Chapter 18 – Love War (part 2) and Final

Flashback

Yuuri, the sons of the ex-Maou and Gunter were in the office as agreed. The three loyal subjects had updated their king tremendously with great, current news and reports happened when he was on Earth. To their surprise, the king did not utter any complaint. He just nodded, noted key important points and made quick decisions to resolve issues, showing strong characteristics like a real sovereign.

The meeting unexpectedly ended very early and Yuuri asked them to leave. The two brothers obeyed except Gunter, wailing and requesting to stay, as he hasn't been with his beloved king for a long time until Gwendal had no choice but to pull the lilac haired mazoku out of the room, ignoring the wails.

"Yuuri?" Conrad called, watching the king signing the paperwork, sheet by sheet.

"Yes?" Seeing the brown haired soldier hesitated, Yuuri looked up at his godfather for a second before continuing with his task. "Anything, Conrad?"

"Err... Well," Conrad walked towards the door. "just want to remind you not to work too hard. You've just came back home. I'm afraid you would be tired."

As usual, the king showed his goofy smile. "Just signing these few papers. It won't take very long. After all, I'm meeting Lienette later."

"And, I need to remind you that there is a dinner tonight with Lord Lorans."

"Sure, I'll definitely be there. Thank you." The brunette soldier bowed a little and walked out of the room. Yuuri's smile faded, replaced by an annoyed one, *Like I care!*

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Yuuri walked out of the office, heading towards the royal garden, Lady Lienette's favourite place. However the princess was not there. *She should be here at this time for tea.* A maid walked past and the king quickly approached to ask about the princess's whereabouts. However she shook her head. *I don't think she went to town for I told her to wait until my meeting ends.*

Thinking the princess might be in her room, Yuuri walked towards the direction. While heading there, his mind wandered off, remembering how he confessed to the princess when his other self too confessed to the blond.Yuuri let out a chuckle. *Maou Heika confessed to Wolf with only a button? The Maou surely understands the meaning of Gakuran button for he has been living inside me for years. Two souls in one body confessed to two different persons.* When the king reached his destination, he knocked on the door but nobody answered. *She's not here too? Where did she go?* Unable to think where the princess would be, he finally gave up and chose to use his power to sense her whereabouts. Yuuri followed his aura. The king walked and walked until he reached an abandoned hut with two wooden benches next to it. *What place is this?*

Slowly approaching, he heard someone talking in the unknown place. Despite their voices were soft, Yuuri recognized one of them. It was Lady Lienette's and she was talking with a male! *So, she is indeed here.* Feeling something amiss and weird, the king decided to check. Quietly hid behind the tall bushes, he was shocked to see Lady Lienette hugging a young man who dressed in brown military uniform from behind and the king tried to eavesdrop their conversation.

"Y... You love me?" The soldier asked in surprise. Lady Lienette shyly nodded. "What about Heika? Aren't you two a couple?"

"Initially I thought we are until I realized..."

"The Maou confessed to Lord von Bielefeld when he was on the verge of death?" The princess sadly nodded. "Yes, everyone was shocked as well to find out that the king we always see every day is actually a different person from the powerful Maou. Anyway, it was Yuuri Heika who confessed to you, not the powerful Maou."

"I know, but Bryan, I don't feel the love towards him anymore. It was you whom I loved. You're always there by my side when I'm alone, when Yuuri isn't around..."

The soldier turned, releasing the embrace. "I don't want you to cheat on Heika because of me. It's a treachery and we'll be both killed! Heika will declare a war!" He walked a step backward. "And, we're not supposed to be together. You're a princess and I'm just a soldier. Our status is different."

"Yuuri's a good king. He wouldn't want to have a war! Bryan, I don't mind about your status. I love you for who you are, not what you are. Now, what I want to know is do you love me?" The soldier was stunned at the confession. "Answer me, do you love me?"

"..."

"Tell me, please!"

"I do, of course."

Lady Lienette smiled in relief to hear the reply. She hugged the man and in return, Bryan hugged her. "I will talk to Yuuri when he came over to see me."

"When?"

"After he finishes his meeting with Lord von Voltaire." Lady Lienette tightened the hug.

"Why not now?"

"You're too eager, Bryan. We can't intercept the meeting. There are plenty of things Lord von Voltaire needs to update Yuuri."

