Chapter 1170: Targeted? Fear? Intrigued?
Tengu city, DEM branch office...
In the giant penthouse office of the building, Westcott sat on his luxurious sofa while sighing. He opened his window and gazed upon the neon-lit city. His platinum locks fluttered in the air.
It looked like he's gazing down upon a model toy. He narrowed his eyes until they looked like daggers that gave people a bad vibe. This guy is someone who treated the world like his toy. It's his disgusting hobby rather than a scary trait of his.
Indeed, only spirits and power are on his mind, he could care less about anything else.
As the executive with the highest level of authority in DEM, Westcott only came to this town because he had his eyes on something here.
The city itself is just a nice toy he can discard at a moment's notice.
Westcott looked down at the night city with his sharp eyes. Those are the eyes of a fisherman looking for small fishes in the sea, pointless but unrelenting.
Anyone familiar with Westcott can guess what he's looking for without even asking.
He stared at the city for one whole hour. He never lost his nasty grin. It looked like he didn't mind spending the night just watching the city like this.
Soon, someone broke this tranquility by abruptly opening the door without so much as a greeting or knock.
Judging by the clear and light footsteps, Westcott could tell who it was. His smile widened although he didn't look back.
In DEM, only one person can brazenly open Westcott's door and get away without a reprimand.
DEM greeted the visitor without turning back.
"You're back already?"
Westcott asked.
"It seems like you hit a troublesome bump..."
"Indeed..."
The western beauty with platinum blonde locks replied.
"I hit quite a lot of snags..."
Westcott shook his head before turning around.
"It's not like you to encounter problems during missions... Ellen..."
Westcott looked at Ellen.
"After going to Arubi Island, we lost contact with you and we lost communication with Arbatel."
Westcott is implying he needed an explanation from Ellen.
It's rare for Westcott to ask about nitty-gritty details. He's only concerned with stealing powers from spirits. He placed Ellen in charge of supportive and operational tasks, listening only to reports submitted by Ellen.
Ellen met his gaze without looking away.
"Princess' identity wasn't confirmed in this operation. Nightmare suspect is also missing from the school trip."
"You failed to ascertain the identity of Princess and Nightmare, I take it this mission was a failure?"
Westcott frowned, a very rare feat for someone as distant as him.
He looked dissatisfied for a second before he recalled something amiss.
"What about the Red Devil? The male spirit suspect is a high school student during this school trip, yes?"
Westcott grimaced when he saw Ellen's reaction.
The moment Westcott mentioned Wu Yan, the strongest mage, a.k.a Ellen, showed fear. He could see the dread in her eyes.
The fearless Westcott caught Ellen's fear and he changed his expression.
This is the first time he saw fear on the strongest mage's face.
Gripped by intrigue, he pursued Ellen.
To think Ellen would be so intimidated after returning from her mission. It looks like something interesting happened while she was on Arubi Island.
"From your reaction, is it fair to surmise you found something interesting about the Red Devil?"
"Would you like to share it with me?"
Ellen lowered her head. While initially silent, she recalled the playful grin Wu Yan showed her.
She also remembered the overwhelming difference in power between herself and the demon. She clenched her fist while submitting her report.
"The identity of the student has been confirmed. He is the Red Devil without a shred of doubt."
Westcott silently waited for Ellen to continue.
Ellen inhaled deeply. She looked at Westcott.
"Isaac, I don't think we should target the Red Devil!"
"The reason?"
Westcott nonchalantly asked.
"That spirit, that man..."
Ellen bitterly laughed as she closed her eyes.
"He's too dangerous..."
"Dangerous?"
Westcott used a serious tone for once.
"Did you fight with him?"
"We did and I lost. I lost completely..."
Ellen's bitter smile increased in intensity.
Frustrated, she still reported her results.
"I couldn't harm him in the slightest. But, he demonstrated the ability to break my territory with ease. He also blew up Arbatel in a single move. If Berserker didn't make a timely appearance and caught his attention then I would have most likely..."
Westcott turned mum. His sharp look finally had a look of playful intrigue. That's the smile of someone who found something incredibly fun and exciting.
"He's very strong?"
Ellen knew what motivated the guy so she sighed.
"Much as I would like to deny it, he is indeed very powerful. He's far more powerful than any spirit I have ever encountered. He's the only one who defeated me in a fair fight so far. He's also the only one who did so without suffering so much as a scratch from me."
Ellen's definitive answer only made Westcott's day brighter. His grin grew wider and he started laughing out loud while holding his right palm to his face.
"Incredible! Just incredible!"
Westcott guffawed.
"Even the strongest magician is like a helpless baby in front of him. There is such a powerful spirit among us? Am I not blessed by the heavens? Hahaha!"
Westcott's unrestrained laughter reverberated in the room. His laughter felt like cold water on Ellen's face. However, she did lose fair and square. That incident happened in the way she reported, she couldn't deny it as a fluke.
Westcott forgot about Ellen's presence. He looked at the outside scenery with elation.
"Ah~ What do we have to do to invite the male spirit over here? Maybe we should mobilize the entire DEM fleet? Or, should we cooperate with AST once more? Maybe we should blackmail him by capturing his close friends and relatives?"
Westcott deliberated by himself.
"But, that does sound uncouth, perhaps inviting him directly is the best option here?"
"That's too dangerous!"
Ellen said without hesitation.
"Isaac, let me invite him."
"Oh?"
Westcott gasped at Ellen.
"You got a way to draw him out?"
"I do..."
Westcott gazed out the window once more.
"Now, that's something to look forward to..."