Rex’s eyes flickered.

If it had taken any longer than today, he was planning to meet High Lord Rashal again.

Fortunately, Liebert came in time.

"Who is it?" Lilliana poked her head from behind, curious. "The High Lord’s people?"

"It’s Liebert, the one we met at dinner with your new friends. Clean the table—please," Rex said, remembering that there are food boxes there. It was most certainly Lilliana’s. "And tell your little sister to quickly change."

Lilliana slipped away and did exactly as she was told.

She disintegrated the food boxes with her energy and went to the main bedroom to inform Davina.

Rex waited for ten more seconds, giving time for the sisters to prepare—and also deliberately let Liebert stand outside. Only when he rang the doorbell for the second time did Rex finally open the door, eyes meeting with Liebert’s firmly.

"Sir Rex, may I come in?" He asked, offering a small smile.

One that made him look harmless.

"Sure," Rex stepped aside and then gestured for him to the single sofa. "Go ahead."

"Yes," Liebert sat down, but his eyes were fixed on the open portal on the wall.

He knew Rex was in possession of a Permit from the High Lord, so it wasn’t surprising to see this. But it does surprise him to realize he couldn’t see through it. For some odd reason, what lies beyond became blurrier the harder he focused.

’I am an officer of the Enforcers. I have an authority over the Primordial Meadow—and yet I somehow can’t see through this portal...?’ He glanced at Rex, who was pouring a glass of water for him. ’Just who is this person? No wonder the High Lord valued him.’

Rex placed the glass on the table and then sat on the right edge of the long sofa.

"Thank you."

"No problem, you’re a guest here."

Just then, the main bedroom door was opened as Davina and Lilliana walked out.

Both wore a simple, a couple of sizes bigger shirt that sagged against their forms, and baggy sweatpants.

"Excuse my intrusion," Liebert straightened his back and smiled.

"You have business with Rex, so there’s no need for an apology." Davina sat down beside Rex.

Once the three of them had settled, Liebert cast an apologetic smile at Rex and leaned forward a little. "I’m sorry to say this, Sir Rex—but the topic we’re going to discuss is highly classified. Can you please ask the ladies to give us some privacy?"

Davina and Lilliana frowned at this request.

Both of them accompanied Rex to the God Realm, so they aren’t here to be on display.

"I believe that’s incredibly rude of you, Sir Liebert," Davina tilted her head a little and scowled. "I’m Rex’s fiancée and also someone who’d accompany him in doing whatever the High Lord’s plan is. And by that authority, I demand to stay."

"I second what she said," Lilliana added, also not even hiding their hostilities.

Despite their opposition, Liebert only gave them a faint smile and stared at Rex once again.

He was waiting for Rex’s answer.

Ah... For someone close to the High Lord, he’s sure quite caring.

Rex covered his mouth naturally, hiding the grin he couldn’t suppress.

"It’s fine, Sir Liebert," Rex gestured his hand toward the girls. "As long as I’m in this realm, they are the extension of myself. Anything I know—they can also know. If you’re worried about a breach, I can assure you it won’t happen. If it did, I would take responsibility."

"Very well," Liebert tapped the table with his index finger.

Before their eyes, the air above the table warped and twisted. A seamless ripple in reality itself. From the distortion, two objects tumbled out: a sealed envelope and a box roughly the size of an adult’s hand. Both landed softly on the table, as though placed there by unseen fingers.

As someone important within Larta City, he has free rein in accessing the space within it.

Unlike others, he could use space-related abilities without restrictions.

"Before I proceed with what the High Lord wants," Liebert reached for the box—and placed it right on Rex’s side table, pressing his fingers on the lid while making eye contact with Rex. "I believe this box is for you."

"For me?" Rex raised a brow.

"Yes. Though the sender’s name slipped my mind, give me a moment," Liebert looked away, trying to remember the name of the sender, though the pause felt almost rehearsed. "Ah, yes. It was Pale Defender Zev. He couldn’t deliver the box himself, so I offered to give it to you personally. Besides, now that you are the High Lord’s representative, any matters involving you are to pass through us.

"Please keep that in mind next time," He added and pulled his hand away.

Mild shock crept to Rex’s face.

He had specifically asked Zev to send the Permit himself and not to let anyone know about it.

For the Permit to be delivered by Liebert meant the High Lord knew about his visit to the Cavity, and also his contact with Zev. And considering how eager Zev was, he doubted Zev would hand the Permit over without trying to get Liebert off his back.

Something must’ve happened to him, and Rex wanted to know.

Davina frowned when she noticed the change in Rex’s face.

Perhaps she didn’t know the full picture of what was going on, but she knew Rex probably headed back to meet with Zev for their deal, and ended up also with Zev giving away a Permit. One that he was going to keep as a precaution.

A trump card in case things went awry.

But that Permit was intercepted, and now it’s in Liebert’s hand

Now, the Permit is less valuable as the High Lord’s people knew about it.

In a case when Rex got into trouble, they could make countermeasures for him to obtain the Permit.

