The Young Master in the Shadows

Chapter 511: Kinds of Demons!

In a serene gazebo on an artificial island in the middle of a lake, four women sat sipping some ‘after breakfast’ tea as a quiet butler stood behind quietly watching.

“So… You are really Theodor’s childhood friend….” Elena asked nervously as she sat next to Luna, opposite Rosette and Meril. Yesterday, Theodore informed her that his long-lost fiancée had returned after he had been abroad for 20 years. Although he couldn’t tell her the details due to a family secret. From his mumbling, she understood that the woman seemed to be a little angry at Theodore for betraying her, and this meeting was, in a way, arranged to clear some things up about his harem.

“I studied under his aunt, so we met a lot in our childhood… We werenʼt friends at first, but rivals… But things change with time,” Rosette said solemnly as she sipped her tea. To tell the truth, Theodore had long been in love with her, but despite knowing that she never returned those feelings, as she thought of him as a little brother. “It was in one of our adventures that one thing led to another, and I got pregnant with Meril…” she sighed as she glanced at Meril, recalling that day when she was poisoned in a dungeon raid, and Theodore had to dispel the poison by sucking it out of her thigh… One thing led to another, and they ended up cuddling all night in that cave as monsters searched for them outside! “He promised to marry me right after we returned, even proposing to my grandmother, but before that could happen, I… An accident happened. It was a trip when the ship I was on sank… I was cast away, losing my memory ....” Rosette kept to the official narrative. That going to the otherworld shit was not something others should know. “I only managed to regain my memories a few weeks ago!”

“I see…” Elena said with a sad tone. In fact, George did brief her about Rosette before the meeting, warning her that she might become Theodroe’s main wife sooner or later!

“...”

The atmosphere was awkward.

“How about you two? How did you meet Theo?” Rosette asked quietly, glancing at Elena’s bloated stomach. Damn it, she still couldn’t believe that Theodore had that many concubines and children… THE BASTARD!

“I… “ Elena hesitated, noticing Rosette’s gloomy face. “Well, we met at a ‘party’… I was a model and… You know how the media world is full of dark rules…” Elena sighed. “Theodore kinda saved me,” she didn’t elaborate.

“Oh…” Rosette nodded. Theodore was a kind-hearted fool. “What about you, Mrs. Luna?” she asked as she casually glanced at the fat baby in the latter’s arm.

“Nothing dramatic… I met master Theodore in a bar and then one thing led to another…” Luna quickly said, keeping her face down. She was the one who tried to fish out Theodore, thinking that he was just some rich businessman. She ended up being fished instead. She was not complaining, though.

“Oh… Does he drink a lot?” Rosette frowned. As far as she remembered, he never drank when they were young. In fact, more than one time in the past, he stated that he was already drunk with her beauty and he needed no other wine… This statement felt really cringy, but she kinda liked it!

“Master Theodore developed that habit right after the young miss left! Sometimes he can’t sleep without something…” George quickly said before any of the women could answer. Last night, Victor sent him a report about what he had told her before, and knowing that, George decided that this was a really good approach. Making old Theo seem like a broken guy after his lover left him! This was really the only way to make her not hate his perverted guts!

Elena and Luna frowned. Theo did drink, but he was not a heavy drinker at all. In fact, he kinda only used wine to fish out girls. And what was this about not being able to sleep without some alcohol? That bastard slept like a log after going through 3 to 4 girls a night! Still, they were smart enough to realize something and chose to say nothing. 

“Oh…” Rosette nodded with a sigh, feeling a little sad for Theodore. Drowning himself in liquor and women to try to forget about her…

“...”

“...”

“You are Victor’s mother, right?” Rosette suddenly asked again, looking at Elena.

“Ah… Yes… Did you meet him yesterday?” Elena frowned, wondering why Rosette was mentioning her son.

“...” Rosette paused for a moment, glancing at George as she remembered the current situation where Elena had no idea that her son had gone missing for a couple of months! “No, it was before that… “ she said. “He married my daughter…”

“...”

“...”

“WHAT!” Elena almost gasped, looking at Meril and then at Rosette again. What kind of incest was going on here? 

“Relax, I am not talking about Meril, but Aerith… She is not Theodore’s daughter,” Rosette explained.  “They met by chance about a month ago and got married… It was also a surprise to me, especially after knowing that he is Theodore’s son…”

“Oh… That’s why your memories…” Luna asked, connecting some things on her own.

