The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 131: Chapter 129 — Conflict

”...my protege, are you actually a seventeen year old child, or some reincarnated demon pretending to be one?”

As he entered his room, Demorian materialized before Zephyrion, staring at him with eyes filled with disbelief. It was expected, especially after what Zephyrion had just done.

Zephyrion merely walked past him with a slight frown.

”...what are you talking about?”

”What am I talking about?!” Demorian stared at him like his entire worldview had just shattered.

”Boy, are you seriously asking me that right now? My brain has been marinating inside that rod for centuries and even I know seventeen year olds aren’t supposed to be that terrifying! To think that was why you asked about her children!”

Demorian had witnessed the entire scene with utter shock. The precision at which Zephyrion had controlled the situation...

He had lived for more than a century during his prime, yet never had he seen a child so terrifying.

Zephyrion cast the hovering ghost a glance.

’So that’s why he’s shocked.’

From the very beginning, he had asked the woman about her children with the intention of using them to instill fear.

Violence was Zephyrion’s least favorite form of manipulation due to its tendency to eventually fail. Unfortunately, he neither had the time nor information needed to slowly turn the maid.

And since he had no choice but to resort to violence, he was going to take it to the extreme. With something she cherished on the line, she would be far more likely to fall in line.

He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by Demorian’s continued ranting.

”...and the thing about the ironbound...” Demorian pointed accusingly at him.

”Complete nonsense! Absolute nonsense! I know for a fact you fed that poor woman crushed lettuce you stole from the kitchen! So how in the world was she screaming like you were peeling her organs apart?!”

Zephyrion finally turned, meeting Demorian’s intense stare. It was as though the ancestor was trying to peer directly into his thoughts. Still, Zephyrion paused slightly.

When he had choked her, he had used the blood element to force his own blood into her body, manipulating it to torture her from within.

Regardless, the main reason he had been capable of accomplishing such a thing was because of his ability to use the blood element in the first place.

Still, this was something Demorian clearly didn’t know.

’Should I tell him?’

His ability to use multiple elements was something Zephyrion had never revealed to anyone before, and for good reason. It was unprecedented. Completely unheard of.

Such a thing would inevitably draw the attention of powerful figures across the great empires toward him, and at his current stage, it was far too early for that.

Regardless, there was no doubting that Demorian was different.

Aside from the fact that the ancestor couldn’t exactly walk around exposing him even if he wanted to, unless Zephyrion intended to never use the elements again, there was no real way to hide it forever.

Eventually, Demorian would find out regardless.

”...I manipulated my blood to torture her from the inside.”

”Manipulated bloo—” Demorian abruptly stopped. Then slowly tilted his head. ”...wait.”

His eyes widened.

”...wait wait wait.”

”...”

”B-blood?” Demorian’s voice cracked. ”Did you just say blood?”

”I did.”

”But you’re Ferran!” Demorian blurted out.

”Since when do Ferrans casually manipulate blood?! What’s next? You start summoning storms because you felt curious?!”

Zephyrion merely shrugged.

”...I can use other elements.”

Demorian froze completely. The casualness with which Zephyrion had said it made it sound no different from commenting on the weather.

Other elements? Other elements!?

Demorian could no longer restrain himself.

”WHATTTTTTTTTT!?”

...

Demorian’s shout was loud enough to make Zephyrion’s head throb slightly. Yet the ancestor didn’t appear the least bit remorseful as he began pacing back and forth across the room.

”This is insane... completely insane! Multiple elements?! How does that even make sense?!”

”...”

”No, seriously, explain it to me!” Demorian snapped, pacing around the room while clutching his head dramatically.

”Do you know how many scholars would explode on the spot if they heard this? Entire academies would collapse! Old men would start foaming at the mouth!”

”Calm down.”

”Calm down?!” Demorian whirled toward him in disbelief. ”Boy, you just casually told me you can use multiple elements like you were informing me it might rain today!”

”...it’s not that serious.”

”NOT THAT SERIOUS?!” Demorian looked moments away from fainting. ”I swear the heavens personally created you just to mock common sense!”

Zephyrion simply watched the man undergo what looked like a complete life crisis without the slightest change in expression.

At the very least, Demorian’s reaction confirmed one thing for him.

’So it’s just me.’

Demorian had also been rune born, and if he was reacting like this, then it meant that even during his era, he had never been capable of controlling multiple elements.

Meaning this ability wasn’t something connected to rune borns in general... but specifically to him alone.

It seemed this power was far more special than he had originally thought.

”Wait!” Demorian suddenly halted mid-step, his eyes widening as though he had just recalled something deeply unsettling. ”You’re not the only one capable of using multiple elements...”

His teeth suddenly gritted together, his expression turning fierce.

”...Frost...”

Zephyrion’s eyes sharpened slightly.

’I see.’

Zephyrion had long held his suspicions, but they had never truly been confirmed. The first time he encountered that man had been within the Pyrian territory.

There, Frost’s appearance had been entirely different. With crimson hair and eyes, he had resembled a Pyrian through and through.

Yet the moment they reached the Order, he had simply shed that appearance, his hair and eyes turning snow white.

Even then, Zephyrion had sensed that the transformation hadn’t merely been superficial. It had gone far deeper than that.

Now, Demorian had confirmed those suspicions.

”...he can use multiple elements?”

”Yes!” Demorian growled. ”That bastard... during the destruction of the Verdant Empire, he used their own element to wipe them out! That’s why the entire world thinks it was some internal conflict!”