Chapter 367: The Scent of Another Sin

[Dieren’s POV]

Stunned, Dieren could hardly believe what he had just witnessed. No, it was more than that. He could barely understand what had happened at all.

Everything had happened far too quickly.

But his son...

His son had just taken down all five of those men, men who were probably experienced magus, as if they were nothing.

Dieren knew how difficult it was to earn a place in one of the best academies in Averenthia. He also knew that scholars who graduated from such places often went on to become powerful and respected magus.

But this...

This was only two months.

’Is this normal?’

Dieren stared at Ruvian’s back, still unable to fully process it.

’My son has become this capable of a magus in just two months?’

Once the guild’s carriage disappeared down the road, Ruvian finally turned back toward his father. His eyes briefly moved over the damaged patch of grass and the cracks left across the front yard.

"Sorry, Father, looks like I made a bit of a mess out here."

Dieren’s brows rose slightly, and for a moment, he almost laughed at how casually his son said it. Letting out a tired sigh, Dieren shook his head and said.

"You really had me worried back there, you know."

Ruvian gave him a small, guilty smile as he walked closer.

"Yeah, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t hold myself back anymore."

Dieren raised his hand and rested it on Ruvian’s shoulder, giving it two light taps.

"You’ve grown a lot, Ruvian, far more than I expected in such a short time, and I can see now that you can protect yourself better than I ever could."

His expression slowly grew serious again as he added.

"But those men are not the whole guild, and after what happened tonight, I doubt they will simply forget about this."

His fingers tightened slightly against Ruvian’s shoulder before he released him.

"I’m not angry that you stepped in, because I know you only did it because you wanted to protect us, but this could make things worse."

Dieren glanced toward the empty road again and continued.

"Next time, they might not send only five men, and they might send people much stronger than the ones you fought tonight."

Ruvian followed his father’s gaze for a moment, but there was no fear on his face. Instead, his expression remained calm, almost as though he had already thought about that possibility.

"Don’t worry, Father, I know a way to deal with this."

*****

Once the two of them stepped back inside the house, Avina was already waiting for them near the living room.

Her face was filled with worry, but there was also clear surprise in her eyes after seeing what had happened outside. It turned out that she had been quietly watching everything from the window.

Ruvian had no choice but to explain and reassure her that the academy had taught him how to defend himself, along with several ways to use magic to strengthen his body.

So there was no need to worry.

He kept the explanation simple and avoided mentioning anything that would only make her anxious.

Even then, Avina still scolded him for putting himself in danger so recklessly.

Thankfully, Ciela had fallen asleep on the sofa before the fight began. She had slept through all the noise and never saw any of the violence outside.

Ruvian was glad for that, since it was not something a child her age should have seen.

After things finally calmed down, the family sat together for dinner. While they ate, Ruvian explained that he planned to report the matter to someone with enough power and influence to deal with the guild properly.

He did not tell them everything, but he made it clear that he had no intention of letting the matter continue.

Dieren and Avina exchanged a look before finally giving in.

There was little else they could do now.

In the end, they could only leave the rest in Ruvian’s hands and hope that this problem could finally be settled without bringing any more danger to their home.

*****

[Ruvian’s POV]

After taking a bath, Ruvian sat down near the edge of his bed with a towel draped over his head, slowly drying his damp hair while the house around him had already fallen quiet.

Even so, his mind remained fixed on what had happened outside earlier, especially on the strange demonic presence he had sensed from one of the guild members.

After thinking about it for a while, he finally spoke.

"Morvayne, you sensed it too, didn’t you?"

[Yes, Child, I did. But that scent... it was different from Mamveth’s.]

Hearing that, Ruvian’s hand stopped for a moment.

That was exactly what he had thought.

So far, almost every strange incident involving demons seemed to somehow circle back to Mamveth, the Demon of Greed, whether it was the demon who had disguised itself as a human, Julian’s possession, or even the strange Devil Fruit that had appeared before.

There were still plenty of missing pieces, perhaps, but Mamveth had already been related to far too many events for Ruvian to believe that all of them were simply coincidences.

That became even more suspicious after he learned that Mamveth had some kind of connection to the Magus Spire too.

At the very least, Ruvian was almost certain that the bastard had something to do with research involving souls: possession, soul displacement, and even trapping souls through strange means all seemed to fall within Mamveth’s area of influence.

However, that was exactly what made tonight so strange.

The demonic presence he had sensed from that guild member did not feel like Mamveth at all.

It was not a matter of being stronger or weaker, either. The feeling itself was simply different, as though it had come from an entirely different source.

Ruvian lowered the towel slightly as he continued thinking.

He had already asked Morvayne about Mamveth before, especially whether the Demon of Greed had anything to do with what had happened to her in the past and how she had somehow ended up existing as both a Spirit and a Demon.

Unfortunately, Morvayne had never been able to give him a proper answer.

She did not remember enough about what had happened back then, nor did she know exactly which demon had been responsible for it.

So there was nothing much he could do about that.

Still, there was one thing they did know.

According to the records from the Demon-Human Wars, there had once been seven Primordial Demons, each one connected to one of the seven sins, and Mamveth, the Demon of Greed, was believed to be one of them.

If that part of history was accurate, then Mamveth should not be the only Primordial Demon still connected to the world.

Ruvian slowly placed the towel beside him.

"If that scent didn’t belong to Mamveth, and that guild rat wasn’t carrying another demon soul inside him, then there’s another possibility."

Morvayne remained silent, clearly waiting for him to continue.

Ruvian leaned back slightly and narrowed his eyes.

"Mamveth seems to interfere with people through souls, but that doesn’t mean the other Primordial Demons have to do the same thing."

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it became.

If every Primordial Demon represented a different sin, then each of them might possess a completely different way of influencing humans, whether through corruption, contracts, emotions, marks, or some other method that Ruvian had yet to understand.

In other words, Mamveth might specialize in manipulating souls, while another Primordial Demon could spread its influence without ever replacing the victim’s soul at all.

And if that was really the case, then the demonic scent he had sensed tonight might be proof that Mamveth was no longer the only Primordial Demon moving behind the scenes.

And so, later that night, Ruvian decided to send a magic letter to Silvena, hoping to meet with her tomorrow and talk about what he had discovered, as well as the matter involving her guild.

*****

That morning, not long after the sun rose over Natoris Town, Ruvian finished preparing himself and left the house for Evermere Plaza.

He had decided to leave Morvayne behind for the time being, mainly so she could keep watch over his family and the house while he was gone.

His father had also temporarily closed his workshop and chosen to remain at home until the situation with the guild was properly resolved.

For now, that was probably the safest choice.

The morning streets were already beginning to grow busy by the time Ruvian reached Evermere Plaza.

Merchants were opening their stalls, shopkeepers were setting signs outside their doors, and the smell of freshly baked bread drifted through the cool morning air.

Ruvian continued through the plaza until he reached one of its quieter corners, where the main street curved into a narrow alcove.

There, he immediately spotted the familiar cafe.

It was a simple place, a small hanging sign swaying gently above the door.

[Cafe Delaciel]

Ruvian stopped in front of it for only a moment before reaching for the handle.

The instant he pushed the door open, a small bell hanging above the entrance rang through the quiet cafe.

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[Chapter 367: The Scent of Another Sin]