Planning

Certhac died 2 days later, to avoid his demon body from emerging Leonard had the children attend the funeral before Certhac's body was pushed into the lake.

"H… he was a demon?"

"Young master, how did you get acquainted with a demon?"

Leonard scoffed at the worried tones of these people.

"Your prejudice that demons are savages sends me. They're people with society too, some of them don't like wars."

That silenced them, the current people on his side were Rens and The head Butler that Leonard previously suspected.

The head Butler was just doing what he was told, to turn a blind eye to Lorraine due to one singular cause, which is Elizabeth.

Now that she was gone, he was treating Lorraine like his own grandchild which made Leonard's view of him change.

A lot of misunderstandings were cleared up when Elizabeth left, which proved that Elizabeth is cancer in this household.

"Shoot the arrow!"

Leonard exclaimed.

The kids are now watching from far away, and since Certhac's horn was cut he would only look a bit gloomy in the distance but no signs of being a demon at all.

"Meeting Certhac was a coincidence, I'm glad that I did meet him though."

Leonard lamented. He was told by Certhac to use the heirloom ring he had, Leonard tried to refuse that but was denied.

[Certhac's last wish.]

[Mission accomplished]

[Rewards: 2,000 points and a shapeshifting ring]

Leonard now has two rings, one is a downgraded ring of the heirloom. The heirloom ring changes one's race and appearance as if nothing changes.

The shapeshifting ring only changes his appearance, and unlike the heirloom ring, it cannot morph the flesh. It's just a downgraded ring.

But it still has its uses.

"I wonder how this forwards the plot."

"The what?"

Leonard looked to his left to see Lenneza walking toward him. He was murmuring and yet Lenneza heard that? He narrowed his eyes at her as if scanning if she was real.

"What's with that look?"

"Nothing."

Leonard sighed, he just remembered that the demon king is dead, but he still had to act like a Villain so he could get points.

He needs to go back. Before he gets attached to this world.

"I'm going back."

Rens and The head Butler followed behind Leonard who started walking away. Lenneza couldn't help but look at his back.

"Mm… he did go back… there's no way things would go like this."

Lenneza murmured.

In any case, Lenneza had another subject on hand, she heard about the kids being kidnapped to a possible underground tunnel towards Roshen.

She has heard of this on the first Iteration. (First run or the first iteration that's how I'm going to define their past life{Heroines}.)

She heard of a massive kidnapping accident that made Richard's reputation plummet, making Richard who's already stressed with Elizabeth have his sanity nicked.

The accident sent the other 9 duchies on Richard's throat wanting to take his prestige down.

Leonard, who was severely neglected due to this accident, fell in love with Yula as well when she was introduced by Elizabeth.

Yula in her household had nothing on her hands. That's why Elizabeth specifically chose her, she has no power and she could be easily manipulated.

That's where Elizabeth was wrong, Yula specifically chose Leonard because Leonard had no power as well, she could pretend to be powerless when she's gathering strength as well.

This was the cause of Leonard's fall into an endless abyss that he would not recover from.

That's why Lenneza, who knew of this kidnapping's accident, was waiting till she could sneak out and end it as well.

She had read Leonard's diary, she knew of the several Cultivation methods as well. She has been practicing for weeks and thanks to the riches of the Duchy acquiring a few Mana gems is nothing but a breeze.

That being said, her strength could only be that of an Intermediate mage. She is far from reaching an Apprentice bishop.

Lenneza knew that being an Apprentice bishop is better than being an Apprentice mage, after all, it would take 20 apprentice mages just to defeat an apprentice bishop.

Only Leonard's standard of an Apprentice mage would defeat an Apprentice Bishop.

"Hoo… I need a plan."

Lenneza followed suit with Leonard's direction.

—in an underground facility.

An old man with a lab coat kept working on his research. He had a plastic glove for handling biological equipment.

Right now he's cultivating several neurons in a petri dish.

"According to data samples Number 22 the problem is not the material used to make the chip, it's the neural connection…"

This was the work of his life. He was making a lot of progress when he was betrayed by his trusted colleagues.

To make this lab he had to break bones and sweat blood. To make a clean environment, for tools and equipment.

He worked all these years just for this very experiment of his. Once he completed this his name will be very well known across the human continent.

But that's not what he wants. He has a grudge to settle.

He could've stood tall, but those colleagues of his were just too jealous.

—knock knock.

"Yes?"

