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

gist of the situation. I'm

"Yeah..."

the side

enough evidence to believe that Ren and the demoness over

most likely a clause that stated that

crossed her arms together and tapped onto the

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

toward Ren and staring at his sickly figure, Natasha placed

also explains why his soul is

Maylin and Natasha,

could even explain the situation, the two of them had

while the other

of luck. They were quite

over Ren's forehead, Natasha

he is still alive, we can already assume

halted mid-sentence as she glimpsed in Angelica's

made it past the round of sixteen of the tournament we can exclude rank [I] and [II] contracts,

reached this point, her brows proceeded to

he would be ranked

Ren's direction. This time

was that the only possible way for Ren to have survived the situation was for him to have reached a

that her daughter had reached rank, but rank? What kind of monster

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

open as she turned her head to look at Maylin, hoping that perhaps her analysis was wrong, but instead, Maylin's next words

like you thought,

possible? Didn't he get eliminated from

mouth twitched. Turning her head to the

I say this...he

...Why would he do

a smile, Maylin

that he was

who had been

that happened

emotions were currently a mess as she felt many different

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

at the same time,

Ren did things. She hated the

why Ren acted the way he did, and it was exactly because she understood this that

situation

never

about the fact that the demon

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

so, how he

but it was only now

Amanda bit her

to her that Ren

her, but it did not discourage her. This was only natural. Especially since they hadn't known each other long enough to develop a

"Oy!"

of her thoughts was

where her mother was, she saw her with her back bent and her face a few inches away

"M...mom!"

up from her seat.

you're awake.

"Eh?"

hand, Natasha flicked

"Ouch!"

***

having my forehead flicked, my

Caught off guard by the sudden situation, I felt my cheeks warm up a

instantly recognize the woman before me. She may have looked like

"Looks like you're fine."

me. It was then that I was able