Chapter 154: The Most Interesting Aspect of Human Nature

Faced with Pierre's interrogation, as if confronting a mortal enemy, Leo smiled faintly.

"An assassin?"

Leo slowly removed the cigar from his mouth and tapped off the ash. "I just have a nickname. They call me the Reaper."

The moment those words left his lips, the air in the entire pool hall seemed to freeze for a second.

Then—

"...Hahaha!"

The bald man who'd been groaning on the floor moments ago, along with the gang thugs surrounding them with submachine guns, suddenly erupted into exaggerated, mocking laughter.

The bald man pointed at Leo, laughing so hard tears nearly spilled from his eyes. "Are you out of your fucking mind? A pretty boy who brings his girl for a stroll through the slums—you think you can impersonate 'that' guy? The one who cut through all of Europe?"

"You think you're Reaper? If you're the Reaper, then I'm God! Hahaha!"

Facing the ridicule of these narrow-minded fools—

"That's right."

Leo's deep eyes calmly swept over everyone. "I am Reaper, Leo."

A chorus of sharp gasps filled the pool hall.

The thugs who'd been sprawled on the floor groaning just moments ago now forgot their injuries entirely, scrambling backward in terror.

The Reaper!

The terrifying existence who, in just a few months, had obliterated the Drake family, the Romano family, the Rothschild family, and wiped out both Nightfall and the Gray Cloaks!

The grim reaper who'd made the entire European underworld tremble at his name!

He was... he was actually standing right in front of them?

"Oh my God... it's really him..."

"We just... we just tried to hit on the Reaper's woman..."

Several thugs went ashen, their bodies going limp with fear.

They'd just been harassing the Reaper's woman!

Pierre's entire body shook violently.

He stared hard at Leo, emotions churning.

The Reaper!

This terrifying existence who'd turned Europe's elite circles upside down had just walked brazenly into his secret hideout!

But Pierre had weathered storms before as a noble's butler. After the initial shock passed, the wariness in his eyes didn't diminish—it intensified.

"Even if you are the Reaper, I can't trust you."

Pierre's jaw clenched tight, his gun still raised. "How do I know you're not bait sent by the Evernight Order or Louis to test me? To root out thorns in their side like us, Louis would use any dirty trick in the book!"

Seeing Pierre's paranoid state, Leo let out a disdainful snort.

"Bait? You're giving yourselves way too much credit."

Leo glanced at the dozen or so submachine guns trained on him, a cold smile playing at his lips. "If I really were a killer sent by Louis, or if I'd woken up in a bad mood today wanting blood..."

"Do you honestly think these pathetic guns and these wastes of space would've kept you alive this long?"

"If I wanted to make a move, you wouldn't even be standing here talking to me right now. You'd all be corpses on the floor."

Feeling the suffocating, absolute pressure radiating from Leo, Pierre's face went pale.

He knew Leo was telling the truth.

Even the nine knights of the Gray Cloaks and hundreds of Nightfall elites couldn't stop this monster. His small underground gang hideout would be like tissue paper before the Reaper.

Pierre took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his fear, and slowly lowered his submachine gun.

"Everyone, stand down."

Pierre waved off his cold-sweat-drenched subordinates, recovering some of his former dignity as the Valois family's head butler.

"Mr. Ashford, forgive the earlier offense."

Pierre gestured. "This isn't the place for conversation. Please, follow me inside."

Leo didn't waste words. With Victoria at his side, he followed Pierre straight into a hidden, soundproofed office deep within the pool hall.

Inside, Pierre locked the heavy iron door.

"Please, sit." Though Pierre's attitude had softened somewhat, his eyes still held deep wariness.

Leo didn't sit. Instead, he casually pulled two items from inside his coat and tossed them onto the desk in front of Pierre.

An antique family seal encrusted with diamonds, stained with dried blood.

A black elder's token representing the highest authority of the Gray Cloaks.

Seeing these two items, Pierre's pupils contracted to pinpoints.

Those were Sawyer Rothschild's family signet and Wayne's personal command token!

