At the very center of the continent of Reiphania lay the academic city of Reira.

This enormous city, built around a single academy, was not only a symbol of continental peace but also a hub for fostering unity among the many races and nations.

Among the countless banks scattered throughout the academic city, the one most frequented by residents was none other than the "Temperance Bank," Reira's first branch.

Managed by [The Frugal Temperance], one of the Seven Heroes who had ascended to the rank of Constellation, and her apostles, the bank was a paragon of financial integrity.

From her feats during her human life, [The Frugal Temperance] had become a symbol of virtue and wealth, earning the trust of the continent's inhabitants. Her bank was perpetually bustling with customers.

For ten years, Natasha, a beastfolk employee, had worked at the Temperance Bank. As usual, she was diligently processing transactions.

"Ugh, so boring. Why is time crawling today?"
Her long ears twitched slightly as she glanced at the clock.

"I just want to head home and cuddle my little Lina-chan…"

Twitch.

Her ears suddenly perked up, and a chill ran down her spine.

He’s here.
That person is here.

Her hands began to tremble.

When she turned her gaze toward the entrance, she saw people murmuring and stepping aside to clear a path.

A miraculous gap formed amidst the packed crowd, a clear corridor through which a towering figure in a black coat, hood, and mask resembling a helmet strode into the room.

The cold, oppressive aura emanating from the figure silenced the previously bustling bank.

Gulp.

Tension filled the air as the patrons nervously retreated, casting anxious glances at the enigmatic visitor.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of footsteps echoed as the black-clad figure approached the counter.

Natasha quickly manipulated an artifact to summon the branch manager before stepping out to greet the visitor herself.

“W-Welcome, esteemed customer,” she said, doing her best to sound composed, though sweat soaked her back.

[It’s been a while… Natasha, was it?]

The voice was neither male nor female, a deep, resonant tone that didn’t seem to belong to a human. It was as if it echoed from the depths of an ancient, bottomless cavern.

Zap.

A jolt shot through Natasha’s knees.

H-how do they know my name?

She felt an overwhelming urge to collapse on the spot.

Did I do something wrong? Why do they remember me?

[I’m here to make a withdrawal.]

“A-ah, please allow me to assist you, esteemed customer.”

Despite the terrifying situation, Natasha’s professional instincts kicked in. She dragged her frozen legs and led the black-clad guest to the VIP lounge.

[Hmph…]

Every step, every motion of the guest radiated an overwhelming presence that made Natasha’s heart race.

As an employee of the bank, Natasha knew of the astronomical sums stored in this guest’s account. Such wealth could only belong to someone who moved entire continents from the shadows or someone who served such a being directly.

Creak.

“This way, please,” Natasha said, opening the door to the VIP lounge and bowing deeply as the guest stepped inside.

“Ah! Welcome, welcome!”

Inside, the branch manager greeted the guest with an awkward smile, extending a handshake.

[It’s been a while, Branch Manager.]

“Ha-ha, it’s an honor to have you visit us again, esteemed customer. Please, have a seat.”

The manager sat opposite the guest, constantly dabbing the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

As a former high-ranking mercenary and one of the lowest apostles of Temperance, the manager was known for taking down most thugs head-on. Seeing him so visibly nervous was a testament to how intimidating this guest was.

What… what kind of person are they?

No, no, don’t ask such questions.
Do you have a death wish?

There are things in this world better left unknown.

Natasha cursed her curiosity as she clutched the door handle.

If I can just bow politely and close this door, I can escape this terrifying atmosphere.

Good job, Natasha. Time to get back to work and focus. I swear I’ll never complain about work being boring again.

[Wait.]

But the guest’s voice halted her.

[Come back inside.]

Wha-? M-me? Why…?

Natasha’s face turned pale as a sheet.

Did I mess up? Have I offended them? But I didn’t do anything!

[Don’t be afraid. It’s not something bad.]

The guest turned their masked face toward the manager.

[I wanted to comment on this employee’s service.]

Natasha tightly shut her eyes, unable to withstand the suffocating fear.

The small Lina keychain hanging from her waist, modeled after Demon King Perlerina, swayed gently in the air.

***

"Sales have been down lately," I muttered, my thoughts racing.

"I really need to implement a proper weapon system in the game soon. Otherwise…"

My gaze drifted as I considered another idea.

"Maybe I should officially release merch like that woman was selling."

That thought made my stomach churn with regret. The nerve of her, producing and selling unauthorized merchandise! The financial loss I suffered from that still stung.

I stowed the massive stack of checks I had received from the branch manager into my subspace pocket.

"Are you satisfied?"

I turned to the spectral form of the Demon God hovering nearby and asked.

[The King of Ten Thousand Demons, Who Overcame Pride, expresses their gratitude.]

"It was an act of goodwill, though… It seems the employee wasn’t too fond of me."

