Smiles began blooming on the faces of employees who, until just a few days ago, had been shadowed with gloom. Some even arrived at work humming cheerful tunes.

“Good morning!”
“Well now, you seem to be in a good mood. Something happen?”
“Yes! I won the lottery yesterday! Only 500 dollars, but still!”
“That’s great! So, are you treating us today?”
“Absolutely!”

Stocks that had been plummeting daily were now soaring thanks to a series of favorable developments, and the news was filled with endless praise for Evilus Corporation’s record-breaking achievements.

It was as if all the misfortune and stagnation of the past had been a mere step backward to prepare for this dazzling success. Every day seemed brighter than the last.

While Evilus Corporation basked in its newfound glory in E City, the situation in S City couldn’t have been more different.

[Reports have surfaced suggesting unethical cloning experiments at the Spiritual Center, but they remain silent on the matter...]
[Officials have claimed, “These are fabricated AI-generated articles, and we will respond firmly to the spread of false information…”]
[The Federation has announced plans to investigate S City and the Spiritual Center...]

In stark contrast to E City and Evilus Corporation’s meteoric rise, S City and the Spiritual Center were spiraling into ruin. It was as if the fortunes of the two cities had suddenly reversed overnight.

While those grinding away in the corporate machinery saw no reason to question these events, those overseeing everything from above couldn’t help but feel suspicious. Regalia was one such person.

“This… is this your doing?”

Regalia summoned the scientist to question him about the situation in S City. Without a word, he nodded lightly in confirmation. Her brow furrowed slightly at his response.

Though she knew he would never pose a threat to her…

“You’ve been acting on your own too much lately. Isn’t that true?”
“I didn’t think you needed to know.”
“...Am I being too paranoid? This scene feels strangely familiar.”
“Ku-huhu—doubting me, are you? My, how cruel of you.”
“You? No, right?”
“Just joking, boss.”

Mimicking the mannerisms of an “evil scientist” from a children’s cartoon that Regalia often watched, Eight’s exaggerated performance made her shudder as she was reminded of the character. Watching her reaction, Eight chuckled softly.

“If you’d like, I can report everything I do to you in excruciating detail. But… that wouldn’t be very efficient, would it?”
“This isn’t about efficiency—it’s about trust.”
“You’re wondering if I’m planning to stab you in the back?”

Regalia silently gazed at Eight, her expression calm, betraying nothing. It was a face she’d perfected, but Eight, who had seen it countless times, could still read her true thoughts.

The throne is always a seat that others covet. For someone like Regalia, whose path to power had been paved since birth, the external pressures and struggles she’d faced must have been unimaginable to someone like Eight, who had once been an ordinary graduate student. Even then, the petty politics of academia had been enough to exhaust him.

“You don’t need to worry about that, boss.”

Yet, as he had said many times before, Eight had neither the intent nor the desire to betray Regalia.

He could promise that with everything he had. She might not know it, but if necessary, he could even impose such restrictions on himself.

“I will never betray you.”

Because he had made that promise to himself.
To live as someone he wouldn’t be ashamed of.
At the very least… to never become someone as shameless as his old academic advisor.

“...So, there’s no plan to create a clone of me, replace me with it, and control that puppet to take over Evilus?”
“No, of course not. Boss, you’ve been watching way too many cartoons…”

Even so, his sincerity didn’t fully reach her.

"Aaaaahhh-!"
"Please, spare me!"
"I’ll do anything! Just let me out!"

The people locked inside the room screamed, their voices desperate and panicked. But those outside, who could clearly hear the cries, paid no attention, turning their heads away from the door as if they hadn’t heard a thing.

Moments later, something erupted from the altar and engulfed the occupants inside.

Crunch—Crack—Rip!
The grotesque symphony of sounds filled the air for a moment before the room fell silent, broken only by a loud, guttural belch that echoed ominously.

"Enter."

At the spirit’s command, Riu Spirit and her employees cautiously stepped into the room. Their steps faltered as they took in the gruesome scene—blood and flesh strewn everywhere.

They were no strangers to witnessing sacrifices being consumed, but this display was different. It was as if the spirit had abandoned all sense of refinement, devouring in an almost animalistic frenzy.

