Round 343

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Sending the tiny humans away brought some relief.  

Despite experiencing unexpected events, I was glad that the dimensional invasion and the Seven Great Virtues issue, which had been lingering in my mind, were resolved.  

‘I didn’t need to worry after all.’  

Knowing they were such cute creatures, I could relax without concern.  

Ah, but if Emily also received the dimensional invasion message, does that mean other Awakened ones saw it too?  

Just as I was getting curious about the outside situation, another system message appeared before my eyes.  

[The Demon King’s army has been formed.]  

“??”  

The Demon King’s army? What is this about?  

At the same time, a quest was suddenly updated.  

[Hidden Quest: Dimensional Invasion]  

[Before even becoming a true Demon King, you have already launched a dimensional invasion! An incredible achievement! Invade other dimensions and turn them into the Demon King’s territory! ] 

[Other Dimension Recovery and Conquest: 0/1]  

What is this now?  

First, the Demon King’s army, and now a hidden dimensional invasion quest?  

I never wanted something like this!  

‘But if I think about it… isn’t it all the same in the end?’  

Even without the quest, I was planning to help Choro reclaim their world.  

And if I just helped outright, it might seem suspicious, so I casually told them to join under me.  

Either way, the quest would naturally be cleared.  

Of course, it was still up to the Choro to succeed.  

“Emily, I’m going to step out for a bit. Can you watch the kids?”  

“Yes!”  

I asked Emily to look after the kids for a while and decided to take Ara outside with me.  

Before heading out, I wanted to ask Kyler or Jae-seong about this, but I had no idea where they were.  

However, that worry was unnecessary because when I returned to the Slime Village, Kyler and Jae-seong were there.  

“Brother!”  

“Mr. Kyu-seong.”  

As soon as they saw me, they called out with serious expressions.  

It seemed like they had received the message.  

“Don’t worry.”  

“There’s nothing to worry about!”  

I cut them off before they could even speak.  

Both of them tilted their heads in confusion.  

“It’s about the dimensional invasion, right?”  

“Oh… yes, that’s correct.”  

Kyler nodded.  

Jae-seong, with his bear-like build, also looked anxious as he observed me.  

“I just took care of it.”  

“Took care of… it?”  

“Yes.”  

It might be hard to believe, but it was true.  

Ara, standing beside me, reinforced my words.  

“The hero crossed dimensions! But Emily defeated them in an impressive battle! In the end, the invaders got hungry, had a hearty meal, and went back!”  

The summary sounded strange, but it wasn’t wrong, so I couldn’t refute it.  

Kyler and Jae-seong both looked at me with expressions of utter confusion.  

“As unbelievable as it sounds, Ara’s explanation is mostly correct. I was in the Cat Village with Emily when a portal suddenly opened, and human-like beings the size of fairies came through. Fortunately, they were kind children, so I persuaded them and sent them back.”  

“…As expected of Mr. Kyu-seong. You even handled a dimensional invasion by yourself.”  

Kyler, who seemed deep in thought, nodded and muttered to himself.  

It felt like he was misunderstanding something.  

“But the dimensional invasion message was sent to all Awakened people, right?”  

“Not sure. We need to check. Since we were all inside this dungeon, the situation outside might be different.”  

“Hmm, understood.”  

I should go out and check through the portal I had set up near Hassan.  

I just got back, and now I have to leave again.  

Kyler immediately headed to where Emily was, and although Jae-seong still looked nervous, he went off to do his tasks.  

“We shall go forth!”  

With Ara’s exclamation, we used the portal.  

In an instant, my vision shifted to Hassan’s residence.  

‘This is really convenient.’  

As soon as we arrived, one of Hassan’s subordinates greeted us.  

“Welcome. I will contact Lord Hassan.”  

“Oh, if he’s busy, there’s no need to call him. I just have one quick question.”  

His name was Omar, I think?  

He nodded, indicating I could ask anything.  

Judging by his demeanor, it seemed like he hadn’t received the message.  

“Did you get any messages about a dimensional invasion?”  

“Dimensional invasion? No, I have not seen any such message.”  

“I see. That’s all I needed to check. Thank you.”  

“Did something happen?”  

“No, I was just curious.”  

This was enough confirmation.  

Just in case, I checked my phone, but it was quiet.  

Since I was here, I decided to take a quick look at the World Tree and Mark2 before heading back.  

Not much would have changed in just a few hours.  

“Huh? Elder?”  

“You’ve come? What brings you here?”  

Hassan was sitting in front of the World Tree, having set up a desk, bookshelf, and even a refrigerator.  

He held a wine glass in one hand while admiring the World Tree.  

“I just came for a quick look. Oh?”  

“It has grown quite a bit, hasn’t it? Haha! Watching it grow is quite entertaining.”  

Just as Hassan said, the World Tree had grown taller than me.  

It had only been a few hours, but its growth speed was incredible.  

“Huh? Whoa?”  

As I watched, I could see it stretching and growing in real-time.  

“It’s growing rapidly!”  

Ara, finding it fascinating, spread her arms wide and ran in circles around the tree.  

Since Mark2 was nearby, I asked.  

“Does it usually grow this fast?”  

Wobble.  

It seemed like he was saying “sort of,” but there was also a deeper meaning.  

“This place is rich in mana, so it absorbs mana quickly and grows faster!”  

“Ah-ha!”  

I had heard before that this area was overly saturated with mana, making it difficult for plants to grow.  

But for the World Tree, those conditions seemed to be beneficial.  

“We’ll be heading back now.”  

“Already? How about staying for a drink?”  

“How about next week? I still have things to do right now.”  

“Can’t be holding you back, then. Go on.”  

After exchanging farewells with Hassan, I returned to the dungeon.  

Tomorrow, I would go to China and set up another portal.  

‘So busy.’  

It had been a chaotic day.  

From planting the World Tree to Emily’s swordsmanship, the dimensional invasion, and the tiny humans’ story.  

…Wait?  

I felt like I was forgetting something.  

What was it?  

‘It’s probably not important.’  

If it were, I wouldn’t have forgotten.  

Wrapping up my busy day, I prepared to sleep with Ara.  

**  

Bzzzzzzz~  

“Huh? Already?”  

“Are they coming back?”  

“Hero!!”  

The portal that the advance party had crossed flickered.  

Soon, Choro was the first to appear.  

“Wow!!”  

“The Hero has returned!”  

The villagers, who had been secretly worried, welcomed Choro’s arrival.  

Choro, knowing they had been concerned, smiled brightly and greeted them.  

“Everyone! We’ve returned!”  

Following Choro, the ten members of the advance party crossed one by one.  

Seeing them all return safely, the people cheered.  

Clap clap clap clap!  

“I’m so glad you’re safe!”  

“H-Hero, what happened to the other world? Don’t tell me you’ve already defeated the Demon King?!”  

Unable to answer every question, Choro set down the crate he had carried back.  

“Brave Lion Unit! Bold Bear Unit!”  

“Yes!!”  

Soldiers rushed forward at Choro’s call.  

They were the main force preparing for the dimensional invasion.  

Of course, despite their grand names, they were barely clothed in tattered rags.  

Some of their weapons were nothing more than stone knives crudely sharpened from rocks found along the road.  

‘That doesn’t matter anymore.’  

Choro’s eyes shone.  

He had thought it over while crossing back, but no matter how much he considered it, there was no reason to refuse the Demon King’s offer.  

Becoming the Demon King’s subordinate? So what?  

If they followed him, there would be no need to invade another dimension or leave their homeland.  

And look at this.  

“Huh? Hero! What’s this?”  

“Food? It’s food!!”  

Food spilled out in abundance.  

More than enough to last everyone for at least a month.  

And as long as it was stored in the crate, it would stay cold.  

An absolutely incredible supply.  

Not only that, but they were told they could always come back for more if food ran low.  

Thinking back to that warehouse…  

The food they received was only a tiny fraction of what was stored there.  

The massive warehouse had been enough to leave Choro in awe.  

However, Choro didn’t know…  

That the warehouse in the Cat Village was actually the smallest one ever built.  

If he saw the twenty enormous storage buildings in the Slime Village, he might actually faint.  

Regardless, Choro and the soldiers began distributing the food.  

