198 Arrest

"Quite different from what I remember. He's someone else," mumbled Adam, stroking his chin and looking at Casanova, who was casually walking over the corpses, seemingly ignoring Alexander, frozen in fear.

The man Adam remembered was entirely different. He was calm, and mature, and it felt like he held back and thought long before saying anything. Like an old man who had seen a lot on his path and knew the value of words.

Meanwhile, the current Casanova gave the impression of an aggressive, daring, carefree individual, almost like a teenager living life to the fullest. His actions were unpredictable, and his mood was difficult to read. It seemed like he had something in common with Veronica.

"Is he more insane, perhaps? The question arises, how long ago did this happen?" Adam pondered, tilting his head to the side and asking the skeleton, "Hey, how long ago did this happen?" historical

"Hmm..." The skeleton tilted its skull to the side and made a thoughtful noise, then produced a creaking sound, as if someone had scratched a plate with a fork. It shook its head, offering a rather vague answer that didn't directly address his question.

"I don't remember. More than a hundred thousand years ago – that's for sure," the skeleton replied, looking at Casanova and sighing. "I still feel uncomfortable in his presence. He was the first and the last demon I met in my life, so I formed quite high expectations about your race."

"Haha... if all demons were like him, this world would have come to an end," Adam dryly chuckled in response.

Meanwhile, the scene continued. Casanova returned from inspecting the bodies with a troubled expression. He looked at Alexander, who stood frozen as if his world had been destroyed by a massive meteor and called out to him.

"Hey, kid. Why did you even come here?" Casanova asked, squatting down and staring into Alexander's eyes with a wicked smirk. He poked the boy's forehead, causing him to shiver in fear, which triggered a loud, prolonged laugh from Casanova. "Hahaha! You're so funny, getting scared as if I'm some kind of monster. Anyway, you didn't answer my little question. So, what are you doing here? Came to see your kind? Well, as you can see, they're all dead... hahaha!"

Casanova's tasteless sense of humor and his cynical mocking of Alexander and the corpses around him were pushing the boundaries of insanity. Adam could see with his own eyes how Casanova, out of boredom, simply crushed a corpse and continued as if nothing had happened. Such behavior perfectly conveyed why people feared and loathed demons.

Bloodlust. Anger. Greed. And, most importantly, debauchery.

"I sense anger in you. Perhaps you've faced injustice in your life. Believe me, over my long life, I've seen many such situations, and it was hard for me, but I managed to overcome them all. So, I'll listen to you," Casanova murmured sensually, causing Alexander to feel dizzy.

"I-I..." The changes were astonishing. Alexander became much friendlier and talkative, as if he had met an old friend and was now pouring out everything he had kept inside. Watching this interaction, Adam easily recognized that Casanova was using a special ability, one that could make even an enemy become friends. This power had its weaknesses, such as requiring a vulnerable victim.

The victim must be weak, with no items that could resist seduction.

Fortunately, even if your ability failed, you would remain hidden. That's how Adam managed to survive in Elfheim.

Meanwhile, Alexander finished confessing, and Casanova already knew the full story of why he had come here, about his childhood, and details about his beloved. In short, the young man spoke in his own words, revealing everything to the demon, who was known for exploiting the weaknesses of his victims.

Naturally, Casanova couldn't resist taking advantage of this situation. A wide, almost insane smile appeared on his face. His sclera turned black, and his wings on his back noticeably increased in size. Yet, even so, Alexander suspected nothing. He was enchanted by Casanova's ability and saw his savior in him.

"It's so unfair what they did to you, my boy... I'm just furious!" Casanova said in an irritated tone, getting up from his crouch and extending his hand to help Alexander stand up. He patted the boy on the shoulder and smiled, "Of course, I'll help you. We're family, right?"

"Yes... Uncle..." Alexander replied with a strange look in his eyes.

Seeing this scene, Adam could only sigh. It was painfully obvious that Casanova had successfully taken control of Alexander's mind, and now he saw a family member in the demon, creating a much stronger bond of trust. It was the most basic spell, capable of replacing memories, and considering that Casanova had successfully ingrained himself in Alexander's trust, it was effortless for him.

