“So, if you’re really innocent, swear on your mana that you aren’t part of Black Fangs.”

The second prince, who must have been thoroughly trained, boldly declared this with a smile, having deduced the hidden truth.

It was a direct hit to the heart of the matter.

No matter how much I squirmed, I realized that I was ultimately at his mercy.

All I could do was mutter, “…I swear on my mana that I’m not actually a member of Black Fangs!”

Swearing on my actual mana to prove my innocence and reveal that his deduction was wrong…

“What?”

In that moment, my mind went blank.

I even used all sorts of healing spells on myself, wondering if I had fallen under some kind of illusion magic. Still, the reality before me remained unchanged.

“I swear on my mana, I’m not with Black Fangs, and I’ve never even seen those guys!”

The boy in front of me swore on his mana.

He declared that he wasn’t a member of Black Fangs and had no contact with them.

I fully expected him to deny everything and try to run away. That’s why I called the Buster Call before coming here!

Renyah’s mind went white.

He had alerted the Empire’s knight order about an emergency, so they would be arriving soon. Not only did he struggle to think of a good excuse, but…

More importantly, it was a fact that this guy was not a spy sent by Black Fangs.

‘Could it really be true? Really?’

It still didn’t feel believable.

“I’m actually more curious about who those guys are. They’ve been so brazen and yet not a single member has been revealed. Just how thorough is their leader in hiding their identity…”

That statement.

That expression.

And above all, the very act of swearing on mana was evidence that the boy in front of me was not part of Black Fangs.

‘B-but it’s too strange for someone like him to just show up out of nowhere.’

Everything seemed to fit together perfectly.

That guy’s strength, the irony of having such power while remaining unknown.

All could be explained by saying he was associated with Black Fangs. But he had sworn on his mana that he wasn’t.

No matter how long I waited, the event of that boy crumbling and dying for breaking the oath wasn’t happening.

‘Maybe there’s some kind of complication that’s preventing the oath from working…’

In this absurd situation, a flurry of wild guesses spun in my mind, but none of them were logical.

A top official of Black Fangs not knowing they were affiliated? Such ridiculousness could hardly exist.

“Then who on earth are you?”

“…I told you earlier. My name is Sion, and I came here to get noticed and rise up quickly.”

Sion… Sion…

Replaying that name in my head, I searched through all my memories, but I had never heard that name before.

This meant that this boy was truly a monstrous talent.

…Was this a sign that the heavens were being kind to the Empire, sending forth a talent that would destroy Black Fangs and make the Empire great forever?

That thought flickered through Renyah’s mind, but he wasn’t the kind of guy to let such a situation slide so easily.

After all, his remarkable reasoning skills were what had allowed him to achieve so much success until now.

He figured out the true identity of Black Fangs, discovered their collusion with demons, and even burned the ridiculous fake letter to prevent a terrorist attack.

With his sharp intellect, he had managed to accomplish numerous feats and had been climbing up the ranks all this time.

And now, this was no different.

Renyah’s keen mind began to work once again.

‘There’s a high probability he’s a spy.’

That deduction wasn’t wrong.

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no reason for someone to use the phrase “spy sent from another country.”

But this boy wasn’t a member of Black Fangs.

Then who had sent him as a spy?

‘Who in this country would plant a spy in him and have the resources to train such talent?’

As Renyah pondered this, he finally found the answer.

And with a victorious smile, he opened his mouth once more.

“How’s your brother doing?”

“Brother, you mean the first prince? Of course, I respect him.”

He said he respected him but Renyah’s sharp observations didn’t miss the malice that flickered in the boy’s eyes.

That boy didn’t respect his brother at all.

Instead, he held contempt—perhaps even a hint of hatred.

There could be various reasons for that.

With such power and yet such clumsiness in his skills. Achievements that seemed out of place for someone of his youthful appearance.

There was no way that was just a natural development; it had to be a result of some kind of experimentation, like being born as a combat weapon.

His brother wasn’t the nicest person; resentment from being treated harshly could easily lead to that.

However, that didn’t really matter.

What was important was the fact that this spy’s loyalty to his master was faltering.

“I’m sorry, brother. But this is technically your fault first.”

Apologizing internally to the first prince, who was still hiding somewhere, Renyah slowly approached the white-haired boy.

‘Of course, anyone would want to steal a talent like this if they were standing right in front of them…’

As he gazed into the pale boy’s eyes, who looked terrified that all his secrets would be revealed and he would be executed, Renyah spoke.

“You, come work for me.”

In other words, telling him to switch sides.

*

Now it was all over.

That was the only conclusion I could reach.

I had been accused of being affiliated with Black Fangs out of nowhere, and while I had cleared that accusation, the questions about the spy still lingered unanswered.

Especially with the sudden shift to talking about his brother.

How could he even know that? Did he realize we had the first prince at our backs?

In this utterly dismal situation.

Eventually, he slowly approached me and swung the sword that hung at his waist, aiming for my neck.

Or rather, he should have aimed for it.

Yet something felt… off.

“You, come work for me.”

What a sudden statement.

But his expression and tone conveyed sincerity. That made it all the more incomprehensible.

What on earth was he trying to say out of nowhere?

Didn’t he just figure everything out? Just moments ago, he had been probing into matters related to the first prince.

My head was spinning with so many thoughts.

And as my face warped in confusion, the second prince watched carefully before speaking.

“Yeah, I thought you wouldn’t come so easily. But think about it a bit more.”

As the second prince stepped closer and locked eyes with me, he said,

“You wanted to be acknowledged for your worth, right? I’ll acknowledge you, I’ll be your backing. No matter what external pressure comes at you, I will protect you.”

Swear on my mana, this isn’t a lie. It’s my genuine feelings.

Saying this, the second prince, now just inches from me, flashed a grin filled with ambition.

“Follow me. If you do, I will grant you whatever you wish.”

With his arms wide open and a confident expression, looking like he just crowned himself, I thought…

…Maybe getting things to work out would be easier than I expected.