"Now, can you drop that ridiculous paranoia?" Leo stared down at him coldly.

Pierre swallowed hard, finally fully believing that the man before him was indeed the grim reaper who'd torn Europe's old order to shreds.

But the expression on his face only grew more grave.

"Reaper, I know why you've come looking for me."

Pierre took a deep breath, his tone heavy. "Let's cut to the chase. You're here for Erwin because you want to use us against Louis Valois, correct?"

"Correct."

Leo made no attempt to hide it, speaking bluntly. "I need the interior layout of Valois Manor, and all intelligence on Louis's communication channels with the Evernight Order."

Pierre gave a bitter smile. "You've offended the Evernight Order. Now there are Templar Knights stationed at Valois Manor. You want to exploit our hatred of the Valois family, join forces with Erwin's power, and take down Louis together, yes?"

He shook his head ruefully. "But you don't understand how terrifying the Evernight Order truly is. Even with your extraordinary combat abilities, even if we add all the underground forces we've accumulated over twenty-five years—against the supernatural horror of Templar Knights, we'd just be ants trying to stop a chariot. We can't throw our lives away with you."

"You misunderstand."

Leo cut him off. "I'm not here to form an alliance with you against the Valois family."

"I'm here because... I'm going to erase the Valois family from this world first. 'Then' we'll talk cooperation."

"What?"

Pierre froze, completely blindsided by Leo's words.

"You're going to... to destroy the Valois family first?"

Pierre couldn't believe it. "But... but there are Templar Knights stationed there!"

A cold smile curved Leo's lips. "How many people are at Valois Manor makes no difference to me."

"I'm giving you three days."

Leo turned toward the door. "In three days, Louis's head will appear here. At that time, I'll come back to discuss the details of our cooperation."

"As for now... go discuss it with Erwin. I think he'll make the right choice."

With that, Leo swept out in his coat, striding from the meeting room.

Pierre stood there, stunned.

He looked at the dark gold key representing the Evernight Order's authority on the desk, then at the faded family crest on the wall, complex emotions flickering in his eyes.

---

Paris on a rainy night, bitter wind cutting through the air.

Victoria held onto Leo's arm as they walked side by side through the dark streets, splashing through puddles.

Once they'd left the slums behind, Victoria could no longer contain her curiosity.

"Leo."

Victoria lifted her stunning face, asking in confusion, "You went through all that trouble to find them—why didn't you insist on meeting this Erwin person? Are you really so certain that after Pierre reports back, they'll agree to this insane cooperation?"

"No need to meet him."

Leo opened the car door for Victoria. "Because they've already agreed."

"What?"

Victoria grew even more curious, sliding into the car. "But Pierre clearly said he still needed to ask for permission. What if this Erwin is too afraid of the Evernight Order's retaliation and refuses?"

"He won't dare refuse. He can't refuse."

Leo started the Maybach's engine, one hand on the steering wheel as he spoke evenly. "A man who should've been a high-born noble heir, forced to hide in slum sewers for a full twenty-five years. That kind of bone-deep hatred and humiliation has already taken root in his heart."

"Now, there's a peerless blade being handed to him—one that won't cost them a single drop of blood—to cut down his enemy's head and reclaim everything that should've been his."

"Faced with that temptation, the flames of vengeance will burn away all reason and fear. They can't possibly refuse."

Victoria nodded thoughtfully but still hesitated. "What about Pierre? He seemed extremely wary of the Evernight Order."

"That's what makes human nature so interesting."

Leo watched the Paris nightscape rushing backward outside the windshield, his voice low and gravelly. "Pierre is old."

"When a man grows old, what he fears most isn't death—it's being lowered into his coffin with a lifetime of regrets and resentment."

"To protect Erwin, he's scraped by for half his life. Now, this is his only chance—his 'last' chance—to personally witness his former master's vindication and Erwin's return to power."

Leo slammed his foot on the accelerator. The black Maybach roared through the rain like a savage beast.

"So I don't need to convince Erwin at all."

"That dying old butler will do it himself—he'll stake everything he has left to make Erwin take this world-shaking gamble."