The Strongest Curse Master-Chapter 304: Elinor The Pedophile

"I want pancakes!" Lilith suddenly yelled from the SUV window, her small face scrunching up in frustration. She was done waiting for the adults to wrap things up—candy wasn’t a proper breakfast, and she wanted real food.

"You heard her," Janice said, smirking at Matthews who just returned, "Anything else?"

Matthews returned leading a squad of agents who immediately positioned themselves around the Apaches as their lives depended on it. Without missing a beat, she turned to Ace and asked, "So, are you interested in signing the employment contract? Or would you rather just sell your rifle-shaped curse tool? I can get you a good deal for it."

"If you’re selling the rifle, I want it," Janice added, making her interest crystal clear.

Ace rolled his eyes at both of them before uttering in annoyance, "Do I look like someone short on money?"

Matthews smirked. "Money? No. But curse arts and resources? Yes." She crossed her arms and continued, "The C.I.B. would love to trade your rifle-shaped curse tool for any rare, regulated curse resources or arts. Just name it."

Ace’s gaze flicked between her and Janice, his expression unreadable. But then, firmly, he declared, "No. My Rail Rifle is not for sale."

They weren’t entirely wrong, though. He was short on good curse arts and resources. He needed a reliable source to procure them—and fast.

Luckily, Dame Wasp had already tracked down the supplier the local C.I.B. branch used for their curse resources. He’d have to check them out when he had the time. As for curse arts? That was trickier. The real ones, the good ones, weren’t just sitting around on C.I.B. servers for the taking. Agents had to redeem them in person, and they were forced to sign binding curse contracts to ensure they weren’t reselling or leaking them to meet their greed and ambitions.

Ace sighed. Mentally noting the list of things he had to do, attending the school was the last thing on his mind.

As Sonia moved to take a seat in one of the SUVs, planning to have breakfast with Ace’s people, Matthews grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.

"You’re coming with me," Matthews stated firmly. Sonia was her recruit, not the McSuile family’s. The only reason she had let her linger with Janice was to make connections—but now that she had, it was time for her to return.

"Yes, ma’am," Sonia nodded, hiding her disappointment. Before stepping away, she turned to Janice and said, "Send me the invoice. I’ll complete the transaction as soon as possible."

"Got it," Janice replied with a nod.

Once everyone was settled, the McSuile guards started driving them toward the Lander house while Matthews reminded Ace aloud, "Don’t forget to hand over the signed employment contract to either Layla or me."

As they made it past the barricade, Lilith turned to Ace with an expectant look, and eagerly asked, "Where’s Doctor Durid? When can I see her?"

Elinor’s ears perked up at that. She waited, her curiosity barely contained, wanting to hear Ace’s answer. She was still trying to piece together if Lilith was right—if Ace and Apex were the same person. But then, an uncomfortable thought crept in, ’If they are the same… does that make me a pedophile?’

She quickly shook off the idea, trying to reason with herself. No, no, that’s ridiculous. But she still hoped—for the sake of her love life—that Lilith was wrong. Because if she was wrong, then Elinor could at least get Apex’s number from Ace.

Ace, meanwhile, smirked at Lilith’s persistence. "If you’re a good girl and listen to your sister Elinor, she’ll visit you soon."

Then, curiosity got the better of him. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "How do you always manage to differentiate and find me when no one else can?"

"It’s my innate curse art," Lilith explained matter-of-factly. "It makes me aware of the living and the dead in my vicinity. It also lets me differentiate and identify them in my own unique way—like a personal serial number for every living and dead I come across. That way, I can command them individually or as a group when I control them. It’s a very sophisticated mechanism."

Her explanation sounded rehearsed, almost as if she were repeating something memorized—probably the exact words her old captain had taught her to use when introducing her abilities to the higher-ups in the cult.

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"Sophisticated?" Ace raised a brow, caught off guard by her vocabulary. It was impressive, especially considering she had dropped out of second grade.

"It means highly complex," Lilith said proudly as if proving her intelligence. "It tells how strong and capable my innate curse art is."

"Oh, so you’re not just strong—you’re smart too." Ace grinned, giving her the praise she clearly sought. He couldn’t help but reach out and pat her head, finding her adorably smug expression amusing.

Then, out of nowhere, Elinor muttered, "So… you are Apex, huh?" Her tone was heavy, like she had just witnessed her romantic future shatter into dust before it even had a chance to bloom.

"I told her. Sorry," Lilith mumbled, lowering her head, guilt creeping into her voice. She fully expected Ace to be mad at her for exposing his identity.

To her surprise, he simply chuckled, shaking his head. "It’s okay. Elinor’s one of the good guys. She’s a friend of the Moon Race."

"Oh!" Lilith’s eyes lit up as she turned to Elinor with admiration as if she were looking at her in a whole new light. Then, shifting her gaze back to Ace, she asked hesitantly, "Am I a friend of the Moon Race?"

Ace narrowed his eyes playfully. "You tell me. Are you a friend of the Moon Race?"

Lilith hesitated for a moment before nodding firmly. "I want to be a friend of the Moon Race."

"Then you are a friend of the Moon Race," Ace said, patting Lilith’s head as she beamed with joy.

"Ace… you know if Matthews asks me, I won’t lie to her, right?" Elinor suddenly spoke up, her tone firm. She wanted to make it clear—she wouldn’t compromise her principles for him.

Ace met her gaze without hesitation. "Yeah, I know." He nodded, completely unfazed.

Elinor blinked, caught off guard. That was not the reaction she was expecting. Usually, this was the moment when people who claimed to be her friends realized she wasn’t as useful to them as they’d hoped—when they distanced themselves.

But Ace didn’t even flinch.