Chapter 552: Nonchalant Prince.

"That bitch thinks she can tell me I’m wrong to my face?!" Damian growled under his breath as he marched through the corridor, his fists clenched tightly while the frown on his face became increasingly severe.

The guards stationed along the hallway immediately noticed his mood and instinctively avoided looking directly at him, keeping their heads lowered as he passed.

Damian suddenly stopped halfway down the corridor and threw both hands apart in frustration. "Like yeah, it’s my fault she chose to stand with the angels while I got my heart ripped out because I didn’t give her enough reasons to see the goodness in the darkness!"

His voice echoed through the corridor, and he suddenly turned toward the nearest guard. "Can you imagine that?"

The guard blinked rapidly, completely confused by the question. "Y... Yes... No, sire!" he screamed nervously, apparently realizing halfway through his answer that there was no correct response.

Damian’s frown finally softened slightly as he looked around and realized just how many guards were standing along the corridor with their heads practically pinned to the ground. He followed their nervous gazes toward the door of his room and noticed that it was open.

All four women had apparently heard him and were peeking out from behind the doorway, each with a mixture of curiosity and concern on her face.

The moment Damian’s eyes met theirs, their heads instantly disappeared behind the door. Damian stared at the doorway for several seconds before looking toward the ceiling and releasing a long breath.

"That bitch’s words really got to me..." He covered his face with both palms and sighed heavily.

He genuinely could not remember the last time he had become this agitated over an argument, especially one that had forced him to question something he had already accepted as fact for years.

Puff!

Rin suddenly appeared on his shoulder, opening his mouth to speak, but Damian immediately cut him off.

"Don’t even start. I have been ragebaited enough for today."

Rin rolled his eyes and settled comfortably against Damian’s shoulder. "First of all, it’s not ragebaiting if it’s true. Secondly, I never planned on talking about this in the first place."

Damian lowered his hands and glared at him. "Fuck you."

OHe continued walking toward his room while Rin merely shrugged, apparently far too amused by the situation to take offense.

When Damian entered the room, he found all four women sitting together on the bed doing absolutely nothing. They were clearly pretending to be occupied, but their occasional glances toward him made their curiosity painfully obvious.

Damian ignored them completely and walked toward the bed before dropping onto his back, his gaze immediately settling on the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Loth was eventually the first to gather enough courage to break the silence. "Are you okay?"

Damian looked toward her briefly before returning his gaze to the ceiling. "I’ll rather not talk about it."

Loth nodded quietly and exchanged a glance with the others. Alice, Rah, and Mary all shook their heads slightly, silently agreeing not to press him.

Mary and Loth eventually moved closer and rested their heads against his chest, while Rah and Alice settled near his shoulders. Damian remained still, allowing them to surround him without complaint. The quiet lasted for several seconds before Mary finally spoke.

"How do you plan to win against Greed... It’s only a month from now, and I can’t help but feel worried about you."

Damian rolled his eyes slightly. "Why? If I die, you can easily join his side. As long as you submit to him, you have nothing to fear."

Mary immediately sat upright, visibly offended by the statement. "Do you think we are just hoes who jump to the next big thing? Some of us actually care about you and want to see you succeed."

Loth raised her head and glanced toward Mary with mild discontent. "Hey, slow down. It’s not his fault. Have you forgotten that’s how his former fiancées came up to him? He’s only speaking from experience.

Rah immediately intervened before the argument could escalate. "Guys, don’t fight... At least not here."

Damian frowned and reached out, grabbing Mary and Loth before pulling their heads back down against his chest. "Alright, I’m sorry... I am a bit agitated. It’s my fault."

His tired smile softened the tension, and Mary’s frown gradually disappeared as she released a quiet sigh.

"At least share some of your burden with us. That’s why we are here."

Loth, Alice, and Rah nodded in agreement, and Damian stared at the ceiling for another moment before asking,

"Would you guys believe me if I tell you I have no plan?"

Buzz!

All four women immediately raised their heads.

Rah stared at him in disbelief. "With all due respect, are you crazy?"

Damian rolled his eyes, but Mary quickly became more serious.

"No, seriously. You need the army to secretly set up God killing arrays like the Nil Gravity Array, Anti Domain Arrays, and any other array that can help you."

Damian yawned and rubbed his eyes while Mary continued explaining the obvious preparations they believed he should be making.

Alice added, "They can’t enter the capital with their army, so if they are grounded, we can bombard them with artillery weapons, weakening them greatly."

Loth frowned when Damian remained completely unresponsive. "Are you even paying attention?"

Damian suddenly sat upright and shifted away from the group, positioning himself where he could look at all four women simultaneously.

"Now, I’ll put it this way. Under Yuji and the other nobles, the military is making plans that probably follow your thought process, but I have been kept out of the planning..."

Rin immediately cut in from Damian’s shoulder. "Which he requested, by the way..."

Damian rolled his eyes before continuing without acknowledging him. "I believe the meaning of secret comes when you are unaware of it. Their eyes will all be on me. If I show any sign of fear or caution, they will change their plans and probably run. That’s why I have been learning to keep this nonchalant attitude. It needs to come off naturally, otherwise Hagrid will notice."

The girls slowly nodded as the logic became clear. Damian had deliberately separated himself from the planning so that his enemies would not be able to read his intentions through his behavior. His casual attitude was not necessarily confidence. It was another layer of deception.

Rin then raised his head proudly. "But we are not relying on the plan, though. If it works, good and fine. However, in reality, we just plan to trap Greed in our realm zero ability and beat him to death and take his inheritance."

Damian nodded. "Greed’s inheritance mostly depends on gold. Without the presence of such resources in abundance in Velmora, his fighting power is reduced, and even if it’s not reduced, we will still beat him to death."

Brrr!

Darkness rippled across Damian’s shoulder as Abel emerged from the shadows and settled beside Rin.

"And even if that is not the case, he still possesses my power. He is bound to win when he was chosen by the Abyss to be its permanent host."

Damian gave Abel a thumbs up without even looking at him.

The four women stared at the two spirit beasts and then at Damian, blinking repeatedly. Their expressions made it painfully obvious that they could not believe the Prince of Lust and his spirit beasts were discussing a battle against a God as casually as a group of thugs discussing a tavern brawl.

Mary rubbed her forehead, suddenly looking exhausted. "He can always rely on the power of the universe to temporarily boost his cultivation realm. I’m sure his inheritances and confidence will do the rest."

Loth raised one hand slightly. "In his defense, he has used this crude method to get through every single person he has ever fought... We should at least give him the benefit of the doubt."

Damian rolled his eyes and dropped back onto the bed, his eyes returning to the chandeliers above.

After several seconds of silence, Damian suddenly sighed dramatically. "Someone should please come and take care of me. If I’m going to die in a month’s time, at least I should be comforted properly."

All four women immediately covered their faces in exasperation. Even in the face of death, their Prince apparently could not resist turning a serious conversation into something ridiculous.