My fake identity, The Hood, was crafted to withdraw and manage the vast wealth I earned from the [Akashic Archive] without exposing my real self.

To avoid being tracked or having my identity revealed, I used the divine power of dreams bestowed by the Constellation to alter my appearance, transforming into something akin to a knight clad in black armor.

The additional effects of the transformation discouraged others from paying attention to me, though it seemed to have the unintended side effect of scaring people senseless.

[The King of Ten Thousand Demons, Who Overcame Pride, murmurs that the employee was a player who liked Lina, so they wanted to express their gratitude.]

"I was satisfied with her service too, but…"

Recalling how the employee had fainted at the end, I added, "It might’ve had the opposite effect."

[The King of Ten Thousand Demons, Who Overcame Pride, retorts that she simply fainted from joy, calling you naive for thinking otherwise.]

…Could that really be it?

Coming from the Demon God, it was hard to tell if it was true.

Then again, considering the size of my account, it wouldn’t be surprising.

If someone with a treasury equivalent to a national budget directly praised an employee to their boss, fainting from joy wasn’t entirely out of the question.

[The King of Ten Thousand Demons, Who Overcame Pride, complains of boredom and demands an entertaining story.]

"…What are you, a child?"

There was a reason I was stuck working with the Demon God, despite the initial awkwardness of communicating with Constellations through terminals to avoid revealing my identity.

Not long ago, there had been an attack by the Abyssal Sludge.

Our Constellation had been infuriated—though "infuriated" in their case merely meant slamming their tiny arms on the desk.

Since the creature referred to itself as "we," it was certain there were more like it out there.

Being entities from another dimension, their identities and whereabouts remained a mystery.

These so-called Abyssals could attack me again at any time. (Since I couldn’t keep calling them "sludge," we decided to name them Abyssals after the Abyssal Assassin we’d included in the [Akashic Archive] as a boss character.)

To prepare for any sudden attacks, the Constellation ordered the other Constellations to take turns guarding me.

When I first heard this, I doubted that beings as powerful as gods would bother protecting a mere human like me.

[The Wrathless Magitech Engineer suggests splitting the day into three shifts for efficiency.]
[The Sacrifice Who Overcame Indolence wholeheartedly agrees, stating they would gladly protect their benefactor.]
[The King of Ten Thousand Demons, Who Overcame Pride, grumbles about wanting to spend more time with Lina before finally giving in, dodging Lina’s blows as they shout their agreement.]

Three shifts a day, huh?

In the end, three Constellations took turns guarding me.

[The King of Ten Thousand Demons, Who Overcame Pride, yawns and remarks they wouldn’t have done it if you weren’t their benefactor.]
[The King of Ten Thousand Demons, Who Overcame Pride, demands gratitude for the privilege of being protected by them.]

"Of course, I’m grateful," I replied.

In truth, it was almost too much.

Having three top-tier divine beings, equivalent to heroes, sages, and monarchs, rotating shifts to protect an academy student?

It was excessive, to say the least.

But the Abyssals (working name) were no trivial threat.

The sludge that attacked me had neutralized not only our Constellation’s power but also the Demon God’s abilities.

If two more creatures of the same caliber appeared, our current forces might not be enough to handle them.

We needed to analyze the sludge as soon as possible, resolve the sins it embodied, and bolster our strength.

What were its comrades up to now?

Even as I tried to suppress my fear, a nagging unease lingered in the corner of my mind.

At the Bottom of the Dimensional Rift

In the pitch-black void where nothing could be seen, six silhouettes emerged.

[Â̵̅l̴̛̤̜̩̎̀͂̉͒̓i̵̡̡̗̜̩͒͗̓͜͝c̶̛̦̪͓̼̃̍̔͆̏̓̓̑̏̈̏e̶̢̛̼͇̩̥̠̭̥̋̄̈́̇̀͗͊̍͗ͥ͜ hasn’t returned yet. Why?]
[Could they have been destroyed?]
[No, if they were destroyed, we would know. We’re conceptually linked.]
[They haven’t been destroyed. But they haven’t completed their task either.]
[Perhaps someone captured them?]
[Impossible. Considering their abilities, unless hundreds of divine beings attacked them in shifts, nothing could hold them.]
[True. Perhaps the task is simply taking longer than expected.]
[It seems there are many obstacles. This delay is unacceptable. We should send another.]

[Then I shall…]
[No, this time it’s my turn…]

[Wait, have you all forgotten?]
[…Forgotten what?]
[The ㅈ̸̋̚ Incident.]

[…That was horrifying.]
[Considering their personality, it could happen again.]

The six figures fell silent, their dark expressions growing even darker as grim thoughts crossed their minds.

[Perhaps… we should wait a little longer.]
[No objections.]
[Agreed.]

Hum.

The void swallowed their presence once more, and darkness reclaimed the space.