It was a way to end the tea time here, but if they suggested ending it after less than 30 minutes, Abel would surely object, making that card unusable.

“Master.”

When Dewey called out to Carlos as if grinning, Carlos swallowed a deep sigh and stood up.

Then, he warned Abel before leaving.

“I’ll be back in a moment, don’t do anything unnecessary.”

Abel, with a flower pattern on his face, looked up at Carlos defiantly.

“What exactly is considered unnecessary?”

“Everything you’re thinking right now.”
Abel complained that Carlos’s words were too harsh, but Carlos cleanly ignored him and turned to Irene.

“If this guy says or does anything strange or rude, you can just ignore him and go back to your room.”

Even if it was only for a short while, Irene was extremely uncomfortable being alone with Abel. However, hearing him say that made her feel a little relieved.

“I’ll do that.”

“Just in case, call Jessie.”

Jessie, a resident of the underground, couldn’t stop Abel, the lord, but still, it was better than nothing.

Jessie, who had been waiting outside the greenhouse, came in.

“Keep a close eye on Abel, so he doesn’t do anything strange to her.”

After assigning Jessie a significant mission, Carlos, along with Dewey, left the greenhouse.

Abel grinned and looked at Irene.

“Well, now that the nuisance is gone, shall we have a cozy chat?”

His smile was so charming that it could shake the hearts of people of all ages, but to Irene, it looked cunning.

Swallowing dryly, Irene tightly held the hand hidden under the table.

It felt like the cake she had just eaten might come back up.

‘Should I get up?’

But Abel hadn’t done anything strange, so she hesitated.

“Hmm, what should we talk about?”

Still… she didn’t want to be here.

Even if Carlos scolded her later, she intended to get up.

“Okay. Do you want to know why Carlos brought you here?”

What… just now?

A little behind a large tree away from the greenhouse, Dewey, after confirming that there was no one around, spoke to Carlos.

“The investigation team sent by the temple passed through Camus this afternoon.”

Camus was a small city about a two-day ride from Esper Territory.

If they marched forcefully, they could reach Esper Territory in a day.

But the investigation team passed through Camus today?

Carlos asked with a furrowed brow, “Didn’t they say to make sure they don’t set foot in Esper Territory for at least ten days?”

“So, I secretly poisoned their meals. It won’t affect their lives, but they’ll be paralyzed for a while, unable to move, due to a potent paralysis poison.”

Dewey explained with a sigh-mixed voice.

“They ate the poison, and we confirmed that they can’t move due to its effects… but there was a variable.”

“Variable?”

“Yes. All 12 priests and paladins received blessings from high priests.”

Receiving a blessing from a high priest was something even with wealth and status; it couldn’t be obtained.

While there were few high priests, the number of people a high priest could bless was limited.

However, if all 12 priests and paladins received blessings from high priests, it was an absurd situation.

But since Dewey wouldn’t bring false information, it was undoubtedly a fact.

Carlos chuckled and brushed off his head with a wry smile.
“Somehow, they were determined to send the dispatch team to the Esper Territory.”

Dewey bowed deeply, apologizing.

“I apologize, my lord. I should have just killed the doves… It was my mistake to use poison, avoiding unnecessary killing.”

“No. Avoiding killing is something I agree with too, so there’s no need to think that way.”

Killing the priests and paladins might temporarily extinguish the urgent fire right in front of them, but considering the larger repercussions later on, Dewey’s decision was correct in the long run.

Although Carlos hadn’t expected them to come with blessings from high priests.

‘Then, it wouldn’t matter if we killed one or two of them.’

Compared to what they had done, this was a drop in the bucket.

Unbeknownst, violet eyes that gazed at the darkened night sky, hiding the full moon, blinked eerily.

“Dus.”

Carlos called, and in a frightening manner, Dus quietly emerged from the darkness.

“Kill the highest-ranking member among the dispatched team sent by the temple.”

If the leader leading them disappeared, the group would inevitably falter.

“Also, kill the one in charge of communication.”

That way, the remaining ones wouldn’t be able to contact the temple for help.

Dus asked in a composed voice, “What should I make it look like?”

“It would be best to throw them off a cliff.”

Stabbing would feel too much like an assassination.

Since most poisons wouldn’t work due to the blessings of high priests, disguising it as an accident was the most desirable.

Carlos added, “If needed, you can use the minions under my command.”

Humans could only form a contract with one demon for their entire life, but Carlos, the underground lord, was an exception.

There were no restrictions on contracts, and he could command demons without forming a contract.

Dus cautiously remarked, “Using minions might cause more trouble, especially during the incense festival, when demons could stir up a riot.”

“I don’t mind.”

Leaning against a large tree pillar, Carlos’s lips tilted slightly.

“If you came to Esper Territory, known for the tumultuous activity of demons, you should have been prepared for that kind of risk.”