"At longst, after 7,000 years, the demon race will crumble in the palm of my hand…"


    Jim whispered coldly, a cruel glint lurking behind his typically calm gaze.


    If there were a list of individuals in the world who harbored the most animosity towards the Demon race, Jim would undoubtedly rank among the top ten.


    In his childhood, Jim was merely an orphan raised in an orphanage within the Imperial Capital.


    Of course, being an orphan didn''t imply he was abandoned by his parents or the like.


    His parents met their demise at the hands of demons in the vige where they once resided.


    His vige, situated near the border, fell victim to the war between the Empire and the Demon Race, resulting in the tragic demise of the entire vige, including his parents.


    Jim still vividly remembers how his parents hid him in a small crate, and at the tender age of 5, he witnessed their brutal murder by the Demon Army through a hole in the crate.


    On that fateful day, a torrent of emotions—hatred, anger, sadness, and despair—flooded his 5-year-old self.


    Thus, fueled by those emotions and propelled by his extraordinary genius, he embarked on a path of revenge that eventually led him to ascend to the position of Prime Minister of the Holy Empire of Elysium, earning him the title of the "Four-Eyed Devil," a name renowned throughout the world!


    Swiftly, Jim snapped out of his reverie and took a small breath to calm himself down.


    As he turned around, intending to activate the automatic teleportation magic tool to return to the Imperial Pce, a man in a ck cloak that obscured his entire figure suddenly materialized before him, catching Jim off guard.


    However, his surprised expression swiftly vanished, reced by one of indifference.


    "Greetings, Prime Minister." The man in the ck cloak bent one leg and sped his hands together, offering a respectful greeting to Jim.


    Jim responded with a small nod and asked with a calm expression, "Do you have any important news to bring?"


    The ck-cloaked man nodded, bowing his head respectfully as he replied, "Prime Minister, our shadow troops have uncovered some suspicious evidence regarding noble families strongly suspected of colluding with the Demon race."


    Upon hearing the ck-cloaked man''s statement, Jim''s expression immediately stiffened.


    "Are you certain of this?" Jim asked coldly, his eyes narrowing.


    "I''m certain, Prime Minister!" The man in the ck cloak responded firmly, without a hint of hesitation.


    Jim remained silent for a few moments, eventually cing his trust in the man before him, who served as the head of the main division of the shadow army.


    The Shadow Army, an intelligence force of the Holy Empire of Elysium tasked with operating covertly, operates under his control.


    All news, secrets, and affairs within the Empire or even the Holy Orthodox region couldn''t possibly evade his sight and control, thanks to the existence of the shadow army.


    Hence, the shadow army stood as one of his most potent weapons.


    Taking a small breath, Jim looked up at the ck-cloaked man and asked, "Do you already know which noble families are suspected of involvement with the Demon race and how many of them there are?"


    "Of course, Prime Minister. All the information is in this document," the man in the ck cloak replied, retrieving a document from beneath his cloak and passing it to Jim.


    epting the document, Jim read it carefully, and his expression instantly turned cold.


    "Good! Good! These ten noble families don''t seem to value their lives much," Jim remarked with a small nod, a thin, cold smile curling his lips, rendering him ominously terrifying.


    Even the ck-cloaked man before him couldn''t help but shiver upon witnessing Jim''s expression, prompting him to immediately lower his head in fear.


    After a moment, Jim''s emotions reverted to normal, and he tucked the document into the pocket of his kimono robe.


    "Um... Prime Minister Jim, how should we handle these ten noble families?" the ck-cloaked man asked cautiously, stealing a nce at him.


    In response, Jim gave a small smile and sped his hands behind his waist.


    "For the time being, refrain from taking direct action against them, but prioritize gathering all avable evidence of their collusion with the Demon Race," Jim instructed nonchntly.


    It wasn''t that he couldn''t eliminate them all outright, but amidst the newly ignited conflict with the Demon race, such actions would carry adverse repercussions.


    Considering they were noble families with their own territories, their wholesale eradication would prove detrimental to the Empire itself.


    However, this didn''t imply he would let them off the hook entirely. With stronger evidence and waiting for the opportune moment, Jim nned to swiftly and decisively eliminate them all.


    "Understood! I''ll proceed with it," the ck-cloaked man replied respectfully.


    Jim nodded in satisfaction and then recalled something crucial.


    "By the way, have there been any developments in your surveince of the border towns?" Jim inquired calmly.


    The ck-cloaked man shook his head and replied, "Unfortunately, not yet, Prime Minister. We haven''t detected any suspicious individuals or activities in the border towns of the Holy Empire of Elysium or Holy Orthodoxy."


    Jim nodded, hisposed expression unchanged, upon hearing this.


    "That''s okay. However, ensure continuous surveince over the entire border town for any suspicious individuals entering or leaving. Clear?" Jim conveyed it casually.


    "Understood!" the ck-cloaked man replied eagerly.


    "Very well. You may leave," Jim said nonchntly.


    The man in the ck cloak nodded and saluted once more before disappearing.


    Observing his departure, Jim gently shook his head and turned his gaze skyward, where the clouds began to gather, lost in thought as if wrestling with a dilemma.


    "For some reason, my intuition that Leon isn''t dead is growing stronger..."


    ...


    Meanwhile...


    "So, what favor do you need from me, Leon?" Liliana asked, sitting in her work chair, d in a beautiful ck dress that entuated her perfect curves, as she looked at Leon with a curious expression.


    Earlier, in the dining room, Leon had abruptly requested her assistance, to which she readily agreed.


    However, when she inquired about his request, Leon remained silent and instead suggested discussing it in her workspace, leaving her slightly confused.


    ''What could Leon possibly request? Is it rted to concocting an antidote for the devouring poison?'' Liliana pondered to herself, her curiosity fully engaged, as she observed Leon, who appeared to be sleeping with his eyes closed.


    Upon hearing Liliana''s inquiry, Leon''s eyelids twitched slightly, and he slowly reopened his eyes.


    His gaze fell on Liliana, who sat across from him with a gentle expression.


    Then, with a slight intake of breath, Leon''s expression grew serious as he continued, "Liliana, my request is to gain aprehensive understanding of theposition of your Demon army..."