"Loveeee~" Sinex leaped onto Ha Joon, pushing him on the bed and sitting down on his lower part.
"Did you miss me? Ehh? You did, didn't you?" She smiled obsessively, leaning closer to him.
"You sure took your sweet time, what happened? Did you encounter something on your mission." Ha Joon asked, giving Yukio the side eye with hidden Information.
Yukio sighed with a nod.
"Yeah, a lot of things actually, I'll get into it after I've received my welcoming kiss from you... I'm re-"
Yukio grabbed Sinex by the collar and pushed her to the ground.
"Hey! What are you..." The moment Sinex met Yukio's cold gaze, she immediately remembered a time when Yukio punished her so badly after she did something she didn't like.
Ever since then, Sinex has been scared of Yukio, making sure to never get on her bad side. And Ha Joon knew this, thus why he milks it every chance he gets.
"So, what do you say happened? Did you find anything?" Asked Ha Joon, his leg crossed as he began to read a book.
"A-about the demi humans update." Sinex now faced her front, her eyes slightly winded as she could still feel Yukio behind her, "Yes, we did find something".
"You did? That's good news, what did you find out?"
"Uhmm, some groups of people are transporting demi humans to a different unknown location. They have a wizard on their side, and apparently that says it has something to do with bringing back the demon lord." Sinex reported.
'Wizard? I thought they were wiped off the face of the earth, so they are still roaming about in Camelot.' Ha Joon thought to himself, 'Demon lord? Ciel, what do you know about demon lords?'
[Demon lords are powerful beings born from the direct influence of the Demon king. They rule over specific independent regions in various countries. After the fourth great way, the majority of the demon lords were wiped out, including the ones in Camelot. I do believe if these people are trying to bring back a demon lord, it has to be one from Camelot.]
'is that so? Do you have any knowledge on them?'
[Negative.]
[I do not have enough knowledge, that said, I narrowed down to the most likely demons to be targeted. The demon lord of Concur, The Demons lord of death and the demon lord of Agony.]
'From one of these three uhn...'
Ha Joon looked at Yukio, "Yukio, be a dear and tell Merlin I request for her audience."
"As you wish." Yukio bowed her head before walking out of the room.
The moment Sinex noticed Yukio was gone, she leaped up from the ground, stretched her hand towards the door to lock it, and then landed right on top of Ha Joon.
Pinning him to the bed, she began to breathe heavily, her body getting heated as she locked eyes with him.
Ha Joon stood up from the bed after he had gotten dressed. He fixed his hair and approached the door.
_click_
He opened it, to see Merlin staring at him when an almost no surprise expression.
"Relax, we didn't even do anything- yet." He said before walking away.
....
Ha Joon settled in the courtyard, leaning back against the stone bench while Merlin sat across from him, her expression calm but filled with curiosity.
The air between them was thick with unsaid words, as Ha Joon's mind raced over what Sinex had revealed.
The revival of a demon lord wasn't something to be taken lightly, especially if they were after one of the three powerful lords Ciel had identified.
He glanced at Merlin, her crimson robe billowing slightly in the breeze. "Merlin, I need to ask you something. How does one go about summoning a demon?"
Merlin raised an eyebrow, intrigued but not surprised by his question.
"It depends on the demon and the summoner's resources. Most often, it requires a sacrifice—sometimes blood, sometimes life essence. If they're summoning something as powerful as a demon lord, it would take more than just a small offering."
Ha Joon nodded, not breaking eye contact. "Could someone revive one by using demi-humans as sacrifices? Sinex mentioned something about their mana circuits."
Merlin sighed, her face becoming more serious. "Demi-humans... they have more mana capacity than humans. If someone wanted to summon a demon lord, they could use them as conduits to store and channel massive amounts of energy. The more mana circuits sacrificed, the more powerful the ritual would become."
"Sounds like that's exactly what these bandits are doing," Ha Joon mused, his fingers tapping on his knee. "They're transporting demi-humans, and they have a wizard. Probably to help with the summoning."
Merlin's eyes darkened. "The wizard must be leading the ritual. It's likely they're after something more than just power—they want control. If they bring back the demon lord, whoever summons him will gain his favor, maybe even direct control over the demon's forces."
Ha Joon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What would it take? I assume it's not just a matter of gathering enough bodies."
Merlin folded her arms, looking off into the distance as she thought. "No, it's not that simple. Sacrifices of that magnitude would need a trigger, something more profound. Many rituals require a godly artifact, something linked to the demons themselves. For Camelot, it could be a relic from the Demon King's reign.
If they have such an item, combined with the mana from demi-humans, they could very well succeed."
Ha Joon's mind raced, piecing together the puzzle. "So, if they've already started gathering demi-humans, and they're trying to find a relic, it means they're closer than we think."
"Most likely," Merlin confirmed, her tone grim. "But finding such an artifact isn't easy. They would need extensive knowledge, and time to locate it. If we can find them before they secure it, we might have a chance to stop this."
Ha Joon stood up, brushing off his coat. "Then it's time we move. I'll have Yukio gather intel on these groups. If they're transporting demi-humans, they'll leave a trail."
Merlin nodded in agreement. "But be careful. Whoever's behind this is working in the shadows, and if they realize we're onto them, they'll act swiftly."
Ha Joon gave her a small smile, "I'm counting on it."