THE PERFECT VILLAIN: Another chance with a system
Chapter 9: Father

Chapter 9: Father

The crimson moonlight rose brightly the next morning as Valak walked to the main hall—the grand hall of the demon lord.

His long robe trailed behind him as he stepped inside. "Father, it’s been a while. I heard you requested my presence."

"I did."

A voice answered from the shadows, slowly stepping into the crimson light. Standing in a thick black robe was a demon with a horn protruding through his forehead, splitting his black hair evenly—Cronos, the supreme demon lord.

His red, detached eyes stared back at Valak. "I heard the demon heirs are being hunted. Tell me, Valak, who is this interesting person with such potential?"

"Forgive me, Father. We have yet to find the person," Valak responded.

Cronos sighed, sitting on an oversized floor cushion. "Disappointing. Anyway, who died, and was it an honorable death?"

"Erna and Nevis. It was pathetic. Not worthy of note," Valak replied.

"Is that so? Then you can leave. I have no use for irrelevant heirs." Cronos stood to leave. Then Valak’s words stopped him briefly.

"Father, someone is trying to murder the demon heirs. All of them."

Cronos scoffed, then began walking without turning around. "Then if they succeed, they’d become my heir."

"Very well, Father." Valak bowed and left the hall.

Soon after Valak walked out of the grand hall, he looked further into the hallway, and at the very end was a little girl, her white hair packed in a bun. The youngest demon, Dreece.

"Hey, Valak! Hey!" she called out, waving her hands at him as she walked toward him.

"Dreece. I see you’ve returned," Valak responded casually. "Are you bored with the humans?"

"Certainly. They aren’t fun, and I can’t seem to find any heroes." She stopped a few feet away from Valak. He stopped too.

"Did Lambadack come with you?" Valak asked. Both Lambadack and Dreece were the youngest demons, barely a century old, and somehow had caused more chaos in the human realm in the last decade than any other demons.

Dreece scratched the back of her head. "Nope. She claimed she’s searching for the hero Aurelian for a rematch."

Valak looked at her for a moment, visibly confused. "Didn’t they say the hero Aurelian was executed?"

"Yep! But she isn’t buying that. She believes it’s some kind of hidden agenda to deceive the demons. She’s stubborn, you know," Dreece responded with a sigh.

"Didn’t you witness the execution?"

"I did!" Dreece paused momentarily. "—but she kept saying I was tricked, or that I’m making things up. We’ve been searching for clues for six months now. We haven’t found any trace of Aurelian. Frankly speaking, I’m already bored."

Valak shook his head and walked past her while she followed behind him. "So, what’s up? Anything interesting here?"

Valak replied without looking back at her. "Sure. Erna and Nevis are dead, and we have no clue who killed them."

"Wow! Both of them? I’ve been missing a lot," Dreece said with a smile. "I want to join in!"

Valak suddenly stopped and turned toward her. "Dreece, this is far beyond just power. You shouldn’t interfere." His expression turned more serious. "You would die. So I’ll tell you this—go back to the human realm for now."

"Huh?" Dreece stood there in confusion as Valak continued walking. It was the most serious she had seen him since the last war, over six months ago.

Valak had always had her back in anything, and if he suggested staying away, she knew better than to wait. She needed no further convincing.

She sighed, defeated. "—and I just got here. Back to the human realm, then."

She took a right turn at a corner. There was no need to wait around.

Vael paced around his room. He had obviously made himself suspicious to Valerie, and now he needed a foolproof plan.

With Erna dead, I have five siblings left. From his memories, both Lambadack and Dreece are in the human world, which leaves me with Valak and Valerie—both suspicious of me and incredibly smart.

Vael stopped, then walked back and sat on his bed.

Valak has the Authority of Truth, and I can tell it’s more advanced than my Authority of Theft. Lies and Shapeshifting wouldn’t be easy to use on him.

He laid flat on his back, staring at the ceiling.

Valerie, on the other hand—I have no idea what her abilities are, or if she has a unique skill. From what I recall, she’s the second most powerful demon heir, so I’m certain she wouldn’t be easy to take down either.

He paused, his fingers tapping the edge of the bed.

Facing both is certainly an impossible move. That means I’d need one or both to create the chaos, one or both to carry out the major massacre. Clearly, lies and deceit wouldn’t work on Valak.

Valerie, on the other hand, is a mastermind when it comes to playing along. It would be difficult to tell if she’s falling for it or simply playing along. A single misstep would lead to my doom.

His hand kept tapping the bed frame, repeating the same pattern.

Where do I begin? What is the perfect place to start?

Suddenly his tapping stopped as he sat back up.

Why do I feel like I’m missing a piece? A very important piece that I can’t recall?

He placed both hands on his head and closed his eyes, then began shaking his head as though shuffling through his thoughts, searching for what he couldn’t name.

Then, in an instant, an image appeared in his mind. Similar features to his own—red eyes and black hair. Vael immediately went pale, recognizing the person.

The one person who could ruin all his plans in an instant. The words came out, barely a whisper.

"Father."