The Broken Halo

After Lucien and Ymir left, Simon was all alone in the frozen expanse.

The cold wind and snow blew all around him as he stood alone in the wilderness of ice, and Simon stood in one spot for a few seconds before he sat on the frozen floor with his legs crossed.

He waved his hands across the ground, and three objects appeared.

The Fleshwood’s heart resin, the Hydra’s blood, and the Ice Corpse Flower.

Simon looked at these three items with a frown and a solemn expression.

”On this mission alone, I obtained three rare items.”

His frown deepened.

Previously, he had been focusing on the Hydra’s blood and the Fleshwood’s heart resin, but he remembered that the Ice Corpse Flower was also among them.

’It’s very strange that I’m this lucky. It’s just too strange.’

’Now, I have two ingredients that are meant for the Poison Empress’ ultimate creation, and I was able to get an item that can solve three issues I have.’

’That’s just too coincidental... Something is definitely going to happen, and it’s related to Caesar... Or Lucien.’

Simon released a soft sigh, then he looked at the location where First Blade killed the Grey Pact.

’I’ve thought long and hard about everything that happened. About why Caesar told First Blade to betray the Grey Pact, and about First Blade using the clawed gauntlets to kill Vexa and the rest.’

Simon rested his chin on his right fist, and his gaze became distant as he delved deep into his thoughts.

”The only reason why he’ll do such a thing is to frame me. I can’t think of any other thing.”

”But it doesn’t make sense at all for him to frame me. I can prove that I’m not the murderer by telling them to check the traces of foreign demonic energy in the injuries in their... bodies.”

Simon slowly paused, then he clicked his tongue.

”Could that be the reason why First Blade sent their corpses away? They want to make it more believable that I killed them? Maybe infuse my demonic energy or something that’s similar to my demonic energy in their injuries?”

Simon narrowed his eyes.

”But even if they do that, anybody with a working brain should ask how I was able to kill five Half-Step Greater Demons as a Fiend.”

”The most powerful demons I’ve defeated in the academy are Supreme Archfiends. I’ve never fought a Half-Step Greater Demon before, so there’s no proof that I can defeat one, talk less of kill five.”

Simon paused, then he placed his hand on the frozen sea and leaned backward.

”Even if Caesar tries to frame me by the claw marks and by an imitation or my actual demonic energy, it’s still not enough proof that I’m the murderer. He’ll need a very convincing evidence that I’m the murderer.”

”I don’t know if Caesar has a very convincing evidence to make everybody believe that I’m the murderer, but I’m not so worried about that.”

Simon’s lips curled up slightly as he looked at the sky that’s filled with falling snow.

”I have a shit ton of money now, so I should be able to bribe my way out of any problems. There’s nothing money can’t buy, you just haven’t given the right price.”

Simon chuckled softly, then he released a deep sigh.

He turned to his left and stared at the place where First Blade’s severed arm and ashes fell into the sea.

”The only problem I’m going to face is when I’m asked to explain how I killed First Blade who is a Supreme Greater Demon.”

”I was hoping Ymir and Lucien would be able to land the killing blow on the old demon, but unfortunately, that plan of mine failed due to something I didn’t account for.”

Simon shook his head slightly.

”I don’t even have a corpse to use as proof that the old bastard was even here. The arm I severed has definitely sunk and moved to an unknown place underneath this ice, so I have nothing to show that the old demon was present.”

Simon released another sigh as he leaned forward with his elbows resting on his thighs.

”The absence of First Blade’s corpse might be a problem, but I should be able to get around it.”

”I just need to tell them that it was Lucien and Ymir that killed First Blade. A little bit of lie with the truth.”

”... Quite unfortunate that I don’t have his corpse to devour or his spatial ring.”

Simon shifted his gaze to the Fleshwood’s heart resin, the Hydra’s blood essence, and the Ice Corpse Flower.

”Well, I don’t know what exactly Caesar has in store for me, but I have to be prepared for something terrible.”

”Although this might lead to me being extremely unlucky in the future, it’ll be more foolish of me to not use what I was given.”

Simon grabbed the Ice Corpse Flower and the Hydra’s blood essence, then he sent them back into his spatial ring.

He was about to pick up the Fleshwood’s heart resin, but he stopped and looked at his spatial ring.

”I should probably keep this somewhere and wear another ring.”

Simon looked at his body from up to down, then he brought out of the decoy spatial rings he had before hiding Hell’s Sword Daemon inside his boot.

’For something that could end up so serious, my spatial ring might be seized. Luckily, I have a few things inside this decoy ring.’

After hiding the spatial ring, he took the Fleshwood’s heart resin and looked at it with a suspicious look.

”Hey Lilith. You were telling me something earlier about the Fleshwood.”

[Yes. Do you want to hear about it now or after you’ve consumed the Fleshwood’s heart resin?]

Simon narrowed his eyes slightly.

”If I drink it directly, will it try to take over my mind or my body? Are there side effects?”

Lilith released a soft sigh.

[I guess I should tell you about the Fleshwood before you consume it.]