“So, now you understand? You’re going to know exactly what it means to turn the Empire against you! Hahaha!”

The prince of the Empire laughed triumphantly in front of me.

Given the situation, it was almost certain that the information had reached the royal family.

“It won’t be long before His Majesty comes to see us.”

Those words were likely true. Although the Emperor rarely made appearances, he wouldn’t spare his efforts for something this serious.

All the Empire’s forces would soon converge on us. An even tougher battle awaited, far worse than the last one.

But I quickly steadied my mind. Once things have escalated like this, it would be wiser to devise a plan instead of panicking.

‘Running away is…’

Definitely out of the question.

Aria hadn’t fully recovered yet, and the priests had exhausted a massive amount of divine power trying to heal her.

Lucina Lien.

Other elves were equally drained of energy.

I was so exhausted that just standing felt like a miracle. In this situation, escape was impossible.

…We were at a dead end.

Perfectly cornered. If that prince’s words came true and the Emperor arrived, our odds of winning would be nonexistent.

However, I couldn’t give up.

I gritted my teeth.

I gathered the people, explained the situation, and prepared our defenses. We needed to establish a stronghold, ready to respond whenever and wherever the enemy came.

And soon, a loud noise echoed.

It was painfully obvious someone was approaching us, and the pallor on everyone’s faces showed their fear.

A mad laugh echoed.

Mocking our impending fate, the first prince declared with a nasty smirk, “Behold, this is what you’ve summoned!”

At the same time, a massive army appeared.

At least hundreds of enemies.

They were marching toward us.

But… we weren’t frozen in shock seeing that.

It was only natural, after all.

‘Aren’t those just skeletons?’

What was approaching wasn’t the elite force led by the Emperor but just the lowest tier of demons from the demon realm.

I swung my sword casually.

Both my mana and divine power were depleted. So was the World Tree’s energy.

It was just a normal horizontal slash without any magic.

Yet, with just that, the ground trembled.

A line was drawn across the world.

Every enemy in front of me was cut down along that line.

Hundreds of skeletons were dealt with just like that.

After dealing with this ambush so swiftly, we all looked at one person as if it was a promise.

The guy posing dramatically with his arms wide open and a smile.

“…Looks like I’m a bit late. Naturally, since I was preparing fully for the rescue.”

The first prince said that.

Thus, a day passed.

Goblins showed up, but there was no other threat.

“It’s coming soon. Just a little more patience…”

A week passed.

Despite the first prince’s bravado, no one showed up.

Even the surrounding monsters had dried up, no one coming to attack us anymore.

“……”

The first prince was sweating profusely as he looked at me.

It seemed he realized the precariousness of our situation.

I grinned at the first prince.

Then… I turned to Lien and the Holy Church people and spoke.

“This wicked and blasphemous soul seems to need some ‘education.’ Would you care to help?”

It was clear what answer would come back.

The Holy Church people, clearly unhinged, just like Lucina, along with the elves who had stayed on watch these past few days, surrounded the captured first prince with twisted faces like they were possessed.

“Wait a minute…”

Of course, nobody was going to listen to him.

*

“How dare you lie in front of the saint!!”

Cardinal Dominic was frothing at the mouth as he unleashed his mace down on the first prince’s derrière with reckless abandon.

It was the kind of synesthesia that any man would feel.

I could truly grasp what a zealot was all about by seeing their behavior, completely disregarding such things.

However, the first prince was just as crazy.

“It’s not a lie! I’ve never spoken a falsehood!! I’m sure the letter was sent… Argh!”

His rear was being pulverized by the mace hundreds of times in real-time. Still, he continued the act.

When he insisted he never lied, the look of indignation was so genuine it couldn’t be an act.

The first prince, not tiring of claiming his innocence, turned to me and wore a shock-stricken face as if he had just uncovered some enormous secret.

“Did you know everything from the start?”

What a bizarre statement.

I didn’t even know how to respond to that, and honestly, I didn’t want to answer, so I remained silent.

I only found it amusing when he let out girlish shrieks in between his statements.