"Lady Lienette, I didn't say that."

"What?"

"It wasn't me..." Lady Lienette and Bryan abruptly released the embrace, froze still as they heard someone stepping the dried leaves, approaching them. They gasped to see it was the black haired demon king, slowly walking out from his hideout! They could feel black aura of rage surrounding the king. "H... Heika?"

"Yuuri?" Lady Lienette trembled in fear. "H...How do you know we're here? Aren't you in the meeting?"

"That's not the point. The point is, I know why you're here! And what you two have been doing behind my back all this long!" Yuuri clenched his fist in anger, sending out deadly glares at Bryan. Face-to-face the soldier, the king poked his uniform hard for three times and Bryan could feel the stinging on his chest. "You're Conrad's subordinate, huh?"

The soldier nodded, shaking in fear. "Yes, Heika. My name is Bryan..."

"I'm not asking for your name!" Yuuri snapped. Bryan bit his lips in silence. "You and Lienette were already together since when?"

The soldier gulped. "Almost to four months, I guess Heika...but..."

"WHAT!?" Yuuri yelled. The black aura grew darker. "HOW DARE YOU!?"

Bryan begged on his knees, stammering in terror. "I'm sorry for hiding this from you, Heika. I didn't mean to approach Lady Lienette. B... But I saw her crying in the garden, almost every night alone. I just want to talk to her to find out what's going on, what makes her so miserable...try to help her, cheer her... I didn't do anything inappropriate to her, Heika."

"Oh really? Didn't I just hear you confessed to her?" Yuuri turned his glares at the blue haired princess, expecting for an explanation. Seeing the princess gripping her shaking hands, the king waited until she was brave enough to speak.

"Yes! I love him! So, are you going to call me a cheater? Shibuya Yuuri, don't forget that you're the one who cheated me first!"

"Uh?" Yuuri was surprised at the remark.

"You and Maou Heika are different people, sharing the same body! You think I don't know the Maou went into Lord von Bielefeld's room in the middle of the night? Do you know how suffered I am to hear from the rumours that the king cheated on me openly, visiting Lord von Bielefeld almost every night?" Tears appeared in the princess's eyes. "They even say, I am no better than him. The king who always proudly declare to everyone that he would never fall for a guy, changes because of Lord von Bielefeld!" Lady Lienette wiped away her tears. "I was thinking of killing myself due to the humiliation. Fortunately Bryan was there to support me." She held the soldier up.

"My lady." Bryan called.

"As you have mentioned, we're sharing the same body. It was the Maou who cheated on you! Not me!"

Lady Lienette shook her head. "No, it wasn't true." Taking a deep breath, the princess continued, "You've changed too. I started to notice how you treat Lord von Bielefeld when he's assigned to be your personal trainer. The way you two talk, fight, argue, just like a love couple." Smiling sadly, the princess went on, "I thought I still had the chance to win your heart when we went to Caloria... however the two of you were sent to Earth all of a sudden and didn't return for weeks... so I gave up."

"And you start seeing him more often?" asked Yuuri, pointing his finger at the soldier. "Neglecting Greta?"

"Yes," the princess answered firmly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to neglect her. But that night when Maou Heika confessed to Lord von Bielefeld, when I realized that you and Maou Heika are not the same person, I'm confused and lost. I didn't know what to do. I do not know how..."

"Don't you push all the blames on us, you, selfish woman! If you love me, you would have fight and not seeing other guy! I'm pissed off and so disappointed of you!" Yuuri raised his hand all of a sudden, accumulated the black aura in his palm. Thinking the king would hurt the princess, Bryan immediately stood in front, stretching both arms, shielding the princess.

"Heika, it was my fault. I shouldn't get close to Lady Lienette. If you want to kill her, please don't... kill me only. Let Lady Lienette go."

"No, Bryan!" Lady Lienette hugged the man. "Don't sacrifice for me. If you do, I'll die with you!"

Watching the two protecting each other, Yuuri yelled "STOP!" and the two froze. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU TWO? I WAS JUST SCRATCHING MY HEAD!" The king's palm touched the back of his head and the aura vanished in a blink of an eye!

Seeing the aura was gone and the king's goofy smile, the princess stammered, "You're not killing us?"

