CHAPTER 173: IS THAT ALL YOU NEED?

Kael looked at him for a brief moment before nodding. It wasn’t time to make a move yet.

So, without further ado, under the pale gaze of the moon, the two entered the two-story house. Shadows lengthened on the walls, and the distant sound of screams faded with each step they took. They made their way to one of the most secluded rooms, a place where the bustle of the street could not reach them, and the noise would not wake the sleeping children.

As they climbed the wooden stairs, Kael could feel the cardinal’s unpleasant gaze running over his body. However, his expression did not change in the slightest.

Not long after, they reached the room. They entered, and Kael took a seat near the window. Moonlight spilled across his face, highlighting his unnatural calm. He crossed his legs serenely, showing neither hostility nor deference.

In a measured voice, without raising his volume more than necessary, he said:

"What do you want to talk to me about, Cardinal Schwein?"

Schwein smiled, revealing all his gold teeth, each one glinting in the dim light of the room as if mocking the silence. He sat down slowly on the bed, the mattress creaking under his weight, and with a deliberate movement began to remove his priest’s robe along with the crucifix hanging from his neck.

"You must already sense what I mean when I say I want to talk to you," he murmured, his voice harsh and laden with an unnerving calm. "If you do as I ask, I won’t touch any of the children."

The silence that followed was thick, almost unbearable. Schwein held it for a moment, enjoying the tension, and then let out a long, feigned sigh of exhaustion.

"It’s a shame that nun broke so quickly..." he said finally, with a hint of false pity in his voice. His eyes, however, reflected something else: pleasure.

Kael raised an eyebrow. He did not react in the slightest to Schwein’s nakedness; his gaze remained impassive, devoid of any interest or emotion. No surprise, no mockery, no desire. Just calm.

Schwein, the pig, was confused by the lack of response. He had expected fear, shame, or at least a hint of discomfort. But instead, he found only eyes as empty as a bottomless pit.

That indifference threw him off balance. For a moment, his breath caught in his throat. Then his brow furrowed with visible annoyance. Wounded pride flashed in his eyes, and gritting his teeth, he continued with his threat, determined to break the stillness that was devouring him from within.

"It seems you are unaware of your situation, boy. With a single order from me, I can have you raped by a group of muscular men, so serve me, and then bring me some children, or else you will meet our Lord in the most horrible way possible." His expression was pure evil, and his voice was venomous.

But... Kael didn’t react in the slightest. The moonlight filtering through the window bathed his body in a pale, almost ethereal glow. However, his face remained hidden in the shadows. Only his teeth, dimly lit, were visible as they curved into a slow, unnatural smile.

"Heh... Schwein," his voice was low, barely a whisper that seemed to slice through the air like a blade. "The one who doesn’t understand his situation... is you."

His smile widened, twisting into a cruel, cold grimace, without a hint of human emotion. In that instant, an invisible pressure filled the room.

The aura of rank 7, peak level, burst forth from his body like an abysmal wave. Kael’s shadow seemed to expand, devouring the moonlight, and for a moment, the entire room became a reflection of his power.

A heavy pressure suddenly fell upon the room. The air became thick, almost solid, and a suffocating silence filled the space.

Schwein began to sweat profusely; his breathing became erratic. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead like clumsy streams, soaking his neck and clothes.

He looked like a literal pig thrown into the slaughterhouse, trembling before a presence he did not understand. The feeling was unmistakable: he was facing something that far exceeded the human.

Standing before him was not a man... but an extremely indifferent demon.

"You... you..." he stammered, his voice breaking between fear and despair.

"Silence," Kael interrupted him coldly.

His eyes shone with a deep light. For a moment, Schwein thought he saw in that glow an ocean of stars slowly spinning, devouring everything. Before he could react, Kael disappeared. It was so fast that not even the air had time to move.

