The awkwardness in the air is no joke.

Here we are, leading an army to betray the Emperor right into his palace, yet it feels like we’re just hanging out at a friend’s house.

I mean, the Imperial Prince is warmly greeting Regitrans and has even opened the gates himself.

If that doesn’t make cognitive dissonance kick in, I don’t know what will.

“So, you really are alive. Well, it would have been odd if the one who managed to fool me could die so easily.”

And the nonsense coming out of his mouth? It’s so absurd I’m honestly starting to doubt my own memories.

Hearing him talk makes it sound like Renya and I have been rivals competing in a friendly manner all this time.

“Just why is he being so nice to me?”

Whether it’s intentional or not, Renya has helped me out a lot, so I can see myself feeling a bit positive towards him.

But the reverse? That’s just not sinking in.

I’ve been involved in government terror acts. From the perspective of the royal family, that’s absolutely not a pleasant affair.

I even deceived and used Renya multiple times. Just look at how I ate up the division he had by pretending to be Sion.

No matter how hard I look, I can’t find one reason for Renya to like me.

He’s the Prince, a high-ranking noble betting everything on rebellion?

– The reason for his joining? He claims it’s because he wants to back the winning side. If he plays his cards right, taking the Empire should be a walk in the park.

During a meeting, I asked Rubia about the Second Prince joining us, and she gave that answer. But even that didn’t make sense.

He doesn’t know I’ll be resurrected or that I’ll gain strength to fight the Emperor.

Just diving into a crumbling organization without any hesitation? That’s not just reckless; it’s downright nonsensical.

I really can’t wrap my head around his logic. So I kept my guard up while watching Renya.

There were tons of questions I needed to ask and doubts I needed to clear up, but the most pressing question was already clear.

“What’s with all that blood…?”

This guy in front of me looked like he’d taken a shower in red paint. I tried not to point it out, but it was impossible.

“Oh, I must have overdone it.”

Here’s the Second Prince, drenched in blood, casually saying that. The enchanted circle on the floor comes to mind, circling his body.

Before I knew it, Renya looked completely clean.

He still wore a calm expression as he explained the situation.

“There were some pesky bugs in my way. Had to clean up a bit before welcoming guests.”

I didn’t need to explain what those “bugs” meant; it was obvious. In fact, if he didn’t get it, that would be even weirder.

The Imperial Army hasn’t shown their faces near the palace for a while. Of course, I’d connect that to the blood-soaked Prince.

“Once upon a time, they worked under me, so I wanted to go easy on them. But, you know, their stupidity brought about their death.”

He has definitely made it clear he’s with the Black Fangs.

Still, he isn’t lenient enough to keep alive those who don’t follow his will.

Renya told me that.

Looking at what I missed while focusing on the bloodied Renya, the outcomes faced by the fools became painfully clear.

‘…How many of them are there?’

I couldn’t count the mangled corpses, looking as if they got eaten by something, but from just a glance, it had to be over a hundred.

Even the named character from the previous work, the leader of the First Division, celebrated as the War Hero, was there, headless.

I was momentarily at a loss for words.

I had thought that when I heard that the Prince was assisting us, he was playing both sides, waiting for the moment to back the winners.

But this was an all-in bet.

He wasn’t just spending his salary on small investments; he was ready to sell his house to back the Black Fangs.

“The Kingdom and the Republic will probably arrive in an hour or two. I’d like it if they at least covered the expenses for the weapons and supplies they provided, but it makes me anxious.”

While saying this, Renya pressed a switch he had.

In an instant, the once radiant light of the palace flickered out.

“I just cut off the mana stone power source across the Empire. All protective spells and facilities will likely lose their functions. Even as a minor nation, they should play their role.”

Excluding the five divisions that had moved, I need not worry about the others bothering us. Renya filled me in.

My face naturally turned to shock.

He had been pretending to be an idiot while ruining the economy to weaken the Empire, and secretly supported other nations for this day.

And he had integrated the scattered mana stone transport routes underneath the palace?

He foresaw this situation?

As a result, with just one flick of a switch, he completely paralyzed the Empire?

“Just how is he this capable?”

Normally, even the most competent enemy weakens when they become an ally. Yet this guy’s somehow gotten stronger the moment he switched sides.

He was a total nutcase now that he’d joined us instead of helping as an enemy.

With the contributions he’s made, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made him the deputy commander of the Black Fangs.

It’s no wonder I was shocked. Maybe he interpreted my expression differently, because he looked at me and said:

“I already know what you’re worried about. It won’t just be the military facilities that are paralyzed. I’m sure discontent will spike among the common folks.”

True, cutting off the power supply overnight seems problematic. If nothing goes wrong, that would be the odd part.

“But you don’t need to worry about that.”

Renya stated confidently while looking at me.

“I’ll take on all that malice myself. All you need to do is chase away the tyrant who did this and step into the throne to cheers.”

He was basically saying he’d bear all the blame. My expression turned to shock greater than before.

I guess there’s some calculation in his head that I wouldn’t repay his help.

Yet even accounting for that, it was a shocking declaration.

He’s practically laying all his cards on the table and placing them in my hands. That’s some serious dedication.

All the remaining wariness melted away in an instant. My internal evaluation of Renya flipped completely.

The fact he was the Imperial Prince didn’t change my cluelessness about why he was this cooperative with me. But why should I care about that now?

The Prince is handing out support.

He’s practically scooping it up with a shovel and giving it to me.

While he’s carrying the Black Fangs on his back all by himself, who cares about such trivial matters?

Renya—his name alone represented an elite agent of the Great Empire who had achieved the highest results in the Dark Independence Army.

Thinking about it, the name Black Fangs came from the Empire. In other words, it was named by Prince Renya himself.

He’s almost a co-founder.

“The Emperor isn’t here. Luckily, I know where he is, so that’s not a problem. But… I should get prepared properly first.”

The co-founder looks at me and gives a sly smile.

“I’ll use everything I can. Isn’t that just common sense?”

He gestures behind him, revealing a previously nonexistent passage leading underground.

I didn’t even need to ask where it led. The Empire’s treasury. A place filled with all sorts of goods and resources.

The highest treasure vault I had relied on numerous times in the previous work.

But now, there’s no need to mind the Empire.

Why would I bother struggling to gain contributions only to ‘borrow’ something?

The boss is practically giving a whopping 1100% discount. Let’s take everything useful with us.

It’s my chance to gorge on the assets the Empire has accumulated for a thousand years.

Just when I found a way to bolster our powers at such a perfect time, my excitement knew no bounds.

I looked at Renya and returned his smile.

“You’ve been quite the rival who kept messing with me till the end.”

What came out was some shameless lip service, but who cares? It’s all good, right?

Having finally got Zhuge Liang on my back, conquering the world is no longer just a dream.