this?"
I narrowed my gaze.
The next moment, I took over all the mana in the air. Sophia noticed and tried to do it before me, but she was still just a child. I completely broke through her attempts with my speed and placed my pressure on them. The two of them widened their eyes.
Next, I engaged my Ki core.
Sharpened, like an invisible blade that could cut through one's soul, I pointed all of my killing intent at the two.
Sophia's head lowered while Alec started gasping for breath.
Seeing them like that made me once again realize how satisfying strength was, and how much of it I lacked.
In the deepest voice I could muster, I spoke. "I will let you keep your life, is that not reason enough?"
Alec clenched his chest, while Sophia's breaths deepened. Yet, she looked at me.
Despite being pressured like this, she had enough strength, no, enough confidence to look at me.
"You won't hurt us, lord Eugene."
What.
I hardened my pressure a step further.
"Your eyes... it's written all over them that you won't hurt us."
I stopped in my tracks for a few seconds. Then, I sighed and relaxed my pressure.
I still did want a good impression with her to back Apollon, this was all an act toward it on my part. I didn't think I would get caught, though.
I wondered.
What kind of look did she have in her eyes?
I smiled and released all of my pressure. At once, Sophia rested her hand on the carriage walls while Alec started heaving deeply.
The window separating the coach and the coachman was knocked on. It was on the side where Sophia and Alec sat. I opened the window and saw Sir Buhini peeking at me.
"Is everything alright? I felt something strange for a second there."
"Hm, there's nothing worrying here, Sir Buhini. Lady Sophia was just... giving me some guidance on magic."
Buhini nodded and turned away. I closed it back and sat down on my seat, smiling at the two of them.
"Apollon is a city running on tourism," I started, ignoring the two who were still trying to get a hold of themselves. "It is not a big city, nor one filled with something revolutionary... yet."
Sophia turned to face me.
"About 18% of my tourists come from the Mirxa territory, and about 60% of them come from here, the Hall territory. It isn't a big place, but it's close. So do you know who comes to visit it the most?"
"... Who?" she played along.
"The common people." I pointed outside the window, at the few people running about with their jobs. "A threat to the common people of either Mirxa or Hall is a threat to my people. And a threat to my people is a threat to me."
I looked at Lady Sophia again, this time, with a serious, earnest gaze that I had practiced last night with Maria.
"It does concern me, my lady."
Sophia quietened down, and so did Alec. The noise-cancellation magic, which was really just a wind barrier, was still working well.
After a short period of silence, Sophia looked at me again.
Her movements carried the same cheerful color that I had seen earlier today as she smiled and nodded.
"I was gravely mistaken, Lord Eugene. Not only are you powerful, but you are also kind at heart."
SCAM SUCCESSFUL!
Sophia, in a cheerful voice, held my hands. "I am very sorry for saying it didn't concern you, Lord Eugene. You are right, a true noble is concerned with the peoples' worries."
"That's not what I said at all." Did she cook stuff up now?
"Ah? Ah... you're shy, huh?"
"No, I am being serious. I meant only what I said, ok?"
"Sure!" Sophia giggled.
The hell.
She quickly dropped her smile after a few seconds and sat back. She crossed her legs and hands and started speaking like an equal. Sophia had deemed it safe and quickly got relaxed, I liked that attitude.
"Lord Eugene, what do you know about the Demons of Hell?"
Was this what it was related to? Demons of Hell were precisely what they sounded like. Demons. I remembered Albert telling me about some princess and some followers of Agares. Since it was a game world, it was loosely using the Ars Goetia as an antagonist group. But Agares was a demon of the 2nd rank and was already making moves in the early game, it was that very reason that I wondered what could the real 'tension' of this game be. But unfortunately, I couldn't find any clues yet.
"I might know a thing or two more than any other person."
"That makes things easier," she said. "A thief from our territory has received Count Raum's blessings."
Count Raum... Count Raum...
I scanned through my head for any information on the name. The fortieth-ranked demon, though a low-ranked one. I remembered reading up on it. Raum was none other than an arsonist, a demon that liked to destroy cities.
"He was about to blow up your city... huh?" I said.
"You truly do know more than an average person. I am awed, my lord."
"It is nothing compared to you, my lady, who can chase after such an evil even after knowing its dangers."
"His capture was foiled. I had taken the helm when I noticed some oddities in the slums, I thought a large organization was making a move since every other power in the underworld was falling one after the other."
What's this? That sounds odd... oddly familiar.
"I landed upon the traces of the demon worshipper then, my lord. We almost had him in our hands, but Raum's ability lets him see a part of the future. He must have used a great deal of the blessing's strength to escape and come to this place... We have to stop him before something big happens."
It did sound big. Currently, the Hall fiefdom was like a fruit ripe for taking. The weeklong founding festival was mere days away, and people were bound to gather. It was a prime time for demons like those.
"Does the Marquis know?" I asked.
Sophia only shook her head at my question. She fidgetted, likely thinking I'll take objection.
"I understand," I said, grabbing her hand. "I'll do my best to help you, lady Sophia."
She clasped my hands back and raised them between us. "I can't express my gratitude with words, lord Eugene."
"Your smile is thanks enough, my lady."
"Tsk. Asshole." the bitter gent's whisper was still loud and clear.
"That said..." Sophia continued, "We don't really have any hints."
I sat back down and thought.
"In that case..."
Raum. He was quite literally an arsonist in all demonology. He loved to see cities burn, but there was something he loved even more.
"Let us go to a brothel."
"Yes?"
"A brothel. Alec, go tell Sir Buhini to move to a brothel."
He loved to cuckold people.