Kazuki's voice remained steady, but his words were now coated with a layer of cold clarity.
"I knew," he said, "that simply having contracts with demons wasn't enough to explain the demon's attack on the academy."
He took a step forward, as if walking deeper into the truth.
"And that's when it hit me… you had spies inside South Ryehem."
Vareon didn't flinch, but his silence spoke volumes.
"Because without internal support, tampering with the academy's barriers and timing a demon attack so precisely would've been impossible."
Kazuki's gaze sharpened.
"So my next objective… was to identify the spies."
He folded his arms.
"I figured a spy wouldn't remain hidden for long. Sooner or later, they'd return at a crucial moment—right after passing on all the intelligence, right before the plan unfolds."
His voice dropped lower.
"And that's when Landlord Darius Graythorn arrived."
A flicker crossed Vareon's eyes.
"Right after his arrival, a dragon attack struck South Ryehem… and that's when all the pieces aligned."
"As I said," Kazuki continued coldly, "he appeared just before something catastrophic happened. That was no coincidence."
"He wasn't just a noble or a friend of the empire. He was someone with enough intel to be dangerous… and he had to be close enough to monitor the execution of your schemes."
"That meant he was either part of your information network or, at the very least, aware of the dragon attack you orchestrated by bargaining with the dragon itself."
Kazuki's tone dropped several degrees colder.
"And guess what?"
A pause.
"Despite knowing Darius since childhood… I did what I had to."
He sighed—not with regret, but with resolution.
[The Plan to Confirm Everything]
"So, I set a trap. I planned a diplomatic trip to the Elf Kingdom."
"But just before leaving, I told my father something that I had kept hidden until then."
Kazuki raised his head.
"I told him the truth—that I was the reincarnated one… the chosen soul of the ancient prophecy."
Vareon blinked once, but said nothing.
"I asked my father to tell me everything he knew about the Ryehem Incident—everything. And then…"
He exhaled slowly.
"I told him to ask Darius to escort me to the Elf Kingdom."
"I knew Darius wouldn't say no to a direct order from the king—and I suspected he'd use the opportunity to bring someone else along. Someone he trusted."
Kazuki's eyes narrowed slightly.
"He did exactly that. He brought along a cart rider to guide us… someone seemingly ordinary."
"But I knew better."
"The rider's spiritual pressure was abnormal—too strong for someone with such a mundane title. His aura aligned with Tier 2 Body Refining."
Kazuki smirked faintly.
"No random cart rider possesses that kind of power."
"It was a 50-50 guess, but the moment I sensed that pressure, I knew."
[The Test of Goblins]
"And then… Darius made his move."
"While we were in the Elf Kingdom, he secretly released imprisoned goblins in the area."
"Why? Not to sabotage the elves… but to observe me. To evaluate my strength. To measure how much of a threat I truly was."
"He thought I wouldn't notice."
Kazuki's fists clenched lightly at his side.
"But I expected it."
"I let it happen."
"Because I wanted him to believe he was still in control."