The Damned Demon

"...But… things went south when Ruven discovered something."

"What?" Rachel asked, her hands clenching into fists.

Lenny's eyes narrowed, reflecting the light as he leaned forward, "It was bound to happen sooner or later, but Ruven found out that your dad was kidnapping demons from the other side and bringing them over here. It didn't take much for him to guess that Derek had other intentions, especially when the tech hadn't been perfected yet."

Rachel felt a shiver down her spine but somehow kept her breath steady as she asked, "Kidnapping demons? Why?"

Lenny's lips twisted into a sardonic smile, "Why, to create a demon army, of course. Or that was the plan your dad had in mind. To destroy demons using demons. Sounds like a novel idea, right? I'm sure he must have felt very proud of pursuing such an idea despite the risks."

Rachel's brows knitted together, her disgust evident, "But wouldn't they die when brought over here? The M.A.M. tech was far from ready at that time, right?"

"That's why your dad built the Infinity Tower," Lenny said with a bitter laugh, "Mars has no radiant mana and thus can't kill the demons, nor would they have the ability to use their powers. Derek was getting impatient because the M.A.M. tech was taking time to develop. He believed Ruven would need demon subjects to experiment on and hasten the tech's development. He thought he could convince Ruven by saying, 'Fuck demons', right? Who cares about using them as lab rats if we get to kill them anyway? Heck, if I was able to develop more Eternum by using demons, it would have made everything easier.'"

Rachel felt her heart twist with horror as she forced a smile, struggling to process the grim revelation, "But it didn't go smoothly, did it?"

Lenny's demeanor darkened as he clicked his tongue, shaking his head, "That idiot Ruven said it was too barbaric. Given enough time, he believed he could perfect the M.A.M. tech without experimenting on them. He thought it would make us no different than the demons. But your dad wasn't going to wait decades just for a possibility. So, he conducted experiments behind Ruven's back, bringing in Dr. Lila. Though she didn't succeed, she did help him realize something."

Lenny's grin was cold as he continued, "Adult demons had a fully developed mana circuit and were molded by darkness for too long, making it hard to integrate the M.A.M. tech. So, your dad decided to kidnap baby demons to test his theory. And voila, it started showing some promise."

"Baby demons?" Rachel mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper as she struggled to keep her expression calm. The horror and disgust were making her stomach churn as she tried to reconcile the image of innocent creatures with her father's actions.

Because of Asher, she had already come to believe that demons weren't all evil and baby demons weren't any less innocent than human babies.

"Yeah. It was easier to handle and control them, which made the experiments more manageable. Your dad also roped in that mad bastard, Max Schmidt, to use his expertise to test their combat potential, pick the promising ones, and discard the rest. Everything was proceeding smoothly when Ruven found out about everything. That's when everything almost got destroyed, tsk, tsk," Lenny said as he clicked his tongue with an amused look.

"Destroyed? What did he do?" Rachel's curiosity was tinged with apprehension as she leaned against the table.

"Ruven felt greatly betrayed and angry that his life's work was used for such 'evil' purposes, as he put it," Lenny said, his voice dripping with disdain, "In a fit of rage, he tried to sabotage your dad's operation, but it was too late. Your dad had already anticipated this and made plans to deal with Ruven for good."

Rachel's eyes narrowed, her curiosity piqued despite the growing discomfort, "Plans? What plans?"

"What else but the cliche way of pinning some dirt on Ruven and using that guy… what was his name again... Gary. Yeah, that one," Lenny replied, his tone laden with grim amusement, "Apparently, Gary had a thing for Ruven's wife, so Derek was able to easily motivate Gary to get rid of Ruven for him. And that's how the great Eleanor Family came crashing down. It still gives me the chills how effortlessly your dad took down such a powerful family. The only downside to this is that the tech might never be perfected now. But maybe your dad doesn't care after all."

Rachel's chest tightened, her mind flashing to Grace's face. Thinking about Grace's reaction to learning all this was almost unbearable.

"How come nobody asked any questions about this? Did the Judge not know or...?" Rachel's voice was filled with disbelief, masking her uneasiness.

Lenny shrugged nonchalantly, "The Judge can easily discern what is true and what is not. He's a retired Hunter but the strongest man in the world. Your dad hasn't been open with him, but maybe it's because there's no need to. None of us have ever been able to deduce that old fogey's intentions. But because he isn't doing anything, it might mean that he supports us destroying the demons for good, no matter the means."

Rachel's eyes flickered with disappointment. She had hoped that the Judge, a figure of wisdom and power, would be a shield against her father's darker machinations. If anyone should have intervened, it was him.

"But hey," Lenny added with a smirk, "don't let your dad know I told you all this, okay? For some reason, he still wants to look like the dad of the century before you. But I feel you are too grown up and mature to believe in such things. Right?"

