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.

Natasha pursed her lips before turning her attention back

get the gist of the situation. I'm sure you

"Yeah..."

from the side before

believe that Ren and the demoness over here have

most likely a clause that stated that neither party could

plucked her lips outwardly. She then crossed her arms together and tapped onto the right side of her arm with her

fruit and the curse broke, 'she', the demoness, suffered from the backlash of the curse and as a result broke the boy broke the contract with

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

also explains why his soul is in the state that it

analysis from Maylin and Natasha,

she could even explain the situation, the two of

surprised by this, however. One was the elven queen while the other was the wife of one of the top executives in the

luck. They were quite competent in

her hand over Ren's forehead,

still alive, we can already assume that the contract that

her brows, Natasha's words halted mid-sentence as she glimpsed in

round of sixteen of the tournament we can exclude rank [I] and [II] contracts, leaving me with no choice but to believe that

point,

would be ranked around in order to survive the

This

the only possible way for Ren to have survived the situation was for

was that possible? She was already shocked by the fact that her daughter had reached rank, but rank? What

fact that she

perhaps her analysis was

you thought, he

How is that possible? Didn't he get eliminated from

mouth twitched. Turning her head to the side, she softly

how should I say this...he eliminated

...Why would

smile,

that

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

that happened was because of

currently a mess as she felt many different

and even touched by what Ren did. After all, he

at the same time, she was

trouble putting it into words, but she really hated the way Ren did things. She hated the way that he just did things without caring about himself

and it was exactly because she understood this that she felt the

situation

had never taken part in

sure, she could tell that Ren most likely didn't know about the fact

that the demon Ren contracted with was in fact the same demon that

so, how he

had not targeted her again, but it

her eyes, Amanda

to her that Ren still did

since they hadn't known each other long enough to develop a full sense of

"Oy!"

out of her

to look in the direction of where her mother was, she saw

"M...mom!"

her

that you're awake.

"Eh?"

Natasha flicked Ren's

"Ouch!"

***

forehead flicked, my eyes

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 little as a bitter smile appeared

woman before me. She may have looked like Amanda at a first glance, but there was definitely

"Looks like you're fine."

muttered before finally moving her head away from me. It was then that I was able