“Ah… Yeah… That’s why I regained my memories…”

“...” Elena frowned. “Really?”

“Yeah… Your son is real...Womanizer…” Rosette said after choosing her words wisely. 

“They are married?” Elena asked.

“Yeah… In fact, Aerith should be with him right now…”

“....” Elena sighed. Damn that Victor. Where did she go wrong raising him? How many wives was he planning on taking? Why can’t she have a normal son?!

***

The sight of the girls sitting around the dining table and talking was the first thing Victor noticed after he walked out of the study.

Elise was grilling Aerith about the other world while the others listened with interest.

“So demons are not all sentient?” Elise asked.

“There are seven kinds… The lowest are demonic beasts, mere normal animals who were affected by the Abyss energy, mutating into monsters; those ones gave the least amount of experience points when slaughtering, but they are the most common. There are also real demonic Monsters… They are kinda like the animals in the demonic domains. Those guys range from very weak to absurdly strong… Have I ever heard of some heavenly-ranked monsters that can destroy entire worlds!”

“Oh… What about the other kinds?”

“The ones after that are real demons… They are the real people of the abyss. They seem to have their own power system separate from the one we use…” Aerith explained. “After that, there are the Demonized. “

“Like you?” Margret asked..

“No, I am the fifth kind, half demons… Unlike us, who were born of a normal parent and a real demon, and only displayed partial demonic characteristics, the demonized are like demon beasts, people who were affected by demonic energy for a long time. They can have some very bizarre powers, and are usually a little crazy!” she said, hiding the little fact that half-demons can also go crazy if not careful.

“What else?” Elise asked.

“The sixth kind are the possessed,” she said, making Yin tense up. “They are demons who shed their bodies and use their soul power to take control of the bodies of normal humans, and sometimes animals… Those guys are very tricky to locate, as only a few people can differentiate them from normal people… They don’t usually prefer that way as it weakens them greatly, but it has advantages in helping them stay hidden or even cross over worlds! When you find one, we usually eliminate it immediately as they can be very tricky to kill, and if enough time passes, they might be able to completely integrate their souls with their host, making distinguishing them almost impossible!”

“Can they become fully indistinguishable?” Elise asked with a frown.

“Yeah… Once the soul is completely fused and the demon knows how to mimic how a human soul acts, it would be impossible to find them out, even with very precise tools!” she said. “In the past, one of the lords in the other world fell for someone like that, and ever since, lords have become really careful!”

“What about the last kind?” 

“Devils…” Aerith said, glancing at Lara. “They are people who managed to integrate demonic bloodlines in their bodies through inheritance or various methods… They have their own subcategories that vary greatly in power, mind clarity, and integration level, but they are usually the most stable ones, and they have the ability to use the system as any normal human!” she clarified. “In the other world, that last kind is very rare as half-baked Devils usually disintegrate into Demonized people upon contact with Abyssal energy.”

“Oh…” Yin opened her eyes wide and glanced at Victor, realizing something. 

“Those… Devil.. Are they bad people…” Lara couldn’t help but ask. She was not stupid… In fact, after awakening her bloodline, she had become way smarter. Yin had already told her about her having something demonic. In fact, if not for Victor assuring them that it was fine, she would have been really lost. Now she knew that she was a DEVIL.

“I am a half-demon… Am I a bad person?” Aerith smiled sweetly at her stepsister and said as she unveiled her horn.

“Hssssssssss....” Monica, Aria, and Mira, who didnʼt know about this, gasped. A few Miads also had the same reaction. Elize and Margret, on the other hand, only had an interested look on their faces. The latter, looking at Victor in the back and mouthing the word ʼHORNYʼ with her lips.

“Ah… No…. you are a good person...” Lara, who had seen this before, said meekly.

“Don’t worry about it then!“ Aerith simply said as she wrapped her head again. “Just keep track if you have any strong mood swings, other than that it should be completely fine!” she added. 

She had long realized that Victor might have something demonic about him, not only him, but also Meril, as the storm lord had already figured this out and explained it to her when she asked how she found herself attracted to Victor. It was all her demonic bloodline seeking him out; that is why she had been trying her hardest to keep away from him lately, worried about going berserk.

Still, knowing that he ventured safely into the Demonic lands with his master, she was sure that his bloodline was very stable, and it should be the same for Lara! 

