King Edward and Evelyn were both frozen in disbelief as Cian Aurelias' furious words echoed in the room.

Edward leaned slightly back, staring at Alex with wide eyes.

'Did this guy just pull the biggest scam on the second most powerful man in the entire Holy Empire… and he doesn't even look scared?'

The king's gaze lingered on Alex, who sat there smiling casually, as if he had just won a simple card game rather than outmaneuvered a political titan.

'What the hell is this guy…' Edward thought.

Meanwhile, in Evelyn's mind, a familiar divine voice echoed with amusement.

| Hahahaha! Eve, did you just see that? The guy literally scammed an entire nation! |

Evelyn frowned internally. 'Don't you have any decency? The nation he scammed is your believers, Aurora.'

| Well, you're right about that, | Aurora said with a mischievous laugh, | but lately, that place has been rotting with corruption. We needed to do something about it anyway. Consider this… a divine nudge in the right direction. |

Evelyn sighed softly. 'A divine nudge, you say Unbelievable…'

Meanwhile, Alex grinned ear to ear, leaning slightly forward in his chair.

"What? How could you accuse me like that, Mr. Cian? Do you really think I'd scam the Holy Empire itself?"

His tone was dripping with sarcasm, but the glint in his amethyst eyes made Cian's blood boil.

Liana slammed her fist on the table. "We're not accusing you, boy! We're stating the truth — because it already happened, and you're the one who did it!"

Alex sighed softly, rubbing his temple. "What a shame. And here I was, trying to be friendly before making my demands. Humans are so impatient."

Cian's aura flared violently, thick mana rippling through the room as he glared at Alex. "I dare you to make any demands, brat!"

Alex's smirk widened. "So I take it you're breaking the mana contract, then? And refusing to pay your two hundred billion credit's debt?"

Cian's eyes burned with fury. "To hell with tha—"

He didn't finish. His voice cut off abruptly as the mana inside his body began to spiral out of control. His veins glowed faintly with blue light, his breathing turned ragged, and suddenly, blood started pouring from his lips and eyes.

"Wh–What's happening?!" Azrael exclaimed, stepping forward.

Selena's face turned serious. "The consequences of breaking a mana contract," she said coldly. "Even Monarch-ranked beings aren't exempt from it."

Cian fell to one knee, gasping in pain as the unstable mana inside him tried to tear his core apart.

Liana screamed in horror. "Stop! We'll hear your demands!"

Cian gritted his teeth and nodded weakly, barely holding his composure. Slowly, the mana around him began to stabilize, and his breathing steadied, though his face was pale and drenched in sweat.

Alex straightened up, clasping his hands together with a satisfied smile. "Perfect. Then let's start."

His voice echoed clearly through the tense chamber.

"My first demand — as I am a generous man, I'll allow you to pay back the sum of two hundred billion in installments."

Cian exhaled heavily and muttered, "I… accept."

Alex nodded. "Good. Now, my second demand — since the control of Genesis Biotech and the antidote are now in my hands, the antidote will be produced inside the Avaloria Empire. Furthermore, the supply of the cure will also be managed by Avaloria, and the Holy Empire will have to pay, just like every other nation, for the supply of the cure."

Cian's face twisted with outrage. "That's too much! We still hold forty-five percent of the company's shares! You can't just do that!"

Alex chuckled softly. "Of course, I can. And if you don't like it, I'll simply retract my demands — meaning you'll have to pay the entire amount immediately."

Cian's teeth ground audibly. His hands clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.

Seeing his reaction, Alex tilted his head innocently. "Alright, fine. If that doesn't suit you, I have another suggestion."

Cian's voice came out hoarse. "What is it?"

Alex gestured toward Evelyn, who had been watching quietly. "Give Miss Evelyn here the remaining forty-five percent of the shares. In return, I'll ensure the cure is supplied to the Holy Nation at a fair price — one that she and I will decide together. Additionally, for the Church specifically, a monthly supply of the antidote will be given free of charge."

The room went silent again.

Cian's eyes flickered with hesitation, but then calculation crept into his expression. 'Wait… this could work. If I agree, the people will see me as their savior — the man who brought the cure to them.

My influence will skyrocket just as i originally planned and I also don't care about money right now; what I need is power—enough to surpass my father and seize control of the Holy Empire. The wealth will follow on its own.'