"Why should I? Lienette, seeing you have found the one you truly love, I would give 100% blessing. I'm not that unreasonable right? You two really care for each other. I'm very envied."

Bryan huffed in relief, wiping off his sweat on the forehead. "But... you're so mad just now and I thought you want to kill us with the palm of yours! The aura looks very intimidating!"

Yuuri burst into laughter. "I was just testing you two. Of course I need to make sure my acting and the aura look real."

"Heika, mind if I ask, how did you create the aura?" asked Bryan. Yuuri paused for a moment before he began to laugh again, avoiding that question.

"What's next?"

"I'll tell everything to my father about Bryan," said Lady Lienette. "Perhaps tomorrow, I'll return to Caloria."

"Err... So soon?"

"Yes. The only thing I worried about is Lorans. My brother is a stubborn fellow. He surely blames everything on you despite I explained to him."

"He'll understand."

The princess shook her head. "He definitely thinks we annul the relationship is due to Lord von Bielefeld." There was a brief silence. "You know my brother is here to propose his hand in marriage, right?" Yuuri gave a slight nod. Lady Lienette held Bryan's arm, going to leave. "Then, I wish you all the best."

"Hey, see you at dinner!"

"I think it would be inappropriate. After all, I want to spend more time alone with Bryan as I'm leaving tomorrow." Yuuri nodded in understanding. "Bryan?" The soldier faced the princess. "Once everything is settled, I'll ask you to come and see my father."

"Then I should start to write a request letter and get permission from Weller-kyo," said Bryan.

"Let me do it." Yuuri offered.

"Thanks, Heika! You're really a good king. I vow to protect you with my life." The soldier bowed.

"Yuuri?" The king looked at the blue haired princess. "You're really a nice person. The necklace, I'll return it to you later."

"No, you don't have to. If you don't mind, keep it as a gift from a friend." Lady Lienette refused. "Take it."

"B... But..."

"I say, take it."

The princess smiled. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome." Yuuri smiled in satisfaction, seeing the two walking away.

End of Flashback

"Yuuri Heika, I challenge you for a duel!" shouted Lord Lorans.

"What are you doing?" Wolfram stood up, pulling the prince away. "Challenge him for a duel, are you crazy?"

"To show you that I love you. I want to win you back! Trust me, I can give you happiness!" replied Lord Lorans, holding the blond's arms.

Wolfram shook his head in disbelief. "You don't understand, do you? We just met and I don't know you. Plus I have no feelings towards you and... why should I need you to do that?"

"What? Yuuri Heika and Lady Lienette, no more?" At first, everyone in the room was silenced but when the maids started to whisper each other at the back, the environment changed. "So it's true after all," said Sangria.

"That's why Lady Lienette is not here," said Doria.

"And I saw her packing? Saying she's leaving tomorrow?" said Lasagna.

"So soon?" added Sangria.

"When does this happen?" asked Gunter. "How?"

"It's your fault causing me to miss so much interesting news," Lady Anissina interrupted.

"What? Why me?"

"For you're weak and that caused me spending too much time in the laboratory, missing the latest gossip?"

Lord Lorans heard the maids, got annoyed. "Look at what you have done! You neglected my sister and now you agreed with her, be together with a mere soldier who dressed in brown!" The prince's finger was pointing at Conrad! "That guy called B… Br… what's his name again?"

"Bryan." Yuuri answered nonchalantly.

"Yes, Bryan!" Lord Lorans repeated. "That's his name!"

"Bryan? Who's Bryan?" the maids whispered to each other. Gwendal stared at Conrad, shaking his head.

"Lord Lorans, even though you're a guest, I won't allow you to be rude to the king!" Gunter spoke. "Please apologize to Yuuri Heika now!" Yuuri beckoned the lilac haired demon to keep silent.

Gwendal stood up. He needed to put a stop on this. He instructed his half brother to escort the king out of the dining room. "Mother, I leave Lord Lorans to you. The rest, please stay and continue the meal." The brown haired soldier nodded and followed the order when Yuuri beckoned him to stay still.

"Yuuri?" Conrad gasped. Watching the king walking towards the cutlery and slowly bent down, everyone surprised to see the king took a serviette and dropped it on one of the knives before picking it up.