“Oh…” 

“So... Having fun getting to know each other?” Victor asked as he felt the heavy antmohpere.

“Yeah!” Margret nodded. “We are already best friends!” she said, making Aerith almost roll her eyes, feeling as if Margret was really as shameless as Victor.

“Good for you... Where is Serina?” Victor asked, looking around. She should have just been walking ahead of him.

“She left...Great Grandma said that she has something important to do!” Aerith told him. Serina walked out a minute ago, right after talking with Victor. She seemed to be in a hurry.

“Oh… “ Victor nodded.

“What did she ask you about?” Margret asked.

“Just asked about my master… Everyone keeps asking me about him these days… It is not like I knew anything important,” Victor complained as he took a seat and looked around. “Shall we have breakfast then?” he asked.

The girls nodded as the maids hurried to set the table. 

For Lyra, having all kinds of loli maids scurrying around felt a little strange. Thankfully, El and Yin jumped from their chairs and volunteered to help set the table, so feeling out of place, she also volunteered. In the process, she seemed to have gained a few friends… Lara also wanted to join, but after George cleared his throat toward her, she could only reluctantly stay in her seat.

After that, the meal went smoothly with Margret taking the opportunity to introduce Aerith to this world’s delicacies and unhealthy food. Due to the age distribution of Victor’s mansion, those kinds of dishes were the main ones present!

The little girls also began talking with Lyra, asking her about the other world. The maids who seemed interested also gathered behind her to listen, with Hilda having to gesture to them to return to their positions around the table every few minutes.

It was toward the end of the meal when Margret’s personal loli maid Blacky approached Victor with a note. It was written in the mansion’s secret code.

DON’T TRY TO LOOK FOR HER!

SERINA DID NOT LEAVE. SHE IS INVISIBLY SNOOPING AROUND THE MANSION!

BE CAREFUL!

There was no signature, but from the handwriting, he knew who was the one warning him. El really grew up.

In order to deliver this note, she went out of her way to leave the table, away from Serina, probably writing it in the kitchen while helping the little girls, before giving it to Blacky and telling her to wait for her signal.

Only when Serina seemed to leave for a moment to check some other room, did El signal Blacky to deliver it to him!

Suppressing his gasp and crumpling the paper, Victor looked around nervously, then whispered to Blacky. “I… You can clean that up…!” he said nervously as if not sure if Serina was listening.

Blacky, raised one eyebrow cutely and then nodded and stepped away. During the entire process, she never looked at El, and the latter didn’t even bother to glance at Victor. She just silently cursed at him for disregarding her warning.

Victor naturally knew what she was thinking about, but unlike her, he could really see the big picture. Still…  It seemed like her class really gave her superpowers!

NAME: ELENOR / EL GRIND

LEVEL: 11

CLASS: SAGE, X

AUTHORITY: 110

ABNORMAL STATUS: 

SOUL MUTATION: UNKNOWN
Strength: 40

Agility: 150

Intelligence: 300

Luck: 15

Charm: 35

Order: 0

SKILLS :

Log Reveal, X

Master’s Will, X

Awareness of the Wise, X

Show it one more time, SSS

Eidetic Memory, S

Inspect, A

Analyze, A

Quick Learner, A

Quick thinking, A

Convince, A

Contract, B

Studying, C

Cleaning, E

Survival Instinct, E

Omni Resistance, E

Dancing, E

Singing, E

Hiding, F

Acting, F

Sword Arts, F

Martial Arts, F

Leadership, F

Cooking, F

Bloodline:

NONE

EQUIPMENT:

NONE

FATE:

FATE’S POWER: AAA+++

DEFINED FATE: UNDEFINED

This Sage class was really something. It seemed really strong and those skills were hers… They looked strong!

Wait… Why was she level 11? When did she level up?

Victor really wanted to ask, but noticed that that bitch Serina was still sniffing around like some dog, so he had to use some trick. 

Sighing, he turned and looked at his little sister.