“Take your time! There’s plenty!”  

“Here, have some of this too. It tastes great.”  

The advance party smiled as they shared the food.  

The village turned into a festival.  

Having survived by gnawing on tree bark, digging up roots, or catching insects, many people shed tears as they tasted fresh vegetables for the first time in ages.  

Some couldn’t resist and began eating their rations raw on the spot.  

“Mm?”  

“Mm!?!”  

Then, all of them widened their eyes in shock.  

“What? What’s wrong?”  

“Did they eat too fast and get indigestion?”  

“See? I told you to take it slow and eat at home!”  

As people misunderstood and added their own comments, the ones who had eaten finally spoke.  

“It’s delicious!!”  

“This is amazing! I’ve never tasted anything like this!”  

“This must be food made by the gods!”  

They were all in awe.  

Most people assumed they were just exaggerating because of how hungry they had been.  

“Hungry people think everything tastes good. Let me try some too.”  

Crunch.  

One villager bit into a piece of chopped carrot.  

Soon, they too reacted just as dramatically.  

“It—It’s delicious!!”  

“Wait, let me try too!”  

One by one, more people started tasting the food on the spot.  

Originally, they planned to cook, but the fresh produce quickly spread among them as they ate it raw.  

Of course, Kyu-seong’s crops were incredibly flavorful even when eaten raw.  

In fact, their natural taste was enhanced, making an even stronger impression.  

“How can this taste so good?”  

“Hero! Where did you get this food?!”  

“Hero! Long live the Hero! Hooray!!”  

A full-blown celebration erupted.  

Everyone laughed and smiled as they enjoyed Kyu-seong’s crops.  

Choro and the advance party also watched happily, feeling warmth from the lively and joyful atmosphere.  

“…I’ve made my decision.”  

“Huh?”  

The advance party turned toward Choro, who had spoken quietly.  

“Even if Lee Kyu-seong is the Demon King, I will serve under him.”  

The advance party silently agreed.  

Even if this was all a ploy to trap them in a terrible contract, they had no other choice.  

“What do you all think?”  

“Honestly, I still don’t fully trust them. But our only choices were to fight them and die gloriously or to wither away here. Between those two, choosing a third option—becoming the Demon King’s subordinates—doesn’t seem so bad.”  

“I agree.”  

“So do I!”  

Everyone was in agreement.  

For the first time in a while, all ten members of the advance party shared the same opinion.  

That put Choro at ease.  

“Alright. From now on, we are subordinates of the Demon King, Lee Kyu-seong.”  

“Yes…!”  

A determined pledge.  

Even if there came a day when they regretted this decision, Choro prioritized saving his people first.  

As soon as they made their vow…  

[The Demon King’s army has been formed.]  

[When the Demon King’s army eats food made by the Demon King, buff effects are doubled.]  

A notification appeared for everyone.  

Soon, the villagers realized what had happened.  

“The D-Demon King…”  

“Hero! We…!”  

The advance party hadn’t expected a message to appear so quickly and were slightly flustered.  

But Choro stepped forward and spoke.  

“I’m sorry, everyone. As you can see, the food we brought came through a deal with the Demon King from the other world.”  

“Gasp!”  

“Demon realm crops?!”  

They had the wrong idea, but since it wasn’t entirely false, Choro didn’t bother correcting them.  

“They are massive and powerful. But because of that power, they are also generous. Thanks to that, we were able to receive mercy.”  

“H-Hero. Weren’t you supposed to defeat the Demon King?!”  

“I… will no longer be a hero.”  

Choro placed his sword back into the spot where it had originally been stuck.  

Then, he turned to the people.  

“You can curse me if you want.”  

No one spoke.  

Then, someone finally said—  

“It’s delicious, hehe.”  

“Why are you being so dramatic, Hero? Let’s eat already.”  

“But… don’t you feel like we’ve forgotten something? Something even more important than becoming the Demon King’s subordinates…?”  

One minute.  

That was all the time the serious mood lasted before the festival resumed.  

The villagers were naturally simple-minded.  

Choro and the advance party, knowing this well, soon joined in, each grabbing a tomato and taking a bite.  

Nom nom nom.  

“It seems we convinced them. That was tough.”  

“Whew. Persuading people really isn’t for just anyone.”  

Though it was unclear what exactly they had done, they congratulated each other nonetheless.  

Then, another message popped up.  

[The Hero has fallen.]  

[A fallen Hero can receive a portion of the Demon King’s power.]  

[The Hero can now summon slimes!]  

“Slimes?”  

Rather than the fallen hero part, something else caught their attention.  

What was this? Summoning slimes?  

Poof!  

A small slime was suddenly summoned in front of them.  

It wobbled, as if greeting them with a “Hello?”  

“Cute.”  

“It’s adorable!”  

“Is this the Hero’s new power?!”  

Choro stared at the tiny slime resting in his palm in shock.  

‘…It’s… cute.’  

Thus, Choro awakened to the charm of slimes.  

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Speaker 8

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“This is a last resort.”

She’s been in that state under a kind of curse, and that curse can only be broken if she enters into a contract as a slave.

“You mean this girl…?”

“She is not a girl.”

Not only in the sense that she’s an elf who has lived for at least several hundred years, but also in the sense that she is far from what one could call an ordinary girl.

Therefore, if we absolutely had to awaken her here—if a full-scale battle broke out or something—we would have no choice but to form a contract.

“In any case, let’s hope we never have to use it.”

But still, it would be reserved as the absolute last resort.

I wiped the blood from the finger I had bitten, rolled up the ‘Eastwood Contract’ I had signed, and tucked it inside my clothes.

The others also took their contracts and hid them somewhere inside their garments as best they could.

Honestly, I wanted to rip them all to pieces, but it was impossible to physically destroy these contracts at the moment.

Even though they weren’t yet sealed with blood and bound to the contractors, the moment the brand tied to the contract touched someone, it became valid.

Therefore, if the contract was torn or burned or otherwise damaged before the bond was officially made, the brand would automatically activate under the assumption that the “product” had attempted to escape.

Which meant being burned alive.

To stop something like that from happening, we’d need a skilled mage capable of breaking the spell—and that was only possible from the outside.

Still, at least we had achieved the goal of retrieving the contracts.

Now, all that was left was to really get out of here.

The problem was, this brewery only had one exit.

The office in the basement was tucked away in a far-off corner of the brewery, so we’d been safe there.

But to reach the only exit, we would have to pass right through the middle of the auction floor.

Perhaps that was why everyone, having realized this, looked even more tense than before.

“Don’t worry too much. Everything will go smoothly.”

With that, I looked at each person one by one to reassure them.

More precisely,

[You’re all going to earn your true freedom.]

[You encouraged them. Your inspirational encouragement gives your party members courage. The core support skill of a textbook bard, “Encouragement,” gives bonuses to various dice rolls in both combat and non-combat situations.]

In other words, if someone were to question one of us suspiciously, it could even help with [Deception].

“…Yes! You’re right, sir!”

“Let’s not get too scared, everyone. We’re almost there now, aren’t we?”

“Just a few dozen minutes ago, we couldn’t even imagine getting out of here.”

Right now, the skill level was still low, and “Encouragement” didn’t scale especially well with charisma stats, so I wasn’t expecting much of an effect.

But still,

“Let’s go.”

It was better than doing nothing.

“Yes!”

We left the office and, as we had been doing all along, formed up in formation and began walking toward the auction hall.

“1700 gold!”

As the supposed buyer, I walked in front.

Next to me was the muscular woman disguised as a guard, and behind her came the line of slaves.

All of them followed in a single file, with the man carrying the “companion” taking the rear.

To any onlooker, it would appear as if I had bought all these slaves and was now being escorted by guards to take them away.

“1800 gold! We have 1800!”

And sure enough, within this space at least, it wasn’t an unusual sight.

Everyone’s eyes were glued to the stage where the auction was taking place.

No one was paying us much attention.

Sometimes, people nearby did flinch in surprise, but their reaction was clearly directed not at the line of slaves but at the sack covering my face.

They didn’t seem at all interested in the slave procession following behind me.

I suppose the thought that these might be slaves who hadn’t even gone up for auction yet never crossed their minds.

And it wasn’t just the buyers.