’So that’s why he wanted us to leave,’ Davina leaned back, a sneer curling inwardly at the realization. Liebert hadn’t disrespected them. Quite the opposite, he’d been respecting Rex. Asking him politely to send them away so they wouldn’t witness this. Witness Rex being humiliated. ’One might mistake this for compassion. But it was arrogance. Pure, condescending arrogance. Still...

’Rex should have caught this on early, but he didn’t tell us to leave. Does he know about this?’

Davina stole a glance at Rex, curious as to what he was thinking.

"Did you kill him?" Rex suddenly asked.

"I don’t understand what you mean," Liebert denied answering. "Why would you even go there?"

"For your sake, I hope you didn’t kill Zev."

"For my sake? What exactly do you mean by that, Sir Rex?"

"Because I already sent a message to Zev’s family. If he didn’t come back at exactly midnight, then he’s most likely dead. And the perpetrator is your men," Rex pointed his index finger at Liebert. "What’s his name again...? I believe it’s Norman."

Almost instantly, Liebert’s eyes narrowed.

He wasn’t expecting Rex to know about his men, the one he sent to intercept Zev.

"Believe it or not, but this place... my home realm is also similar to this. Modern. And I’m quite good at these things," Rex gestured to the entire room with his index finger. "In a civil city like this, publicity and reputation are paramount. If you really kill Zev, then his family will report this incident.

"Since it’s involving High Lord Rashal, a new, young member of the government, it will gain publicity quickly. And then the missing Pale Defenders near Pale Defender Zev’s territory will also gain some light. At that point, who do you think the people would blame?"

It was a silent understanding.

Liebert knew that Rex was the one who killed those missing Pale Defenders.

Now, his accomplice was identified as Zev.

But the High Lord had let it slide, sweeping the missing Pale Defenders under the rug as casualties of duty. If Zev’s death were to surface—if word spread that individuals directly tied to the High Lord had killed him, High Lord Rashal’s reputation would shatter beneath the weight of it.

And as a finishing blow, the people’s anger would most certainly fuel them to blame the High Lord for the missing Pale Defenders, too. It wasn’t true. Rex was the one who killed those Pale Defenders—but truth or lie wouldn’t matter at that point.

Frankly, this caught Liebert completely off guard.

He wasn’t expecting Rex to not only predict him to find out about Zev, but also to prepare an elaborate trap like this. Considering that Rex came from the Spirit Realm, he thought less of Rex since that realm was ransacked by the voidal monsters right about now.

Hard to have a strong foundation when survival is still a floating idea.

In truth, he wasn’t from the Spirit Realm, and that made him incredibly used to this kind of situation.

"Release Zev," Rex said nonchalantly, and then placed his hand on the box. "And I’ll release Norman."

"What...?"

"You heard me."

Before Liebert could even wrap his head around the situation, Rex opened the box.

And inside it, there was nothing.

Just an empty box—a velvet cushion bearing the faint indentation of something that should have been there, but wasn’t. Liebert was at a loss for words. He hadn’t checked the content, but then again, there shouldn’t be a need for that.

His men shouldn’t have given him an empty box.

But it was empty.

Only now did Liebert realize that Rex had already intercepted his men.

From the start, Rex was already two steps ahead of him.

"Let me tell you something—Liebert," Rex reclined on the sofa and stretched one arm aside, assuming a bigger frame. "I know what you’re doing. I know why the High Lord told you to do this. It is because of the interrogation, isn’t it? I know."

Back then, when he was interrogated by High Lord Rashal, he deliberately lied on the last question.

It was to put pressure on the High Lord.

At that moment, High Lord Rashal holds everything. He holds all the playing cards. Every advantage was his. Rex needed to make a move. Something that he could utilize so that he wouldn’t be at the full mercy of the High Lord.

And lying at the last question adds a layer of hesitation in High Lord Rashal.

Add the worry that there’s a powerful God backing Rex.

However, that act, without a doubt, offended High Lord Rashal.

He might not show it, but it did.

Liebert was probably tasked to make the score even, and he took this approach.

Took intercepting Zev to tell Rex that every movement he made was monitored.

But that failed.

Like Liebert, Rex could spy without being detected. But the tables had turned, and now he stood on the back foot. "I am a visitor here. I am entirely at the High Lord’s mercy. What I did, I did to protect myself and those close to me. Nothing more. The High Lord has nothing to prove—while I have everything to prove. There’s no need to balance the scales.

"There’s no need to bully the weaker party." He added and shook his head.

Frankly, he was disappointed.

Considering his first impression of the High Lord, he thought this wouldn’t be necessary.

"I understa—" Liebert was about to take the box, but Rex caught his hand and gripped it firmly.

"Please tell the High Lord," He whispered menacingly. "That I won’t bring trouble to his city—or even the Primordial Meadow as a whole. That I’ll be his representative and do what I must to get what I want. But you tell him from me..."

Rex’s grip tightened to the point of breaking, causing Liebert’s face to twitch.

It felt like his hand was being crushed.

"That I don’t want him to undermine me. Undermine me and those who are associated with me. I have a list of prey that I wanted to hunt—and I do not want to add another one." Rex looked at Liebert dead in the eyes. "Do you understand?"