Chapter 152 Veronica and Elizabeth


    "How can I trust you?" Richard asked with evident contempt.


    If doubt and suspicion had a scent, the room would reek of it, and both Richard and his close aide, Kennedy, would have perished from the stench. There were three individuals in the tent: two humans and one demon. The first human was, of course, Richard, while the second was his close aide, Kennedy, who looked like a young man in his twenties, with sses that gave him an intelligent appearance. The man had tanned skin and bright green hair, as well as sparkling blue eyes.


    "Demon... what''s your name?" the aide asked, adjusting his sses. "Oh, to maintain politeness, my name is Kennedy. You can simply call me Sir Ken if you prefer."


    Both men''s gazes were directed at the demon, who stood calmly before them with an imposing aura. The demon had a low level, and his race was the most ordinary of all, just an ordinary demon with no significant lineage or background. His level was at the level of a Lower Demon, and his overall strength barely reached the E- rank. Another distinguishing feature was that the demon resembled a regr human, except for the horns and wings. He had ordinary ck hair and brown eyes, light skin, and a typical face with wrinkles and bags under his eyes.


    The demon''s posture was straight, without a hint of fear or doubt. It was evident that he had been well-trained, and his aura, which conveyed the message "Damn, he looks confident. And that horned one speaks well," greatly helped in the negotiations.


    His clothing made a soft rustling sound as he raised his hand and ced it on his chest, then nodded respectfully, speaking in a deep and masculine voice, "My name is Harenisaranenas, but since my name is too long, my close friends and colleagues prefer to call me Hari. I''ll leave it to your preference how you address me, Sir Ken."


    One couldn''t help but notice his refined conversational manners, in which he maintained rationality and, most importantly in negotiations, politeness, and tact. The expressions on Richard and Kennedy''s faces couldn''t go unnoticed as they disyed surprise, a pleasant surprise. Hari''s manners had impressed them.


    "Sir Hari... I''ll address you as such, with your permission," Ken said, nodding smoothly. He smiled and steepled his fingers, narrowing his eyes and looking closely at the demon. "In the previous question, though not in the most appropriate manner, I apologize for that. So... Sir Hari, the situation is such that your visit was highly unexpected."


    "And we would like to know why the conflicting party, which initiated this strange war in the first ce, suddenly emerges out of nowhere and deres its readiness for peaceful negotiations, despite rejecting our requests to sit down at the roundtable and discuss the reasons and consequences of the sudden conflict. Oh, and for interrupting you earlier, I sincerely apologize. It''s a work habit, and I hope Sir Hari will be merciful enough to forgive my foolish mistake," Kennedy asked, looking at Hari with a sharp gaze, narrowing his eyes. In the end, he politely apologized for interrupting the demon, with a gentle smile.


    The demon pursed his lips and gestured, raising his index finger. Kennedy nodded politely and fell silent, simultaneously expressing his respect for the knowledge of Avalonia''s traditions and customs, as well as for maintaining a polite conversation.


    "A demon who is polite, trained in etiquette, and knows the traditions and customs of the people of Avalonia. Maintains a neutral facial expression even when faced with highly provocative questions. Record in the database as a dangerous individual," Kennedy thought, jotting down brief characteristics of the demon named Hari. Out of the corner of his eye, Ken nced at Richard.


    There was no specific expression on the general''s face, only boredom and a desire to quickly finish this tedious conversation. Despite his sharp intellect, General Richard was never a fan of such negotiations and preferred that two opponents meet on the battlefield, where the victor would be determined through abination of strength and cunning, ultimately bing the true winner.


    "For him, all of this probably seems pointless. After so many years of peace in Avalonia, except for Elfheim, he has already grown bored. And now, when he was given a chance to prove himself, the demons suddenly announced their intention to conclude a ceasefire agreement," Ken thought to himself, secretly rolling his eyes at his close friend and superior''s idiotic behavior. "Sometimes he should show patience and understand that not every soldier agrees with his stance that life should be sacrificed for Great Avalonia. Of course, more than half of the soldiers in our army would prefer not to be casualties of war. Their souls are closer to sitting at home, drinking beer, and visiting brothels. And the crown sponsors that..."