"!!!" Schwein’s eyes widened. His entire body tensed, the blood freezing in his veins. He hadn’t had time to understand what had happened when he felt something penetrate his mouth.

Terror enveloped him completely. At that moment, he understood that his life no longer belonged to him.

Kael appeared in front of him, without making a sound, as if he had emerged directly from the shadows. His gaze locked with Schwein’s eyes.

In a neutral voice, he spoke:

"From now on, you are my slave. What you just swallowed is poison. With a single thought, I can make it react."

The words were not raised or accompanied by dramatic gestures, but their tone was enough to make the air seem heavier. Schwein opened his mouth, confused, but before he could utter a word, Kael snapped his fingers.

Instantly, Schwein’s body arched violently. A sharp cry escaped his throat. The sensation was indescribable: as if thousands of tiny centipedes were devouring his insides from within, biting, writhing, tearing him apart.

The pain was so acute that even his thoughts became chaotic.

Kael watched him and then snapped his fingers once more.

The pain vanished instantly, as suddenly as it had come. Schwein gasped, his body trembling, sweat covering his face. The absence of torment only heightened the terror: he realized that his life, his body, and his soul no longer belonged to him.

Kael said no more. His silence was more terrifying than any threat. Schwein, pale and trembling, instinctively understood the lesson: any inappropriate move would be the end of him.

Fear took root deep within him. From that moment on, he didn’t even dare to look up.

"What do you need from me?" Schwein asked.

He had already accepted and understood his current situation. His life was in the hands of that young man. There was no pride to defend or dignity to preserve; all that remained was to obey.

Kael calmly sat back down. His gaze was serene, his breathing steady, as if everything were under control. In a neutral tone, he simply said:

"Get dressed."

Schwein nodded immediately. He took the priest’s robe he still had and put it on awkwardly. It fit him tightly. Then, not daring to look up, he knelt in front of Kael in complete silence.

The young man watched him for a moment, impassive.

"What I want from you is connections. As a cardinal, you must know very well what I’m talking about," Kael said without looking him in the eye. His voice was calm, but charged with a natural authority that did not need to be imposed by force.

Schwein swallowed hard. His breathing trembled slightly.

"I understand... is that all you need?" he asked cautiously. His mind couldn’t help but be suspicious. He expected him to ask for riches, secrets, or even a sacrifice. But he only spoke of information and contacts. What was this young Rasen standing before him planning?

Kael crossed one leg over the other, showing no emotion.

"And one more thing," he added in a calm, almost indifferent tone. "You need to come once a week. I’ll give you some treatment for the poison."

His words were soft, but they concealed an implicit threat, as clear as the blade of a sword:

Don’t do anything stupid... or you die.

The silence that followed was thick and heavy. Schwein lowered his head even further, while Kael watched him with the distant gaze of someone who has already decided the fate of another.

"You can go now." Kael waved his hand dismissively, as if brushing away something worthless.

Schwein clumsily got up from the floor, his body trembling. For a brief moment, he thought about saying something... but Kael’s empty gaze silenced him.

Not daring to look up, he bolted out of the room. His footsteps echoed down the hallway as he fled, and not once did he dare to look back. He had no intention of ever seeing that two-story house again, let alone the demon with a human face that lived there.

From the window, Kael watched silently. His figure remained motionless, silhouetted against the dim light of the lamp. In the distance, he saw Schwein get into the carriage and disappear into the shadows that covered the streets.

The horse’s hooves faded into the distance.

Kael looked away from the window. Everything had gone much more smoothly than he had expected. He thought that perhaps Cardinal Schwein had awakened his mystical core, but that was not the case.

If he had, he would have noticed his rank 7 aura, since he did not currently have the materials necessary to hide his aura. Furthermore, he had not given Schwein any poison.

He simply injected a little of his mana essence into him and made him react, so that he would suffer all that pain. It was all just a trick, simple but effective.

So without further ado, Kael left the room and went to bed, as things were about to get very hectic.