He was sweating buckets, staring at my unflinching smile.

Even Cthulhu wouldn’t wear such an abject look of terror. Approaching the same dramatic heights as Rubia.

“B-but that mechanical bird should only interact with royal blood. Which means you must have implanted a spy within the royal family…”

He hesitated, then shouted that it was impossible, that nobody could do such a thing.

But his expression and tone told a different story.

He was convinced I had placed a spy in the Imperial Family.

I was a little taken aback.

Was this what they meant by stepping on a cow’s tail and stepping back in surprise?

To consider someone from the Imperial bloodline a spy? I had never imagined such a thing could happen.

But now, it seemed we would actually have a spy.

Once I was done dealing with that persistent prince, he would indeed find himself in a position similar to Balzac’s.

With the upper echelon of the Holy Church, who were specialized in this area, and now Lucina, it wouldn’t last long for him.

Soon enough, he would become the spy he claimed I had put in place, fulfilling a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“Black Fangs! You bastards…”

As he ground his teeth and shouted, he once again screamed in agony.

I watched him for a moment, then moved on.

Hundreds of elves.

The heads of the Holy Church I had confirmed loyalty from.

Though it would likely take a month before Aria could be treated by the Holy Church, she had now become one of us.

And, standing beside me now was the girl I didn’t even realize I had gained.

At that moment, I could smile, knowing that this time, everything seemed to have wrapped up nicely.

The things I had learned.

There were still problems needing to be addressed, but at least for this moment, let’s celebrate our success.

I had completed everything I needed to do.

Now it was time to return home, the place I missed.

*

Rubia paced frantically, her mind racing.

It was strange for someone who struggled to do knee push-ups to worry about that man.

But still, worry was worry.

Imagining the commander in a pitiful state was unimaginable, but he hadn’t returned for so long, it was concerning.

Should I contact him?

But in the demon realm, communication was impossible, wasn’t it?

No, by now, he might have come out of the demon realm.

But what if I sent a message and it hindered him? I had faced issues the last time during a standoff because an unexpected call rang out.

Her mind was overloaded with thoughts.

Then, as Rubia dove deeper into her worries, she heard running footsteps.

The noises coming from outside the window were full of chatter.

The conclusion this situation had brought could only mean one thing.

Rubia rushed out through the door without realizing she was in her bear pajamas.

Her clumsy agility caused her to tire quickly, panting and groaning as she took a break, but still, she managed to arrive just in time.

…What lay before her, however, was an overwhelming army.

Hundreds of elves gathered in one place, a sight she had hardly ever seen in her life. This moment shook her mentality for a second.

But how long had she spent with the commander?

Humans are creatures of progress. Her once feeble mind had hardened through extensive training.

Thus, she greeted them elegantly, with her red hair flowing in the air.

“Welcome back? Was everything alright?”

However, something seemed off.

There was a woman she didn’t recognize. Well… it wasn’t that important, but it raised her curiosity.

Rubia quickly asked who the person was. In response, the commander replied…

“She’s a companion of the last hero whose existence was erased. She was called the Weapon Master. I’d say she could take on three Sword Masters without breaking a sweat.”

That was an incredibly unrealistic answer.

There was no way the commander would be joking in such a situation; it was far too absurd.

But then, even more absurdity hit her.

“Wait, who is that…”

“They’re from the Holy Church. They’ll just be around for a bit to help with Aria’s treatment.”

The Holy Church had arrived.

The leadership of the Holy Church, toppled by the Black Fangs, had gathered here.

…But they seemed to come to help us.

She couldn’t understand what kind of situation this was. Her mind felt like it could burst at any moment.

Amidst that chaos, her eyes caught someone — a man she definitely wasn’t supposed to see.

Glorious golden hair like sunlight.
Deep blue eyes, symbolizing the royal family.

Her arms shook uncontrollably.

Unable to speak, she simply pointed her finger at him in a stammer.

Yet, contrasting with her flustered state…

The commander, sporting his usual calm smile, casually conveyed that they had captured the first prince of the Empire.

…Rubia’s mind hit its limit right there.