"Thank you, young friend, for helping me. I couldn't have done it without you," the old man bowed sincerely.

"I only did it for my own benefit, old man," Grey replied with a shrug.

"Still, you helped me, and I am eternally grateful."

"Don't mention it. Now, let's fight." Grey's pupils flashed with a strong fighting intent, he had long awaited the chance to test the power of the Mythical Grimoire and experience what it would be like to fight against it.

"This…" The old man paused and smiled bitterly. "Actually…" He didn't speak further but looked down at himself.

Although his injuries were mostly healed, he was old, had just endured a traumatic ordeal, and the backlash of his wounds lingered.

"..." Grey was immediately disappointed. He didn't want to fight a dying old man, no matter how much he desired a battle.

At that point, it would just be bullying.

So instead, his gaze shifted to Eldritch and Viola, the brother-and-sister pair.

The instant they felt Grey's eyes on them, an unbridled horror gripped their very souls. At that moment, they knew they had completely screwed up.

They collapsed to their knees and begged for mercy in unison:

"Please, spare us!"

"Why should I?" Grey asked coldly. "You'll never leave Sophie alone, so tell me, why should I spare you?"

"We…"

The two gulped simultaneously.

Silence followed. They couldn't refute his words—and the longer that silence stretched, the more undeniable it became. The grudge between them was eternal.

"I…" Viola tried to speak, but Grey's blue pupils froze her in place.

Those boundless eyes dared her, dared her to utter even a single lie and face the consequences which was far more terrifying than death itself.

She swallowed hard, her words dying in her throat.

"Die," Grey whispered as he wrote on Lilith.

Before the siblings could react, a figure identical to Grey materialized behind him. It spared them only a single glance.

In the very next instant, they were gone, as if erased from existence itself in the span of a mere blink of an eye.

Before anyone could react, screams erupted from several princes and princesses. They collapsed to their knees, writhing in pain, before slumping to the ground. Though not dead, their eyes were vacant, hollow, as if something vital had been torn away.

Silence!

No one spoke a word. No one dared.

"You guys can continue. Don't mind me," Grey said at last, shattering the suffocating quiet.

The princes and princesses stared in shock as Zarek, who had been standing behind Grey, suddenly vanished.

Grey then quietly retreated with Sophie to the side, leaning casually against the wall.

"Why… why isn't he doing anything now?" one of the princesses muttered in confusion.

"Didn't he say he was only going to guard Sophie, not help her win?" one of the princes muttered, his eyes suddenly lighting up with realization.

And not just him, everyone, even the dullest among them, understood it at that moment.

Greedy eyes met across the hall. Then, without warning, the battle erupted. Grimoire attacks streaked through the air, and a bloodbath began instantly.

The crown, the chance to rule an entire nation in the palm of one's hand. Who wouldn't desire it?

Grey and Sophie leaned casually against the wall, watching the carnage unfold. Eve, having grown bored, emerged once more. She hummed softly, leaning against Grey's arm.

"You wretch, Eve! I'm going to kill you…" Lilith roared.

"No, I'll boil you in magma and let you feel your body being torn apart," Kurogane snarled, echoing Lilith's wrath.

All of the female Grimoires' eerie gazes were fixed on Eve.

Jealousy burned within them, because unlike them, Eve had a physical body. She could stay at Grey's side, touch him, speak to him, and exist in his world.

The others only saw Grey briefly, when he entered their Grimoire space and some hadn't even been granted that chance yet.

Their collective hatred toward Eve was, in a single word was: Palpable!

They wished they could tear her apart piece by piece, destroy every fiber of her being, and hang her head upon a pillory for all to see.

Unfortunately, Grey wouldn't allow that, and they could only suppress their desire. But if they were to get a chance in the future, they would absolutely teach her a lesson.

Grey could naturally hear their voices in his head and couldn't help but bitterly sigh, 'I… do I have a harem?'

While he was having a complicated realization, the old man came to him with a smile on his face. At his side was a pretty, beautiful young woman.

"Master Grey." The old man bowed, startling Grey awake from his euphoria. Then the old man pointed at the beautiful woman. "This is my granddaughter."

Grey frowned. 'I already have so many women, I don't want more.' He subtly gestured at Eve, who was still leaning against him in a rather inappropriate way.

"Cough, cough, you misunderstand. I only want to introduce my granddaughter," the old man said, realizing what Grey was hinting at and looking slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, I see." Grey didn't entirely buy it, but he still turned his attention to the young woman.

She was likely in her mid-twenties, with sparkling golden eyes and hair as blue and boundless as his own. Her maturity seemed to have arrived early, her figure fully developed in all the right places.

When her gaze met Grey's, she offered a gentle smile and extended her hand.

"My name is Victoria."

"My name is Grey. I'm honored to meet you, young lady," Grey said with a gentle smile, shaking her hand. He then turned to the old man.

"So, old man, why did you come to me?"

The old man sighed. "Well, I want to ask you honestly, even though I'm almost certain of the answer."

"What?" Grey raised an eyebrow.

"Are you from the otherworld?" the old man finally managed to ask.

"Yeah," Grey replied casually with a confident swagger.

"H… How!?"

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