Given how many slaves were constantly passing through, most of the guards working here didn’t bother to memorize each face.

Even the guards we passed showed no real suspicion.

But they would recognize the face of that “companion.”

She was a Northern Elf, a rare sight in these parts—and her appearance was unforgettable.

So we had disguised her.

It was simple: just an overcoat we found in the office and a hood pulled down low over her face.

Of course, there were guys like the “Head Guard,” who remembered the face of every “product” brought into this place.

Naturally, he was the biggest obstacle to getting out of here.

The best course of action was simply not to run into him.

We continued walking silently, trying to look as natural as possible, and before we knew it, we had crossed more than half of the auction hall.

We were confident we could handle the doorkeeper—whether through [Persuasion], [Deception], or [Intimidation].

So if we could just make it the rest of the way and reach that door, we could escape without a hitch—

“Hey.”

“…!”

Even if I tried to ignore him and keep walking, I couldn’t.

“Hold it right there.”

He’d already grabbed my shoulder.

I carefully turned to look back and thought—

‘…Shit.’

As expected—

“I’ve been watching you for a while now…”

It was the “Head Guard.”

Of all people, he was the one we absolutely could not afford to run into here.

The level 6 boss of this hidden dungeon.

He looked at the faces of the slaves who had stopped behind me and then walked up to the man carrying our tense “companion.”

He reached out and pulled back the hood slightly.

“…Thought so.”

Then he gave a crooked grin.

“Looks to me like all these people you’re dragging around are our merchandise.”

It was a mocking tone, full of certainty.

“Merchandise that hasn’t even gone up for auction yet.”

With those words, every eye in the area turned toward us, sensing that something was happening.

By the time we realized it, the auction had already come to a halt, and a heavy silence filled the brewery.

“Why don’t you explain to me why unsold merchandise is wandering around outside the basement?”

Gulp—somewhere, someone audibly swallowed.

The “Head Guard” who had approached me again already had one hand on the sword at his waist.

Judging by the look in his eyes, he was ready to draw it and cut me down at any moment depending on my answer.

“…Sigh.”

This guy clearly wasn’t someone I could talk my way out of trouble with.

If it had been anyone else, maybe I could’ve at least tried to explain or bluff my way through, but not with him.

He didn’t give even the slightest window for [Persuasion] or [Deception].

So yeah—fighting was the only option.

“Mind if I take this off first before I explain?”

“What?”

Maybe he didn’t expect me to actually try and explain—he looked a little caught off guard.

He hesitated for a second, then gave me a nod with a face that said, “Go ahead and try.”

Of course, I had no intention of actually explaining anything.

I just needed to buy a little time.

“…!”

As expected, the slaves understood my signal and turned their heads away from me.

The moment I saw that, I tore the sack off my head.

“-!?”

As my face was revealed to everyone, the crowd collectively gasped.

The same went for the “Head Guard.”

Even the hand he had on his sword slowly dropped, and he stared at my face like he was in a trance.

“Ah…”

He was completely enchanted.

“So beautiful…”

Someone murmured the words, and it proved the spell was working.

“…Sorry.”

“What?”

I turned my head slightly, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt—but she still looked like an empty shell, unmoved by the chaos around her.

I really, really didn’t want to use this method.

But I had no other choice.

I gripped the contract hidden inside my clothes.

[Contract established.]

The moment I whispered those words, the necklace around her neck began to glow with magical light.

“You… you made the contract…!”

The “Head Guard” noticed the glow from the contract inside my clothes and snapped back to his senses, reaching again for his sword—

“Gale!”

WHOOSH!

A violent gust of wind exploded outward like a blast.

CRASH!

The “Head Guard” went flying and smashed into one of the large barrels stacked against the wall, which shattered into pieces, splashing alcohol in all directions.

“What the—”

Another guard who saw the scene rushed at me, drawing his sword in panic.

[You’re slow as hell but quick to die, huh?!]

“Guh!?”

My tongue moved faster than his legs.

The guard foamed at the mouth and collapsed from my [Mockery].

Another guard running alongside him froze in shock.

The muscular woman took the chance and rushed in, swinging her sword.

SLASH!

Blood sprayed from the blade.

“Uwaaah!?”

A nearby customer who got splashed with blood screamed belatedly.

And then—

“T-The slaves are escaping!!”

All hell broke loose.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Somebody help!”

Merchants and guests began fleeing in panic, shoving and tripping over each other in a frantic attempt to escape.

Glass shattered with a crash, chairs were overturned with loud bangs, and screams and the clashing of sharp metal rang out in every direction, plunging the auction hall into utter chaos.

“It’s them! Get them!”

Through the mess, one of the guards came charging toward us.

“Out of the way!”

I needed a bit more time before I could use [Mockery] again.

But—

“Fireball!”

It wasn’t my magic.

BOOM!

Almost at the same moment I shouted, a fireball flew in from behind and struck the guard square in the back, erupting in flames.

Some of the sparks hit a broken wooden chair on the floor, instantly igniting it.

Even as the flames threatened to catch her long robe, she didn’t react at all.

She simply walked forward, unfazed, and came to stand beside me.

“Master.”

She looked up at me with the same vacant eyes she had the first time we met.

“Awaiting orders.”

Her tone was as emotionless as her gaze.

[You feel a magical connection between yourself and the girl.]

[As long as that thread exists, she will obey any command you give her.]

“D-Damn slave bitch—”

[A pathetic coward who only stabs backs!]

“Gah!”

Another guard lunged at her, swinging an axe.

But [Mockery] was ready again, and I shot it straight at him.

THUD!

His large body toppled forward.

I quickly grabbed my companion by the shoulder and pulled her slightly, so she wouldn’t be crushed.

The guard’s head landed right at her feet.

Anyone else would’ve at least glanced down at the sound.

But she never took her eyes off me.

“First, we’re wiping this whole place out.”

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Patron 213

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Between the lands of Greynifra and the Lizardmen. In a makeshift negotiation site.  

“…No escort is necessary?”  

“Yes, that’s what he said.”  

Magrina received this report from Rim.  

“Is it true?”  

“Yes, O Great One.”  

Sitting in front of Magrina was Hazad.  

When he asked, Zukurak also nodded deeply in agreement.  

Seeing this, Hazad rubbed his chin thoughtfully a few times.  

“Well, I suppose there’s no choice. If my friend thinks so, I’ll have to step back.”  

Contrary to expectations, he backed off surprisingly neatly.  

“Huh, you’re taking this rather well.”  

“I’m not like those sneaky elves who pretend to act with honor while scheming in the background.”  

“You used to be even sneakier than us—”  

“Ahem.”  

As soon as the past was mentioned, Hazad cleared his throat and looked away.  

To those of lower standing, it might have just looked like a swirl of black smoke, but to anyone watching closely, it was clear that Hazad was flustered.  

After a brief pause.  

“Anyway, if my friend insists, there’s no need for us to linger here.”  

Hazad got up, as if there was nothing more to discuss.  

“Let’s be on our way, then.”  

With that, he coolly turned and left the negotiation site.  

As Magrina stood watching where he had left,  

“Your Majesty.”  

“Go ahead, Rim.”  

Rim called out to the queen with a slightly regretful expression.  

If the elves had been entrusted with the escort, she would have had the opportunity to guard the Primordial Elf himself.  

For Rim, and in fact for all elves, protecting the Primordial Elf—whom they essentially regarded as a god—was a great honor and privilege.  

Normally, Paggade had to protect the World Tree from those that emerged from the roots, leaving no room to guard anyone else.  

But ever since the Primordial Elf’s visit to the roots, those threats had disappeared.  

Now that Rim had the capacity for other duties, she felt the loss even more.  

“Then, as you ordered, I will recall the Shadow Leaves.”  

As if understanding her feelings, Magrina smiled softly and shook her head.  

“No.”  

“…Pardon?”  

“There’s no need to recall the Shadow Leaves.”  

“But didn’t we just decide—”  

“Rim, even if he refuses an escort, the Primordial Elf is someone we must protect. You understand that, don’t you?”  

“Yes, of course.”  

“That is your answer. He may have refused, but surely, it was out of consideration for us.”  

In truth, it was Alon’s desperate effort to avoid exposing his secret.  