Rachel forced a smile, her gaze steady as she replied, "Of course. One of the reasons I joined your guild was so that he could stop being overprotective of me. I want him to know he can trust me to help him out in whatever he's doing to destroy the demons. Now that you've told me these things, I feel greatly left out. If only it wasn't too late… I can't ask my dad, but... you can help me out here, can't you, Lenny?" Her voice took on a seductive edge as she crossed her arms, her ample bosom spilling slightly over her forearms.

Lenny's eyes dropped momentarily to the enticing curve of her form. If it was any other woman, he would have taken her off her feet already. But since she happened to be that terrifying bastard's only daughter, he couldn't take any risks and had to play it safe and wait for her to make the first move. Perhaps if he kept indulging her, she would know he was the right man to get close to.

He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry, "About that… I might know someone who could help, but—"

*Thak!*

The door to Lenny's office burst open, interrupting him. In the doorway stood a stunning woman with long blonde hair and piercing green eyes, her expression a mix of frustration and resolve. Her presence seemed to cut through the tension like a blade as Rachel turned to look at her and mumbled with briefly raised brows, "Lena?" Rachel recognized her as Lena Hart, the long-dead Victor's elder sister and daughter of Gregory Hart.

She knew Lena was a bit too close to Lenny after observing him closely for all these months.

"Rachel? What a pleasant surprise," Lena said, her voice smooth yet edged with a hint of disapproval, "I've noticed you're getting quite cozy with Lenny's guild. Are you skipping on quests these days? You aren't, are you?"

Rachel's smile was warm and polite, though her eyes betrayed a flicker of irritation, "Of course not, Lena. I'm just improving my time management. I'm already a peak A Ranker now, so there's no reason to worry about me getting lazy."

Lena chuckled softly, her hand resting on Rachel's shoulder in a gesture that was both reassuring and slightly condescending, "Of course not. I hope you didn't take offense. I consider you like a little sister, even if we didn't become in-laws."

Rachel's smile tightened, forced but polite, as Lenny cleared his throat and rose from his chair, "I can't believe you showed up just when I was about to mention you."

"Mention me? For what?" Lena's brows furrowed in confusion as she shifted her attention to Lenny.

Lenny's eyes darted between Rachel and Lena, a smirk curling at his lips, "It's nothing serious, really. Rachel here is quite motivated to assist her father, but she's wary of asking him directly because he's so protective. I was just thinking that maybe you could let her join you on some of those 'hunts' you go on."

Lena's eyes narrowed, her amusement fading as she assessed Rachel with a thoughtful expression, "I'm not sure about that," she said slowly, "Your dad has the final say on a lot of things, especially this. How about you give me some time to see if I can work things out without involving him?"

Rachel's smile was sincere, though a tinge of relief was evident in her voice, "I'd greatly appreciate that, Lena. But it's alright if things don't work out. I should get going now; I have a quest to attend to."

Rachel wanted to leave as quickly as possible to process all the horrifying things she just learned and couldn't stand the presence of these two for now.

As Rachel exited the office, the door clicked shut behind her, leaving Lenny and Lena alone in the office.

Lena's expression shifted to one of concern and disapproval as she turned to Lenny, her voice low and intense, "What kind of things have you been telling her? I told you not to get too close. Or are you just that smitten with a young bitch half your age? You slimy pervert."

Lenny raised his hands defensively, a smirk lingering at the corners of his mouth, "Come on, Lena. I'm not just some pervert. She's the President's daughter. I'm currying favor with her because, let's face it, she's likely to become the next head of the Sterling Family. Her arrogant father has me on a leash, so his daughter is the only way I can maneuver things. You know that. And who knows, you might benefit from this in the future too. So, let's just play nice while we can, alright?"

Lena shook her head slowly, her brow furrowed in deep concern, "I don't have a good feeling about this. She never struck me as someone who'd be comfortable with all this. She reminds me a lot of her mother… and you know what kind of woman her mother is."

"You can never truly know a person's nature until you get close to them," Lenny said with a knowing wink, "Rachel might be putting on a facade to keep her parents happy. But which woman doesn't love a bit of adventure? You should know that better than anyone."

Lena's expression was serious, and she considered Lenny's words, "Fine. I'll think about it. But if her father or my grandfather finds out, they might not like it. Maybe it's not a risk worth taking."

"Oh, come on," Lenny said with a confident smile, "He'll just be proud and pleased that his daughter is following in his footsteps and doesn't shy away from a little dirty work. He's just overprotective because he's unsure of how she sees him. So don't worry about it. Let her help. It'll be good for both of you."

Lena sighed, her gaze lingering on Lenny with a mix of exasperation and reluctant acceptance. "Alright, I'll see what I can do," But then she looked at him sternly and added, "But you better not get too comfortable with her. Or I won't entertain your perverted ass again."

Lenny winced with a chuckle, though inwardly he couldn't help but scoff at her words as he thought, 'Why would I need a bitch like you anymore the moment my Rachel gets stronger and inherits everything, hehe…'

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