Before the curtains open ( Part 2)

" Ah." 

Rumius stopped behind his guide. 

" My lord is just over there." He pointed. " It seems that he is waiting for you."

Rumius nodded and began walking forward." Thanks for leading me here." 

The hill was slightly rocky, and the climb up proved slightly steeper towards the end. But by navigating the dirt path skillfully, Rumius was able to avoid wasting mana on enhancements. 

Taking careful steps, he appeared upon a small plateaued area of land that was the summit of the little hill. The hill was positioned facing the eastern gate, not far from where their hut was still at. 

A small breeze tussled his hair as he looked around. There was a singular chair slightly further off in the distance. Its owner sat on it, unmoving, as he looked down into the city below.

In that instant, Rumius had no doubt that he was face to face with the enigmatic overseer. Knowing who he was made Rumius instantly glad that he had accepted the mysterious demon's deal. ' Even master wasn't sure how to find him! What good luck!' He thought somewhat gleefully.

Rumius had spent the whole walk analysing his course of action. Now, it all came down to execution. The point was to extract as much information as possible from whatever the overseer would say. 

" Be natural, but not too much, lest he suspect something is wrong." Rumius muttered under his breath as he took one, two, and three steps forward. He stopped when he saw the overseer turn to look behind his shoulder.

" Ah." The Overseer turned his head slightly. " Apologies, I did not expect you there." 

" Oh. No, I apologise. I should have announced my arrival." Rumius said. The demon smiled at his courtesy and stood. A long beard, braided neatly, swung from his mouth. Two black horns, as black as night, protruded from his head. 

" I see. In that case, I accept your apology." He said humorously. 

" However, I have another transgression to apologise for. Please accept my apology for bringing you here so abruptly. I simply couldn't think of another time to do it." 

" It's alright your grace. It is my honor." Rumius replied hurriedly, recalling the title which his master had used to address a certain horse-headed high-ranking official." 

" I see. Thank you." The demon's eyes smiled. They were a deep grey that held a depth of wisdom in them. He also appeared visibly older than most demons, with wrinkles near his eyes and a high hairline. 

" The view here is splendid. Would you like a seat beside me? We can talk as we admire the scenery. I find such talks more agreeable." the overseer offered. Rumius nodded in reply. 

The demon flicked his wrist, and earth began to rumble. 

' It's that pressure again.' Rumius realised with a jump as he began to break out. His breathing quickened. His body tensed.

Rumius focused on his breathing, actively and directly resisting the building panic. Through long but stealthily hidden breaths, he managed to maintain a neutral expression. The blowing wind left a mark of coldness on his skin. Although he resisted the urge to swivel about in fear this time, it still took all his willpower and effort.

Luckily, it wasn't nearly as bad as the first time it happened. If the first time felt like getting hit by a meteor, then this was like getting hit by a falling truck. 

And as for the cause of it all…

Tap.

The overseer set down a newly fashioned chair and patted its backrest. 

" I'm pretty confident in its structure. Although I hope that you won't mind a little dirt?" He asked with a kind smile. 

Rumius looked at the piece of furniture with a barely contained sense of awe. The chair was fashioned in the likeness of rope. Each of the four legs was a spiral of tree roots and knotted branches. The seat was a tapestry of the same material, giving the chair a unique, ancient feel. 

Rumius gulped. " Of course not, your grace. I am honored." 

The demon smiled in response as he gestured to his handiwork. He waited until Rumius had made himself comfortable before sinking into his own chair. For several long moments, the howl of the high winds were the only sounds that filled both their ears. 

" If I may, your grace. Why have you summoned me here today?" Rumius finally asked, unable to contain himself. 

The demon eyed him for a while. " Heh. In truth, no reason in particular. I simply wanted to…well, know more about you. I treat every person who enters my city like family. As your 'father', is it not right for me to understand my ' children?' ." 

Rumius resisted the urge to allow his eyebrows to curve. He nodded, expressing his understanding when in reality, he was unsure of what the old demon meant. " But…I'm not from here, your grace." He finally said.

The old demon waved his hands dismissively. " Irrelevant! I do not discriminate between my children. I welcome all into my fold. The instant you step into my 'house' is the instant you become one of us." 