He smirked faintly. 'Yes… this will work perfectly.'

But before he could respond, Liana snapped at him. "Don't accept it, Cian!" she said sharply. "It's a trap!"

Cian ignored her, looking straight at Alex. "I accept."

Alex leaned back, smiling with quiet satisfaction. "Perfect. Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Cian forced a thin smile. "Just remember what you've promised, boy."

Alex nodded. "Of course. Every antidote shipment will be inspected by your own officers before it leaves Avaloria's borders. Fair enough?"

Cian grunted. "Fine."

Alex tilted his head. "And I assume you'll keep your promise as well?"

Cian adjusted his coat, his pride barely holding together. "The transfer of shares will be completed by tomorrow morning."

"Wonderful," Alex said lightly. "Then I won't keep you any longer. Have a safe trip, Mr. Cian… Miss Liana."

Without wasting a second, Cian turned and strode toward the door, Liana following behind with a stormy expression. The heavy doors of the meeting room closed behind them, leaving silence in their wake.

Now alone in the meeting room, everyone just stared at Alex continuously — their gazes a strange mix of awe, confusion, and disbelief.

Alex blinked, glancing around. "What?"

No one answered at first. Then Evelyn sighed softly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Sometimes, I don't understand how you become so intelligent sometimes when most of the time you act like an idiot."

Everyone — Azrael, Selena, and even Jack — nodded their heads in perfect unison.

Alex clicked his tongue. "How rude. I've always been a peace-loving guy… who just happens to be very handsome and intelligent at the same time."

They all stared at him silently, their expressions blank.

Selena muttered, "He's hopeless."

Alex placed a hand on his chest dramatically. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Then suddenly, King Edward spoke, breaking the light mood. "Alex… you're going to sell the antidote for Abyssal Corruption to my country at a cheaper price, right?"

Alex tilted his head, smirking slightly. "Oh? And what makes you think that, Your Majesty?"

Edward's mouth twitched. "Well… because…"

Alex leaned forward, smiling mischievously. "Yes, I'm listening."

Inside, Edward's thoughts raced. 'Damn it… I've got nothing to bargain with. And after what I just saw, it'd be suicide to get on his bad side. I should try a… softer approach.'

Finally, he cleared his throat and said, "Because you're my daughter's friend! And… just as you said, you're the kindest person of all!"

Alex's jaw went slack as he stared at the king in disbelief.

'Unbelievable… daughter and father really are the same. Always asking for favors whenever they can.'

He sighed deeply. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. For the beautiful time I spent in prison with this…"

He pointed toward Azrael, who raised a brow, already sensing an insult coming.

"…ugly servant of mine," Alex finished with a grin.

Azrael scowled as he thought. ' yup I'm going to kill you one day, it's decided '

Alex then continued in a teasingly grand tone towards Edward. "I will supply the antidote to our country at a very, very, very, very reasonable price, Your Majesty — especially to the royal family."

His smirk widened slightly as he added, "You'll never find anything cheaper, I promise you that."

Edward's mouth twitched again. He could clearly feel the hidden meaning behind those words — Alex wasn't giving it away for cheaper Edward was sure if that.

'He's mocking me,' Edward thought helplessly. 'This kid's got more guts than half the nobles in my court.'

Trying to salvage his dignity, Edward said, "Look, Alex, I also feel bad for everything that happened to you. But you should at least try to see things from my point of view too…"

Before he could finish, Alex stood up, stretching casually. "Alright, Your Majesty, I'd love to, but I have somewhere to be. Goodbye."

"Wait, Alex—" Edward called, but Alex was already halfway out the door.

The king just slumped back into his chair, muttering, "That boy's going to give me gray hair before my time at this rate."

A few minutes later, Alex stepped out of the palace into the golden evening light. The tension of the courtroom and negotiations finally began to fade. He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

'Finally, some peace,' he thought. 'Now maybe I can go eat something before the next headache finds me.'

But as soon as he spotted someone standing near the main entrance, that thought vanished.

Evelyn was there, her golden hair shimmering faintly in the sunset, her expression calm yet unreadable.

Alex froze mid-step.

Evelyn turned her head and started walking toward him — each step graceful, deliberate, and a little intimidating.

Alex instinctively took a step back.

She stopped right in front of him, her eyes meeting his. "I need to talk to you… alone."

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