What was your name...
Richard's mental message was exceptionally gentle, carrying not the slightest hint of pressure. Yet in Tupat's eyes, the question took on an entirely different form.
"Demanding my true name right from the start?"
As a Curse Demon—and a Curse Demon Lord at that—he knew far too many spells that relied on true names.
The requirements for these spells varied, some difficult and some simple, but without exception, their effects were immensely powerful.
If many of those spells succeeded, even a Lord of the World would be reduced to a slave.
Fear spread through Tupat's heart like wild grass. He longed to survive, but he had no desire to become a slave.
Not even if his master was a Sovereign.
No one understood the misery of slaves better than slaveowners.
Seeing that Tupat did not answer, a glimmer of red flashed through Richard's eyes. An imperceptible ripple of energy struck Tupat, and in the blink of an eye, it brought Richard the data on his body.
The moment he examined it, Richard was struck by astonishment.
Curse Demons were a peculiar species. Richard had heard as much back in the Natural Federation. But only upon seeing one today did he realize just how peculiar they truly were.
From the outside, a Curse Demon resembled a Scarecrow, except that a massive eye sat in its chest.
If one looked a little deeper, the Curse Demon's internal flesh-and-blood structure would be laid bare.
Every stalk of straw was rooted in a bundle of flesh resembling sinews. These flesh bundles were woven together and paired with a skeletal structure, forming the Curse Demon's body.
But if one looked deeper still, as deeply as Richard's earlier inspection—
Then the Curse Demon became truly wondrous.
A Curse Demon's body appeared to be