Next to Casanova's hand, a flash appeared, and then a scroll materialized.

"Ho-o?" mumbled Adam, narrowing his eyes.

Unfurling the scroll, Casanova handed it to Alexander. In that brief moment, Adam could see the dreadfully familiar sigil at the center of the scroll – the Sigil of Satan. It made him shiver with fear, that's how terrifying it was. Even through a simple illusion, he still felt the power of that sigil.

"Suspicious. Incredibly suspicious. Could it be that Casanova is using this sigil?" Adam thought, carefully observing as Alexander signed the contract in the illusion.

The Sigil of Satan. It had various applications, but ancient mages mainly used it to summon a fragment of the soul of the King of all demons, the Forefather of Demons – Satan. Another use was in contracts where the payment was the victim's soul and identity.

Speaking of Satan... While Veronica was referred to as the Queen of Demons, she didn't particularly like that title and tried not to abuse it. The reason was that the only one who could be considered the King of Demons was Satan.

If one tried to find information about him, they would only come across a summary of information that would be useless. It was just propaganda from the church, which he had no intention of reading because it was nothing but trash and couldn't yield anything useful.

And now, the moment had come. The contract was signed.

"Aaaargh!"

Right after that, Alexander fell to the ground, writhing in convulsions, suffering from excruciating pain. With each passing second, he became more and more demonic, and his features became less and less human. He was turning into a demon, and it was an irreversible process.

"I really hope for your success, my boy. Although I doubt you'll achieve anything," Casanova murmured, looking at the contract and chuckling. "Another human soul, I think I've collected about five million of them, right? I still can't complete this transformation fully. Annoying!"

There were words that Adam couldn't understand, and he still didn't grasp their meaning. However, he stored them in his memory, thinking that they might come in handy in the future.

The events then continued as Adam remembered. In the end, the skeleton failed to achieve anything, and after a hundred years of life, he decided to build this temple and create a cemetery of memories.

***

Returning to reality...

Adam lit a cigarette while sitting in the waiting room. He was in a slightly bad mood because the expected third part of the map turned out to be a fake. He had come alone since he was requested to do so. And then...

Click.

The door opened with a thud. Knights, dressed in expensive armor adorned with jewels, walked in. Without much ceremony, they began reading an order.

"Adam Harris, by the decree of Her Majesty Elizabeth, you are suspected of tax evasion, arson, and espionage. You are ordered to be placed under house arrest immediately, and I must ask you to follow us," began the man with black hair and scars all over his face. After reading the order on the scroll, he sighed and looked at Adam with weariness. "Adam, what the hell have you done?"

"Hey, Alexander. How about lighting up a cigarette?" Adam asked with a laugh, getting up from his seat.

"This is not the time for that, damn it! When did you manage to piss off the Queen so much that she issued such a harsh decree?! Moreover, the whole kingdom knows about it!" The situation was as follows: Adam returned after his research, and he was immediately invited to the castle, where he was left in a guest room. What happened next was... what happened. He was accused of treason, and the whole kingdom got wind of the case.

Veridia Corporation was drowning in an endless stream of questions, and some investors decided to stop pouring money into the company for a while, not wanting to stir a hornet's nest. Many aristocrats shared this view, so it was not the most pleasant situation.

"Hahaha... just relax, buddy. Could I possibly do something as terrible as treason? I don't have the power for that," Adam murmured sarcastically, patting Alexander on the shoulder. Alexander's expression clearly said, "Yes, damn it, you're the one who's most likely to do something like that."

However, Adam didn't particularly want to explain the whole situation. Undoubtedly, Elizabeth had cooperated with Branks Company, and his bold behavior had led to this. But he had prepared in advance and informed his wives about it so they could prepare in case of anything. Besides...

"I have nothing to fear. If I die, Veronica will at the very least wipe this kingdom off the face of the earth, given her insane character," he thought, smirking.

"Why are you smirking, you weirdo? Because of you, I have to get my hands dirty. Aren't you the least bit sorry for me?" Alexander said with irritation as he placed handcuffs on Adam.

To be continued...