Alliance

[Did you use that skill on her?] 

'Uh, yeah.' Hans replied. 

The reason for Sariah's change of attitude was because of the influence of the skill [Trickster]. 

It was an ability that made his lies believable to others as long as the target couldn't resist it. 

Of course, he hadn't really changed her will but rather, fueled her to think of the sad events of her childhood. 

Then, by narrating a simple and false 'childhood memories' of his, Hans managed to break through her inner heart, which in turn made her sympathetic. 

In all actuality, Hans only took advantage of the situation and made it favorable to his goals. 

Even if it failed, she wouldn't suspect him of manipulating her by using a skill. After all, he could just make his lies become the truth again. 

'I really have to thank Aka.'

That guy fooled the shit out of him back at the Trial Dungeon. If he wasn't stronger, his life could have ended right in that spot. 

"Are you alright now?" Sariah withdrew herself from Hans' arms and patted his shoulders. 

"Yeah, It's just… my brother, he really means a lot to me." Hans replied with a soft tone. 

"It's okay, from now on, you can work with us. We'll end the hypocrisy of the Harisan Empire in our generation together."

"Mm… thank you." Hans smiled. 

But in his head, another thought surfaced. 

'Finally!' 

After four days of him being here, he finally has his second ally. Unlike Gab who was only one person, this time, he got a whole organization around him. 

The good thing is, he might even get a connection to the Hell Empire once Sariah spoke his alliance to them. 

The words of a Demon General will surely not go unnoticed.

'Sariah… don't disappoint me.'

...

"Say it again!!!!" 

Lady Emilia jumped towards the platform and grabbed Garrett by the collar. She lifted him and mana blades manifested behind her back. It circled Garrett as if it would pierce forward if he made a wrong move. 

"Tell me!!!" 

With a loud but gentle tone, Lady Emilia screamed. Her voice caused the others to stop including Claus and Adeline as well. 

The surrounding temperature turned cold. However, sweat trickled down from Garrett's skin. Fear crawled in his arms as he glanced at the razor-sharp blades aimed at his body. 

"L-lady Emilia, w-we were r-robbed!" Garrett stammered. 

He didn't know how the thieves managed to get past his senses. It was always alert in case of someone breaking in so, of course, he was also at fault here.

But what's even strange is the fact that the thieves managed to get past the tight security of the auction house. 

Their security guards are always around and not once will others see a place where there's no guard stationed. 

"Useless!!" 

Hearing Garrett's confirmation, Lady Emilia threw him into the air. With the speed of his flight, Garrett crashed into the wall. 

Crash—!

The wall cracked and his figure was shapely carved into the wall. Garrett did not attempt to stand back up. He's afraid that Lady Emilia might push her anger on him and he might die being thrown everywhere.

On the other hand, Claus already realized what happened. 

'It seemed like the orb was stolen.'

No matter how much he thought about it, it seemed like this event was planned. Because if it didn't, they would have noticed it. 

The thieves also seemed to be trained if they could stealthily sneak up on them when they were just a few meters away from the auction platform. 

'They might still be nearby.' Claus thought. 

Thus, without hesitation, he secretly ordered his guards to survey the surroundings and find traces of the thieves. He might have lost in the bid but now that it's gone, the one who could find it first will get the ownership of the item.

Meanwhile, just like Claus, Adeline ordered his men to move as well. These guards of hers were trained assassins so they were much more knowledgeable in terms of stealth and espionage. 

Finding the tracks of those thieves with assassins would be easier, unlike Claus who has knights. 

However, what bothers her is that the aura similar to her family's ancestor suddenly vanished.

His abrupt disappearance made her want to follow him but she was entangled with Claus earlier. Additionally, if she left the orb of miracle might have already fallen into Claus' hands. 

The House of Calixto always spread fake news to her name and her reputation was slowly being damaged over time. 

If it was only her, she might have just ignored it. Even when her supposed husband escaped the empire, she only brushed off the threats she received at that time. 

However, her family was affected by this. They were scorned away by their neighbors and even their lush lands were trampled. 

She brought her family somewhere safe so as to maintain their lineage in the future. 

If the orb of miracle falls in Claus' palms, then it's over. Increasing the probability of something could only be done by an overwhelmingly powerful person. Once he utilized the orb's ability to his favor, sooner or later, Adeline's family will only be nothing but history. 

Of course, she knew that Claus only did this so he could get the alchemy manuals from her hands. 

Unfortunately, no matter how much he tries, she will stop his plans at all costs. 

... 

"Do you have plans laid out?" Hans asked as he set his jaw and lit a cigarette. The grayish smoke blended in the air. 

After talking about the alliance, Sariah led him towards the basement which was designed to resemble something like an office room.

Torches were plastered on the wall and as they walked forward, they brightly lit up. Stacks of papers filled the wooden table while Sariah sat on the chair behind it. 

"The Hell Empire and the other 3 empires already allied 5 years ago. We could have attacked right at that time but the higher-ups suggested a strategic approach. Basically, we have already laid the plan for the invasion."

"Why did it take 5 years though? If you teamed up together, surely, the Harisan Empire won't be able to resist right?" Hans asked once again.

The 5 Great Empires are almost exactly the same strength. However, in terms of territory and history, the Harisan Empire has a full advantage. 

Even then, once the other 4 Empires attack, the Harisan Empire shouldn't be able to resist the others' bombardment. No plans or strategies will save them from their timely destruction. 

