What the fuck was this woman talking about?
He gave a metaphorical answer.
Why was she taking his words seriously?
"Are you sure? If you are okay an old woman like me—"
The doors were pushed open.
Amelia rushed inside, followed by Clara.
The bodyguard looked apologetically at the Queen for being unable to stop Amelia from eavesdropping.
"Nobody is marrying anyone!"
"Don't reject him so fiercely. He has quite a few good qualities. If you spend time with him, maybe you will come to like him."
At her mother's words, Amelia's gaze unconsciously moved towards Neo's lower half.
She looked away with a flushed face.
The Queen noticed her actions.
"Oh my, what did you two do before coming here?"
"We did nothing! A-and stop changing the subject!"
Amelia sat on the same sofa as her mother and glared at Neo.
If a stare could kill, he would've been skinned and boiled a thousand times by now.
The Tyrant Queen, Elizabeth, picked up her tea cup and sipped it.
"You've heard my daughter. I don't think I can give you my most prized possession."
Only Elizabeth knew about the replica of Poseidon's Trident.
It seemed she wanted to negotiate with Neo in front of her daughter with the code word.
While Amelia thought of the 'most prized possession' as a marriage with her mother and her, in truth, the Queen and Neo would talk about the weapon.
"So…" Elizabeth continued. "How about another offer?"
"I'll hear it at least."
"I will let you live if you promise to save me."
She placed the tea cup on the table.
Her expression said it was her final offer.
As expected of a Tyrant.
Neo knew this was going to happen.
"Mom, why are you doing this?"
Amelia asked with a frustrated expression.
She knew nothing was going to change her mother's thoughts.
Similar situations happened countless times throughout her childhood.
Although she hoped Neo's strength would deter her, after hearing everything through the door, she knew her expectations were not going to be fulfilled.
Elizabeth looked at Neo to see how he would react.
He picked his tea cup with a smile.
"It's a realistic offer. Sadly, I can't accept it."
"So you are ready to die?"
"That's the problem." Neo took a sip. "I'm Immortal."
"Huh? Are you bluffing again?" Amelia reacted.
Her mother and Clara pondered over Neo's words seriously.
The Children of the Ten High Gods and the Three Great Gods inherited powerful skills.
Zeus' familia could control lightning and Poseidon's lineage reigned supreme over the oceans.
With that logic, Hades' descendent should be able to command Death.
'There has never been a Hades' child in the history. We can't predict if his words are truth or lie,' Clara thought as she stood behind Elizabeth's sofa.
Neo's words took the Tyrant Queen by surprise.
However, she recovered quickly.
"If that is the case, my offer won't work."
"How about I torture you if you don't save me? I can start by pulling out your nails, dripping hot wax on your skin and slowly use worse torture."
Neo maintained his calm.
The Tyrant Queen frowned at his composure.
He put his tea cup down.
"But I think I can endure three days. After that, I'll be fairly compensated for my troubles."
Neo did not say who would compensate him.
However, all of them knew the answer.
The people in the audience hall were happy to hear about the Queen's death.
Someone placed a curse on the Queen.
No one except Amelia was trying to save her.
Almost everyone was somehow helping in the rebellion against the Tyrant Queen.
Those people, when they find Neo endured three days of torture and refused to save the Queen even though he could, would treat him like a hero.
After all, a rebellion was justified only until they had justice on their side.
Not treating Neo as a hero would work against them.
It was checkmate for the Tyrant Queen.
"You came prepared." The Tyrant Queen refilled his cup. "I'll accept your offer."
'Crazy bastards. They are talking about murder and torture while snacking,' Clara thought she was the only sane person in the room.
Even Amelia had been desensitized to death after seeing her mother's actions for years.
While Amelia bit her lips, unable to reject or accept her mother's deal with Neo, the Tyrant Queen added,
"However, I need a proof of your capabilities."
Neo stood up and approached the potted plants on the window.
The flowers had yellow star-shaped petals.
Wisps of black smoke came out of the tip of his fingers.
He could feel the blood in his arteries and veins burning.
Maintaining the skill for a single second was as draining as travelling on the Azure Dragon's back for a day.
However, he didn't hurry.
He maintained the façade of calmness and touched the petals.
The flowers immediately withered when the black smoke seeped into them.
They lost their colors.
Just as they were about to die, Neo called the black smoke back.
And the flowers regained their life.
The Tyrant Queen had a shocked expression on her face.
Even she could not remain calm after seeing what he had done.
"It looked like a curse. You can cancel your curse after it has been casted," she spoke.
It was an impossible feat.
Curses, once activated, could only be transferred from one target to another.
Neo did not correct her misconception of his abilities.
His Magic Spell was Tremor-ranked and thus allowed him to have a greater control over its impact.
Just like the deal he had with the Tyrant Queen, he had no intention of telling her the truth.
Only the curse caster could save the Queen.
The caster's identity was never revealed, since the Mermaid Country was already destroyed by the time this backstory was shown.
And he had already executed it.
Now he just had to wait for the result.