Leon, who had found himself unexpectedly empty-handed after playing the role of a "flying thief," couldn't help but frown. He reached out to press his hand against the Black Goat's forehead, intending to use soul vision to locate his target.
However, the Black Goat in the shopping bag tilted its head slightly, avoiding his fingers, and quietly reminded him:
"Don't use our ability just yet, not even the soul vision! The scent of hearts is everywhere here. Just like we can detect its traces, it's bound to find us too!"
Sniffing like a dog, the Black Goat muttered with a mix of joy and worry:
"The scent is really strong, huh. Looks like our heart is doing much better than us... Tsk..."
Hearing the Black Goat's monologue, Leon, who was about to leave and find the next target, couldn't help but give it a sidelong glance.
*Goodness, it's not about fearing your brother's hardships, but fearing your brother drives a Range Rover, right?*
"By the way, I seem to have forgotten to ask something..."
Pulling his hand out of the shopping bag, Leon asked with some curiosity:
"Does your heart also have its own intelligence?"
"Of course, we are the Great Demon closest to the True God!"
The Black Goat snorted and said,
"Although we can't reach the level where even a piece of meat can retain intelligence like the True God, we're not too far off. For organs like the heart, which carry part of the Authority, it's quite normal for them to possess consciousness once detached from the main body!"
*Alright then, if you say it's normal, it's normal.*
Showing no interest in discussing demonic physiology with the Black Goat, Leon went straight to the question he was most concerned about:
"Since the wills of you two are separate, after I acquire your Yang... heart, will you or it be the dominant one? Or will you two become one?"
Hearing Leon's question, the Black Goat was slightly taken aback and hesitantly replied:
"It should be... us, right?"
Seeing its somewhat uncertain demeanor, Leon couldn't help but tease:
"Earlier, when I asked about your heart's ability, you weren't sure; you only knew it was related to Pride and Domination. Now I ask who will be in charge once the heart is acquired, and you still can't give a definite answer? Aren't you supposed to be the knowledgeable Great Demon? How come you don't even understand your own body?"
"We are indeed the Great Demon, but this is also the first time we've been taken apart so thoroughly! How could we understand something we've never experienced before?
As for the ability... although our heart grows within our body, we never dug it out to take a look. What's strange about not knowing what extent it can reach? Veins in your body are also yours, but have you ever cut yourself open to see them personally? Do you know exactly how long they are?"
After habitually defending itself with a retort, the Black Goat felt a bit embarrassed and clicked its tongue, realizing the issue of who would be in charge truly required consideration.
Never mind other things for now; based on their original roles within the body, as the horns, the rage and combat under its command barely ranked third in terms of intensity. The pride and ambition governed by the heart, however, were unambiguously first.
If it worked hard to retrieve the heart only to fail at unifying and losing control instead, it would be akin to acknowledging a stranger as a father...
"Leon, hand on your heart, haven't we treated you well?"
After pondering for a moment, the Black Goat, sensing a kind of imminent crisis, proactively sought support:
"Though we, too, have selfish motives and always encourage you to enjoy to the fullest, have we ever caused you trouble? Haven't we always done what you said?
We remain silent when you tell us to, we warn you when you're in danger, and we haven't asked for anything besides the occasional cigarette. We didn't even get mad when you stepped on our head..."
The more it spoke, the more the Black Goat felt its demonic status was constraining, so it decisively stopped acting pitiful and justified:
"Leon, think it over. If we can't overpower it and lose the dominant position, will the new us cooperate with you ?
Let's not even mention the life-and-death connection we share. Just for this fact alone, shouldn't you be on our side?"
*Honestly, there's some truth to what it's saying...*
Leaving other points aside, the goat horns had been dealt with harshly by the Red-haired Director, essentially "tamed" intensely, so they were bound to be more docile compared to the six remaining "wild" ones. Should a new dominant will come, there's no guarantee it would be as compliant.
Peering down to ensure nobody was around, Leon climbed out of the window again, straddled the Witch's Broom hovering at the corner of the wall, and casually asked:
"How can I help you maintain your dominance?"
*Whew... seems you have a conscience, kid.*
Seeing Leon hadn't refuted its words, the Black Goat secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then hastily continued while the iron was hot:
"Of course, you should thoroughly thrash it!"
Completely disregarding the bond of shared maternity... shared kinship, the Black Goat sinisterly said:
"It's perfect that your pendant carries the power of the Holy Spirit, naturally harmful to Demons. Once we help you get the heart, you must go all out, using your pendant to scorch it severely! Make its intensity lower than mine, letting it know who the boss really is!"
"We can't just wait and see! You must be ruthless!"
Realizing Leon's "standpoint" seemed a bit unsteady, fearing he might have plans to "negotiate" with its heart, the Black Goat quickly continued to whisper in his ear:
"Even though it's the first time meeting its own heart, it carries the Authority of Pride! It's obvious it would naturally disdain being subordinate to others, so you must decisively strike hard to curb its arrogance!"