"What are you doing, Heika? Remove the serviette. Pick the bare knife! Accept the duel like a real man!" shouted the blue haired prince.

"What does that mean?" asked Greta.

"Heika doesn't accept the duel," explained Lady Anissina.

"And I'm impressed that Heika knows this custom," asked Lady Cecilia in delight.

*This is getting interesting. Shibuya, what will you do now? Together with Maou?* Murata grinned, enjoying watching the show.

Wolfram whispered in anger, "Mother, stop it, will you? You still have the time to be impressed. You brought him here so fix this mess right now!" The ex-Maou ignored her son's grumble, taking a sip of her red wine. *Yuuri, what are you up to?*

"Heika!" Lord Lorans yelled.

"Lord Lorans, you're not very mature," Yuuri sighed, slowly wiping the knife with the serviette. "You don't understand true love, do you?"

"What?"

"Sounds like you aren't happy for Lienette when she finds her true love. Or you mind about Bryan's status as a mere soldier?" The king faced the prince, both were the same height. "Ah... I see. You don't wish to have a rival, so that you can have Wolfram, all to yourself?" Lord Lorans kept silent.

"Wimp, what nonsense are you talking about!" Wolfram murmured in embarrassment. "Shut up!"

"It's not that I don't accept your challenge. You know what, I just could not think of a reason why I should fight with you." The king tossed the serviette away, holding the knife in his right hand.

"Nonsense! You're just afraid of me! You're a coward! You can't even hold your sword properly..."

Yuuri played the knife with his fingers in front of the prince, which earned a "Heika!" and "Be careful!" from his loyal subjects. Surprisingly they watched the king playing the utensil so casually without hurting his fingers. "Excuse me?" He smirked. Softly whispered to the prince's ear, "I forgive you for saying that word! I'm no coward. But when I say, I don't fight, I mean it!" Lord Lorans gulped, feeling the strong maryoku emitting from the king.

*Did Yuuri Heika transform into the Maou? When?* Lady Cecilie thought. She could feel the Maou's maryoku all of a sudden in the room and slowly turned to her sons. It seemed that Gwendal and Conrad too feeling the power. The three looked at the fire mazoku, however Wolfram did not response, silently watching the king walked to the dining table, placing the knife on the table.

"Aaaww, my beloved Heika is good," Gunter was too mesmerized with his beloved king's skill, unnoticed by the power. "Since when did he know how to play with knives? I'm so proud to be his advisor."

*Is Maou Heika with us all this while, during the dinner?* Gwendal thought.

"Yuuri?" Conrad frowned. "Are you and Maou Heika finally merged?"

"Lord Lorans, Wolfram is not a prize to win in the duel. If you love him, you need to prove it to him. Win his heart!"

"WHAT!" Wolfram screamed. "Wimp, what nonsense are you talking about!"

"Yuuri Heika just asked Lord Lorans to flirt openly with Lord von Bielefeld!" said Doria.

"Heika was a brave man!" said Sangria.

"Romantic!" said Lasagna.

"Oh..." Yuuri smacked his forehead. "How rude of me to forget and not telling you this important news. Lord Lorans, actually I'm not a selfish type of person. I'm big-hearted. I like people find their true love. So, I don't mind you to flirt with Wolf and I'm welcoming you to be my love rival!"

"Love rival?" whispered the maids, giggling.

"But too bad, you're too late." The king added.

"What?" Lord Lorans asked in surprise. "What is too late?" Wolfram felt uneasiness.

Yuuri sighed, pretended to sound a little disappointed. "Wolf already belongs to me!" All the occupants in the room, stunned at the remark. The king shook his head. "No no no, it isn't right. It was Wolf who proposed to me after all. Allow me to rephrase. I already belong to Wolf!"

"Really, Wolfe?" Lady Cecilie broke the silence, exclaimed in delight. "Is that true?"

"Sure, Cheri-sama. Wolf and I were already engaged on Earth. My family can be the witness. And you know what," the king rubbed his left cheek, smiled wickedly "he slapped me hard, very, very hard."

"No way!" Wolfram shook his head. He collapsed onto the dining chair. His face turned pale, as white as sheet. It was totally unbelievable that the wimpy king would announce that incident unashamedly in front of everyone especially his family!

Yuuri smiled in victory. The king asked for his daughter's hand. "Greta, let's go and look at your cake!"

