Chapter 376: The Two Demons

Ryan maintained his relaxed posture in front of her and crossed his arms over his chest without showing any change in his expression. "I don’t know what you mean. I don’t see a reason why Ophelia would have to tell me about the people who cross her path. Don’t you think?"

Sophia held his gaze from below without wiping that small smile from her lips, waiting to see if he would ask another question.

Although Ryan answered with apparent indifference in his tone of voice, inwardly he was quite curious to know how those two knew each other.

He observed the guild master’s calm face while trying to imagine what kind of altercation the two of them had in the past.

After all, Ophelia is a demon queen, and her current power far surpasses that of any S-rank adventurer in the human nations.

The thought of these two women meeting in person was a little unsettling for Ryan.

He slightly lowered his gaze toward Sophia’s neck, noticing how fragile she looked despite her high position in the city.

’If they really have met face to face in the past, how is it that Sophia is still alive?’ Ryan thought, keeping a serious face to avoid revealing his doubts.

Sophia let out a soft laugh and waved a hand in the air to downplay the matter. "Don’t be so serious. I’m not talking about me, but about this place. This little city, I mean. Erhes Valley. I figured she would at least tell you that."

She paused briefly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear while looking at the walls of the room. "Although, after all, that situation is also related to me."

Ryan didn’t respond immediately to that comment and simply observed. But the guild master, with those simple words about the place’s past, had definitely captured his full attention.

He slowly uncrossed his arms and hooked his thumbs into his pants pockets, waiting in silence for her to continue speaking.

When Ryan remained silent, Sophia raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly to close the distance between them.

She rested her hands on her own thighs and looked up at him with a mocking gleam in her eyes. "What’s wrong? Aren’t you curious to know?"

Ryan stared at her for two seconds in the middle of the room before deciding to answer.

He gave a slight nod, agreeing to engage in the conversation she proposed. "Alright, you have my attention. Tell me."

Sophia slowly straightened her back and looked him straight in the eyes, maintaining the tension in the air for a brief moment.

Then, she tilted her head and widened her smile with obvious malice. "I was joking. Why would you think I’d tell my secrets to a demon king?"

Hearing such an empty answer, Ryan frowned involuntarily, and his shoulders tensed slightly.

He pressed his lips together, realizing he had fallen for the typical tricks of the woman in front of him once again.

’This woman... is just playing with me,’ Ryan thought, exhaling through his nose in annoyance.

Knowing full well how she usually acted to manipulate conversations in her favor, Ryan didn’t let Sophia’s mocking words faze him.

He instantly relaxed his facial features and decided not to give the matter more importance than it truly deserved.

Ryan then turned on his heels and walked decisively toward the exit, leaving the table behind.

He headed toward the doorframe without looking back a single time. "Fine, suit yourself. I won’t force you to tell me anything, Sophia. I don’t have time for this right now."

Seeing that he had no intention of stopping, Sophia wiped the smile off her face abruptly and clenched her fists at the sides of her dress.

She pushed herself away from the wooden table and took two quick steps toward him to stop him from leaving. "Come on, dear Ryan. Don’t give up so quickly."

Ryan stopped a few meters from the exit and glanced over his shoulder to look at her coldly. "Where is this sudden confidence coming from? You’d better drop the games once and for all, Sophia."

Sophia raised both open hands to chest height in a peaceful gesture and let out a short sigh.

She calmly lowered her arms, adopting a much more serious and direct tone of voice. "Alright, fine. But tell me one thing: do you think the barrier protecting this city is strong?"

’Where is this coming from now?’ he thought.

Ryan turned his body back toward her and briefly looked up at the ceiling, sensing the magic covering the surroundings.

He looked back down at Sophia and gently shook his head. "Not at all. Maybe to me it’s quite weak... no, actually I think any Abyssal, even if it took some effort, could break it if they set their mind to it."

Sophia nodded slowly and crossed her arms under her chest as she took a couple of steps across the room.

She stopped near the closed window and locked her eyes on him again. "Yes, I agree with you. But then, why do you think it doesn’t get attacked despite bordering the Ignis nation? Do you think it’s a coincidence? The kingdoms bordering the demons are constantly at war, but that’s not the case for Lunar Veil."

Ryan listened to her words in silence, paying much closer attention to the direction the conversation was taking now that she was speaking seriously.

He narrowed his eyes, quickly putting the pieces together regarding the strange peace that reigned in this border region. "Are you trying to say you have some sort of alliance with Rohan?"

Sophia thought carefully for a few seconds before answering, looking down at the floor as she chose her next words carefully.

She knew that the information she was about to reveal was sensitive, something she had kept hidden for many years.

Sophia looked back up at Ryan and uncrossed her arms, letting her hands fall against her dress. "I wouldn’t phrase it that way. It’s really not something I’d tell anyone else, but I do want to tell you."

She took a slow step forward. After taking a breath, Sophia continued in a lower, firmer tone.

"What happened in Erhes Valley a little over a decade ago. The S-rank dungeon that appeared in this place. The ones responsible for sealing it were Demon King Rohan and Ophelia, who wasn’t a demon queen yet."