These Demons Do it for Free

The journey back to the Telema Faction was a solitary one.@@novelbin@@

I left the captured branch manager with Bong-Sik, keeping him as a hostage for now. We planned to erase his memories or otherwise eliminate any information he might have gathered before returning him to Shadow Sketch.

Officially, we’d said he would remain our hostage until after I met with Fiona and could assess Shadow Sketch’s response—but that was just a formality. Valen knew this too but chose not to stir up unnecessary trouble. In return, I had promised him that his subordinate would survive.

For Valen, leaving his subordinate behind wasn’t ideal, but he had no choice.

But that wasn’t the primary issue occupying my mind right now.

**“The succession of the Grand Duke...”**

After the Grand Duke passes, who will ascend to his position?

Up until now, I had assumed that the Duke’s son, first in line, would naturally take over. But my conversation with Valen completely shifted my perspective.

**“An anti-Duke’s son faction is forming... Rebellion against the Duke’s son, who acts as if he’s already inherited the title. Is he blinded by power?”**

Whatever the Duke’s son’s reasons might be, one thing was clear.

This new faction forming against him would inevitably turn to Fiona.

She’s the only other legitimate successor who could oppose the Duke’s son.

**“The eldest daughter, secluded deep in the Abyss, is out of the question.”**

Bringing her back to the city would be a monumental task, even if they knew where to find her. And it was uncertain whether she’d even be interested in the throne if they did. It was far safer to rely on Fiona, the second daughter, who was already in the city.