Suspicion

Rhys and Javier sat on a bench while Mia played in the park.

"We transferred to a new apartment when I felt something weird about the new apartment owner. He looked friendly and liked to talk with the tenants. He even gave gifts. I thought we were lucky to have a landlord like that, but I noticed something weird. There were tenants that suddenly moved away to another place. The landlord even helped them transfer their properties. The problem is the information came from the landlord himself. There were voice calls that said their goodbye, but we did not see the tenants do it in person.

I don't know if others noticed it, but it sounded like a recording. There were also similarities among the tenants that moved away. They rarely communicate, and no one will probably look for them for a long time. When the landlord asked me if I have a family, I almost told the truth that I am an orphan, but I remembered the weird things that I saw, so I lied. I made the excuse that I wanted to move to another place closer to where I work. I immediately transferred to another apartment because I was afraid."

Rhys's face looked serious as he listened to Javier. Humans were working for demons. They helped them kidnap humans. The humans would be used for summoning. The magic could summon the real body or a projection of a demon. Humans who worked hard for the demons will be rewarded with a demon core. Many demons were former humans or other races in other worlds.

"Did you report it to the association?" asked Rhys.

Javier shook his head. He had a helpless smile on his face as he looked at his daughter. "The landlord was hinting that he has connections, which explains his wealth. I don't have the capability to confirm it. I am afraid that if I am wrong and he gets offended, then something might happen to me. I am afraid of Mia's future if something suddenly happens to me. Sir, I'm just a selfish father."

Rhys smiled. "I understand. Leave everything to me."

"Thank you, sir."

Rhys asked the address, then flew away. He moved to where Javier's former apartment was located. His eyes looked at the building briefly before continuing to fly away. The day was still bright. If the landlord was really working for demons, then he might get alerted if he saw him investigating. He will wait until the evening before he can investigate the building.

He returned to Exonn Park. His sister and niece were not at home. "Open the messages."

A projection appeared on his watch, then he read his sister's message,"They went to the lake?"

He prepared the ingredients, then cooked the meat. He looked at the riaing steam with a smile. "The kid will be very surprised later."

He sat down and then held the phone given by the association. He opened the information and turned on the projection. He put the phone on the table as he read.

There were five stages for exonns and demons. Every stage will add two wings and capability. The stages were Tier 1 to Tier 5. In Tier 2, soul weapons could be used. Soul weapons were forged using soul stones. At Tier 3, exonns could summon a projection of the original owner of the treasure and could even sync with them. Demons, on the other hand, could summon or combine with the projection of their master, which gave them the demon core.

There were more than one pit in the world. There were three of them, and each of them was connected to a different world. The world beyond those pits was also graded from Tier 1 to Tier 5.

Earth is a Tier 3 world.

There was a lot of information. His face was turning more serious as he read. He was not able to read them all when Ana and Lola returned home.

The kid was sniffing. "What's that smell?"

There was a delicious aroma in the room.

"It's magic beast meat."

"Really?!" Lola looked at the casserole. Then her tummy made a hungry sound. "I-It's not me. It's mom's fart."

Ana laughed while Rhys smiled. They waited for Gil to arrive, then they happily ate their dinner.

"I am planning to learn smithing from Hansel. When I successfully make a magic weapon, I will sell it online and you two could manage it. The magic weapon should not be the sole commodity in the online store. You should put others as well. You could use the magic weapon for a promo like a bundle."

"Will Hansel agree?"

"He will give me a test tomorrow, but even if he doesn't teach me, I am still planning to continue learning smithing. It is a lot faster and easier to earn through smithing than hunting powerful magic beasts."

"Then do you no longer need to go to the front line? I heard that you are not obligated to go. There are exonns that are working as staff in the association or just hunting magic beasts for a living," said Ana.

A melancholic smile appeared on Rhys' face. "I have to."

Ana and Gil looked each other in the eyes. They seemed to realize that Rhys knows something they don't.

After dinner, Gil and Rhys stood on the balcony as they watched the scene in the park.

Rhys had a sad look on his eyes. "No one is totally safe in the world. If exonns won't go to the front line, then we might experience the same fate as the other worlds conquered by demons. The fate of the beings in those worlds is miserable. It was not publicized to avoid causing panic, but it was shown in the information given to me by the association. I don't want you all to experience where all humans are hunted by demons, become their slaves, and be used at will. I have to get the power that could at least defeat the demons in our world."

Gil also had a sad look on his face. "Brother, don't push yourself too hard. I know that you are probably not the only one who is thinking that way in the world. How much power is needed to eradicate the demons in Earth? No one has ever done it, brother."

Rhys turned silent for a moment as his eyes turned sharper. He thought,"Others can't, but I can. My treasure has ten wings. My breakthrough will be easier. The wings could purify dark energy. My power will rise a lot faster. I must reach that stage before a demon does. It's a race to Tier 4."