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“……What the hell is he doing here?”

Rene furrowed her brow.

The moment she saw Kyle waiting at the front gate, she couldn’t hide her displeasure.

I carefully chose my next words, hoping to appease Rene.

“He may seem like a handful, but he’s quite capable. He’s the one who found information about the secret realm we’re going to today.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk about…”

*Sigh.*

Rene let out a sigh and shook her head, pouting as if she were offended.

Her reaction baffled me, and I couldn’t help but wonder what had transpired.

Did something happen between Kyle and Rene while I was away from the Bares family?

*Sneakily…*

I turned my head to look at Kyle.

‘I have no idea.’*

However, Kyle only shrugged and puffed his cheeks, unable to provide an answer to Rene’s strange behavior without her overhearing.

‘What should I do?’

It was clear that Rene disliked Kyle, but I couldn’t leave him behind and head to the secret realm with just Rene.

After all, Kyle possessed all the knowledge about the secret realm's location and its secrets.

‘Are you saying I don't have to go?’*

Kyle, misinterpreting Rene’s reaction, asked me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

‘That wicked little…*’

Like I would ever leave you behind.

I thoroughly crushed Kyle’s inflated expectations, which were filled with excitement.

‘That's absurd. You’re the key to this exploration, Kyle. How could we possibly go anywhere without you? A team without you? I can’t even fathom such a thing.’

‘That damn Cerberus…’

Kyle couldn’t hold back his tears.

In the end, I had no choice but to appease Rene, who seemed upset for reasons unknown.

“Rene, I understand if you find him bothersome, but he’s not a bad guy. His abilities are quite impressive. I’ll make sure he doesn’t utter a single word to you, so how about we all go together?”

“… Fine.”

Rene reluctantly nodded, her gaze still fixed on Kyle with a hint of annoyance.

“W-Why are you looking at me like that…?”

Kyle trembled in fear, hiding behind my back.

*Glare-*

Rene’s eyes narrowed even further.

Kyle looked at me pleadingly, but I had nothing to say.

We had to leave as soon as possible.

“Let’s go.”

Afraid that Rene or Kyle might change their minds, I hurriedly started walking.

“….”

“….”

Rene and Kyle had no choice but to follow me without a word.

As we made our way out of the Bares mansion and walked for a while, a sudden question popped into my mind. I turned to Kyle and asked,

“You mentioned that the secret realm we’re looking for is located somewhere along this path, right?”

“Yeah, that's right.”

“Hmm… Could it be the Territory of the Undead?”

“Bingo. How did you know?”

“….”

At Kyle’s words, my brow furrowed.

The place we were heading to, I had been there before.

The Territory of the Undead.

The place where I fought skeletal soldiers and necromancers, earning the Fang of Darkness and a mountain of gold as rewards.

…And it was also the place where I had given Rene the Full Moon Spirit Ring.

However, it was a place we had already visited once.

“We already visited that place and obtained the treasure.”

“What? Are you serious?”

Kyle looked at Rene in disbelief.

“….”

*Nod-*

Rene nodded, her confirmation leaving Kyle speechless.

“We previously entered an underground secret realm within the Territory of the Undead and acquired a treasure.”

“Underground, you say?”

As I explained this to Kyle, he frowned.

Then, he clapped his hands together and exclaimed,

“Ah, so there’s another hidden secret realm underground. I heard there were two secret realms in the Territory of the Undead. So, you guys already cleared the other one.”

“What do you mean?”

“The secret realm I’m talking about is on the surface, not underground. The one you visited must be different.”

“…!”

Kyle’s words surprised me.

Another secret realm within the Territory of the Undead that even I, the author, was unaware of?

“The secret realm I found out about is on the ‘surface’ of that place. I’m telling you, it’s not underground.”

“I see.”

Although I had initially thought we were on the wrong track, thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

‘To think there was another secret realm there…’

Surprisingly, there was a secret realm within the Territory of the Undead that even I, the original author, was unaware of.

To verify, I compared the information I knew about the secret realm in the Territory of the Undead with the information Kyle had gathered.

And I came to a conclusion.

‘As expected, Kyle is an exceptional informant.’

Although his current situation under the Bares family might seem humble, I couldn’t deny the value of Kyle’s information-gathering abilities.

He had truly brought us information we were unaware of.

To gain a clearer understanding, I told Kyle about the treasures we had previously obtained.

“We acquired this, and the ring that Lady Rene is wearing.”