The door closed. In a second, there were screams and yells in the dining hall. Wolfram was hugged by Lady Cecilie and almost suffocated by her big, ample bosom. "It was an accident! The slap was an accident!" Wolfram explained to his mother.

"Oh Wolfe, you're just like me! So daring to fight for true love! I'm so proud of you!" Lady Cecilie planted many kisses on the youngest son, forehead and cheeks. "I should have known you would get married earlier than your brothers!"

"Brother Gwendal, help me!" Gwendal and Conrad did nothing but looking at each other, shaking their heads. "Aargh! YUURRI! I'm going to burn you into crisps!"

*My, my... This is what I've missed on Earth. No wonder Shibuya is so confident that Lord von Bielefeld won't accept Lord Lorans* The Great Sage grinned. *Great job, Shibuya!*

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A week passed...

Yuuri was sitting on a bench alone. Even though there was a book in his hand, the king wasn't reading. His pair of black orbs was looking at the sun slowly setting into the horizon when he heard someone approaching him from behind. The footsteps stopped. "I'm glad you've returned safely. How's your trip to Bielefield? Did you send my regards to Lord Waltorana?" The king tapped on the empty seat next to him. "Come and sit with me."

The fire mazoku gasped in surprise. He stepped forward, now face-to-face the king. "How do you know it's me?"

Tilting his head up, looking at the blond, the king answered, "If I say, it was your scent, do you believe me?"

Wolfram let out a hump. "Yeah, right." Yuuri shook his head with a smile. Seven days has passed since that night, everyone in the castle knew about their engagement, the blond was still so feisty. The king silently stared at the beautiful pair of emerald eyes, which belonged to the man he finally realized how important he was... his accidental fiancé. And in return, Wolfram stared at the pair of black orbs. Emerald orbs vs black orbs.

"What did Lord Waltorana say about our engagement?" the king asked. "I bet he is surely happy." Wolfram did not reply but continued to stare at the king's eyes, trying to find out whether the other boy, was the perverted king, or the wimp? However he failed to tell as the sky was getting darker. "What is it, Wolf?" the king asked.

"Are you Yuuri or Maou Heika?"

A wicked smile was shown on the face. "Which one would you prefer?"

"It's not funny. Stop making me confused!" Wolfram crossed his arms, got annoyed.

"Both."

"So, it's true? You and Maou Heika have merged into a single soul?" asked Wolfram again to confirm.

"I've told you."

"Did you? When was it?"

"On that night I kissed you in front of my family?" Yuuri slightly brushed his bottom lip with a thumb.

"What!" The arms dropped. Wolfram recalled that incident, looking away, embarrassed. "B... But how does it happen? I mean I know Maou Heika loves me but the wimp doesn't show any sign of affection to me... That doesn't make sense!"

"You know about that?"

"Geika told me that night, when Lord Lorans challenged you. He told me everything about your merge and explained why he agreed to choose me to be your personal trainer in the first place. To spend more time with you, maybe there is a chance that you might fall for me." Wolfram smacked his head. "I know this is all Shinou Heika's plan after all... playing pranks on his descendents when you entrusted your soul to him. And he reincarnated Rachel..."

"It may not what you think, Wolf."

"He just used us for entertainment!"

"Well, Shinou Heika has been living around us for millenniums. It's fine if he needs some entertainment?" The king murmured. Seeing the deadly glares, Yuuri let out a few coughs. He beckoned the blond to sit. Wolfram refused but the king pulled him to sit. "Wolf, having the same feeling doesn't mean both of us need to love you in the romantic way. It's true that initially I feel having the relationship with the same gender is wrong. But the idea started to grow when I get to know you more. I realized how truly important you are to me. I love you as a companion. I try my best not to let you leave me. And now..."

"Now what?"

"And now, I'm in love with you." Wolfram blushed at the blatant confession. Yuuri held the blond's hand. The grip got stronger when Wolfram tried to release his hand. "I know you had the same feeling towards me too."

Wolfram looked away, hiding his blush. "When did you realize you love me?"

