Kallos was the Lord of Esper, but he rarely intervened in the management of the territory. Dealing with matters in the underworld alone was already troublesome. Even when he was absent, he entrusted the administration of the territory entirely to the managers, intervening only when problems arose.
As a result, the managers of Esper territory rarely had direct dealings with Kallos. Face-to-face meetings were even rarer. Moreover, all the administrators of the territory were residents of the underworld, making it very difficult for them to meet Kallos, knowing him as the lord of the underworld.
“…”
“…”
However, tension spread among the managers as they faced Kallos. The most tense among them was the director of the demon training camp.
Even though there was a separate culprit who released the demons, the director couldn’t avoid responsibility. If they had properly controlled the demons in the demon training camp from the beginning, such a terrible incident wouldn’t have happened.
“This incident is mainly the fault of the training camp, so I must take responsibility…”
“Controlling demons in the training camp…”
But as soon as that story came up, the director of the training camp, trembling to survive and alleviate his injustice even a bit, spoke with a shaky voice.
“Of course, it was the fault of the training camp that the demons weren’t properly controlled, and it’s my responsibility as the director. I’ll accept punishment for that part, but… before that, we need to catch the cunning culprits who released the demons.”
Kallos, leaning on his raised arm with his chin resting on his hand, looked at the director of the training camp.
“Are you saying there’s more than one culprit? The culprits?”
When Kallos showed interest in his words, the expression of the training camp director brightened.
“Yes, yes! If there was only one culprit, they wouldn’t have been able to release about seven demons without being noticed by others. So, we assume there are multiple culprits, and at least one of them must be someone who knows well about the structure of the demon training camp.”
The manager sitting across from him asked in confusion, “Does that mean it’s the work of an insider?”
“There’s a high possibility of that. The structure of the demon training camp is complex like a maze, with traps installed everywhere to prepare for demons escaping. Yet, the culprits managed to lead the demons out effortlessly. So, it’s highly likely that there’s an insider, and at least one of them knows well about the structure of the demon training camp.”
“Oh, then it complicates things…”
If it were truly the work of an insider, it meant that the person betrayed Kallos. Who dared to betray him, the lord of the underworld? It was an unimaginable event for the residents of the underworld, so the managers were all surprised and murmured.
Kallos, who quietly listened to the managers’ stories, raised his hand. Then, without waiting for anyone to speak first, all the managers closed their mouths.
Kallos looked through the managers and said, “If finding the culprit who released the demons is the task, let me handle it.”
He was supposed to leave it to Deuce at most, but he decided to take matters into his own hands.
The managers were surprised, but at the same time, they thought it might be natural for Kallos to take action, considering that it could possibly lead to the execution of a traitor.
Kallos slightly raised the corner of his lips and said, “So, focus all your efforts on restoring and stabilizing the territory. Make sure nothing more unacceptable happens from the outside.”
“…”
Under the pressure that weighed on their shoulders, the faces of the managers all turned earthy.
“I hope to hear good news at the next report.”
Kallos handed the managers a significant task and left the meeting room.
Deuce, who was waiting in front of the door, handed him a coat.
Wearing the coat, Kallos, who had walked ahead, asked Deuce, “Have you found anyone with a different aura?”
Even though there was a high possibility of the internal involvement of the training camp director, Kallos didn’t think so.
There was no possibility of an insider.
To be precise, it meant that the residents of the underworld under Kallos’s protection could not have betrayed him of their own will.
In such a case, there was only one possibility to consider.
Someone manipulated the culprits who released the demons like puppets, forcing them to betray Kallos.
It might seem like a forced speculation at first glance, but unfortunately, Kallos thought this hypothesis was certain because he had experienced a similar situation in the past.
So, he secretly ordered Deuce to find out if there was anyone harboring a different aura within the territory.
Deuce followed closely behind Kallos and reported, “I found it. I sensed a strange aura completely different from yours from a man named Gilbert, who works at the demon training camp.”
As expected, Kallos’s lips tilted slightly.
“Where is that guy?”
“He’s dead.”
Thud, Kallos’s steps came to a halt.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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