NAME: Lara Von Weise

LEVEL: 0

CLASS: Dragon Princess, SSS

SUB CLASS: Demon Princess, SSS

AUTHORITY: 9

Strength: 145

Agility: 210

Intelligence: 124

Luck: 12

Charm: 30 (75)

Order: 0

SKILLS :

Mana heart, SSS

Dragon roar, SS

Dragon strike, SS

Dragon Tame, SS

Demonic curse, SS

Dragnify, SS

Demonify, SS

Soul Resonance, S

Magic Resonance, S

Dragonic Eyes, S

Subjugate, S

Flight, A

Disguise, A

Hiding, A

Fire Resistance, A

Curse Resistance, A

Survival Instinct, B

Dancing, C

Martial Arts, C

Spear Arts, D

Archery, E

Singing, E

Leadership, E

Sword Arts, E

Studying, F

Acting, F

Bloodline:

DEVIL DRAGON, SSS (1% Awakened)

EQUIPMENT:

NONE

FATE:

FATE’S POWER: E

DEFINED FATE: UNDEFINED

As expected of his sister…. Totally overpowered!

“Ehm… So, I forgot to ask, ”When are you planning to move in here with me?” Victor asked Aerith as if he didn’t care about the paper. “I bet you will like it with the others…”

“I… I can’t, Lyra and the others are going to the heavenly sect….” Aerith sighed and said.

“WHAT?” Victor frowned. “This… But you promised that you would…”

“It is my mother’s decision… I can’t tell you the rest…” Aerith blushed a bit and interrupted.

“Oh… How long are you staying there?” Victor asked with a frown.

“Ah…” Aerith sighed. “Just for a few months… My mother insisted…” she said worriedly, not planning to tell Victor about that parasite the Storm Lord left in her. She was still shocked about it.

“We will be going too!” Lara said. “Mistress Serina had decided to take us as her disciples!” Lara, who was meaning to tell Victor and didn’t find a good chance, finally said worriedly. In fact, she came here to say goodbye to him and his wives.

“WHAT!! I never heard of this!” he gasped as he nervously looked around.

“Young master… Your esteemed father had already approved!” George, who kept silent this entire time, said.

“Oh… “ Victor frowned. 

“Don’t worry, my mother assured me it should be ok!” Aerith, noticing that Victor was a little worried, reassured him. “She is your sister Alice’s master too… It should be fine…”

“... “

“What about our upcoming concert??” Mira couldn’t help but ask.

“Sorry, big-sister Mira… We are not sure, but our band will not be able to go on…” Lara explained nervously. She knew that they had already invested heavily in the band, but some things couldn’t be helped. “I am really sorry… Esteemed Father already made the decision…” she added, making all the little girls look down, feeling a bit sad. They really worked hard for the rehearsals.

“Oh…” Mira looked at Monica, and both frowned.

“Is there no other way?”

“Sadly, no…” Lara sighed.

“Not even online?” Monica suggested.

“That place has no internet!” Lara shook her head.

“Damn…”

“I guess we will have to do a lot of canceling then… ” Aria sighed. “Father should pay for some of the damages….” she turned to George and said.

“Ah… It should be fine, I guess…” George sighed. This girl’s mind was really too business-oriented! “Seriously though, can’t you find a few new girls…. It is just a band…”

“It is not that simple as it requires a lot of auditions and screening, as the beauty standard our company has is very high!“ Mira said, making Lara and the other nod with a sweet smile. “And for the band that should be the core signature of our company, the girls must also be very loyal…”

“What about using a few of the maids here? They are pretty suitable for your purpose!!” George said. He couldn’t help but point this out, looking at the loli maids who stood in attention around the table. In his opinion, they were really cute, and there should be no problem regarding their loyalty.

“Their backgrounds are not that clean, so it is not optimal…” Margret sighed. The little girls were saved by Alpha’s team. If journalists and paparazzi were to dig up their past, things might get a bit troublesome.

“Oh….” George sighed. “Can’t you just make them wear masks?”

“....”

“...”

“So Uncle George… You are into that kinda thing… Ha…” Victor asked with squinted eyes.

“...” George’s face went black. DAMN VICTOR! When the hell did he become like this? Where did the sweet, polite boy he knew go? “Young master… The maid at the door said you wanted to talk to me about something…” he said, changing the subject. 

“Right… I almost forgot!” Victor stood up. “I will summon you a bit… Now… Why don’t you go have some tea with the girls, as I have something to attend to….” he quickly said. “El, follow me to the study!” he commanded before he turned and walked out of the room without waiting for her to reply.

El frowned for a moment, then nodded to Yin and followed right after him

Serina was, naturally, right behind!