Les knelt on the floor with his head lowered, staring at the ground. His mind was still shaken, barely holding together after what he had experienced.
For Edsel, however, something about the situation felt strange.
Les was speaking normally. He reacted with fear and emotion like any ordinary person. In many ways he behaved exactly like his usual self.
Edsel thought about Mia.
When he had used the skill on her, her personality had vanished instantly. She had become nothing more than an obedient puppet. Les, on the other hand, still seemed capable of thinking and feeling.
Does that mean this guy might betray me someday? Edsel's gaze hardened as he stared at him.
Les noticed the eyes on him even without looking up and his body began trembling violently.
Edsel leaned back slightly and folded his legs.
"I guess you won't betray me," he said calmly. "Let's start with something simple. Tell me your real name."
Les hesitated for a moment.
"It's… Nameless Demon, like you said."
Right. Nameless Demon.
Edsel remembered him clearly. In the original game he had been a minor villain, yet ironically one of the most difficult bosses to locate.
A small sense of pride filled Edsel. He had figured out the man's identity almost immediately, even though it had only been a guess at first. To confirm it, he had even exposed part of his own power.
In the game's storyline, the Nameless Demon would eventually lead an army of orcs against the human race as part of a twisted experiment. He gathered innocent humans and attempted to transform them into orcs. The plan ultimately failed, of course, because Edwin defeated him without much trouble.
Even so, the mission had been infamous among players.
Many complained about the so-called spy scenario. The reason for that frustration was the Nameless Demon himself. He wasn't a normal demon at all.
He had once been human.
In his pursuit of immortality, he made a contract with the Demon King and sacrificed almost his entire body, preserving only his brain. Because of that, he could kill and possess the bodies of humans or animals whenever he wished.
That was why nobody could ever identify him and that was why he had earned the name Nameless Demon.
In later updates of the game, the developers simplified the story by having him reveal himself openly while possessing the body of an orc leader. But that was supposed to happen much later.
Edsel had clearly changed the course of the story. Perhaps that was why the survival rate had increased by five percent.
Les suddenly spoke again, breaking Edsel's thoughts.
"I still don't understand how you know my name," he said carefully. "Are you sure you're not a demon?"
"No. I'm not."
Les could tell he was telling the truth.
Still, something didn't make sense. The amount of dark mana surrounding the boy was far too great for a human. It was strange that the Holy Temple had never noticed him before.
Les felt curious but he didn't dare push the matter further.
"So tell me, Nameless Demon," Edsel said calmly. "Why did you come to human territory?"
Les frowned slightly. His wounded pride urged him to lie.
Yet the moment he opened his mouth, the truth slipped out on its own.
"Experiment."
"Experiment?" Edsel repeated slowly. "You mean experimenting on humans by turning them into orcs, then attacking them later with an army?"
Les' eyes widened.
He had figured out the entire plan in seconds.
"How…?"
Edsel ignored the question.
"I suppose trapping you here means that plan won't work anymore, right?"
"Yes… of course," Les replied unwillingly. "Those orders came directly from the Demon King. Demons like us want to join his main corps. Once you serve under him, you gain status, wealth, and power."
"Money…" Edsel muttered quietly.
The demon race apparently had its own system of wealth and resources. Still, the plan no longer mattered. In the original story the Demon King eventually died a miserable death at the hands of the protagonist long before Edwin would ever face Edsel.
Les suddenly forced a smile.
"You trapping me here will only make things worse," he said. "When I disappear, they'll suspect something and send others to find me."
He expected fear.
Instead, Edsel remained completely indifferent.
Without warning, he tightened his grip on the chain.
The dark chains around Les' neck constricted instantly, cutting off his breath.
"I'm sorry, Master! I'm sorry!" Les gasped desperately, lowering his head again as panic returned. He had momentarily forgotten the terrifying position he was in.
Edsel finally released the pressure slightly.
"Now you work for me," he said calmly. "Not for the Demon King." A faint smile appeared on his face. "Let's do something more interesting."
Les looked up cautiously.
"How about instead of changing humans into orcs through experiments, you breed them instead and train them to fight like warriors?"
Les's eyes widened at the horrifying idea. "Wait, wait, what do you mean by breeding? Do you mean creating hybrids by breeding orcs with humans?"
"Exactly. The village of Cairo has up to fifty people living here. Most of them are women, from what I saw outside the carriage when we arrived. You will kidnap the women first. I am sure that you know how to control the orcs properly, right?"
Les's hands started trembling at the cruel realization about this kid. He had thought that Edsel might be trying to save the kingdom or that he was some sort of hero. But he had been completely wrong about everything.
"But… what about the men?" Les asked quietly.
Edsel answered without hesitation.
"You'll experiment on them. I'm sure some of them will mutate into strong goblins." He leaned slightly forward "When the time comes and I need an army… they'll be ready to serve me."