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Although he needed to begin his noble training soon, Alear still had more urgent matters to resolve before that. His expression remained calm as he slowly raised his right hand. At the tips of his fingers, particles of demonic power began to gather until they formed a small magic circle near his ear.
The circle glowed softly with a dark pink hue before stabilizing completely, creating a discreet and extremely secure magical connection.
That was one of the special contacts Lord Agares had personally provided him during his stay in Agreas.
Lord Agares's voice came from the other side a few moments later, clear and respectful:
"Archduke Häagenti. A pleasant surprise. How may I assist you?"
Alear responded in a calm and direct tone:
"Lord Agares, good morning. I apologize for contacting you so early, but a matter has arisen that cannot wait."
He paused briefly before continuing:
"Some of my sources managed to uncover the possible identity of the group responsible for the attack that day, after our meeting. From what I discovered, they are called the 'Smiling Coffin Assassins.' Do you know anything about them?"
There was a brief silence on the other side of the magical connection. When Lord Agares finally responded, his voice had become noticeably more serious.
"…Yes. The Smiling Coffin Assassins are an elite group of assassins that operates within the shadows of the Underworld. They are extremely expensive, discreet, and dangerously competent."
He paused briefly before continuing:
"I received detailed reports regarding the incident that occurred in Agreas. My primary suspicion is that the attack was ordered by the Great King Faction. However, since I still do not possess concrete evidence, I preferred not to contact you beforehand to discuss the matter."
Alear narrowed his eyes slightly, though his expression remained calm despite the coldness that passed through his gaze.
"I see… so it was Zekram?"
"Almost certainly," Lord Agares confirmed with a heavy sigh. "We still do not possess definitive proof, but practically every lead points toward him. My agents are already investigating the situation with extreme caution."
Alear remained silent for a brief moment before responding in a calm tone:
"Call off the investigation for now."
On the other side of the connection, Lord Agares seemed genuinely surprised.
"…What?"
"Publicly announce that those responsible for the attack in Agreas have already been eliminated," Alear replied without the slightest hesitation. "Now that we know the identity of the group that attacked me that day, I have a plan that should buy me enough time to grow to the point where the Bael Family will no longer be a problem....."
"Oh? What is your idea, Archduke Häagenti...?"
"It's quite simple...."
"When someone operates in the shadows for too long, they begin to believe they control the flow of information. So instead of hunting him directly… you create a situation where he is forced to act.... First, you will officially announce that the case has been closed and that the assassins involved were killed. At the same time, discreetly leak false information through different channels. It does not need to be anything overly important. Just something specific enough to provoke a reaction. For example: spread the rumor that one of the assassins captured before dying left behind partial records regarding the contractor. Do not mention names. Simply imply that incomplete evidence exists and is being kept by the Agares Family....."
Lord Agares remained silent, listening attentively.
Alear continued:
"If Zekram is truly involved, he will not remain still. Innocent people ignore vague rumors. Guilty people attempt to erase risks. And that is where he exposes himself.... Observe who begins moving behind the scenes. Who attempts to infiltrate the Agares Family archives. Who bribes messengers. Who tries to eliminate irrelevant witnesses. Who sends spies to confirm the existence of the supposed evidence..... After that, you will not need to directly prove that he ordered the attack. You will only need to demonstrate that someone powerful panicked upon hearing about nonexistent evidence....."
He paused briefly before concluding:
"In Underworld politics, consistent suspicion is worth almost as much as absolute evidence. Especially when combined with financial movements, clandestine contacts, and attempts at concealment...."
"Oh? Tell me more details..."
Alear smiled faintly as he began explaining the details of the plan.
If everything worked as expected, Zekram Bael would be placed under the spotlight of the entire Underworld, forced to act with extreme caution and incapable of moving freely for a long period until the dust settled. That would give him exactly the time he needed to grow. After all, in one or two years, once he reached the level of a Satan, he would completely destroy the Great King Faction and eliminate that old man once and for all, placing Sairaorg Bael as the new leader of House Bael. At least, that was the long-term plan he had devised.....
Of course, a plan that only emerged after he became friends with Sairaorg.....
Lord Agares remained silent for several seconds, processing the words. Then, a low and respectful laugh echoed from the other side of the connection.
"…You truly think like an old fox disguised as a young man. Very well. I will proceed as you suggested. I will keep my agents on discreet alert, but without drawing attention."
"Perfect. I will remain in contact."
Alear dispelled the magic circle with a casual gesture, and the pinkish glow slowly faded into the air. Then he leaned back once more in the chair, tapping his fingers against the wooden armrest while a faint smile appeared on his lips.
After several seconds of silence, he naturally opened the lower drawer of the mahogany desk. Inside was a finely cut crystal bottle containing high-quality aged whisky, one of the few luxuries he had begun to appreciate during moments of solitude. It was a habit he used to share with his friends in Chaldea during his previous life, an old custom that somehow returned naturally. Beside the bottle, he also retrieved a heavy crystal glass whose texture immediately conveyed a refined sense of wealth and sophistication....