But unaware of this, Magrina’s smile deepened.  

“That’s why we must still escort him. We can’t entrust his safety to those lizards, can we?”  

It was a valid point.  

Rim nodded but couldn’t help wondering.  

…What exactly is the relationship between Her Majesty and that so-called Sage just now?  

The queen, Magrina, and the Lizardmen’s Sage, who had casually conversed with her—  

Rim was sure they hadn’t met frequently before.  

And yet, they seemed strangely close.  

…Even though they were hurling insults at each other the whole time.  

Despite their barbs, their exchange had felt more like that of old rivals than true enemies.  

However, Rim soon dismissed her curiosity.  

That wasn’t the important matter at hand.  

“Then, we’ll maintain the Shadow Leaves as they are.”  

“Do so.”  

“And, Your Majesty.”  

“Yes?”  

“Would it be possible—”  

Just as Rim was about to cautiously make her request, 

Inside the massive palanquin carried by the Lizardmen, Zukurak tilted his head in confusion.  

“…You want to dispatch escort troops?”  

“Yes.”  

In a lavishly decorated space, large enough to be considered a room, Zukurak was baffled by Hazad’s order.  

It was completely different from what he had said earlier with Magrina.  

“…But didn’t you just say you wouldn’t send any?”  

Hazad chuckled.  

“Of course, that was a lie.”  

“But doesn’t your friend not want it?”  

“Well, to be honest, he probably doesn’t, but that’s a separate issue.”  

“Is that so?”  

“Yes. I’m sending them because I’m worried about him.”  

That’s all there is to it, Hazad murmured in a low voice, before continuing.  

“Anyway, just do it. But make sure they aren’t noticed—send the most discreet ones.”  

“…Shall I send the Shadow Veil clan?”  

“Hm, not a bad choice.”  

Hazad leaned back into his seat, satisfied.  

Watching him, Zukurak suddenly voiced a question.  

“May I ask something?”  

“What is it?”  

“…If you were going to send an escort anyway, why bother hiding it from the elves?”  

“Obviously, because it’s necessary.”  

“?”  

“The elves act like they care about honor, but they’re sly. If they tell my friend, it’ll just be a headache.”  

Hazad nodded to himself, as if he knew the elves all too well.  

In other words, he was worried they might snitch to Marquis Palatio.  

Seeing his god being wary of another’s interference, Zukurak found it strange.  

Never before had he seen the god who granted him power care about anyone else’s opinion.  

Yet now, Hazad was mindful of the elves, afraid his friend might find out.  

After a brief silence,  

“…Understood. I’ll make the arrangements immediately.”  

Zukurak bowed and left to carry out Hazad’s command.  

***

About a week later.  

“Marquis, I’ve investigated the matter you asked about.”  

“You mean about Sili?”  

“Yes.”  

“So, what did you find?”

“It seems that’s what they’re actually calling her.”

Hearing Evan’s report, Alon gave him a puzzled look.  

“…Why on earth?”  

“Well—apparently, after you left, she continued various relief efforts in the villages near Caliban.”  

“…Relief efforts?”  

“Yes, you know, things like that.”  

Taking care of monsters, distributing supplies—  

After listing a few things, Evan added,  

“Anyway, because of that, the villages near Caliban have started calling her ‘The Saint of Kalannon, the lightning receiver.’”  

Alon scratched his head involuntarily.  

This situation wasn’t particularly problematic for him.  

In fact, it was beneficial.  

After all, Sili’s actions were gathering faith in Alon.  

Not that he had given her power expecting this to happen.  

But the reason for his slightly bewildered expression was—  

This wasn’t what he had intended.  

He had only given Sili power so she could protect herself.  

Now, finding himself at the top of an unexpected pyramid scheme, Alon thought to himself.  

‘Well, it’s not a bad thing, so it doesn’t really matter… But maybe I should tell her not to overdo it?’  

He didn’t want to make Deus’s sister work too hard.  

After organizing his thoughts, Alon decided he would bring it up the next time he visited Caliban.  

Just then—  

“Marquis.”  

“What is it?”  

Evan spoke up.  

“That reminds me… Didn’t you say we needed to visit somewhere else besides the jungle last time?”  

“During the last trip?”  

“Yes. Thinking about it now, I don’t think we actually went there.”  

A place to visit—  

Alon pondered for a moment before letting out an ‘Ah.’  

“There was a place we needed to go because of the limited usage of ‘Footsteps of the Past.’”  

“Right? That’s why I asked. I realized we never stopped by. Why didn’t we go?”  

“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to—I couldn’t. That place is only accessible when we have business up north.”  

“I see.”  

Evan nodded in understanding.  

Watching him, Alon suddenly let out another exclamation and pulled out an item.  

It was a gemstone, identical to the red ruby he had obtained in the colony.  

‘They said it would speak to me on its own when the time came.’  

Alon gazed at the red gemstone.  

Yet, just like when he first received it from the dragonkin in the colony, it remained utterly unresponsive.  

‘I figured if I just waited, it would eventually speak up… But at this point, is something wrong?’  

Unlike what he had been told—that it would communicate within a month or two—  

It had already been nearly six months, and there was still nothing.  

‘Looks like I’ll need to visit the colony after my trip north.’  

Adding another destination to his itinerary, Alon put the ruby away.  

***

About two weeks later—  

“Let’s set out.”  

Alon departed for Asteria to meet Siyan.  

***

While Alon was heading to Asteria, Hidan was at the Palatio Marquisate.  

He had received orders from Yutia.  

Originally, he had only planned to stop by briefly on his way to Caliban, just to pick up something from a hidden stash and then leave immediately.  

…If he hadn’t witnessed something strange.  

Hidan looked forward.  

What entered his field of vision—  

A group exuding an unusual presence.  

Lizardmen.  

And not just them.  

On the opposite side—  

A group of elves, all of them tense and glaring at the Lizardmen.  

Hidan had never seen non-beastkin demi-humans before.  

Even beastkin were mostly concentrated in the Eastern Kingdom, though they were active in the Allied Kingdom.  

But elves and Lizardmen?  

They were so rare in the Allied Kingdom that they were practically nonexistent.  

In that sense, seeing over ten Lizardmen—  

And an equally large group of elves—  

All glaring at each other with hostility,  

Was an incredibly peculiar sight.  

Especially when each one of them was radiating an imposing aura.  

But Hidan prepared to leave.  

No matter how strange the scene was, it wasn’t worth delaying his mission.  

However—  

“Get lost, lizards! The marquis is under our protection.”  

“Hah! Don’t talk nonsense, pointy-ears. By his decree, we are to guard Marquis Palatio, so you lot should back off!”  

“?”  

“..?”  

Hearing those words—  

Hidan stopped in his tracks, a look of confusion crossing his face.  

“What nonsense are you spouting, stupid lizards? Where do you get off saying you’ll protect the marquis?”  

“We’re stronger than you honor-obsessed elves, so of course we should be the ones to protect him!”  

“No, the elves will guard the marquis!”  

“No! The Lizardmen will guard him!!”  

As the argument escalated—  

“…???”  

Countless question marks filled Hidan’s mind.

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Round 342

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Choro returned to the forge.  

The first thing he did was approach Pokko, the captain of the village guards and his mentor.  

Pokko was watching the cats’ smithing work with a mesmerized expression, but when Choro approached, he snapped out of it and cleared his throat.  

“Ahem, ahem! Did you have a good talk, Hero?”  

“Pokko, there’s something I’d like to discuss. With everyone.”  

“Understood.”  

Pokko gathered the people.  

Meanwhile, Choro took another look around.  

The enormous beings.  

They weren’t giants, but here, it felt like they were the small ones.  

‘We can’t win.’  

Choro judged coldly.  

If he had determined that they were winnable opponents, he would have seriously considered continuing the dimensional invasion.  

He bore the weight of an entire world.  

If it was to save his world, he was willing to do anything.  

And conversely, if it was to save his world, he could even join hands with the Demon King.  

“Hero, everyone is gathered.”  

They moved to a quiet place outside the forge.  

The noise of the forge had left their ears slightly ringing, but it was starting to subside.  

“Everyone.”  

“Please speak, Hero.”  

“As you’ve just seen, the power here is beyond imagination.”  

“Mm….”  

