The Academy's Strongest Undercover Professor

Zero.

He was finally standing before me with the same smug smile as before, his overconfident gaze looking at me straight in the eyes. He didn't seem worried in the least about me since he was already aware of my presence. However, when he laid eyes on Hank, I knew that he was troubled as his smile completely disappeared.

"Oh, you brought a friend?" He giggled slightly. "Well, the more the merrier. It took you long enough. Did our meeting at the auction house really trigger you that much?"

He continued smiling in my direction. I only wanted to stand up right away and punch his face until he no longer had teeth. However, he wasn't emitting any aura, and I wasn't either. It seemed he wanted to talk a little before the start between us began.

"Stop wasting time. Say what you want to say."

He clicked his tongue. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I just wanted to calm the atmosphere. Well, can we make a deal?"

"What is it."

Continue your adventure at empire

"The slave you bought for 125 million coins, tell me where she is right now. I'll go get her once I'm done with the two of you."

I was on the verge of showing a lot of rage. However, I kept a straight face, just like Hank effortlessly did. Hank was truly a master of his work when it came to such things, which was why, in this situation, he was truly the best person to ask for help from. The Emperor had definitely made the right choice when choosing the person to send here. I did not know how he knew of my connection with Hank, but I had to admit that this was definitely a pleasant surprise, and it clearly showed that the Emperor wanted Zero just as gone as him.

"You won't be able to find her even if I told you. The place she's in isn't a place demons can go."

Zero smiled even more. "Demon? You think I'm a pitiful demon?" He continued to laugh. "You're so ignorant, it's funny. Still, why don't you introduce your friend to me? He's all quiet, and he's not even looking at me."

As Zero said those words, he seemed insulted by Hank's nonchalant behavior since he wasn't used to such a thing at all. He wasn't even paying attention to him.

How dare he!

Zero was one of the sons of the Demon King. Showing respect was the least anyone could do. Those who did not do so deserved death!

Well, I thought that something like that was going on inside of Zero's mind. Still, I dismissed those thoughts quickly as I smirked. After all, if Zero had been the one who got mad, wouldn't that have been absolutely perfect? Hank was also the perfect individual to make that happen. He had managed to make me mad several times since he had joined us, and he hadn't even done it on purpose, which was the most frustrating thing about this whole situation.

"Oh, him? His name is Hank. He joined along the way."

Zero, who saw that Hank was still not paying attention, started walking in their direction. However, he didn't release any aura, and I trusted Hank enough to defend himself against Zero, so I stayed still watching the situation.

"Hey, you!" Zero said to Hank, calling out to him.

However, there was still no response.

"What kind of idiot did you even bring with you? And where are those two ladies I was told about? They would make the perfect addition to my slave collection."

I kept gritting my teeth as I knew that he was doing this on purpose, trying to provoke me into releasing negative emotions. However, I held on.

Then, Zero continued to walk in Hank's direction, who was still staring at his reflection in the Icy Lake as if he had completely lost his mind.

"When I talk to you, you fucking look at me!" Zero shouted as he was about to place his hand on one of Hank's shoulders.

Then, for the very first time since Zero arrived, Hank looked at him straight in the eyes as he grabbed his hand before Zero could put it on his shoulder. He put strength into it, but Zero obviously backed away since Hank had just shown signs of aggression.

Hank released a sigh as he stood up, getting his feet out of the Icy Lake. "When did I say that you could touch me?"

Seeing Hank getting serious, I knew that the fight was about to start. I also got out of the Icy Lake and got into position right next to Hank. At this point, Zero must have realized that Hank wasn't just a random since Zero wasn't even able to react when Hank grabbed onto him.

Zero lost the smile on his face, too, as he suddenly got serious. He realized that this fight against me, which he thought would be extremely easy, wouldn't be.

"Seems like you really were scared of me. Bringing such a friend with you."

I couldn't see it because of the mask, but Zero clearly regretted coming out here alone. He knew that this was a grave mistake that he had made. He had probably expected me to come alone or with Phoebe and Amelia, people who were of no importance to him.

He cracked his head.

"Ugh, oh well. Can't wait to taste those two friends of yours who are hiding over there. That purple-haired girl sure was tasty the last time that I saw her. I'm sure that the Queen of the Ice Elves won't disappoint either," Zero said as he licked his lips.

I did my best to keep my emotions inside. However, when he said things so disgustingly, it was truly hard to do so. Still, I managed to hold down.

Then, a purple energy suddenly appeared at the ends of Zero's fingers. An energy that I knew extremely well, aether.

"If you two beg right now, I might let you live."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om