“Oh yeah? Let me see...”

*Swoosh-*

I retrieved the Fang of Darkness from my pocket and handed it to Kyle, who began examining it meticulously.

“…It's a remarkable dagger. Even I, someone with no expertise in swords, can sense the dense aura it possesses. This dagger could cut through anything. However, there’s a problem.”

“A problem, you say?”

A problem with the Fang of Darkness?

Kyle’s words puzzled me.

The Fang of Darkness, which I had been using effectively.

While it was true that it was weaker than the game-breaking swords I had designed in the original story, the Fang of Darkness was still a formidable weapon.

As I questioned him, Kyle’s frown deepened as he continued to observe the Fang of Darkness.

“I'm not saying there's something wrong with your dagger. It's just that I think I know what it is.”

*Slowly…*

As he spoke, Kyle shifted his gaze towards Rene.

Rene instinctively took a step back, startled by Kyle's sudden approach.

I had assured her that Kyle wouldn’t speak to her, but this time, it couldn’t be helped.

“My lady, would you mind showing Kyle your ring for a moment?”

“No, I don't want to take it off…”

Rene shook her head, hiding her hand with the ring behind her back.

If I were to force her to remove it, she seemed ready to burst into tears.

As I pondered how to persuade her, Kyle shook his head.

“There's no need to remove the ring. I wouldn't dream of asking such a thing. Just allow me to have a proper look.”

“...If that’s all.”

Rene couldn’t refuse Kyle’s polite request.

She raised her hand, and Kyle began carefully examining the Full Moon Spirit Ring.

A few minutes passed.

“As I thought.”

Kyle let out a gasp as if he had realized something.

“Did you discover something?”

“Indeed, I have confirmation.”

Kyle’s confident response filled me with anticipation.

What had he figured out?

With a smile, Kyle declared,

“These are tools used for rituals.”

“…What?”

Ritual tools?

It was an unexpected revelation.

However, as Kyle elaborated, I found myself gradually becoming convinced.

“The secret realm territory we’re headed to was once inhabited by sorcerers. It is said that they performed rituals using two treasures.”

“…You mean…”

“You’re thinking along the right lines. The treasures you found in that other secret realm within the territory, are likely the key to unraveling the secrets of the secret realm we seek.”

“Oh.”

As Kyle concluded his explanation, I felt a sense of certainty.

The Full Moon Spirit Ring and the Fang of Darkness were indeed ritual tools.

And at that moment, a wave of self-deprecation washed over me.

Why hadn’t I realized this before?

I had clearly written about the Territory of the Undead, so how could I not have known?

It was baffling.

But this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

For now, I had no choice but to focus on the positive.

Dwelling on it now wouldn’t provide any answers.

*Thump-*

I nudged Kyle’s shoulder with my elbow and spoke,

“What’s gotten into you?”

“What do you mean?”

“To think you would be so helpful. I thought you were just dead weight.”

“You little…!”

Kyle sputtered, trying to contain his anger.

In any case,

Pondering Kyle’s words, I continued towards the Territory of the Undead.

***

And finally, we arrived at the Territory of the Undead.

Familiar sights greeted us, evoking little emotion within me.

A village reduced to secret realms.

Deserted and devoid of life.

Of course, the moment Rene set foot in this place, she ground her teeth in anger.

“Those damn Cerberus…”

Rene’s hatred for humans was palpable.

It was fortunate that her rage wasn’t directed at me, a half-demon, or Kyle.

If I were in Rene’s shoes, I would undoubtedly harbor the same resentment towards humans.

The Bares territory and the Territory of the Undead weren’t too far apart.

Perhaps that proximity made the atrocities committed by humans against her people even more vivid.

Moreover, her mother had also perished at the hands of humans…

I decided to give Rene the time and space she needed to calm down.

After what felt like an eternity,

“….”

Rene regained her usual composure.

*Phew.*

It seems the storm has passed for today.

I shifted my attention from Rene to Kyle.

“Shall we continue now?”

“Right, but where to…?”

Kyle stepped forward, scanning our surroundings for any sign of the secret realm.

However, just like our previous visit, all we saw were secret realms that held no apparent significance.

That’s why I was able to find the entrance to the secret realm so easily last time.

Yet,

“Found it.”

Kyle suddenly grinned at a seemingly empty spot in the air.

*Dash, dash-*

He then bolted forward with surprising speed.

‘What’s gotten into him?’

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