Demon Realm.

Pandemonium. The Tomb of Adventurers.

A separate world that doesn’t even allow humanity, the crown jewel of creation, to conquer it.

Yet here we were, strolling through it as if it were a leisurely flower-viewing trip.

At first, everyone declared to remain alert.

But no matter how far we walked, there wasn’t a single enemy in sight.

Suppressing my divine power to avoid detection had a limit of about an hour.

Even though my location was likely being broadcast live throughout the demon realm, not even a goblin bothered to show up.

Hans kept stealing glances at me. His eyes were wide with horror and confusion. It was clear what he was thinking.

Rumor had it that the Black Fangs had unleashed a giant sword of light from the sky, judging the sinners from the heavens.

Now, nobody was unaware of Sian Ludwig’s demise.

Having seen my divine power earlier, he probably thought I had cleared the demon realm with that sword of light before arriving here.

“Uh, I apologize for my earlier inappropriate comments…”

As expected, he was apologizing like his life depended on it.

His face looked pale, as if he might faint any second.

To be fair, if I were the real Black Fangs leader, I would hate to be called a Pope. His fear of me was more than understandable.

“This wasn’t me, you know. I have no idea what’s happening myself.”

“What? Then what’s going on here…?”

Hans’s perplexed expression said it all.

Was there a chance that demons and monsters had mysteriously disappeared over the past decade?

It seemed unlikely, though.

After pondering for a moment, I voiced the first theory that came to mind.

“What if the Empire decided to wipe out the demons?”

I didn’t know their motive or rationale, but it was the only group that could muster enough overwhelming force to pull off something like that.

“Those guys? But why would they suddenly do that now, after all this time?”

“Isn’t it the duty of a knight to protect the citizens of the Empire? To save the people…”

My voice trailed off.

There’s a limit to how absurd things can be.

An Empire knight protecting the Empire’s citizens?

That’s way more unbelievable than a protagonist from a web novel reincarnating to live quietly without interfering in the plot.

But even so, there weren’t many plausible suspects besides the Empire.

Just when I was struggling with this bizarre mystery, a communication suddenly rang out.

On the screen appeared Valzac.

Or rather, a fake Valzac.

A spy implanted with a different soul into Valzac’s body, working for the Empire.

The creature spoke with a somewhat perplexed expression.

[Um… by any chance, did you plant any other spies in the Empire? Like, did you manage to bring in the Imperial Royal Family?]

The moment I heard that, I could feel his bewilderment infecting me.

A spy? In the Imperial Royal Family?

What kind of absurdity was this?

Seeing my puzzled expression, Valzac scratched his neck awkwardly.

[Isn’t that right? Then what on earth is happening?]

As he babbled about this bizarre situation, fake Valzac shifted back to more pressing matters.

[The Empire has wiped out the demons. It seems they believe the Black Fangs have tamed the demons to use as a means to invade the Empire.]

“Demons? How were they tamed?”

My surprise peaked.

These were creatures that couldn’t even engage in a straightforward conversation. How could one possibly tame them?

If that were an option, it would have been done ages ago.

After all, you can’t just overlook lucrative monsters like Succubi and Incubi; if such dealings existed, they’d be well-known.

Many had tried and failed, with some tragically turning into puddles of blood.

It became a well-established truth that taming demons was impossible.

It made no sense for such wisdom to have vanished in just ten years. So what made them think they could do that?

I simply couldn’t wrap my head around their logic.

[The strategist behind this operation was the 2nd Prince. Maybe he was familiar with the original owner of this body, so he didn’t see me as a threat. I think I could take care of it if he plays his cards right… what should I do?]

Fake Valzac threw that question my way.

Lucy must have really chosen a competent soul for him; he appeared remarkably capable.

I pondered for a long moment whether I should eliminate the Empire’s prince…

But then I thought, ‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

The earring seemed to whisper dire warnings to me.

Don’t do it. Don’t go there.

After deliberating, I eventually spoke.

“No, just let it be.”

[Alright! Got it!]

If he was a Swordmaster of the Empire, the spotlight would naturally always be on him. He cut the transmission, saying he couldn’t maintain contact much longer.

I wasn’t sure if that was the best decision.

After all, if I assassinated the prince, the attention would shift to fake Valzac, possibly reaching Ms. Rubia.

Even with my calm judgment, it felt like a somewhat sensible call.

‘More importantly… I have this feeling that leaving him alive might just pay off.’

Even ignoring the earring’s warnings, something in my gut told me that letting him live was a better option.

Though my instincts usually lacked reliability and accuracy, so perhaps that wasn’t the best indicator.

As these thoughts raced through my mind while I resumed walking, I locked eyes with Hans.

His mouth hung open.

His face twisted in shock as he stared at me, while I tried to avoid this awkward exchange.

“I-I’ve actually been supporting the Black Fangs for a while now.”

He pulled out a shiny black brooch shaped like a fang from his pocket.

What? Did they start making merchandise without me knowing?

I opened my mouth to explain… and then just decided to give up.

From his perspective, I must’ve looked like an untouchable mastermind, effortlessly manipulating the Empire and its forces.

No matter what I said, he wouldn’t believe me anyway.

Complaining about being mistaken as a revolutionary organization after sending spies into the Empire was just ridiculous.

“I had heard about the greatness of the Black Fangs through rumors, but you’re manipulating the Empire like a puppet and even moving armies around…”

Hans looked at me as if I were some kind of genius strategist.

“I see now! So this was all part of your grand plan… Why didn’t I see it earlier?”

To make matters worse, Lien was looking at me with awe in her eyes.

Seeing their admiration made me feel a bit dizzy, even though I had given up on trying to convince them.

I quickly searched for a way to change the topic. It wasn’t hard since I had something pressing to say anyway.

“About the Black Fangs, let’s put that aside for now and focus on guiding us properly, Hans. We’re approaching the castle of the Corpse Lord.”

I’d hired a guide, yet somehow I felt like I knew the way better.

Having been distracted by other matters, I continued forward without realizing…

‘…Wait a minute.’

A flashing realization struck me.

Valzac had indeed claimed to have wiped out all demons. The fact that the Empire had such immense power was hard to dispute.

That was certainly a clear truth.

But what happened to the Corpse Lord?

What about his castle?

The conclusion was all too obvious.

Naturally, they had all been destroyed. The Corpse Lord and his minions alike.

The castle would be standing empty, without a master.

The same would likely apply to other named demons.

“I-I’m so sorry! I got distracted there… I’ll guide you quickly to where you were headed!”

“No, it’s fine.”

I replied with a smile.

At first, when I heard about the demons’ extermination, I thought it would just make my journey easier.

But maybe what the Empire did was more than just rolling out a red carpet for me.

“I’ve been thinking, this is somewhat a journey in itself. Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy it with some leisure?”

If the Empire wasn’t foolish, they would surely have collected all the Magic Stones and equipment that belonged to the Corpse Lord.

But had they actually found them?

Thinking about hidden Easter eggs in Blood and Bone.

With elixirs and artifacts as a given.

If luck was on my side, there might even be treasure chests containing valuable rune stones, possibly even traits from boss monsters…

Nah, that seemed impossible.

So there was only one thing for me to do.

“Since we’re here, let’s take our time and do some sightseeing.”

With the Empire clearing out the bosses and fodder, we were set to snag all the juicy rewards they left behind.

It was time to hoard some good luck!