No matter how much they resist it, their downfall is already inevitable. 

The question is, why did the other four great empires delay their attack for an entire five years?

Are they afraid of something or what? 

The backrest of the chair creaked as Sariah leaned. She stared at Hans with a strange gaze before shaking her head. 

"You underestimated the Harisan Empire too much."

"Why?" Hans asked. 

Although Hans could guess that there might be a trump card hidden in the empire, he pretended not to know. 

Aside from allying with Sariah, he also wanted to get information about the empire he's in right now. 

"It's not because we don't want to attack. Rather, there's someone that all of us fear." 

At that moment, Sariah's expression darkened. Hans noticed her abrupt change of mood and his eyes narrowed. 

Her body language already gave him a clue about how dangerous this 'someone' is. 

[Is it that old guy you met in the forest when we first entered here?] 

Hearing Plundy's words, Hans held his chin. The image of the old guy buying the gorilla's body from him played in his mind. 

'Isaac?' 

It was possible. That old guy already gave him a tingling feeling the first time they met. He could still recall how the hair on his skin stood still. 

Certainly, Isaac was a dangerous man. Hans hadn't felt anyone with a pressure so heavy as that. Even Aviante and Light fighting pressure didn't come close to what he felt to Isaac when their eyes met.

It's as if he was slowly dragged down to the depths of hell. 

Hans surely doesn't want to feel that again. 

'Isaac might be the Guardian of the Harisan Empire.'

Of course, this was just Hans' hunch. After all, he only based it on his observations. 

However, if it turned out that Isaac is an ally or worse, the Guardian of the Harisan Empire, he wasn't sure if he could continue allying with Sariah. 

Thus, to be sure… 

"Is it alright to ask you who that is?" Hans spewed a puff of smoke as he asked Sariah. 

The horrible scent of tobacco enveloped the room. Sariah didn't seem to mind, after all, she's the one who gave the cigarette to him. 

Tap—, tap—, tap—

Sariah tapped the table with her fingers. Hans' question made her hesitant to answer. Even in their ranks, mentioning this 'someone' is forbidden just like in the Harisan Empire. 

Thus, silence reigned upon the room. The clock hanging on the wall ticked as time passed by. 

"Well, it doesn't really matter if you don't want to say i—"

"No, no. It's just… you might hesitate to ally with us after hearing it." Sariah explained. 

"Haha…" Hans chuckled and continued, "My resolve is always firm and no matter how strong he is, my decision would not change."

Sariah blankly stared at Hans before finally sighing in helplessness. 

"Sigh—, fine but I hope that anything told you will remain only in this room." 

"I promised." Hans gave her a reassuring smile.

However, this smile instantly diminished as he listened to Sariah's next words. 

"Have you heard of the Crown Prince?" 

"Crown prince?" Hans tilted his head. 

'But I thought he escaped the Harisan Empire?' 

Many thoughts rang inside his mind. Previously, he had heard of the crown prince's name being banned to say in the empire. 

[Hm… interesting.] 

However, it seemed like there was a more intriguing story to this crown prince than he thought. 

.... 

After 20 minutes of processing, Ella finally got the book Hans bid for. The processing took a lot more time than she expected due to the robbery that happened a little while. 

Regardless, as an employee, her job is to only negotiate with customers using her charm for additional profit. 

She walked down the hall and after a few seconds, she eventually arrived at Hans' VIP room. 

Ella grabbed the doorknob, pushed the door forward, and entered. However, as soon as she entered, she immediately noticed the strangeness of the man sitting on the chair. 

She was a former adventurer. Sensing an individual's aura is an easy job for her. 

The first time she met Hans, she felt the tremendous aura hiding inside his fit body. 

Now, the man in front of him was even weaker than her. If not for the man's calm expression, she could have mistaken him for an impostor. 

"Are you Sir Hans?" 

Clone Hans turned towards her and smiled, "Well, I'm his clone so technically, I'm him." 

Seeing her unresponsive face, Clone Hans added. 

"Did you get the book?" 

"U-uhm, yes here."

Ella handed the book to Clone Hans. 

As he held the book, it was surprisingly light despite the pages seemingly over 500. Clone Hans briefly inspected it before eventually placing it inside the storage bag. 

He also took out the payment but was quickly interrupted. 

"Sir Hans, you don't have to pay. Our auction house is grateful for your participation so we are giving you this item for free. Hopefully, you could still use our service whenever you have something to sell."

Clone Hans nodded. He could vaguely sense the intention in Ella's words. 

'Friendship.'

Well, this was also his purpose. This is basically a win-win situation for both sides. 

"Just tell your boss that she has my gratitude."

Clone Hans stood up from his seat and tidied his clothes. After exchanging a few words with Ella, he exited the auction house and hurriedly rushed towards the inn. 

The original body tasked him to escort it back to an inn secretly. 

However, as soon as he passed a shrouded path, his pace suddenly stopped. Clone Hans turned his head to the dark corner.

His pupils shrunk as a frail man walked outside the dark area. 

It was Aeron. 

Aeron spoke as he dragged his frail body towards the center of the streets; a few meters away from Clone Hans. 

"Friend, I apologize for my outburst earlier. That book is just really important to me." 

"So?" Clone Hans asked.

At that moment, Aeron creepily grinned. 

"...so can you please let me slash your stomach and crush your organs. I'll let you eat your own heart too if you want as a token of my apology."