No one spoke, but deep down, they all felt fear at the astonishing level of craftsmanship they had witnessed in the forge.  

Such advanced and refined blacksmithing techniques.  

Something they could never even dream of in their world.  

“I vaguely sensed it in the battle against the Fallen Hero, but based on my estimation, their combat skills must also far surpass ours.”  

“We’re outmatched in every way…”  

Someone muttered.  

Aside from the fairies flitting around and chattering, no one else had the confidence to win.  

“Their culinary culture also seems highly advanced. I’ve never even heard of such food in my life. And the taste…”  

The party’s supply officer, drooling, muttered absentmindedly.  

He was responsible for cooking and providing combat support, but his praise for the food seemed endless.  

“They didn’t just haphazardly grill or stir-fry ingredients over a fire. The delicate control of the heat, the precise level of doneness, the carefully measured seasonings, even the intricate knife cuts—all of it expressed profound intent in a supreme dish!”  

The others stared at the supply officer, speechless.  

But they couldn’t refute him either.  

It was, without a doubt, the best meal they had ever eaten.  

If possible, they wanted to eat it again right away.  

“I asked the Demon King what his true intention was in helping us.”  

“What… What did he say?”  

After a brief hesitation, Choro spoke.  

“He told us to serve under him.”  

“Y-you, Hero!? That’s outrageous!!”  

“…Not just me. All of us.”  

“Huh?”  

The party tilted their heads in confusion.  

Then, as they grasped the meaning behind his words, their expressions stiffened.  

“Are you saying…”  

“In exchange for helping us restore our dimension, we must all become subordinates of the Demon King. He will provide all necessary supplies, including food and equipment.”  

“When you say ‘all of us’… Do you mean just the ten of us here?”  

Choro shook his head grimly.  

“Our entire world.”  

“Gasp!”  

“T-that’s monstrous!”  

Everyone recoiled at Choro’s words.  

The terrifying nature of the Demon King, which they had momentarily forgotten, hit them once again, plunging them into serious contemplation.  

“This is an absurd condition! We can’t possibly accept it!”  

“I think differently.”  

At the youngest member’s outburst, the oldest, Pokko, interjected.  

“What do you mean, Captain!?”  

“Think carefully. We are the ones invading someone else’s world.”  

“Ah….”  

“Of course, our situation is desperate, so we had no choice. But let’s be honest, Toto, do you think we can defeat them?”  

“That’s…”  

“It’s obvious. We can’t. To be frank, even the Fallen Hero that fought against our Hero just now—we might not have been able to defeat him even if we all worked together.”  

Toto parted his lips as if to argue, but no words came out.  

He wanted to deny it from the depths of his heart, but he already knew the truth.  

They stood no chance.  

“Instead, we should be grateful for their mercy. Who else would feed and extend a hand to those who invaded their land?”  

“But it’s all a ploy to tempt us into accepting this cruel deal!”  

“Even if it is, what can we do?”  

Pokko scanned their faces.  

Everyone looked grave.  

“I believe we should accept the deal for now.”  

“Captain!?”  

Toto raised his voice in disbelief.  

Then, the supply officer, Kkappe, spoke up.  

“I agree. Attacking someone else’s land or becoming the Demon King’s subordinates to save our world—it’s not all that different. Besides, if it means getting food supplies, then considering the starving people in our world, I’d gladly sell my soul to the devil.”  

With Kkappe siding with Pokko, the atmosphere started to lean in one direction.  

Some still couldn’t agree.  

But they couldn’t bring themselves to oppose it either.  

“If it’s to save our families…”  

“The Demon King’s subordinates? At this point, I don’t care whose subordinates we are. If it saves our world, we must do it.”  

Choro, observing their reactions, finally spoke.  

“There’s no need to decide in haste. The Demon King has given us a few days to consider. We should use this time to learn more about this place before making a final decision.”  

“Will that be enough time?”  

Kkappe asked worriedly.  

After all, on the other side, their main force of about 600 was waiting.  

Not to mention the thousands suffering from starvation.  

“Hmm…”  

Choro closed his eyes.  

The others wore grim expressions or looked close to tears, each lost in thought.  

Then,  

“Choro! Where are you?”  

A voice called out—Lee Kyu-seong’s.  

Choro opened his eyes and turned to his comrades.  

“Think it over carefully. I’ll be back shortly.”  

“Understood.”  

Pokko responded on their behalf.  

Choro nodded at the dependable Pokko and headed toward Kyu-seong, who had called him.  

“You called?”  

“Ah, Choro, from what I overheard earlier, it sounds like things are really bad on the other side. Am I right?”  

“Hmm, I can’t deny it.”  

“How’s the food situation over there?”  

“…We are severely lacking.”  

Choro didn’t bother to hide it.  

If showing a little vulnerability could earn the sympathy of this uncharacteristically benevolent Demon King, then perhaps he would show them mercy.  

“Ah, well, I actually already asked my people to prepare some food for you. I also had them make it easy for you to eat, so it should be ready soon.”  

“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”  

“Your people are starving, right? Take the food I’m giving you and go back to distribute it among them.”  

Choro’s mouth fell open.  

He was at a loss for words.  

He couldn’t process what he was hearing—was this truly real?  

“Choro?”  

“Ah, y-you mean… you’re really going to provide us with food?”  

“Yeah, that’s right. Though honestly, I see it more as a gift than support.”  

“But we haven’t even accepted your deal yet.”  

“I told you, it’s a gift rather than support.”  

Choro couldn’t understand.  

Was this some kind of elaborate tactic?  

A way to lure them in and make them serve under him?  

‘But why?’  

Thinking about it logically, there was no real reason.  

Kyu-seong and his subordinates were already far superior in strength and technology.  

Why would someone like him need to go to such lengths to entice them?  

“Don’t overthink it—just take it. This isn’t the time to be picky!”  

“…Thank you!”  

Kyu-seong was right.  

This wasn’t the time to hesitate.  

Choro followed Kyu-seong to a warehouse.  

Inside, he found an overwhelming amount of unfamiliar food stored in various sections.  

‘This is… unbelievable!’  

The sheer size of the warehouse was already impressive, but the fact that it was packed to the brim?  

“Looks like everything’s ready. Great work, guys.”  

A group of rabbits, looking rather proud, presented the neatly organized food.  

The vegetables and other crops had been chopped into manageable sizes for easy consumption.  

To Kyu-seong, it wasn’t much.  

But to Choro, it was an overwhelming amount.  

‘H-he’s giving us all this?!’  

With this much food, the people back home could eat well for an entire month.  

That thought made Choro anxious.  

He wanted to send the food back immediately.  

“Hmm, the problem is transporting it. And storing it properly.”  

To Kyu-seong, it wasn’t a large amount.  

But for the tiny humans, carrying it all at once would be difficult.  

And even if they managed to transport it, could they store it properly?  

“Choro, can you wait for a bit? Actually, come with me.”  

“Uh? Alright.”  

Choro was impatient, but he held himself back.  

He wanted to carry the food away right then and there, but he couldn’t risk offending Kyu-seong.  

Following him, they arrived at a spot where a black cat was lazily sleeping.  

“Bell, sorry to wake you, but could I ask you for a favor?”  

-Nyaa.  

Bell opened his eyes slightly, then tilted his head upon seeing Choro for the first time.  

-A toy?  

“No, he’s a guest I just met, and I’d like to make something for him.”  

Make something?  

Not only was this Demon King giving them food, but now he wanted to make something for them too?  

“I need to transport food, but there’s a lot of it. Could you craft a storage item with a subspace feature that suits these small folks? Preferably with refrigeration as well.”  

-Normally, I’d be too lazy to do it. But since you built this amazing house and forge, I’ll make an exception.  

Bell got up.  

Then, without hesitation, he headed straight for the forge.  

The work was fast and efficient.  

Following Kyu-seong and Bell, Choro witnessed the cat’s craftsmanship, unlike anything he had ever seen.  

‘Just what is this cat…?’  

One shock after another.  

He felt fortunate that such powerful beings were showing them mercy.  

Perhaps they were just too insignificant to be considered threats.  

If that was the reason they were being spared, then maybe it was actually a good thing.  

Clang!

-Nyaa, done.  

