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.

her words, Natasha pursed her lips before turning her attention

the situation. I'm sure you also have

"Yeah..."

the side

Ren and the demoness over here have

was most likely a clause that stated that neither party

plucked her lips outwardly. She then crossed her arms together and tapped onto the

demoness, suffered from the backlash of the curse and as a result broke the

figure, Natasha

why his soul is in the state that it

the analysis from Maylin and Natasha, Angelica's eyes

the situation, the two of them

by this, however. One was the elven queen while the other was the wife of one of the

luck.

her hand over Ren's

is still alive, we can already assume that the contract that he signed

halted mid-sentence as she glimpsed in Angelica's direction.

me that he's made it past the round of sixteen of the tournament we can exclude rank [I] and [II] contracts, leaving me with no choice but to believe that he signed a tier

reached this point, her brows

that he would be ranked

direction. This time her face had a little

up with a proper analysis of the situation, she suddenly realized something. And that was that the only possible way for Ren to have survived

She was already shocked by the fact that her daughter had reached

even more prominent from the fact that she knew that he was around the

her head to look at Maylin, hoping that perhaps her analysis was wrong, but instead, Maylin's next

thought, he indeed rank

possible? Didn't he

mouth twitched. Turning her head to the side, she

should I say

...Why would he do

smile, Maylin

that

and Maylin were discussing the reasoning behind Ren's elimination, Amanda who had been listening throughout their whole time, powerlessly sat back down on

that happened was because of

a mess as she felt many different

hand, she was grateful and even touched by what Ren did. After all, he did just try to sacrifice his life for the sake

same time, she was

but she really hated the way Ren did things. She hated the

was exactly because she understood this that she felt the

the situation from the start,

wasn't unreasonable. Ren had never taken part in her mother's

didn't know about the fact that

Ren contracted with was in fact

how he met her made

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

eyes, Amanda bit her

clear to her that Ren

but it did not discourage her. This was only natural. Especially since they hadn't known

"Oy!"

of her thoughts was her mother's

direction of where her mother was, she saw

"M...mom!"

she stood up from her seat. However, her mother's following words caused her

that you're awake.

"Eh?"

her hand, Natasha flicked

"Ouch!"

***

having my forehead flicked, my eyes snapped

away from mine. Caught off guard by the sudden situation, I

was able to instantly recognize the woman before me. She may have looked like Amanda at a first glance, but there was definitely a

"Looks like you're fine."

muttered before finally moving 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 wished I