He smiled, prompting Rumius to force one in return. He continued nodding, but only because he couldn't think of a more appropriate response. Slowly, he noticed that the curvature in the demon's smile fading. 

" Don't worry. I do realise that I am strange. However, I don't ask that you understand me, only that you accept me." 

His words broke through to Rumius and sent his eyebrows flying. For the first time, Rumius doubted his master's words. 

" Your grace…that sounds…really.." he began, but trailed off. Rumius suddenly felt scared. Half because he was afraid of being too presumptuous, half because he couldn't predict the demon's reaction if he voiced his opinions.

Never in a million years did Rumius expect the old demon to finish his sentence for him. 

" really…human?" He asked humorously.

Rumius nearly jumped out of his chair. In fact, Rumius felt his rear leave the seat for a few seconds as jumped like a startled cat. 

" HAHAHAHAHA cough..cough cough..urgh." The demon laughed heartily but immediately doubled over, coughing a moment later. 

" Your grace! I really didn't mean to.." Rumius said hurriedly.

" Worry not! I am not offended! In fact, I am more content with the fact that such a capable demon has entered our fold. Being able to make such deductions shows that you've travelled far and wide. It gladdens me to see that." 

Rumius was taken aback. But he was also relieved for the demon's openness of mind. 

" Thank you, your grace." 

He bowed his head in thanks. When he raised his head, the demon's kind smile met him. " Now," he clapped his hands. 

" I shan't tally. Although I have summoned you here today, I am sure that you have questions of your own. Come, let me hear them." He gestured, shifting in his chair to face Rumius. 

His sudden reception forced Rumius to shift gears quickly, but he easily adapted.

Bowing his head once more whilst muttering a word of thanks, Rumius summoned the courage to say: 

" Then, by your leave, Your Grace, do you know that-"

" Ah. Let us make this more interesting." He raised three fingers. " You have this many questions to ask. So choose wisely." He said, suddenly mirthfully.

This immediately threw a wedge in Rumius's plans. How was he to fit all that he, no, master, needed to know in three questions? 

" Could you allow me at least five questions? I have so much to ask you, Your Grace!" He pleaded. 

The demon laughed. " Then you'd best make good use of your words! By the way, this counts as a question as well, so you have only two le-cough..cough-cough."

" Your grace!" Rumius exclaimed.

" It's fine, it's fine." The demon raised up an open palm. " Old age takes a toll on the body. It's nature's work. Let us continue." 

He re-donned his casual smile as he said so. 

However, in the last moments, Rumius had already wasted a question. Effectively, he was down to two chances to get as much out of this old man. Remembering his purpose here made Rumius apologetic to his kind host. However, it lasted only for a moment as he remembered Verrater's attitude the instant before he snapped. 

' Maybe my master was right after-all. Is it just a matter of which buttons I have to press with these guys?' 

' Wait, but that is outside the point! How should I make the best use of these questions? It's not possible to fit everything I need to ask for this! What should I focus on? Wait, I should calm down. It's not possible to fit everything, so…I just need to focus on one thing.' 

' So working backwards it is.' 

Settling his doubts, Rumius stopped seeking new questions, but instead began looking back at those he already had, looking for those that held the most important answers. 

After a long moment of silence, the overseer received his first question. 

"Your grace, with respect, please tell me everything you know about the corruption in your city."

The old demon's white eyebrows jumped, but then his mouths spread into a wide smile. His wrinkled hands came up and slowly stroked his grey beard.

" A good question." He commented. " I can see why my capable 'sons' and 'daughters' at the bureau have chosen you. If your partner is as capable as you, then I suppose this plot will be resolved in no time.

When Rumius tactically made no comment, the demon smiled and continued. 

" Where should I start?" He inquired.

" The start, if you will, Your Grace." Rumius answered immediately.

" Hahaha, very well. However, I am afraid that this will be quite a long story. Even so, will you listen?" The demon asked. 

" To the end, Your Grace." 

The overseer's mouth formed a small O, but slowly dissolved away into a small, melancholic quirk of lips. 

" Very well then."