Novel's Extra: I Awakened The Strongest Physique From The Start

Chapter 240 - CHAPTER 241 - Alex, Anos, and Eris.

"Are you sure you won't regret it?"

That was a question the referee had asked Alex when Varacius had revealed who was behind all this.

It was because the referee was a demon, and Keryu was the prince of the empire, no matter how useless or famed he was.

The referee didn't belong to the side that supported Keryu, but as a demon, he couldn't tolerate seeing the image of a prince brought down like this.

Of course, the referee was just a referee. As soon as his communication device activated again, delivering a new order, he had no choice but to shut up and announce whatever he was told.

"Keryu would be interrogated."

Right now, sitting in the hall of his mansion, Alex was faced with the same question again.

This time, however, the one asking the question wasn't someone Alex could take lightly.

...........................

The grand hall of Alex's mansion was bathed in dim, flickering candlelight. The air was heavy and thick with an unspoken tension that neither of the three figures in the room acknowledged outright.

Alex sat with his usual calm demeanor, his blue eyes sharp as they studied the two individuals across him.

One of them, a man, exuded an overwhelming presence despite his seemingly languid posture.

Red-black hair cascaded past his shoulders, his crimson eyes gleaming with amusement that did little to mask the sheer power he wielded. Two jet-black horns adorned his head, a silent testament to his lineage.

It was Anos Voldigod, the Demon Emperor.

Beside him sat a young woman with striking features. She had black hair flowing like silk and piercing purple eyes that held a depth of calculation. It was Eris Ivanovich, Keryu's sister.

Unlike her father, she had barely spoken a word since arriving, her gaze flitting between the two men as if gauging the undercurrents of their conversation.

There was a long silence.

None of them had said anything from the start and just sat there, staring at each other—that was until Anos moved.

He leaned back slightly, his arms resting casually on the armrests of his chair, and his lips curled into a smirk.

"Are you sure you won't regret it?" He asked, mirroring the very question Alex had heard from the referee in the Colosseum.

For a moment, silence stretched between them as Alex met the Demon Emperor's gaze, his expression unreadable. Then, he tilted his head ever so slightly. "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

Anos blinked at that question, glancing at Eris as if wanting to know if he heard it right before...

"Hahahahahaha!" He let out a hearty laugh, the sound reverberating through the hall.

"A threat? No, no, my boy, you wound me." He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, still grinning. "I'm simply asking a question."

Alex didn't waver. "I was attacked. I counterattacked. That's all there is to it. So no, I won't regret it."

Anos hummed, nodding as if mulling over Alex's response. "I see, I see..."

Then, picking up the glass of wine on the table, he twirled it, staring at his reflection in the glass.

"Still, Keryu is my son. And as an imperial of the Demon Empire, you should know that we don't take slights lightly. We tend to be quite... vindictive." His crimson eyes glowed slightly, his smirk deepening. "It might be in your best interest to settle this matter calmly."

Alex exhaled through his nose, his lips quirking into a smirk wider than Anos's.

"I don't bother with those who don't do anything to me," he said evenly. "But once someone crosses me, I don't back down."

His posture shifted, his right leg draping over the left as he chuckled. "So if Keryu values his well-being, it'd be in his interest not to get on my bad side more than he already has."

For the first time, Anos fell silent, simply studying Alex with an unreadable gaze. The flickering candlelight cast elongated shadows across his face, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

'Have I been inactive in this world for a long time?' He wondered as he felt that Alex didn't fear.

Anos felt that maybe he had been away from the world for too long and that people had forgotten who he was.

But as he turned to look at Eris, whose body seemed to tremble subtly as if understanding the weight of the situation, he shook his head inwardly. 'No. I don't think that's it.'

Squinting his eyes, he concluded as he stared at Alex. 'It's him who's not normal.'

Then, after a long pause, he merely shrugged. "Well, you're certainly interesting." He let out a sigh, stretching his arms as if bored. "Let's move on, shall we?"

The atmosphere shifted as he leaned forward, his expression turning slightly more serious. "I have another question. Do you know anything about Lilia's disappearance?"

At those words, something in Alex's demeanor changed.

His golden eyes darkened, his jaw tensed, and an uncharacteristic silence fell upon him. A chilling stillness surrounded him, the air itself seeming to grow heavier. When he finally spoke, his voice was cold, clipped, and devoid of any of the usual amusement he carried. "I don't."

Anos observed him carefully,

She shifted slightly in her seat, her fingers clenching and unclenching as if waging an internal war. "I don't understand you," she admitted, her voice softer now, almost contemplative.

Alex leaned back, his golden eyes glinting under the dim light. "You don't have to."

That only made her frown more.

Her emotions were tangled, her thoughts a storm she couldn't quite navigate. Yet, despite that, she didn't look away from him. If anything, her curiosity had only grown stronger.

She had come here to understand why she felt this pull toward him and why the thought of him had taken root in her mind since their last encounter.

And Alex? He knew exactly why.

But he had no intention of telling her just yet.