Bell’s words sounded almost like a curse.  

On his paw sat a small metal box.  

It was about the size of Choro’s upper body.  

-Insert a mana stone, and it will work.  

“Thanks, Bell. I’ll put it to good use.”  

-If you ask nicely, I might help again. Now, I’m going back to sleep.  

Bell flicked his tail and disappeared.  

As Choro stood there in a daze, Kyu-seong spoke.  

“Shall we start packing?”  

“Packing?”  

“We’ll put all the food inside that box.”  

Kyu-seong inserted a mana stone into the item, tested its functionality, then returned to the warehouse.  

He began carefully packing the prepared crops into the box.  

The food had already been cut into convenient sizes, making it easy to store.  

“Ooooh!”  

Choro gasped in amazement as he watched the endless amount of food fit inside.  

Soon, he joined Kyu-seong in filling the box.  

“Done!”  

Once the food was packed, curiosity got the better of Choro.  

He opened the box and took out a piece of food.  

“Incredible. A magical storage box.”  

“Use it whenever you transport food from now on. It looks like it can hold even more.”  

He slung the box over his back.  

Fortunately, it wasn’t too heavy.  

“Is it alright?”  

“It’s manageable.”  

It would be a lie to say it was weightless.  

But thanks to his usual training, he could handle it.  

With the box secured, he returned to the others with Kyu-seong.  

When Choro appeared carrying a metal box, his companions looked at him with curiosity.  

“Hero, what is that?”  

“Kyu-seong has given us some food. Let’s head back for now.”  

“…Food?”  

To them, it was just a slightly large box.  

Food?  

‘Does he plan to make dozens of trips back and forth to transport it?’  

Still, since Choro suggested returning, they nodded.  

It would be safer to continue their discussion back home rather than here.  

“Kyu-seong, we’ll be back soon!”  

“Take your time. Distribute the food and talk with your people before coming back.”  

“Thank you for your generosity.”  

Choro bowed deeply.  

The box nearly slipped off, but he quickly regained balance.  

“Be careful.”  

“Yes!”  

With that, the tiny humans returned through the portal they had used to arrive.  

At that moment, Kyu-seong felt like he had forgotten something.  

“…What was it?”  

Meanwhile, in one corner of the cat village, the self-proclaimed goddess, Verna, was sitting with the Seven Deadly Sins and Frey, chatting away.  

A tea party had been set up.  

-At that moment, I was so close to winning!  

-Uh, uhh… Sure, let’s go with that.  

Mammon wiped his cold sweat.  

Ara watched the scene with amusement.  

Ras sipped tea, unfazed, while Frey absentmindedly played with Verna’s wings.  

-So fluffy.  

-Hmph! My pride and joy!  

Thus, Verna, completely forgotten by the tiny humans, enjoyed a peaceful tea time.  

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Master 96

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“Haa, haa….”

“…Hrk.”

To start with the conclusion, among the two applicants, Johan collapsed without lasting even a minute against Whitney’s ability.

No, to be more precise, it would be correct to say that he knelt down not because of Whitney, but because of the murderous aura emitted by Meredia’s Jewel Eye.

‘How foolish.’

The appearance he showed when he instinctively opened his eyes slightly was nowhere to be seen now, and the force Whitney exuded as he began using the power of domination by himself was truly pathetic.

No matter how highly one tried to evaluate it, the most one could say was that it gave you chills or made your heart shudder slightly.

Fortunately, it was Meredia who first noticed this and used her Jewel Eye to pressure the two applicants, saving Whitney from nearly embarrassing himself.

‘Monster… Truly a monster.’

However, contrary to Whitney’s intentions, a misunderstanding arose where the applicants began to treat him as an untouchable existence.

“Ugh.”

Meanwhile, the beastman knight Ferris, who stood beside him, fared slightly better.

While she was drenched in cold sweat, she managed to stay upright, glaring at Whitney with a sane mind, unlike Johan.

‘Quite impressive for a beastman.’

Knowing well that very few could remain standing when she used her Jewel Eye, Meredia gazed at Ferris with a look of interest, falling deep into thought.

‘There are many similar goods in the slave market… Should I buy one?’

Of course, being the villainess she was, her inner thoughts were anything but pure.

“Lady Meredia….”

“What is it?”

“I think… we might have gained a terrifying power….”

“…Haa.”

However, even Meredia paused her thoughts and sighed when Whitney, who had turned around from afar with a dumbfounded expression, spoke to her.

“Maybe it’s better to hold back a little….”

“Hold back what exactly?”

“Ah, but then again, we don’t have time to do that.”

Unlike Meredia, who knew the situation, to the two applicants even that scene looked like a completed image of a dark mastermind.

‘…What a disaster.’

And as Whitney had expected, to Ferris — who had been sent by Young Lord Meyer with dark orders — the situation appeared utterly despairing.

‘I anticipated some difficulty, but this is too overwhelming.’

As someone strong herself, Ferris could somewhat predict the outcome of a battle just by sensing her opponent’s energy.

And from what she could feel now, Whitney was not someone she could hope to contend with.

No, even if every applicant present today were to attack him with full force, she doubted they could even leave a scratch.

– Step, step…

Just as she was revising her entire plan while sweating coldly, she heard footsteps approaching.

“You are very impressive.”

“… …”

“I almost judged you based on your looks and build, but with this level of mental strength, you are an outstanding candidate.”

Before she knew it, Whitney was standing right in front of Ferris, scanning her with an interested expression.

‘…So in the end, he’s just a man after all?’

Seeing the deep gaze examining her even under such pressure, Ferris’s lips subtly curled upward.

‘That makes things easier.’

One might think, since she was a slave knight, that Ferris was a poor victim trained by Young Lord Meyer.

But in truth, Ferris was far closer to black than to white.

‘I wasn’t sure if he was joking earlier, but now I’m certain I can manipulate him….’

Beyond her wolf-like physical abilities and the assassination skills honed from serving as Meyer’s shadow, she had a natural-born talent.

It was the ability to unconsciously exude pheromones that intoxicated her targets.

It was largely thanks to these pheromones that the cold sociopath Meyer favored her despite her slave origins.

It wasn’t for nothing that she had never once failed a mission involving male targets.

“Haa, haa….”

Thus, it was no coincidence when Ferris, quietly observing the situation, suddenly wore a weakened expression, wiped away cold sweat, and stumbled as her legs gave out.

“…!”

“Hm?”

As her movements, each meticulously calculated, led her body to stagger — she fell directly toward Whitney’s chest.

‘Alright, if I can just…’

No matter who the man before her was, as long as she plastered her pheromones onto him, it would be over.

And even if the target smelled more like a monster than a human, it would make no difference.

‘It’s only a matter of time before Meyer acknowledges me.’

The good news was that her unofficial owner, Meyer, had promised to remove her slave brand once she completed this mission.

But Ferris’s ambitions did not end there.

Having lived a life of slavery since childhood, she had a strong desire to climb the social ladder.

Even if she became free, she planned to stay by Meyer’s side.

Though the possibility was slim, if she stayed long enough by his side and he grew attached to her, might he not lay his hand on her?

Fortunately, she had yet to fully disclose her ‘pheromone’ ability to Meyer.

Thus, if she could adjust the amount she emitted and subtly marinate him, becoming the duchess of a great imperial house might not be a mere fantasy…

“…Kuh?”

Ferris, who had been smirking ominously at her own delusion while sweating, suddenly widened her eyes and let out a groan.

“Oh dear, looks like that’s your limit.”

“……?”

Soon after, she heard Whitney’s unnecessarily cheerful voice.

“Huh?”

Ferris blinked, not understanding what had happened, until she realized she was lying on the cold dirt floor, not in Whitney’s arms, and let out a dazed gasp as she hurriedly got up.

‘My pheromones didn’t work?’

Thanks to her natural pheromones, she could attract not only humans but even stray dogs in back alleys.

Thus, for a ‘male’ being to show no reaction despite her deliberate effort to release her pheromones — it was the first time this had ever happened to Ferris.

‘No way. Could it be that he prefers men?’  

Ferris, who had even begun to doubt Whitney’s sexual orientation in her mind, was fortunately soon able to clear up her misunderstanding.  

– It’s one thing for a mutt to not know their place.  