    Kennedy sighed quietly, cing his hand on his forehead. Questions about soldier discipline always took precedence in the army, and many seniors showed impatience and irritation towards young men whose manners, in their opinion, did not correspond to the position of a soldier in the main army. Meanwhile, the other half, more sessful due to their productivity and cleverness, were annoyed by the irritability of the elders, believing that living ording to foolish rules was the same as not living at all.


    ...


    In the room, there was silence. The tabletop clock, a small parody of Big Ben, emitted ticking sounds, while in the lower left corner of the clock face, there was an engraving "D&H," which was an abbreviation of the brand name for various furniture, decor, and simr items called "Dragon''s Hoard," partly owned by Adam. Five minutes had passed since the demon had been lost in his thoughts, and Ken expressed his concern about this prolonged contemtion.


    "Why is he taking so long to think? I considered him a gentleman who could formte his thoughts in a matter of seconds and provide a clear, serious, and weighty argument on any question and usation in general, but now my perception has been shattered," Kennedy thought, and then carefully examined Hari''s facial expression. There were visible macro movements and eyebrow movements; he frowned and then rxed his face. It resembled...


    "Communication? No, telepathy."


    Before their eyes, Hari was using powerful magic that was inessible to ordinary citizens. Such a spell wasmon among sea races, such as sirens and mermaids, but in their case, it was something akin to natural spells among demons, something you were born with. And to reproduce this special property in the form of a spell, only an ancient race of mages could do it, or perhaps one crazy but very clever woman.


    "Demon Queen," Kennedy guessed, looking at Hari with doubt. "Is he speaking directly with the Demon Queen? This is absurd... this demon looks like the most ordinary demon, so how did he earn such trust from Veronica? Absurd."


    However, reality always delivered unexpected blows, often from behind. Kennedy, ustomed to this, quickly adapted and began to n the next steps on how to react. When the dialogue was conducted directly with the queen, their status, and Richard''s status, didn''t even deserve to provide advice.


    Kennedy''s clothing rustled quietly as he reached into a hidden pocket and felt a square-shaped token with which he had infused his magical energy.


    "Hmm?" Hari chuckled and looked at Kennedy. "Are you trying to use magic, Sir Ken?"


    "!!!" Kennedy pursed his lips and, in a matter of seconds, adjusted his facial expression to be as friendly as possible and to reflect a few of his own emotions as possible. "Oh, this? I just decided to practice magic while Sir Hari was contemting. It''s my habit, and you could say it''s my daily routine. If I somehow offended you, I apologize."


    "No... it''s alright. There''s no need for apologies. I''m patient enough with such things. And you did the right thing," Hari replied, suddenly smiling. It was the first smile during their entire conversation.


    "What do you mean...?" Kennedy asked with doubt.


    However, Hari continued to smile. Kennedy was perplexed until suddenly, Richard sighed—a heavy sigh filled with irritation and a barely noticeable but still evident wariness.


    "How much I dislike cunning creatures..." Richard muttered.


    "What do you want to..."


    BOOM!


    Kennedy''s question was drowned out by a loud explosion. The tent was lifted into the air. However, Ken and Richard were safe, thanks to the general''s quick reaction and smart steps to protect themselves.


    Through the curtain of smoke, a lone silhouette of Hari was visible. But suddenly, another silhouette appeared behind him, several times taller. Kennedy realized that this silhouette was female, and considering all the facts...


    "Fuck."


    Even his patience had its limits. Kennedy sighed as he looked at the woman before him. Her beautiful ck hair shone brightly in the daylight, and her eyes sparkled seductively, causing unprepared individuals to lose themselves in the reflection of her pupils. She was dressed in exquisite ck armor and held the Great Sword in her hand.


    "Demon Queen... Veronica?" Kennedy murmured with obvious fear in his voice.


    The woman made a sound, "Hmm?" and turned towards Kennedy, clearly hearing his rhetorical question. This caused Ken to almost lose hisposure, but soon the woman lost interest in him.


    "Oh, it''s you... How did you know that Four Eyes used a summoning? It seems that even my best dolls can''t hide from your eyes..." Veronica spoke.


    To his surprise, Kennedy suddenly found himself next to a beautiful woman with silver hair and blue eyes. Her silver armor gleamed brightly, and she held a sword in her hand, resembling a katana.


    "Veronica..."


    "Elizabeth."


    Two queens, whose countries were at war with each other, had met.


    To be continued...