Esmond.
The date was going smoother than I thought, no mishaps or any weird interactions, just me and Cecilia, no one else. Aside from her asking why her brother returned without their father, it was best that I stayed silent.
And currently, I'm here with Cecil. She's looking at some accessories; they were quite well-made. "Lord Cassius, which one suits me better?" She is holding two hairpins: one shaped like the sword of light and the other shaped like the sword of ice, which was the sword of Cassius.
Honestly, I think my sword of light was better, so obviously I'm gonna pick it. "My weapon, of course!" I said it proudly, and she laughed.
"Hahaha, of course, since I'm not a fan of the hero Cassius, I'd rather pick the sword of light." So she bought it. I felt a small warmth in my body. Honestly, I gave up on trying to persuade people since it wouldn't work no matter what I do.
"Here, Lord Cassius! This will look good on you," she gave me a bracelet. It was nothing special, but to her, it was something great. It had a shape of a half heart. As I looked at her arms, she also had the same thing.
"If you leave this place, I pray to the gods that when we meet again, this bracelet will still be on your arm."
"And I pray that no matter the disaster that strikes me, it will remain with me." I smiled at her, and she smiled back at me.
"Let's continue our date!"
"Yeah, let's go."
The two of us continued the date. It was indeed a fun experience. Both Cecil and I had a lot of fun. I'm kinda grateful for Lucas now. Out of all the despair in life, there's still a human light nearby.
And with that fun experience, the favor is done, and the situation was a win-win for me. Now I'm facing Lucas after the date.
Back again in the silent room, Lucas sat across the table. "Did you have fun, Esmond?"
"I had fun. Did Cecil tell you?"
"Nope, it's written on your face." I was confused at first, but then I realized I was smiling the entire time. I didn't even know.
"Be my sister's husband."
"No."
"Well, that's a straight rejection." Of course, it is. You're marrying off your sister to a demon king. What kind of brother are you?
"Let's get back to the topic here. Now that I did what you asked, isn't it time to tell me what I want?"
"Ah, yes, of course. And luckily for you, new information just arrived! But new information isn't really in our deal, so I'll only say the old ones." After hearing that, I slammed the table out of anger.
"Lucas! The fate of the world is in the hands of you, and you're telling me? A hero? To not get the information that might cause war?"
"You're the demon king, and the world moves in money. Didn't they teach you that? Oh wait, they didn't because you learned to save others without anything in return!"
"Because it was made to be, I didn't choose to come here and save the world! Only to be hated by fellow humans!"
Lucas and I sighed, "Let's stop this careless chatter." I sat down, and so did Lucas. We only argued a couple of times in the past, and it wasn't this serious.
"I can't force you, can I?"
"I did say words spread like wildfire; you never know when you're gonna get burned," he already thought of this every possibility.
"Alright, just tell me the information I need, and we will never meet again." I was strong in magic and physical strength, but it seems that I lack the mind of a businessman. If this was a battle, I would have won, but this is a fight with words, which I don't know.
There's still a lot I have to learn. If the demon God comes back and has a debate with me, the world is doomed to fall.
"Alright, now listen carefully and remember, I will not tell this again. The empire has been recruiting people from any part of the empire. They didn't accept anyone outside of their land. Strange, right? Of course, having the possibility of an insider could potentially happen if they just let anyone in.
"Most of the people that were taken either came from a noble house or some famous adventurer group, but there's one thing that is for sure: they must be strong."
"And? That's it? They aren't preparing for some war or an invasion against the world or anything?" I had to ask.
"War... There was something about the reports as well. The people who were recruited became abnormally strong, but there was only one report of that happening."
"What are the possibilities of them experimenting of their own people?"
"Knowing the empire about 30% it's not unlikely, but we have to keep a close watch on them. I already had men dead because I dived too deep."
"I see." I got up from the seat. "Lucas, it was both torture and pleasure that I met you. This is farewell, though I'm not satisfied with your information. It will be enough for me to lay out some traps."
As I opened the door and was about to exit, Lucas made a slight bow and said, "It was a pleasure doing business with you, our dear VIP."
I closed the door and went out. I didn't see Cecil, so I headed back to Gesine's house. Sure enough, the moment I arrived, I was immediately questioned.
I had a lot to think about, but I had to seriously deal with Gesine first. But now that I think about it, after I finish my work here, what should I do next? I don't really want to go back to the boring demon region.
But I have responsibilities, and letting those go might endanger everyone. Damn it, just a few hours ago I was having fun, now I'm back to this problematic life!