“Wake up! How long do you plan to sleep?”

The sudden words echoed through the air.

Rubia, rubbing her eyes in a daze, soon realized that she had been unconscious all this time.

In an instant, her face went pale.

It was no wonder!

After all, who could remain calm after passing out in front of the leader of the empire’s most feared terrorist organization? It was akin to throwing her life away entirely!

“I-I’m sorry.”

Moreover, Rubia discovered she was seated in a chair. This meant that the leader had personally brought her here while she was out cold.

Worrying that she might have offended him, she spoke with a trembling voice.

However, the reply she received was utterly unexpected.

“Why are you apologizing? I just said that as a joke since you were sleeping so vulnerably while dangerous things were happening outside.”

Those were surprisingly gentle words.

For a moment, Rubia’s mind went blank.

‘…Could it be that he’s nicer than I thought?’

In this world, the term “gaslighting” didn’t exist, so Rubia had no idea she was unknowingly experiencing it.

‘Now that I think about it, he’s always been relatively kind to his members…’

Even though he had formerly threatened to kill her before she officially joined the organization, there had been no signs of threat since she received the black robe.

In hindsight, it almost seemed as if he had been looking out for her all along. It was only she who had been left terrified of the monstrous leader.

Just because someone is strong doesn’t mean they lack humanity.

Reflecting on his past actions led Rubia to see Ian as rather reasonable and kind, more so than she had thought.

Perhaps… there was no need to be afraid of him.

That was what Rubia thought as she tried to rise from the chair.

“……?”

Rubia’s expression turned to one of confusion.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t surprising.

After all, dozens of people were right in front of her.

“Oh, these people? They’re slaves I just rescued.”

Her mind went blank in an instant. She couldn’t make heads or tails of what she was hearing.

Slaves? Rescued?

Yet even as Rubia was gripped by confusion, Ian continued explaining.

He had rescued them after slave traders abandoned them during their escape.

The search was aided by Siel, the destruction was handled by Lien, and he dispelled the slave brands himself, saving over forty people in the blink of an eye.

Rubia’s head simply couldn’t keep up with everything happening.

Dispel slave brands? Is that even possible by any logical standard?

But setting that aside for now…

“W-What on earth made you do something like that…?”

Stealing from the black market was a matter that simply couldn’t be overlooked.

Rubia’s panic over this black market terrorism incident wasn’t unfounded. Contrary to its name, the black market was an incredibly safe place.

After all, it was operated by the “Archmage” himself.

No one would dare dream of breaking the rules. How could anyone think of opposing the Archmage?

That’s why nobody steals anything from the black market.

…And yet, here was the leader, blatantly stealing dozens of slaves.

What’s more, he had managed to completely erase their slave brands.

In this situation, it was obvious how the Archmage would react.

“I’ll go and explain the situation somehow!”

Rubia exclaimed as she suddenly stood up.

There might still be a chance now.

It’s a little too early to give up. She needed to quickly explain the situation to the Archmage and somehow apologize.

While she might not have confidence in changing the Archmage’s mind, what wouldn’t she do to survive?

That was Rubia’s thought as she was about to dash off in search of the Archmage.

“…Where are you suddenly off to?”

Ian stopped her.

His expression was surprisingly calm, as if he didn’t grasp the gravity of the situation.

Because of that, Rubia quickly continued explaining.

After all, eloquence is a skill any businessman inevitably needs to have.

Describing the severity of the situation in a way that wouldn’t upset the leader too much was a straightforward task.

After hearing everything, Ian pondered for a moment before speaking.

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“…Huh?”

“That guy? He’s dead.”

Rubia’s mind went blank in an instant.

The meaning of his words was crystal clear upon reflection.

True to form, the leader spoke as if it was nothing.

“I killed him. So you don’t need to worry.”

Rubia’s face turned as pale as a sheet.

It was perhaps to be expected.

The man was casually talking about having killed the Archmage, a figure even the empire hesitated to confront.

…It was absolutely incomprehensible.

After all, not a single scratch could be seen on the man’s body.

The implication was unmistakable.

An overwhelming difference.

A power gap so vast, it would render the idea of a fair fight ludicrous, indicating an absolute disparity in strength between the two.

She could feel cold sweat trickling down her back.

She had long known that the leader before her was unthinkably powerful.

Yet, despite this knowledge, she could only be shocked.

What kind of monster could so effortlessly overpower the Archmage?

It defied any normal comprehension.

“Oh, by the way, some of the people we rescued said they want to join us. Would you be able to lend us the mansion?”

As always, he politely inquired.

In this situation.

Rubia realized there was only one possible response.

“Of, of course! I’ll even build a new building for them! Ahahaha…….”

…Rubia felt like crying right then and there.