The sheer messiness left Riu Spirit clutching her forehead in frustration. She bowed her head slightly and spoke.

“Were the sacrifices to your liking? We’ll clean the room immediately.”
"They sufficed. But you—don’t you have a request for me?"
"A request…?"
"Yes, something to ask of me. Is there nothing?"
"N-no, I…"
"You should have something."

At that moment, Riu Spirit realized the spirit was pressuring her—coercing her into asking for a favor. Despite consuming such a massive offering and preparing to feast again tomorrow and the day after, it was still demanding more.

Perhaps consuming so many sacrifices at once had changed its demeanor.

“Th-then… we’ve noticed signs of an attack on our corporation recently. Could you prevent it for us?”
"An attack? Ah, this. I see. Very well, I’ll grant you a discount—bring me 15 more sacrifices."
“Excuse me? You won’t do it without a payment…?”
"Do you wish to die?"
“I-I apologize!”

Knowing it was futile, Riu had tried pushing her luck, but now she could only bow deeply before leaving the altar room. There was no time to waste—she needed to gather more sacrifices. Cleaning the room could wait; it would just get messy again after the next ritual.

As she barked orders to her subordinates to collect the next round of sacrifices, one of her employees, still not fully comprehending the situation, timidly spoke up.

“Ma’am, are you… are you out of your mind? How could you make another request in there?”
“…How long have you been working here?”
“Three years, ma’am.”
“You’re young. Your thinking is immature. Pathetic.”
“W-wait, what are you—ah!”

Without a word, Riu grabbed the employee by the head and transmitted her thoughts via telepathy. Though tempted to add him to the list of sacrifices for the spirit, she knew that even low-level Spiritual Center employees were too valuable to waste.

After all, the employee hadn’t even flinched when witnessing the spirit devour over a hundred sacrifices raw—not because he was brave, but because he had been too overwhelmed to react.

Through her telepathy, she shared the spirit’s intentions and reasoning with him. The employee trembled violently and collapsed to his knees, foam forming at the corners of his mouth.

“G-ghhh…!”
“Do you understand now? Do you see why I made that request?”
“I… I understand… I was shortsighted…”
“No matter. Just keep doing your job as you are.”
“Thank you…”

Bowing deeply, the employee left to resume the task of finding sacrifices. Watching him go, Riu turned her attention back to her packed schedule.

Gathering sacrifices wasn’t her only concern—she was still the CEO of a corporation, after all. Work had piled up, especially now that information about the company’s secret cloning operations had leaked.

Her already demanding role had become even more overwhelming.

“Secretary. What’s on my schedule today?”
[Yes, Ms. Riu. Today’s schedule includes—]

As her AI assistant recited her list of tasks, Riu noticed something peculiar: a meeting she hadn’t been informed of beforehand. Someone from Evilus Corporation had requested an audience with her.

“A visitor from Evilus Corporation? I wasn’t notified of this.”
[Yes, it was a last-minute addition to today’s schedule.]
“I don’t have time for this. Reject the meeting.”
[That’s not possible, ma’am. This meeting has been flagged with the highest priority.]
“…Have the Evilus people lost their minds?”

Letting out a dry laugh, Riu begrudgingly made her way to the meeting room. If they were this insistent, she might as well see them face to face.

Inside the meeting room, a man in a white lab coat sat alone, sipping what appeared to be coffee—likely brought to him by her secretaries.

Riu scrutinized the man’s face for a moment before clearing her throat and stepping forward.

“You must be Evilus Corporation’s guest. How rude of you to visit unannounced like this.”
“My apologies. It’s a rather urgent matter,” the man replied with a polite smile, bowing slightly before continuing.

“I am Eight, a scientist with Evilus Corporation.”
“Riu Spirit,” she introduced herself curtly.
“I know who you are, ma’am,” Eight said, his tone calm as his eyes wandered around the room, as if searching for something.

The blatant disrespect of looking around while speaking to her was infuriating, but his next words froze her in place.

“—So, where’s the spirit?”
“…What?”
“I came to see it in person.”

Our boss is rather… persistent.

The cryptic comment was unsettling, but Riu dismissed it. Instead, she swallowed nervously, glaring at Eight.

…How much does this man know?