A gentle breeze blew past, scattering the leaves of the nearby trees that made up the vast majority of the land.

The trees had enormous trunks, and their gnarled, twisted branches stretched up to the sky, intertwining with one another to form a canopy of green. .

There was a stillness in the air that resonated with the silence that lingered throughout, and the forest floor was like a damp carpet of leaves and earth that stretched endlessly.

It was an ever-changing place, filled with life and movement that constantly changed throughout the day; birds hopping from branch to branch, rabbits nibbling on an unsuspecting tuft of grass, and the occasional distant rustle from some unknown creature lurking in the shadows. .

All of a sudden..

Thump—! Thump—!

Repeated muffled thumps disturbed the stillness around the forest.

Thump—!

A black metal spike suddenly sprouted from the ground, shattering one of the trees in half.

It wasn't long after that when twelve more spikes erupted from the ground below, bringing down every tree in the immediate area with them.

It wasn't only the trees that shattered, but everything within the vicinity was also shredded apart.

A figure soon emerged from beneath the ground.

Extending his hand forward, the black spikes that stuck out from the ground slowly shrank back and merged with his hand.

"Almost there.."

Jin muttered while retracting his hand.

Although he hated to admit it, ever since he contracted with Ren and gained access to demonic energy, his control over the black threads improved by a large leap.

..and this was only a month into the trip.

By the end of the five months, things might be completely different..

"Not bad."

A voice sounded from behind, startling Jin whose head snapped back.

The moment he turned, he saw a figure leaning against a tree not so far away from him.

She waved her hand.

"It's been a while. You're a lot more handsome than I expected."historical

"It's you.."

He immediately recognized the figure. It was the Duchess.

Her appearance immediately made him wary as the thin threads that had receded into his hand suddenly started to cover his hand once more.

"What are you doing here?"

"Is this how you humans greet each other when they see an acquaintance?"

The Duchess stepped forward, exposing her beautiful face and pink hair that curled at the ends.

"..or is it that you're wary of me?"

"Yes, I'm wary of you."

Jin didn't deny it.

Although he had indeed interacted with her for a bit back in the estate, it didn't mean that he had lowered his guard against her.

It was very much still there, and the fact that she had found him when he had come here to train caused him to be even more cautious.

"How did you find me?"

He had left to train by himself. Apart from Ren, no one else knew where he was.

Actually, not even Ren knew where he was. He probably only had a general idea.

The Duchess crossed her arms and smiled at him,

"Where do you think you are?"

Jin frowned. He seemed to understand something.

"..You have an artifact that allows you to spot me?"

"Close."

Priscilla took another step forward. Extending her hand, she revealed a white orb.

"I can't really spot you, but this artifact will allow me to scout certain areas from above. With all the commotion you were making, it wasn't that hard to spot you."

"I see.."

Jin had a general understanding of the situation.

He looked back at her.

"So, what do you want from me?"

The Duchess suddenly smiled, her eyes carefully scanning Jin's body.

Her lips soon parted open.

"..You should already have an i—"

"Then no."

Jin cut her abruptly. It wasn't hard to guess what she wanted.

"I already told you, I don't have any more to give you."

There was no change in the Duchess's expression despite Jin's rejection. She remained strangely calm.

Jin wasn't fooled in the least bit by her demeanor. He had already seen her true nature.

"That's fine. I'm not asking you to give them to me for free. I can p—"

"Not selling."

"Motherfucker!"

The Duchess's expression crumbled, and Jin secretly smiled.

'As expected..'

She was quite easy to anger.

"I've come all the way here to greet you and ask you to sell me those sticks, and yet you don't even bother listening to my offer. Am I a joke to you?"

'Not a joke, but a very amusing demon.'

Jin obviously kept those thoughts to himself and didn't say them out loud.

Although he was enjoying himself, he didn't have a death wish.

"It's not that I don't want to sell it to you, it's just that I've run out."

He raised both hands in the air.

"If you want more, then you'd have to wait until I go back to earth."

"Earth?"

Priscilla's face calmed down the moment she heard the unfamiliar yet familiar word.

"Is that where you come from?"

'Oops.'

A slip of tongue.

He turned his head and looked at one of the broken trees.

"Hm? What happened to trees?"

".."

