The Author's POV

"Mhm."

Hearing her mother's words, Amanda nodded her head.

Staring at Ren who was lying down on the bed, Amanda turned her head to look at Angelica. A complicated look flashed across her face.

She still couldn't quite come to terms with the fact that the cat that had been following Ren all the time was in fact the same demon that had cursed her mother, but she felt that there was more to the story than it was let out.

"Are you sure about this Natasha?"

Maylin asked while turning to look at Natasha. The icicles in the air trembled slightly.

"This is the same demon that stopped you from seeing your daughter for fifteen years. Are you sure that you want to let her go just like that?"

With her eyes locked on her daughter, Natasha sighed.

"What other choice do I have. Just take a look at my daughter..."

Waving her hand, all of the icicles that were aiming at Angelica vanished out of thin air.

"...Okay."

Giving a cold glance to Angelica, Maylin added.

"Just because I'm not killing you right now doesn't mean that I won't be doing it later. I'm only doing this for her sake."

"..."

Under Maylin's pressure, Angelica kept her cool.

She wasn't a count-ranked demon for nothing. Despite the fact that she had been subjected to the power of one of the strongest people in the human domain, she was able to remain unfazed.

"Let her be Maylin."

Natasha's voice rang throughout the room as she stepped in front of Maylin. Then, turning her attention towards Angelica, she took a deep breath.

Memories of her past surfaced inside of her mind.

She could still remember getting chased and threatened by her, and it honestly frightened her. But, for the sake of looking strong for her daughter, she remained composed.

"...C.can you explain the situation?"

There was a faint tremble in her voice as she asked Angelica her question, but following that, her words became more concise and the tremble vanished.

Turning her head, she looked at Ren.

"What happened for him to turn this way?"

There was an awkward silence following her words.

"You don't have to hide anything. I can tell that it is somehow connected with my awakening."

A complicated look appeared on Angelica's face as she heard her words. It wasn't long before she eventually opened her mouth.

"You're correct."

Lowering her head, Angelica lightly glanced in Ren's direction.

"The reason why he's in that state is indeed due to the fruit that he gave you."

"I see."

Rather than being shocked, a look of understanding appeared on Natasha's face. She then turned to look at Kevin.

"If I don't remember wrongly, you previously said that if something happens to her, the boy over here will die, correct?"

"...Yes."

Kevin nodded his head as his brows furrowed.

pursed her lips before turning her attention

the gist of the situation. I'm sure you also have an idea

"Yeah..."

from the side before

enough evidence to believe that Ren and the demoness over here

was most likely a clause that stated that neither party

room, Natasha plucked her lips outwardly. She then crossed her arms together and tapped onto the right side of

the moment I ate the fruit and the curse broke, 'she', the demoness, suffered from the backlash of the curse and as

and staring at his sickly figure, Natasha placed her finger underneath

also explains why his soul is in the state that it is

the analysis from Maylin and Natasha, Angelica's eyes opened up a

she could even explain the situation, the two

One was the elven queen while the

didn't get their jobs because of luck. They were

over Ren's forehead, Natasha

still alive, we can already assume that the contract

glimpsed in Angelica's

that he's made it past the round of sixteen of the tournament we

reached this point, her

that he would be ranked

once more, Natasha's head snapped in Ren's direction. This time her face had

that the only possible way for Ren to have survived the

daughter had reached rank, but

even more prominent from the fact that she knew that he was around the same age as her

head to look at Maylin, hoping that perhaps her analysis was wrong, but instead, Maylin's next words caused the shock inside of her

you thought, he

Didn't he get eliminated from the

head to the

should I say

...Why would

a smile,

he said that

elimination, Amanda who had been listening throughout their whole

everything that happened was

were currently a mess as she felt many different things at

even touched by what Ren did. After all,

at the same time,

hated the way Ren did things. She hated the way that he

he did, and it was exactly because she understood this that she felt the way she

her the situation from the start, Amanda would've

Ren had never

Ren most likely didn't know about the fact that the

in fact the same demon that had contracted with Elijah, the elective representative back at the

how he

wondered why that demon had not targeted her again, but it was only now that

eyes, Amanda bit her

Ren still did not trust her

realization saddened her, but it did not discourage her. This was only natural. Especially since they

"Oy!"

of her

head to look in the direction of where her mother was, she saw her with her back bent and her face a few inches away from Ren's

"M...mom!"

as she stood up from her seat. However, her mother's following words caused her to freeze on the

I can tell that you're awake. You can

"Eh?"

Natasha flicked

"Ouch!"

***

having my forehead flicked,

I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a familiar-looking face a couple of inches away from mine. Caught off guard by the sudden situation, I felt my cheeks warm up a

woman before me. She may have looked like

"Looks like you're fine."

her head away from me. It was then that I was able to see the current situation in the room, and when I did, I almost