Yuuri placed his head on the blond's shoulder, chuckling. "Probably when Daisuke appears. I'm not sure. Perhaps I got jealous, seeing both of you seeing each other so often. The feeling was getting stronger when I found out you got lost in the shopping mall. Remember?" Wolfram nodded. "I was freaked out when I thought I might lose you and I used whatever power I had, to search for you. On that day, I felt the Maou's power suddenly flowing inside me and I'm able to find you..." Yuuri chuckled again. "soaking in wet like a water chicken."

"Stop laughing. I didn't mean to get lost."

"Then, why were you lost?"

"I... I..." Wolfram did not wish to answer, but when he looked at Yuuri's concerned look, he gave up. "I saw a boy who looked like you. Dressing in a white T-shirt like what you often wear at the baseball game, he too holding a bat in his right arm while chatting with his friends, I thought it was you but when I realized that you're at home, I quickly turn to Daisuke. Then suddenly he was nowhere to be found."

Yuuri knocked on the blond's head. "Silly!"

"Ow, what's that for?"

"Do you really miss me that much?"

"Who says I miss you?" Wolfram rubbed his head. "Don't do that again."

"Do what?"

"Knock my head!"

"I'm the king, I can knock your head whenever I pleased."

"You dare?"

"Of course I dare!" Another knock on the blond's head. "See!"

Wolfram rubbed his head, got irritated. "You will see what I can do." The blond snapped his fingers, creating a spark!

"Play fire? Wolf, don't do that. I can summon water, remember?" Yuuri got up quickly. "Don't get mad if I make you wet!"

"If you say so, stand still. Don't fight back! Just accept my fireball! You say you love me, you need to get used to this."

"Alright, to prove I love you, I stand still. I won't move a single muscle. I promise." Yuuri stayed still, obediently. Wolfram smiled. The king watched a fireball was created in the blond's palm. He slowly shut his eyes.

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Wolfram threw the fireball!

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Yuuri could feel the heat, coming towards him. The fire was hot! Wolfram's fireball was indeed hot!

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But... to his suprise...

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Yuuri didn't feel the burn. What he felt was someone hugged him and he could recognize the familiar scent. It belonged to Wolfram. The blond hugged him so tight that the black haired demon king could hardly breathe. But he was happy. He stole a quick glance at the burnt grass. Wolfram purposely missed the fireball. "Wolfram!" He called his lover's name.

"You're a wimp!"

"But aren't you like me because I'm a wimp?"

"You really don't afraid if I hurt you?"

The king shook his head. "It's nothing if compared to what I've done to you four hundred years ago."

"That was already the past. Besides, I'm Wolfram, not Rachel."

"I know." Yuuri pulled out his second button and handed it to the blond. "Wolfram von Bielefeld, do you accept me?" Tears appeared in Wolfram's eyes. The blond gladly accepted it. Wiping the tears, the king spoke, "I love you."

"You won't get away from me. And, don't let me catch you flirting with women! I'll turn you into crips!"

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Six months later...

"Congratulations, kiddo! Finally you're getting married with Lord von Bielefeld."

"Thanks! When is your turn? I bet Conrad can't wait much longer." Yuuri winked at his godfather.

"Ah, in that case, I may need Heika's help to release Conrad from his duty so that we can have time to be together, right Conrad?" Yozak purposely said it aloud. Conrad blushed. "Ah yes, Geika asked me to pass this message to you." Whispering to the king's ear, "Geika wants to know whether you will consummate the marriage with Lord von Bielefeld?"

"Of course I will. Mom has lent me plenty of Yaoi manga and anime. Ask him not to worry about this!"

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Someone watched the whole scene. "Well, your mission is accomplished!"

"Yes!" answered the tiny one. "Quicker than I've expected. Should have thrown both of them to Earth earlier."

"The result won't be the same." Expecting for a reply but the other one did not, he continued, "Hey, are you looking for the next target?"

"What about these two? They have been acting cool since decades..." And their eyes were aiming at grey haired mazoku and lilac haired mazoku...

Murata adjusted his glasses. "Yes. Lord von Voltaire tried to avoid him since his baby brother found out about their love secret. It's hardly to believe that Lord von Bielefeld has the guts to use that to threaten Lord von Voltaire." The Great Sage sniggered. "That explains why Lord von Bielefeld's punishment was getting lighter and lighter."

"That's why I want to reincarnate Rachel. She's indeed an interesting person. Finally, Howard and Rachel are together..."