“It’s coming at me endlessly…”

In the heart of the Demon Realm.

Surrounded by all kinds of monsters and demons, the First Prince muttered.

It’s not that the Empire couldn’t handle the mess in the Demon Realm.

As long as the Demon Realm existed, even if they took down some monsters and demons, the same beings would come back in no time.

In fact, some of those higher creatures carried the memories of the past.

There was no gain, and the likelihood of getting caught in the crossfire was high, so it was wise to leave the Demon Realm alone.

‘That damn brat really brings zero benefits to life.’

But the Second Prince messed with it.

And, the timing was downright awful.

It seemed like they started reviving now, just when he was stuck in the Demon Realm due to that Elf girl.

‘Nothing is scarier than an incompetent ally.’

That saying couldn’t be truer.

Right now, they were regenerating and attacking the Empire filled with hatred.

Even if you brushed aside the coincidence, there was no excuse.

The damn brother who reported back to their father, excluding Heinrich, another Swordmaster from his forces.

Because of that, he nearly died for real.

He still vividly remembered the last strike from that white-haired girl. If he had taken it full-on, there was no way he would have come out unscathed.

And that Hero seemed to be hiding some secret move.

If he’d taken advantage of the moment when he was attacked, it would’ve been a loss for them.

‘At this rate, I could practically consider him a spy.’

He needed to report this fact to his father right after returning.

He might not have the supernatural intuition like his sister, but he sensed it nonetheless.

If they allowed Renya to continue leading, there was a likelihood that even the mightiest Empire could eventually crumble.

Of course…

“Three powerful ones are approaching.”

“I know, shut it, Karl.”

Right now, he had to deal with the immediate problem at hand.

Lich Sovereigns and Soul Reavers.

Such beings kept pouring in.

Was it due to their hostility toward the Empire? Or was it because that ominous girl was drawing them in?

Maybe it was a combination of both.

In any case, battles continued without a moment’s rest. Normally, this level of fighting would have posed no problem, but…

‘…I’m getting a bit worn out.’

This time was different.

Even though he had cast reality-altering high magic, it was only done twice.

Even with the help of his father, he had devoured dozens of humans with the potential to become Archmages to reach this level, granting him a considerable amount of mana.

Yet, the mana remaining was only about 20%.

No matter how much he had fixed the Hero’s fate, he had only blocked that sword strike twice—this consumption rate was just too abnormal.

What on earth had gone wrong, and what kind of trick did he pull?

Regardless, he had exhausted too much mana.

Feeling fatigued was only natural at this point.

‘Using a corpse puppet also worries me a bit.’

The right arm of the previous Hero.

She was also known as the Weapon Master. Certainly, if he used that, he could easily deal with these guys without wasting mana.

But the condition of that puppet felt a bit off.

Ever since facing the Hero and seeing that sword, it had been murmuring strange things and shedding tears.

It could break down any moment, losing its suggestion at any time.

Only his father could fix it. But right now, he was stuck here. It was tough to contact anyone outside.

Who knows when those guys would regroup and come looking for him again.

It was best to save his trump card; there was no way to use a corpse puppet against such enemies.

In the end, it was just going to be Karl and him to take care of all these bastards.

“…Things never seem to go right.”

They had indeed managed to capture one person, but the situation was spiraling out of control for some odd reason.

The more he thought about it, the more his sister’s words echoed in his mind.

She really didn’t want to tell him this. She had the feeling that if left unchecked, he might get dragged into the mess with her, giving him advice as if to vent some grievances.

It seemed like his plans might succeed, but it felt as if success would turn into poison.

That stuck in his mind.

But…

Those concerns didn’t linger for long.

Soon, the scene unfolding before his eyes cleared all jumbled thoughts from his head.

A holy light visible from afar.

And the powerful divine energy that came with it.

It was clear who was approaching.

“I heard you had urgent business, so here I am.”

Cardinal Dominic.

The most promising contender for the next Pope had appeared in front of him.

Naturally, all worries washed away.

‘Her intuition is definitely accurate, but I guess it was just my anxiety after all.’