He paused at his experiment and placed it down carefully like holding a baby. He walked towards the entrance, the door of the room.

"There's a new batch of children—"

"Oh my fucking god I told all of you I have nothing to do with those! Stop reporting it about me every second dammit!"

"Nah, we're just letting you know"

The voice on the other side sneered.

"You're the one who initiated this after all."

"Yeah, but I asked in the legal way possible. I don't want your dirty acts of crime to be a part of my experiment!"

"Haha! Whatever you say, Osbourne"

The owner of the voice then walked away, leaving subtle taps of his footsteps in the Hall for everyone to hear.

"tsk!"

The man named Osbourne clicked his tongue, he was enraged, but he's in his lab right now. Everything in here is precious to him.

He never wanted to take part in those crimes. He wanted to turn a blind eye but couldn't. That's why he told everyone to not call him in those matters.

But that damn man! He always reminded him of things he didn't want.

He may have a part in it. But he asked them to take some samples in a hospital, not some random victim.

In the end, he sighed, his sour mood couldn't put the focus of his research.

"I'm close, I'm very close. Just need to observe this new one."

In the end, Osbourne started packing things up in his lab.

—back at the Marchen mansion.

Leonard used his shadow Arts to listen to Rens and their plans to raid the kidnappers' den.

Leonard had to be careful though, Rens although old wasn't weakened by the passage of time.

Sometimes Rens would look at a space and squint his eyes, this made Leonard especially worried as he was looking at him in his shadow body.

If Leonard isn't wrong, Rens would be at the Intermediate Bishop stage. Would make him stronger than Certhac with his horn cut off.

"I think I've been thinking about these things way too lightly."

The way he thinks about ranking is so different, after all, it was all influenced in the first iteration.

"Meh."

In the end, Leonard shrugged.

"There is a possibility that the tunnel is about 800meters to 1.2km long, possibly ending in other fiefs."

Rens said in an affirming tone.

"If we mobilized the military it would be obvious and since Roshen is in the mountainous region it is easily observed by the media, giving them a heads up."

"I believe we should find the origin of the tunnel via satellites and track the escape routes all together then block them."

"Yes, but we would need a lot of TNT to make those tunnels collapse. I suggest we mobilize troops via helicopter or we could use the new all-terrain vehicles."

"Those are only for emergencies. This might be a big thing but mobilizing troops with those means will make others mistake that the Duchy is at war."

"Then what means we should use then?"

"A covert operation team, infiltration."

"I see…"

"But how?"

A knock then was heard on the door, they all had frowns on their faces, they reminded others that at this time they shouldn't be bothered.

But they were shocked to see that Lenneza entered the door.

"Young lady?"

"What is the young miss doing here?"

The vice-captain and Rens were stunned to see Lenneza in the room.

"I volunteer as bait!"

What rens and the Vice Captain is about to discuss is to infiltrate the den by acting as one of its members.

It would be hard but it would certainly help the people above the tunnel make measures. While they also decide how to take care of things inside the den.

And of course, the two are aware of certain dangers as well. From unknown ranked mages to warriors they could be trapped in there for all they know.

"No, the lady isn't going in there."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous."

"Obviously, you think I'd come in here without thinking of that?"

Lenneza coldly replied. Leonard nodded, this is how she acted before he regressed.

She was cold and calculating, but Leonard still couldn't put a finger on why she would want to be a part of this.

Lenneza on the other hand has thought of every single possible way to join, asking the team that will infiltrate is just another way.

"Look!"

Lenneza exuded her mana, the amount of pure mana on her body is not something a child could muster.

When she did this everyone in the room was shocked, their jaws were stuck on the floor, they were cultivating their mana so much and yet a child could already have this pure of mana.

The one who's shocked the most is Leonard, he didn't know that Lenneza was cultivating her mana and she was already at this level.

'Advanced mage at most… near Apprentice Bishop.' Leonard thought.

"With this, all of you have an excuse to tell them that there is a talented child you caught and everything would be smooth sailing!" Lenneza exclaimed

Well, if a child of this Caliber was indeed caught, those kidnappers would drool at how much she could sell for.

"That is true but…"

"We don't… "

"Time is running out you know?" Lenneza said bored.

The two were reluctant but in the end, they nodded, saying.

"We'll think about it."

Leonard just watched all of this amused, there is truly something different about his sister, and the reason for him regressing and acting differently is no excuse for this behavior.

In the end, Leonard just shrugged it off, he was curious how Lenneza would act this time.