He poured himself a generous amount, watching the amber liquid slowly swirl inside the crystal glass beneath the soft light of the office. Then he brought it to his lips and took a long, calm sip. The flavor was complex and refined, blending deep notes of aged oak, a subtle hint of vanilla, and a smoky bitterness that lingered gently on the tongue after each sip. The warmth of the whisky slowly descended through his throat and spread throughout his body, bringing with it a strangely familiar sense of calm and clarity.
He rotated the glass between his fingers, watching the liquid dance against the dim light entering through the window.
His thoughts inevitably drifted back to Sairaorg Bael and his mother. The conversation with Lord Agares had once again brought his long-term plan of turning Sairaorg into the future lord of House Bael to the forefront of his mind. And for that to happen in the ideal way, awakening his mother would be extremely important.
He already possessed several hypotheses regarding how to deal with the so-called "Sleeping Sickness," although he still needed to confirm certain details before taking action. If his theory was correct, not only would he be able to awaken Sairaorg's mother, but he might also be able to use the same method in the future on Ingvild Leviathan. After all, among all the figures in the Underworld, she was someone he considered to possess truly terrifying potential, someone who would certainly be worth bringing into his peerage.
The only problem was that, even with his Transmutation having evolved to an absurdly advanced level, altering only the physical body would probably not solve the true root of the "Sleeping Sickness." He had reflected on that for quite a long time. In theory, achieving complete mastery over biological Transmutation might be enough to cure the problem. However, he still did not possess sufficiently profound knowledge regarding Devil physiology to safely accomplish something at that level, and his current time was far too precious for him to become an absolute specialist in that specific field. Because of that, he ultimately directed his attention toward another path: developing something close to a "Soul Transmutation."
As an alchemist who had studied at the Atlas Academy, he possessed genuine pride in the level he had achieved in alchemy. His knowledge regarding the spiritual structure of living beings was extremely profound and, during the last few weeks inside the world created by his Longinus, he arrived at an extremely interesting conclusion: the "characteristics" inherited by the demonic Clans were, essentially, equivalent to the so-called Magic Attributes or Sorcery Traits from his former world. Before, he had only entertained a fleeting thought about it, but now he was certain....
In simple terms, they were fundamental factors that determined the nature and effects of an individual's magic.
The Transmutation ability of the Gäap Clan, for example, was absurdly similar to the principles of organic and inorganic matter manipulation used by the alchemy of his previous world. The only real difference lay in the method used to achieve the final result.
And that realization genuinely intrigued him.
If he had been born with such a characteristic in his previous life, his alchemy would probably have reached an entirely different level.
Over the past few weeks, combining his knowledge as an alchemist with this extremely evolved innate talent, he began studying methods to interfere not only with matter, but also with the very spiritual structure of a living being.
As a result, he created a prototype of a new ability, which he called [Idle Transfiguration]. It was still merely an incomplete draft, far from its ideal form, but the concept already existed: to reshape the soul in the same way that Transmutation reshaped organic and inorganic matter. If he altered someone's soul, the body would be forced to adapt to the change in the soul itself, resulting in an absurdly powerful ability.....
He only needed to spend these next three weeks within the accelerated temporal flow of his Longinus, while only three days passed in the outside world before the meeting with the Gremory Family, to complete the creation of this ability and achieve sufficient mastery over it. The possibilities offered by the so-called "Soul Transmutation" were simply absurd. In theory, he could reshape his own spiritual structure and transform himself into a genuine hybrid of multiple races, combining incompatible characteristics together. Going even further, it might even be possible to directly copy another Devil's soul and steal the unique characteristic of their Clan, accumulating within himself the hereditary powers of the great demonic families over time. And that was only the beginning. The more he reflected upon the concept, the more terrifying the applications became. In a distant future, once his mastery over souls reached a truly elevated level, he even considered stepping into the forbidden field of necromancy.
In this world, unlike his previous life, there did not appear to be any absolute "limit" to how far someone could take magic.....
Alear released a long and quiet sigh, almost imperceptible, and placed the glass on the table with a soft clink.
It was time to move forward.
He rose from the chair and walked toward the office door, opened it, and stepped into the main corridor of the mansion.
Alear walked down the main corridor until he spotted Lotte organizing several documents near the staircase. As soon as she saw him, she gave a respectful bow.
"Lotte, find Mio, Maria, and Ravel. Tell them I expect them in the rear garden, alone. No attendants or maids. I want them there in ten minutes."
"Understood, Alear-sama..." Lotte replied with a slight nod of her head. "I will call them immediately...."
He merely nodded and headed straight toward the rear garden, his hands tucked into his pockets..
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