- Lies and Deceit

Aleyah swallowed a hefty amount of saliva as she could not remain calm.

Days ago, she followed a lead regarding an incident around the flower shop in the kingdom. Dead bodies were found and the shop was not locked. The usual people who ran it were nowhere to be seen.

The local constable could not explain the situation as there were no tracks to follow as if the assailants disappeared in thin air.

Upon her investigation, the bodies were owned by mercenaries that operated in between Grimley and the Aberrant Fields.

She collected witness reports and used her unique tracking skills to finally trace everything back to the Southwestern Fortress Ruins.

However, all that remained were bloodstains, tools of torture, and traps of which some are still armed.

There, her unique skill showed her the target of her mission.

A man who was burning with black flames caused the dissipation of human souls, an act that violates the balance of the world.

She did not know how many victims there were but she had a big feeling that what happened was a rescue mission.

Her conclusion arrived at Dhana, a flower shop girl, being kidnapped and tortured, rescued by someone hired by the only remaining person who treats Dhana as family, Drago.

Recalling these points in her head, she was pretty sure that she got it right and that Dhana should still be in a rough condition right now as the Grussiva family did not approach the Church or the kingdom's best healers.

Facing Zex's intimidating glare and the pressure he was giving off, she was losing composure by the second as she tried to explain her thought process.

Zex on the other hand told her that he forced Dhana to come to live in the mansion after he visited her, to which Aleyah could confirm from a witness report.

Since then, Dhana has been living in the mansion.

Because Aleyah had no grounds to continue with her investigation, she could only apologize and leave, face blank and riddled with confusion as to how and where she made a mistake in her investigation.

Of course, she wouldn't normally act or feel this way, Zex simply used [Evil Gaze] on her, empowered by his Anima.

Despite her experience in her career, this will remain a scar on her heart for a very long time.

Zex did not pull any stops when handling such a 'delicate' woman.

He was even prepared to bury her body if she pushed the issue even deeper.

Fortunately for her, she didn't.

...

Back in the mansion, Zex in the form of Drago was sitting in his study as Dhana and Farlou entered the door.

"Is she gone?" Zex asked in a serious tone.

"Yes." Dhana and Farlou replied at the same time.

Zex nodded and smiled as he reverted to his true face while saying: "Good job!"

It was at this point where 'Farlou' and 'Dhana' reverted into Troy and Shea, respectively.

"Was my acting great?" Shea asked coquettishly as she smiled from ear to ear.

"Ehhh... I could say it was passable. You did go overboard with your tantrum, Dhana doesn't go that far." Zex explained.

"Oh sir, *cough* how wrong you are. She regularly acts that way towards us." Troy said as he laughed.

Zex chuckled. "Anyway, you guys did a good job. In the future, there will be more situations like this. I will continue to need your help when those situations arise."

"It is our pleasure, sir." Troy and Shea bowed as a giggle escaped from the girl.

"As for the other discussion we had... Have you made up your minds?" Zex asked.

Troy and Shea looked at each other before the former spoke: "Sir, is blackmail really necessary?"

Zex sighed, bringing up tension in the room.

"Unfortunately, yes. Some of the maids in here have been secretly feeding information to various nobles while Farlou himself is loyal to the king. Swaying them to our side is nigh impossible with words or riches, especially if we reveal our true races.

The other choices would be to replace them entirely or transform them against their will." Zex paused and pondered for it a bit before he decided to continue: "There is also another option, if we use Stockholm Syndrome, we may be able to gain their favor and trust." [1]

Troy and Shea looked at each other again before Shea asked: "Stock...holm... Syndrome, sir?"

Zex nodded for a bit before realizing that there might not be such a term in this world.

He decided to explain it to the two as a study made in another kingdom.

It took a while and a few exchanges of questions and answers before the two understood the plan. However, there was still some reluctance in their eyes.

Zex shook his head in clear disappointment before saying: "The world isn't black and white, as humans are not always good and demons are not always evil. You have experienced it yourselves." He paused, trying to get them to internalize his words.

"However, to have a better chance of survival and growth, we, who are no longer human, need to bend the rules for a bit. Just like what we did earlier. Dhana will join that world soon. I really hope that you understand as soon as possible how dangerous the world is for us. Aleyah visiting us was a clear sign. "

At this point, Troy and Shea were reflecting on the situation. Even in his previous life, Zex held talks like these with people above and below him. It had already become a second skin for him to manipulate people. While in his previous life, he used such an underhanded method to achieve good and ethical results in an 'ends justify the means' manner, in this world, he had less restraint.

Finally, it was time to deliver the pièce de résistance.

"What use is strength if we cannot live life without the worry of blades to our necks?"

Troy and Shea shook to those words, clearly arriving at an understanding.

They looked at each other one more time and nodded.

"We shall oblige!" Troy and Shea bowed with confidence.

At their confirmation, Zex smiled once more.