The Duchess stared at Jin speechlessly. Looking around, she found herself unable to say anything.

Turning his head, Jin eventually resigned himself. Tapping on his ring, two cigarettes appeared, and he handed her one.

"Alright, have one."

"Oh?"

The Duchess's eyes lit up.

She didn't even hesitate and went ahead to grab the cigarettes.

"I said one."

Jin retrieved his hand when he saw her attempt to take both cigarettes. He immediately placed one in his mouth.

What an arrogant demon.

"Tsk."

The Duchess clicked her tongue and snatched the cigarette.

Placing it in between her two lips, she flicked her finger, and it soon lit up.

*Puff*

The scent of smoke lingered in the air as it slowly diffused into the air.

Lowering her hand, the Duchess exhaled.

"..I needed that."

"Busy?"

Jin asked, taking a small puff of his cigarette while leaning against a tree.

The Duchess looked at him and nodded.

"Very. After what your friend, leader, or whatever he is pulled his stunt, a lot of things changed. Although most of them have been good, it's still a lot of work. I only just barely managed to get myself some free time."

"I can understand."

Jin somewhat understood her predicament.

Back on earth, with his guild, he too was burdened with a great deal of responsibility. Sometimes, all he needed to do was take some time off and relax by himself.

It was also why he started smoking. It helped him relax a lot.

He probably wouldn't have picked it up if it weren't for the fact that he was in such good shape. Also, given that it didn't hurt him in any way, he reasoned that it was a pleasant way to unwind.

"Say.."

The Duchess suddenly spoke up, and he turned to look at her.

"..how long are you planning on staying in this planet?"

"About four more months."

"That little?"

"Not up to me, so there's not much that I can do."

"I see."

The Duchess thoughtfully nodded her head before taking another puff of her cigarette.

She looked at the slowly diffusing smoke in the air.

"Do you know there's a bounty on your heads? From his majesty himself?"

"Yeah."

It was mentioned in the discussion that took place inside the mansion a few weeks back.

"What about it?"

The Duchess looked at him strangely.

"..Are you not afraid that I'd backstab you and report you to his majesty?"

".."

Jin didn't answer immediately. Taking a puff of his cigarette, he lowered his hand and exhaled.

"You can try."

"Hm?"

The Duchess raised her brow. She carefully studied Jin's face before speaking.

"I don't know whether you're bluffing, or actually serious."

"Think of it as you want."

Tapping the tip of the cigarette, Jin showed no change in expression.

"If you didn't figure out his intention in helping you, then you must be pretty stupid."

"What'd you say?"

Priscilla furrowed her brows.

Jin didn't mind and asked.

"Do you really think he didn't think things through when helping you?"

"What do you—"

Jin rolled his eyes. It really did seem like she didn't think things through when signing the contract.

"The moment he helped you, was the same moment he roped you into his side. Regardless of whether you report him or not, you've directly benefited from him. Whether you like it or not, you've unofficially allied yourself with him."

Jin, as the heir to his guild, found himself in a variety of similar situations. Naturally, he grasped the concept of what Ren was trying to accomplish with his actions.

Although he had asked for a heavy price for his cooperation, he didn't push it as much as he could have.

If he wanted to, he probably could've asked for a devil fruit, but he didn't.

.. The reason for this was because he had intended to provide assistance to them right from the start. This was especially the case after he found out that the Patriarch was away.

He probably would've seen through his intentions.

"Let's say the Demon King forgives you for working with him, what about the other demons? Do you really think they'll treat you the same after learning you've worked with the enemy to cause chaos with the other houses and benefit from it?"

Jin flicked the cigarette in his hand and stomped on it.

"Whether you like it or not, you're now on the same ship as us. Although your grandfather didn't say anything, I'm sure he knows that something is up. I suggest you talk with him before 'he' meets him directly. In fact, your patriarch probably knows about our meeting."

After that, he didn't really say much more. It wasn't necessary for him to. With just one glance in her direction, he was able to deduce that she had just now realized the gravity of the situation she found herself in.

"I'll look forward to our cooperation."

His voice didn't seem to be directed toward her. To whom it was meant to, it wasn't really hard to guess.

He disappeared after that, leaving the Duchess dully standing in the forest.

She eventually covered her face and cursed.

"Shiiiiiit.."