Just as she was brushing off the dirt and getting up, an extremely cold voice echoed in her head.  

– Could you stop spreading that disgusting smell you’ve been leaking since earlier?  

And it was unmistakably Meredia’s voice, who had been glaring silently at Ferris all along.  

*****  

‘So the flies are already starting to gather.’  

Meredia’s impression as she watched Ferris, who barely managed to stand while trembling, was exactly that.  

‘Honestly, I’d love to kill her on the spot…  

Fortunately for Ferris, Meredia was currently refraining from overusing her Jewel Eye to prevent draining herself, and thus was holding back her brutally powerful mind-reading abilities.  

‘…Well, she’s still a useful talent, after all.’  

However, Meredia immediately realized that Ferris had tried to influence Whitney using pheromones, and she shot a very displeased look at Whitney.  

‘Maybe I should give it a little test.’  

And in the next moment, Meredia’s eyes slowly began returning to their original color.  

“Hmm?”  

At the same time, Whitney, who had been worriedly watching Ferris, started to twitch subtly.  

“Congratulations.”  

“…Huh?”  

Suddenly, Whitney reached out his hand toward her and initiated a handshake.  

“Congratulations. As of today, you are officially a knight of House Lingard.”  

…!?  

“There’s no need to be so surprised. You have already met all the standards I was looking for.”  

As he began to speak in a soft voice, Ferris, who was stunned, wore an uncertain expression, while Meredia’s face turned even colder.  

‘Did… did the pheromones finally take effect?’  

Whitney’s sudden, extremely kind expression was enough to deepen Ferris’s misunderstanding.  

However, what he said next only confused her further.  

“Oh. And you’re also accepted, Mr. Johan.”  

“Ugh….”  

Johan, who had been rendered completely helpless and was frothing at the mouth thanks to the ongoing tension between Ferris and Meredia, was somehow also accepted by Whitney.  

“Yes. With just this level of mental strength… it’s enough.”  

“……”

“…Actually, it suits my standards even better.”  

Finally, Ferris temporarily set aside her doubts about her pheromones and took a step back, feeling a chilling sensation down her spine.  

‘…Was the plan not to build a knight order, but a meat shield unit instead?’  

“No, no. Since it’s the master’s plan, it can’t be such a crude idea.  

Probably, the real plan is to brainwash them slowly until both their bodies and minds belong completely….”  

There was definitely something strange about the Lingard household.  

“I guess this time, they don’t even need to be carried.”  

“Uh, Lady Sasha, this guy is still conscious though?”  

“W-What should we do?”  

“…Hehe, heheheh.”  

From what Ferris could hear with her sharp ears, even without counting Whitney or Lady Meredia, all the examiners and servants had completely lost their minds.  

‘I have to escape.’  

Covered in goosebumps all over her body, Ferris forgot her mission entirely and began retreating backward instinctively, but it was already too late.  

“The waiting room for accepted applicants isn’t that way.”  

“……!”  

“That’s the way the rejected applicants go.”  

Whitney, turning his head at an unnatural angle to look at her, spoke with a chillingly kind smile.  

“It would be sad if you managed to survive this far, only to take the wrong path, right? Haha….”  

“…Hic.”  

And so, the first successful applicants of the newly founded Lingard Knight Order had no choice but to obediently head to the waiting room prepared for them under Whitney’s guidance.  

“…Strange.”  

However, if there was one thing that even Whitney hadn’t anticipated amidst the settling atmosphere—  

“Why does my chest feel so hot…?”  

—it was the fact that Ferris’s pheromones, temporarily unleashed when Meredia loosened her control to test him, had not been completely ineffective on Whitney.  

*****  

“Next participants… let’s see.”  

Shortly afterward, the knight order interviews continued smoothly, contrary to earlier worries.  

“Evangelin and Richard Mistilane.”  

Meredia, checking the next applicants’ identity documents, called out the names at the top of the forms and quietly turned her gaze to Runiel.  

“They’re your younger siblings you mentioned earlier?”  

“……Yes.”  

“I see. Well, that’s at least something interesting in this boring interview.”  

However, despite what she said, Meredia’s expression looked unusually stiff and awkward.  

“……”  

And it wasn’t just Meredia; Runiel, who was conducting the interview, and Parsha as well, wore similar expressions.  

“Shouldn’t we… stop this somehow?”  

“Who do you think could possibly stop that?”  

“Maybe Sasha could do it?”  

“…No way. She might die of a heart attack before even trying.”  

Expanding the view a little, even the servants hauling away rejected applicants far off in the interview field — who had already grown numb to the absurdities of the Lingard household — all looked utterly pale.  

“Lady Meredia, can’t you hear me?”  

One might wonder what kind of scene could cause so much uproar, but the situation unfolding in the garden was definitely enough to warrant such reactions.  

“…I said, let’s just rest together quietly for a bit, okay?”  

Whitney, looking completely intoxicated, had his arm draped over Meredia’s shoulders and was relentlessly flirting with her.

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Speaker 7

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Of course, even with those words, she still remained silent.

It felt like talking to a wall.

And it wasn’t just a metaphor—she was quite literally putting up a wall.

Even though my voice was reaching her, trying to [Persuade] her in her current state was pointless.

No matter how high your charisma, you can’t have a conversation with someone who has no will to speak.

“Everyone.”

So for now, it was time to [Persuade] the others first.

“I’ll help you get out of here.”

I turned to the rest of the group who were staring blankly at me.

“But for that to happen, I need your help.”

At those words, they all reacted cautiously.

They still seemed unsure of the situation.

And among them, some appeared to suspect this might be a trick to test them.

“……”

There wasn’t even a flicker of fighting spirit.

That’s how hopeless their life as captives here must have been.

“……”

Then, one of the skeptical ones hesitantly raised his hand.

It was the man who had earlier shaken his head in response to my question.

“Why… are you helping us?”

“Saying it’s because I don’t like seeing people being treated like slaves… would probably only sound more suspicious to you.”

Because to them, a gesture of goodwill with no strings attached was unimaginable.

“So I’ll be honest with you. I plan to use you.”

For a moment, unease spread.

“I have an escape plan, and if I have your cooperation, it’ll go a lot smoother.”

That was good news.

So I seized the moment and continued.

“This isn’t some altruistic act with no payoff. If that’s what you’re thinking, that actually makes it harder for me.”

That small stir in the crowd was proof they were reacting to my words.

In other words, we were finally having a real conversation.

“In my plan, I can’t guarantee your safety. To be blunt, if things go sideways, I might use you as shields.”

“…!”

That also meant there was now a chance to use my ‘Charisma.’

[Persuade]

Difficulty 10

CHA Modifier +25

“But.”

It meant the dice was rolling.

“There’s one thing I can guarantee.”

Rattle

“I am your only path to freedom.”

If they were in a situation where they couldn’t even see a thread of hope,

“Then just as I plan to use you, you should use me too.”

Even if you have to punch a hole through it yourself, just thread that hope through.

“This is your only chance.”

Success.

The slaves, who had quietly listened until now, looked at each other and then slowly nodded as if they had made up their minds.

Then—

“…You’re right.”

One by one, they began to stand.

“Instead of waiting here for a life worse than death, I’d rather die fighting.”

“Exactly. Though if everything goes well, we may not have to fight at all.”

[‘Slave group’ temporarily joins the party.]

With that, I gained six additional allies, excluding my ‘Companion.’

That said, I couldn’t expect much from them in combat.

From what I remembered, only the man who raised his hand earlier and that muscular woman over there knew how to fight.

And even they were weakened from long captivity—both were practically at half strength, and the rest were treated as non-combatant NPCs.

Still, they were better than nothing.

And much better than turning a blind eye and fleeing without them.

“So what do you want us to do?”

Unfortunately, our strongest asset, my ‘Companion,’ was still in that same state.

And I had no way to change that right now. I had to at least get her out of here before I could try anything.

“Please understand.”

When I grabbed her arm, she didn’t resist or react at all.

It felt like holding a doll, not a person.

“I’ll carry you for a bit.”

Even with a measly Strength stat of 2, she was small enough and light enough that I could carry her for a short while…

“…”

“Sir?”

“…Could someone help carry her instead?”

***

[A pathetic little bastard who can’t even do his job.]

