"Do you love her?"

"Yes."

Chasing Demon asked after a brief silence, and Noah immediately gave an honest answer.

Noah didn't know why the Patriarch of the Hive was so interested in his relationship, but he didn't mind telling him the truth.

It was thanks to his backing that Noah could do whatever he wanted inside the Hive.

The Hive had even borne the cost of the resources depleted for the creation of his cultivation technique and nourishing method, there was no reason why Noah shouldn't trust him with the truth.

"Love can elevate a man and destroy another. Tell me, would you forsake your power for her?"

Chasing Demon gave voice to that question, and Noah could finally understand the reason behind their conversation.

'He worries about the Hive. It's understandable, I am his successor according to my title.'

Noah thought when he heard that answer.

He was the Demon Prince, that status put him somewhere above the rank 4 cultivators and below the Patriarch.

The Hive placed many expectations on him and his growth, and it would obviously worry when he claimed to be in a relationship with a noble of an enemy nation.

However, Noah had found his answer about that question long ago, and his position didn't change through the years, it had only broadened.

"Patriarch, you have misunderstood me."

Noah began to answer and used his mental energy to lift the jug that Chasing Demon had laid on the floor and bring it in his grasp.

"My search for power is something that defines my individuality. I can't choose to forsake it because it's part of what I am."

Noah drank a mouthful of wine after those words and continued to speak when he felt the warmth caused by that liquid spreading through his body.

"Also, I wouldn't abandon it even if I had the choice. I can accept my desires only because I've gained enough power, I can love only because I've become confident enough in my strength. After all, it's pointless to have such deep feelings if you can't survive the cry of the powerful beings that you can meet in your journey."

Chasing Demon's eyebrows arched in surprise when he heard those words.

He had always known that Noah's determination surpassed any common sense, but his last phrase made him understand how pure and unbound his ambition was.

His worries about the future of the Hive were dispersed after that single sentence, he was sure now that Noah would never abandon his pursuit of power.

"Haha! No wonder my Master has chosen you! Wonderful! Now, tell me more about this woman of yours. Nothing lifts my morale like amazing wine, accompanied by a good story."

Chasing Demon exploded in a laugh and took back the jug while asking for more details about Noah's relationship.

Noah understood that there was something that bothered the Patriarch, so he revealed some funny anecdotes of his past experiences with June.

Of course, he didn't reveal anything too intimate, or that could bring trouble to June, but Chasing Demon didn't seem to mind his partial exposition.

Chasing Demon interrupted Noah with stories of his own too.

He spoke of Divine Demon's domineering character, of the life of the demon sects back in the Papral nation.

He also mentioned the peculiar techniques that his lover, Charming Demon, taught to her disciples.

"Strange forms during sexual intercourses to absorb the yang inside the body of a cultivator? I might have encountered something similar in my life."

Noah interrupted Chasing Demon with that question.

The description of the techniques of the Charming demon sect resembled the forms used by Gillian, the middle-aged woman that had forced Noah to sleep with her in the city of Slyfall.

Noah described those positions, and Chasing Demon couldn't help but recognize them.

"It appears that you have found the remains of the Charming demon sect during your escape. The demon sects have lost track of each other after the Council exiled us, but maybe it's time to reunite them under one banner."

Chasing Demon put a pensive expression when he said that.

The demon sects of the Papral nation had spread through the old continent after their exile, and they had covered their traces to escape from their pursuers.

The Chasing demon sect had ended in the Coral archipelago and thrived as an underground organization, but the other sects weren't so lucky.

For example, the Charming demon sect had lost its matriarch, and its survivors had been forced to hide in the small city of Slyfall, Noah wasn't even sure that they had heroic assets.

However, now that the Coral archipelago had become independent and that its growth was unstoppable, Chasing Demon was considering the idea of reuniting the demon sects under the banner of the Hive.

"I found your next mission. You will become an envoy of the Hive and explore the old continent looking for clues of the demon sects. Only you can do this, the other nations will only accept the Demon Prince as a guest."

In the end, Chasing Demon gave that order when he decided on the matter.

Nevertheless, Noah had more pressing matters at hand.

"I can do that, but I need a few years."

Noah answered without revealing what he had in mind.

He liked the idea of traveling, those new experiences would surely benefit his individuality.

Yet, he had to take care of a few things first.

He had just begun to modify diagrams, which was the first step toward the creation of entirely new spells.

The many available modifications could improve his battle prowess given enough time, and he couldn't prioritize a mission over his personal power.

Also, he had just obtained the body parts and blood of magical beasts in the fifth rank!

Eating and digesting them would take time, but he was sure that he would begin the breakthrough toward the fifth rank once he absorbed those resources.

He couldn't neglect the improvements that bringing his body in the fifth rank would provide, that breakthrough was something that would give him the power to fight any rank 4 cultivator that he met after all!

"There is no hurry, there is still a lot of work to do here. I need to lay the copying formation on the territories under our control and create new training areas habitable by human cultivators. The Coral archipelago is becoming too small for the Hive, we need to transfer our headquarters to the new continent."

Chasing Demon said.

He didn't want to hinder Noah's growth, and the matter of finding and gathering the demon sects wasn't a priority.

Noah and Chasing Demon continued to drink for some more time and kept on exchanging funny anecdotes about their lives when they were still in the human ranks.

Then, when Chasing Demon was about to leave, he placed a long scroll on the floor while adding a few words.

"This is the description of the battle against the leaders of the pack. I've also added a few personal considerations. Take it as a sign of gratitude for lifting my mood."

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