A demon has appeared.

It has shown up in the western part of the Holy Empire.

And if Prakaka is not mistaken, this demon is most likely here because of that artifact from the Corruption King, whose purpose is still unknown.

There aren’t many enemies, just a single female demon, and she is easily recognizable as a succubus, one of the most representative types under the Corruption King.

Succubi are not very strong in direct combat, and as a single mouse who has been solitary for hundreds of years, Prakaka has long become indifferent to worldly matters, only concerned with treasures and survival. The effects of their seductive techniques on him are naturally greatly diminished. Even if they have some effect, it is unrealistic for the succubus to defeat him in a one-on-one confrontation.

The problem is that, perhaps because she is carrying the Corruption King sculpture, this legendary succubus seems determined to recover it and clings to Prakaka like a stubborn leech. No matter where he goes, she relentlessly pursues him, and even if he goes invisible, she can quickly catch up through some form of sensing. It’s driving Prakaka nearly insane!

After a long chase and battle, the succubus, seemingly feeling some urgency, finally decided to call for reinforcements, abandoning any pretense of honor!

She summoned a part of the terrifying body of one of the Demon Lords under the Corruption King, seemingly intending to finish off the slippery mouse, Prakaka, in one decisive blow.

Demon Lords are terrifying entities with power comparable to that of demigods. Although they are not as powerful as true Demon God, they are far beyond what a single legendary level figure like Prakaka can contend with.

However, like demigod-level demons, they are strongly rejected by the world. Temporarily manifesting even a small part of their body in this realm is already the limit, and they cannot freely unleash their full power here.

The earth-shattering blow did not directly hit the rapidly fleeing Prakaka but merely sent him flying like a meteor, causing some minor injuries.

Afterwards, perhaps summoning the Demon Lord had placed a significant burden on the succubus, or maybe the conspicuous battle had attracted the attention of the Holy Empire’s higher-ups, causing her to temporarily cease her attack.

In any case, the succubus did not continue to pursue him as aggressively as before, giving Prakaka the opportunity to speed away toward the Western Capital.

The Holy City is the stronghold of the Summerfield family. Although he might encounter the young scion of that divine family again, Prakaka would rather take some risks than face endless pursuit by demons.

The Bright Light Saintess City is a formidable character, and Prakaka is well aware of this. At least here, even the most powerful succubus would have to tread carefully.

Prakaka’s plan was to first figure out the exact use of the Corruption King sculpture in Bright Light City and find a way to completely block the demons’ tracking before heading to the more distant Eastern Capital, the Angel City.

Although it was troublesome, the more persistent the succubus was, the more it indicated that this artifact, which had been obtained by chance from the Summerfield family’s young scion, was extraordinary. Prakaka would never easily part with a good treasure.

Speaking of treasures, this naturally leads to the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild. The variety and quality of the rare treasures hidden by this organization are unmatched, and Prakaka, who is particularly interested in valuable items, had previously had many dealings with them, though mostly by stealth.

Not long after arriving in the city, Prakaka learned through various channels that the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild’s headquarters in the Western Capital would soon be holding their latest quarterly sale, featuring some extremely valuable treasures as the main attraction.

Although he had been living a more law-abiding life for a while and did not intend to purchase anything, it would be a waste not to see the good treasures available. Even though the sale was scheduled to take place in the daunting fortress of the Summerfield family, the home of the formidable Bright Light Saintess, Yuna Summerfield, Prakaka was still eager to attend.

Of course, the fact that the Saintess Yuna Summerfield was out of the city at the moment, as reported by the rumors, was also one of the reasons Prakaka dared to join the event.

To be cautious, Prakaka did not carry the stolen artifact with him but instead hid it in a safe place to avoid detection.

As a result… well, Prakaka happened to see a familiar succubus coming in to cause trouble, and after a series of events where the stupid succubus named Chloe was thoroughly beaten and locked away in some strange contraption, Prakaka was just about to make a hasty exit.

Unfortunately, Prakaka got a bit greedy.

And that single lapse in judgment led to a major problem.

“…Aren’t you that person?”

“Huh?”

As if seizing a lifeline, Prakaka quickly lifted his sneaky rat head, carefully scrutinizing the petite white-haired girl wearing a white fox mask, and then, with a shift in his gaze, immediately began to admit loudly.

“Yes, yes, that’s right! I’m that person! Did you forget, we met before!”

“You know who I’m talking about, right? Yes, yes, that’s right…”

The girl, seemingly exasperated and amused, playfully interacted with the black orb beside her and then got straight to the point.

“Now, tell me, why are you following me?”

“Uh… well…”

Prakaka was now feeling extremely anxious.

He couldn’t exactly admit that his hesitation stemmed from having previously witnessed the power of the Bright Light Saintess and not wanting to follow too closely like other clueless colleagues.

Additionally, because the matter likely involved an investigation assigned by a certain queen, he had decided to trail this peculiar little fox who seemed to be traveling with Yuna and the old man from the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild… hoping to stumble upon some unexpected gains… or something like that.

Heaven above, if only he knew this little fox, no… this centuries-old monster, Prakaka would have turned tail and run a thousand times over!

If he had known that this female fox was so ridiculously powerful, he wouldn’t have dared to follow at all! Why are these ancient monsters all popping up one after another without any warning these days?!

“Well…?”

Just as Prakaka was deep in thought about how to cover his identity and handle the situation to save his skin, Miss White Fox seemed to have noticed something. She casually tilted her head as if she didn’t care.

“Hmph, fine, I’ll let it go this time. Get lost.”

“Ugh! Spare me… Eh?”

The stranger’s inexplicable reaction caught even the seasoned Prakaka off guard. He was momentarily stunned, almost unable to maintain his previously composed demeanor.

Miss White Fox cast a sidelong glance at him. Beneath her mask, her silver-blue eyes seemed to flicker with a cold, almost imperceptible, yet chilling killing intent.

“Don’t want to leave? Or… do you need me to escort you out?”

“Go, go, go! The little mouse is leaving now! Immediately, leaving!!!”

A shiver ran down Prakaka’s spine as he felt the faint, condescending gaze, like a god looking down on a mere insect. Almost instinctively, he scrambled away, his small figure vanishing into the shadows of the courtyard.

“……”

After glancing one last time at the spot where the mouse-like figure vanished, Miss White Fox let out a barely perceptible, faint smile beneath her mask before turning and walking away.

“That queen is too naive and stubborn, she really likes to meddle in other countries’ affairs that are none of her business. But who cares, I’ll just borrow your little mouse for a while~”