After all, she had always been notorious for her bad-tempered personality. It was no wonder she didn’t have a good reputation.

It was likely that the advice she gave was not genuine counsel, but rather mindlessly hurling curses at him after he mocked her.

Cassandra was the type to do just that.

“Well, it’s good timing that you came.”

The prince said that and welcomed Cardinal Dominic’s arrival. Contacting him before coming to the Demon Realm was just a whimsical decision, just in case.

He hadn’t left a detailed explanation in the letter, but that wasn’t a huge issue.

That wickedly evil barrier surrounding the girl.

He probably had already figured out why he had called for him.

“This… How can something so ominous be…?”

“Well, it’s not too strange. That guy was none other than a member of the ‘Black Fangs.’”

As he said that, the First Prince paused momentarily.

It was only natural.

Dominic, who had been looking at the barrier in horror, suddenly turned odd.

However, that flustered state didn’t last long.

“Are you saying this child is a member of the Black Fangs?”

It was easy to figure out by just thinking for a moment.

The Black Fangs were the ones who had brought down the Holy Church.

Hearing the name of their enemy with no sign of agitation was all the more unsettling.

“Yeah, we captured him, but… he has cast some weird barrier. That’s why I called you.”

“Have you seen the face of their leader?”

Getting that obsessive question, the prince could understand Dominic’s concern and casually answered.

“White hair, blue eyes. Quite a rare feature, will certainly help with tracking.”

“I see. Is that so…”

After murmuring with a serious expression, Dominic spoke again.

“Thank you for calling me. If I hadn’t come here, I would have regretted it immensely.”

An expression of gratitude for being given the opportunity to eliminate the wicked.

With that, Dominic suddenly grabbed the First Prince’s arm.

“If it’s okay, may I grant you a blessing as a token of gratitude? It should help a little with restoring your mana.”

He really was not just called a future Pope for nothing; he was quite dexterous and perceptive.

It was just that he was struggling because of the consumed mana earlier.

There was no reason to refuse, so the First Prince nodded immediately.

The prayer was memorized.

At the same time, an intricate divine spell was drawn in the air… and soon, it was engraved upon the prince’s body.

Was it truly Cardinal Dominic’s blessing?

He thought it would instantly restore his mana… but…

It felt pretty much unchanged compared to earlier.

The First Prince looked at Cardinal Dominic with a confused expression.

“The effect is a bit underwhelming. It seems the power of the blessing was diminished due to this place. I’m quite ashamed.”

As such, Cardinal Dominic blamed himself for the lack of effectiveness.

While it was certainly disappointing, he hadn’t suffered any concrete loss, so the First Prince graciously accepted the apology and returned to the main issue.

“So, what do you think about the barrier?”

That was the most critical matter.

Whether to extract info through torture or bait them to the palace where his father was.

In either case, it was necessary to release the barrier.

Thus, the First Prince inquired, but…

“It’s an exceedingly evil barrier. Ordinary divine power won’t penetrate it.”

The reply he got was an unpleasant one.

Just when he thought things might be going well, it turned out to be a dead end.

As the First Prince prepared to sigh…

“But you don’t need to worry.”

Dominic’s voice came again.

“If you’re short on power, then just borrow some.”

The Cardinal said he would summon his “brothers.”

If they combined their powers, they would easily overcome the wickedness of the heretics.

“Leave the matter regarding the Black Fangs to me. I will gather intel on them and relay it to the royal family.”

He was truly incredibly competent.

Naturally, the fatigue and annoyance on his face faded back to normal.

“There’s no need to worry. I’ll do whatever it takes to wipe out those wicked heretics who insult that person.”

The malice hidden in that voice.

The fervent rage being suppressed.

It completely erased any remaining concerns he had.

He could feel the desire to kill the heretic right in front of him, that black-haired half-elf, but he sensed that he was desperately repressing it.

One could truly call him a paragon of a clergyman.

That naturally brought a smile to the First Prince’s face.

With so many talents around him…

The future of the Empire appeared truly bright.