The fact that Laurie knew little about me indicated that they weren't remnants of Manggot or Indus.

Philly was tight-lipped, so she wouldn't bring up anything about me unnecessarily, and the Secret Service didn't take orders from Philly anyway.

An organization that existed solely for the Emperor and the stability of the Empire. Conversely, it meant they would do anything for that purpose. Things that the citizens of the Empire should never know about. Well, that's why they were called the Secret Service.

Philly might know of the Secret Service's existence but wouldn't know the specifics of what was happening beneath the Imperial Palace.

“Alright. I've heard everything I need to hear. You can go.”

“…You’re letting me go?”

“Yes. It was good information. Thank you.”

I waved my hand in farewell. Laurie backed away cautiously, never turning her back on me. She was still wary, thinking I might do something again. Her eyes seemed to say, ‘If I turn my back, you’ll stab me in the back, won’t you? You coward!’

As a considerable distance grew between us and Laurie, feeling relieved, turned around…

“Oh, right.”

“I knew it! You bastard! You son of a bitch! How dare you mock me? Even if I die, I’ll gouge out your eyes…”

“No, just listen as you go. I have something I want to ask.”

“Ah, uh, yes?”

Laurie, who had turned around abruptly, started backing away again. Had my calmness calmed her down a bit?

“You saw that glacier with your own eyes, right? The one beyond the north.”

“O-Of course. I saw it with my own eyes. How could I say such a thing without seeing it?”

Hmm, right. That's obvious.

That's why I asked,

“How did you cross the Yeranhes barrier?”

* * *

[That woman was right. There was a portal beyond the barrier.]

“The portal is one-way, so humans can go outside the barrier, but monsters from the outside can't come in. Clever.”

After hearing Laurie's information, I had Gregory inspect the barrier.

Gregory discovered a hidden portal device, and it wasn't far from the lodging I was currently in.

Well, it wasn't far compared to other places, but it was quite a rough path to walk on foot.

“Since the portal uses the point of installation as a reference and ‘returns’ there, they must have secretly crossed the barrier and installed the portal at some point in the past. They’ve got guts.”

As expected of the Empire’s Secret Service.

Portals were one of the few magic spells that could be used with pure magic, Runes, and magic devices.

While pure magic, where you create the formula, chant, and activation word yourself, could be used for most magic from the beginning, Runes and magic devices had limited applicable magic, and each was different.

In that sense, portals functioned stably with all three methods. It just required a very high level of skill from the technician who created them.

[By the way, haven’t you been ordering me around a bit too much lately?]

The crow suddenly said something like that.

I looked into its eyes for a moment and said, “What are you talking about?”

[Don’t take me for granted, you bastard. I’m only helping you out of goodwill. I can leave this place whenever I want.]

“The crow I tamed is defying me? Did the taming work too well?”

[Do you really think I’m tamed? That was just a setting within Constel!]

The crow flapped its wings.

Well, it was a joke, and I was grateful to Gregory. His abilities were a great help.

…However.

“Then when will you be released? Now that Indus has disbanded and Kraken has been arrested. There’s no problem with you coming out now, right?”

[…Even if Indus has disbanded, my sentence remains. My release is a long way off.]

“I’ll officially hire you when you get out. Until then, there’s nothing I can do for you.”

There wasn't much I could do for Gregory while he was in prison. Should I bring him some food later?

[Hmph. Well, I just said that because it seemed like you were using me too easily. Don’t forget my value.]

The crow said, flapping its wings. Gregory also had a bit of a tsundere side to him.

[So, what are you going to do now? Even now, those black monsters are probably pouring out of the Fragment of Helheim. Not only that, but they’ll also make the outside monsters even stronger. If you don’t do something soon, something terrible could happen during the next southward migration.]

Gregory’s words were the truth.

Even with the Roach Knights and Enfer, it wouldn't be easy to deal with suddenly strengthened monsters.

While the ones tainted with Obsidian would only become somewhat tougher, we didn't know how strong the black monsters themselves were.

But my worries didn't last long.

The answer had been decided from the beginning.

“Selena. Are you there?”

I called Selena, and she immediately appeared before me.

“Yes.”

Selena knelt on one knee before me. Her posture and voice were perfect, but her attire was sleepwear.

Well, it was late at night, so it was natural.

“…”

I briefly examined the sleepwear. It was an improvement from before, but it still emphasized her figure. It was a completely unnecessary design considering the functionality of sleepwear.

‘Next time I buy clothes for Selena, I should get her some sleepwear too.’

I added one more item to the mental shopping list.

Ahem, I cleared my throat lightly and spoke to Selena.

She would already have guessed this first sentence.

“From now on, I will formulate a plan to destroy the Fragment of Helheim.”