The questions and answers had continued for roughly ten minutes. Though Rhein had worn no expression from beginning to end, inwardly, he had been smiling and nodding repeatedly.
Angel's answers were exactly in keeping with the character he displayed.
Perhaps his sense of identification with Savage Cave was not so strong, but his sense of belonging to Demon Illusion Island was exceptionally strong. In other words, so long as Demon Illusion Island remained within Savage Cave, Angel was basically unlikely to go astray.
And over their several hundred years of acquaintance, Rhein was utterly certain that Sanders would never betray Savage Cave. Therefore, there would be no problem with Angel either.
Once he had confirmed this, the piece that Rhein had previously felt was missing, the piece that worried him, had been perfectly filled in.
He could also rest easy and make arrangements for certain future goals of Savage Cave with Angel as the core of its development. For instance, Angel possessed the status of a Research Institute member. Through that status, Savage Cave could arrange for more alchemy apprentices to receive alchemy education in Ashilia. This had once been the piece of the puzzle Savage Cave lacked most desperately. Now, Angel's status had made up for it.
In the end, this piece of the puzzle would supply Savage Cave with a great many alchemical talents, an important measure for its long-term development. That was why Angel was simply too important, and why Rhein had to test his attitude.
Of course, since Rhein intended to make use of the convenience afforded by Angel's status, he would compensate Angel in other respects as well—for example, with a greater allocation of resources.
After confirming Angel's attitude, Rhein said with a smiling squint, "Questions and answers go both ways. If there's anything you