His voice cut through the chamber instantly. The noise died down, though many still glared at Ethan with open hostility. Malikar shook his head faintly, as though mildly disappointed in them. “Calm yourselves,” he said with quiet disdain. “This… charlatan is not worthy of such agitation.” A few of the masters chuckled darkly. Tarin smirked again. Malikar then turned back to Ethan, his gaze cool and dismissive. “Well then,” he said coldly. “Let us see this miracle potion.” The entire chamber leaned forward. Waiting.Malikar’s smug expression faltered slightly as one of the Parveja elders, Raveth, stepped forward, holding a curious contraption at arm’s length. It was an ancient alchemical reaction chamber, a cylindrical glass vessel lined with intricate runes that glowed faintly when activated. Tubes led to small reservoirs on either side, and inside, a crystalline core suspended in liquid acted as the analyzer.“This,” Raveth explained to the gathered crowd, “will allow us to

All eyes slowly turned toward Ethan.He simply stood there with a faint smile on his face.Malikar stared at the testing chamber as if the result itself had personally insulted him.“This…” he muttered hoarsely. “This cannot be right.”His eyes darted between the crystal core and Ethan’s emerald vial.“No,” he said louder, shaking his head. “Something is still wrong. The machine must have malfunctioned earlier. Yes—that must be it.”But this time, someone answered him immediately.Raveth Parveja stepped forward slowly.The elder’s voice was calm, but firm.“No, Master Malikar.”The entire room turned toward him.Raveth looked directly at the machine.“The second test confirms the chamber is functioning properly.”He paused.“Your potion… was simply weaker.”The words hung in the air like a hammer strike.Malikar’s face went pale.Several of the other alchemists shifted uncomfortably.One of them cleared his throat.“…The elder is correct.”Another nodded slowly.“The test was fair.”“

“The human world?” Her voice rose in disbelief. She stared at him as if he had just suggested walking into a furnace. “Are you serious?” “A demon… in the human world?” The idea alone sounded absurd to her. Dangerous. Unthinkable. Ethan remained calm under her stare. “Yes.” She narrowed her eyes, still shocked. “And what exactly do you plan to arrange?” “Everything.” His tone did not change. “I have influence there.” He briefly thought of his family. Their resources. Their reach. Their connections. “I could simply buy a hospital.” Norka blinked again. This time even more stunned. “A hospital?” Ethan nodded. “With that, we could ensure your pregnancy is monitored safely.” “No suspicion.” “No exposure.” “No risk to the child.” He looked directly at her. “You could give birth there quietly.” The room fell silent again. Norka stared at him, still trying to process the insanity of the suggestion. A demon. Living in the human world. The proposal hung between

Then she jumped back two steps. “I’M SORRY!” Her face turned bright red. “That just—happened!” Ethan blinked slowly. Once. Then he let out a small laugh. Karpeta stared at him. “…You’re not mad?” “No.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Just surprised.” She laughed nervously. “Yeah… me too.” For a moment they both stood there awkwardly. Then Ethan gestured down the hallway. “Well.” “Lead the way.” Karpeta immediately brightened again. “Right!” They began walking down the corridor together. After a few minutes, Ethan glanced at her. “So.” “Yes?” “Where are we going?” Karpeta grinned. “That’s a surprise.” He sighed. “That’s not reassuring.” “You’ll like it.” “How do you know?” She shrugged playfully. “Because I’m amazing at planning dates.” “…That sounds like you’ve planned many.” “Maybe.” “Karpeta.” “Yes?” “That didn’t sound convincing.” She laughed. “Just trust me.” They continued walking, their voices slowly fading as they left the hallway. But

The leader frowned. “Why?” Ethan’s smile slowly returned. “Because now you’re going to pay for that answer.” The men laughed loudly. “Did you hear him?” “He’s threatening us!” “Five against one!” “Let’s break him.”One of the thugs stepped forward first.“Don’t rush.”He cracked his neck.“I’ll handle him.”The other four stepped back slightly, clearly entertained.The thug charged.Knife aimed straight at Ethan’s stomach.From her hiding place, Karpeta held her breath.Ethan…The knife slashed forward.Fast.But Ethan moved faster.His hand shot out.He grabbed the thug’s wrist mid-strike.The man’s eyes widened.“What—”CRACK.Ethan twisted the arm violently.The sound of bone snapping echoed down the street.“AAAAAGH!”The knife dropped from the thug’s hand.Before the scream even finished—Ethan drove a brutal punch straight into the man’s stomach.The thug folded instantly.Air exploding out of his lungs.Then—BAM.Ethan’s elbow smashed into the side of the man’s face.T