To be clear, the dark elf was Garta's father, not the demon who possessed him two years ago.

While we waited for the dean to return to her office, which would signal the demon had been handled, Garta told me more about his father and his family. His father had been the second in line to be the king of the Silverwinds, a nation of united elven tribes on one of the western continents. When his brother the former king had been murdered, apparently he'd made a deal with the demon Tinnek to bring him back to life. Except apparently bringing someone back to life wasn't as easy as the demon made it seem, and I couldn't get Garta to tell me the rest.

"Maybe when we've known each other longer than a week," he said. "I'll make us tea."

[Notice] Congratulations! You have completed the first part of your Mission [Learn More About the Demeot]. Mastery of [Demeot Eyes] has increased by .1%.

"Thanks," I said absently.

Then he left the room, and I was alone to sort out my thoughts. I put my hands over my face and couldn't help sighing. This was what I didn't like about Quests. I hadn't earned any mastery in [Demeot Eyes], I'd studied that demon for less than thirty seconds. On the other hand...

Even with the stunt Di'at had pulled and Professor Zell transforming in front of me, I hadn't quite realized the magnitude of what was going on. That was a big problem. I wasn't even sure if it was possible to get a full idea of what he was going up against because I was beginning to suspect the World System was working to hide it, sweep it under the metaphorical rug.

Professor Zell's transformation into a demon could not have been the first. The demon who'd torn a rift between the Plane of Demeot, where they were meant to stay, and the Plane of Formation, which was this one, could not have been the first to do so. Or to do so with an audience. There was no way that they were only in Brugge or only in Broweathen. This must've been happening for quite some time. And all over the world.

Yet I had no idea. No one seemed to have any idea. Not many people seemed to find Professor Zell's transformation that alarming. Yes, they wanted time to process the loss because she was such an incredible Mage. They did not need time to process a fucking demon possessed an incredible Mage and no one knew until people died because of it. They'd glossed right over that as if it was normal.

It wasn't normal, though. I'd encountered a few people with demon blood over my lifetimes on this world, but I'd never seen a demon before. Very few people mentioned the Demeot beyond the fact that they lived in the Plane of Demeot. The Rashirat were more like a cautionary tale, like the Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. Meant to scare children into behaving. In reality, the Rashirat were more than fodder for nightmares.

I needed more information about the Rashirat, the Demeot, and the Plane of Demeot. Garta was clearly not going to tell me what I needed to know easily, so my only option was to do my own research.

I also couldn't deny that I needed whatever help I could get leveling up. I couldn't shake the feeling that Tinnek might've come for me. I didn't know how the Demeot communicated. Every single one of them could know my face by now. If I wanted to stay alive long enough to kill King Enosh XXI, I needed to be much, much stronger. And quickly.

When the dean finally returned to her office, she didn't look any worse for wear. The first thing she did was reassure Garta that his father hadn't been killed. Then she reassured me that I was safe here but should train [Forgotten Son] more just in case. She act as if a demon ripping a hole in the sky was about as commonplace as a road accident and nearly as mundane as an injury-free fender bender.

Back at Tespana, however, the story was a little different. Garta's father hadn't been killed, but there had been casualties. Two professors had died fighting Tinnek. A few students who'd liked those professors were sad about it, but there was really no sense of grief.

Grief. Yes, that was the word. That was what had been missing for Professor Zell, too. There was no grieving going on in this world at all for the many people who'd been possessed, for the many people who'd likely died because the ambition of the Rashirat. There was no anger at the Shevirat for doing nothing, for letting so many people get possessed. When I'd lost my sister, grief was the only thing I knew for a long time. Grief was a hell of its own. I saw that nowhere around me. I'd never seen it in any lives.

Well, save for Garta. If I was going to assume that the demon-corrupted World System was responsible for the dead angle in everyone's mind about what was really happening with the Rashirat, then why was it that Garta didn't seem quite as affected? Perhaps because his loss had been personal.

Still, there should be thousands of people who'd lost someone close to them. What were they doing with their grief? Not really a problem for me to figure out, but the answer would tell me just how insidious this World System truly was. I might just have to destroy the whole damn thing.

Garta kept to himself the rest of the night, and so I took a trip to the library. I found Rose there, and she helped me find resources on the Rashirat, the Demeot, and the Plane of Demeot. There weren't a lot, not even in the restricted sections she could access, so although she'd offered to help me look through them as well, I didn't need the extra set of eyes.

"What are you trying to find out?" she asked, settling back into her own seat across from me where she had several books laid open on the long table.

"Anything, really," I said. "There just seem to be enough Demeot around that it seems like a good idea to learn a bit more about them."

She blinked. "Well, just don't get too interested." She lowered her voice. "And don't take them out of the library. There's been... some investigations into people who seem too interested in all of that on orders from my father."

"Is that a new development?" I asked, whispering as well. I had a feeling I'd learn nothing of importance in these books.

"Not necessarily." She glanced around. "Let's talk about it more later. If I cast a silencing spell in here, it'll trigger a librarian to come check to make sure we're not doing something we shouldn't be."

"Like tearing pages out of the books?"

She grinned. "Like fucking. There are better spells to hide that activity anyway. After I'm finished up here, we can walk back to Tespana together and I can tell you more?"

[Notice] Congratulations! You have completed the second part of your Mission [Learn More About the Demeot]. Mastery of [Demeot Eyes] has increased by .1%.

"Actually," I said, "I might take you up on that later." If I couldn't get information about the Demeot from books, then I needed to get it another way. "I have some family matters to take care of this weekend." I grimaced to make it more believable.

"Viscoti family matters? Sounds important." She chuckled. "Just don't sneak off, Lord Viscoti. Say bye to me before you go."

Since she requested, I made sure to let her know when I left and wished her a good night. Caemor Academy had no real security measures keeping me there, so I walked out of the front entrance and headed to my apartment in the red light district. I found Danio napping out on the balcony after I changed into clothes that I'd bought for my Trygve Teigen persona.

Danio had to rub sleep out of his eyes a few times before recognized me. "Tryg!" He sat up and hugged me.

For a moment, I remembered the way my sister had hugged me every time she saw me. The last time I'd seen her before she was murdered, she'd hugged me goodbye. It was annoying how often these memories were coming up. It wouldn't do me any favors.

"The place is pretty clean," I told him, letting him hug me as long as he wanted. I'd been gone for a while so I could understand the clinginess. Even if he was used to it, he was still just a kid. "Did that lady agree to help out?"

"Yes and no," he said. He finally pulled away to stretch and yawn. "She did, but she died yesterday. You're not going to die on me, right?" Danio looked up at me with his big purple eyes, and I could tell he was close to crying even in the low light.

"No, dying isn't on the agenda for me anytime soon." I picked him up and carried him inside to his bedroom. "You can dream about all the ways I won't die tonight if you want. I'll be here in the morning. I'll even make breakfast."

He smiled, though it wasn't as cheerful as I'd remembered. "Goodnight?"

"Yes, goodnight." I ruffled his hair and left, closing the door behind me.

I'd have to be quick if I planned to be home in the morning early enough to make breakfast, so I headed out toward the slums.

I retraced my steps to that stoop where I'd met the first person who'd told me anything of worth. Not surprising. I hadn't expected him to be in the same spot, but this oriented me well enough to navigate to the tavern he'd brought me to. The half-kicked in door hadn't changed, neither more kicked in nor repaired. I descended the stairs into the basement tunnel, and then opened the second door to a tavern that seemed to have no name.

He was at the table in the corner, and he smirked when he saw me.