“Gah!”

The guard’s mind broke under my [Mockery], and he collapsed on the spot.

I looked around once more, confirmed there was no one else nearby, and then signaled behind me with a hand gesture.

At that, the slaves waiting on the stairs began to come up.

And once the last man—carrying our ‘Companion’ on his back—reached the top, the muscular woman who had arrived first began changing into the uniform of the guard we’d taken down.

“Sir, was that… magic?”

“Something like that.”

Just like the man carrying my ‘Companion’.

“It’s a powerful spell—strong enough to knock out most of the guards here in one shot—but I can only use it on one person at a time.”

The idea was to have the two who knew how to fight disguise themselves as guards (thus increasing their defense with armor), while the rest pretended to be slaves being escorted, to avoid suspicion.

“And it takes a bit of time to cast again, so if a fight breaks out, I’ll need you to buy me that time.”

“Understood. Leave it to us.”

“Oh, and if I happen to lose this disguise, please try not to look directly at my face.”

“Sorry, what?”

“This face is a kind of magic too. So if we end up fighting, it’d be better for you to look away from me while doing so.”

“Ah, that’s why you said… Got it. I’ll let everyone know.”

“Thanks.”

While she was changing, I opened the status window and decided to quickly allocate the stat points I had been putting off.

I had already planned this out when I built the character, so I didn’t have to think much.

Charisma, the most important stat, was already maxed out at goddess-tier beauty, so I couldn’t raise it further even if I wanted to.

That left me with four other stats to choose from, and naturally, I picked Mental Strength.

Strength and Agility weren’t going to be much use right now anyway, not when increasing them by one or two points would barely make a difference.

I’d still be a weakling either way.

But Mental Strength was a different story.

In this world, even if your body breaks down, there are ways to patch you up—anyone can learn a basic healing skill at level 1, for example.

But if your mind breaks? Unless you’ve got a truly top-tier healer, that’s not so easy to fix.

So every point in Mental Strength was precious.

Intelligence was tempting too, since it was often the most used stat in non-combat situations after Charisma, but survival came first right now.

MEN 06 → 07↑

Next up: skills.

This also didn’t require much thought.

One of the core skills for this build would unlock at level 3.

So honestly, I could pick anything for now.

Of course, I didn’t want to waste it entirely, so—

[You have acquired: [Bard’s Song: Healing]!]

I chose Healing Song.

It was a variation of my existing class skill, [Bard’s Song].

The original five songs each boosted one of the five base stats, but this one, true to its name, was a healing skill.

That said, it was nowhere near the power of a real healer like a Cleric.

Its healing output was so minimal that using it in place of a proper healing spell was unrealistic.

Its main purpose was for emergency first aid.

Still, being able to pull someone back from the brink of death made it worth picking up.

“I’m changed.”

Just as I finished selecting my skill, she seemed ready too.

The muscular woman tossed the now nearly naked body of the guard down the basement stairs, and I immediately shut the door.

“Follow me.”

It was time to move to the next step of the plan.

First, we had to find their slave contracts.

These contracts weren’t just scraps of paper.

They were magical items linked to the slave brands carved into their skin the moment they were brought here.

By signing them in blood, the magic bound the blood to the brand, creating a master-servant relationship.

That meant unless we destroyed the contracts completely, the slaves would never truly be free—even if they managed to escape.

The contracts were kept in a vault in the office.

Since the auction was still in full swing, there weren’t any people near the office, which was tucked away in a corner.

It also wasn’t far from the basement, so we didn’t run into anyone on the way.

Only one guard stood watch outside the office.

“What the…? Why are they already—”

[Why the hell are you dying already, you worthless piece of shit?]

“?!”

Seeing two people dressed as guards didn’t seem to raise any alarms for him, so I easily took him out with [Mockery].

The keyring I took from the merchant had keys for both the office and the vault.

The only issue was figuring out which key was which, so I had to try them one by one.

On the third attempt—click!—the lock opened, and I swung the door wide open.

As expected, the office was empty. That made the item on the desk stand out even more.

A small box-shaped vault, clearly expensive at a glance.

It was easy to tell which key matched—it was the shiniest one, made of a different material from the others.

It fit the ornate keyhole perfectly.

Inside the vault was a pouch with a few gold coins and a stack of contracts.

“Everyone, please find the contract with your name on it.”

I took them out and laid them on the desk.

The slaves quickly found their own and took them.

“Don’t do anything with them yet. You know why, right?”

“Yes. We understand.”

Naturally, I held onto my ‘Companion’s’ contract myself.

Eastwood.

The name on the contract wasn’t her real name.

She hadn’t spoken a word, so we never learned it.

“Eastwood” was just a crude label someone gave her because she’d been found in the forest to the east.

Even so, the brand on her neck would strip her of all human dignity without even knowing her real name.

“…Damn it.”

So, even if it was for the worst-case scenario, the fact that I had to sign my name in blood on this thing just felt shitty.

There were two ways to ‘wake’ her from her current state—essentially an empty shell of a person.

One of them couldn’t be done here. Whatever it was, we had to escape first.

“Sir, that… is…”

The other way was to form a contract.

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Patron 212

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Inside the office.  

Alon stared blankly ahead.  

In front of him stood two individuals—or rather, an elf and a lizardman.  

One of them was Rim, who exuded an unwavering devotion toward Alon.  

Unlike when they first met in Greynifra, her eyes now sparkled brightly, and she stood with the utmost politeness.  

The other was Zukurak, the lizardman who had visited Alon just recently, radiating the same boisterous energy as before.  

Alon looked at the two, cautiously raising his hand to rub his temple.  

“So, what are you saying?”  

“We came to ask who should be in charge of your protection.”  

“You only need to decide, my friend! We will handle the rest!”  

While Rim bowed politely, Zukurak burst into hearty laughter.  

“…No, that’s not…”  

Of course, Alon wasn’t just curious about the conclusion.  

First of all, he had no idea why Rim and Zukurak were here together.  

More than anything, he couldn’t understand how this situation had come to be.  

He understood the literal meaning of “providing protection.”  

But why was that topic even brought up, how did it progress, and how did it reach this point?  

He couldn’t make sense of it at all.  

…Even if he generously accepted that the elves would act this way, why the lizardmen?  

His gaze naturally shifted to Zukurak, as he found his presence particularly puzzling.  

“Hmm—just as expected, the marquis has sharp judgment. Indeed, we are far stronger than those pointy-eared folk.”  

“This guy—”  

Alon had only looked at him out of sheer confusion.  

Yet Zukurak confidently jumped to conclusions, while Rim frowned at his words.  

It hadn’t even been thirty minutes since Alon entered the office, yet he had already sighed multiple times.  

“…I think I need an explanation first. Could you tell me exactly what’s going on?”  

“Ah…! I will explain right away.”  

Startled by Alon’s request, Rim immediately straightened up in attention.  

Alon thought there was no need for such strict discipline.  

But he knew telling her to relax wouldn’t work, so he silently listened to her explanation.  

After some time had passed.  

“So, in other words, you’re deciding who will be in charge of my protection.”  

“That’s correct.”  

“Indeed.”  

Rim and Zukurak nodded confidently.  

Alon remained expressionless, but inwardly, he was bewildered.  

Because his own will wasn’t even considered in their conversation and conclusion.  

Of course, being protected wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.  

From Alon’s perspective, it was actually quite appealing.  

In a dark fantasy world full of threats, having more protection was undoubtedly beneficial.  

However, Alon’s main concern was that this entire debate stemmed from a misunderstanding.  

He roughly understood the elves’ mistaken reasoning.  

But he had no idea what had led the lizardmen to join in.  

‘No, seriously, how are they even misunderstanding this?’  

He could try to deduce something based on Zukurak’s past statements.  

But even so, he couldn’t fathom how things had escalated to the point of an actual competition over his protection.  

Even after listening to their explanation just moments ago…  

After a brief moment of thought, Alon spoke.  

“…I appreciate the consideration, but I don’t really need protection.”  

“Oh—”  

“Hmm.”  

Rim and Zukurak let out quiet sighs of disappointment.  

Alon, though slightly tempted, steeled his resolve.  

Receiving protection without any cost.  

It was a tempting offer, but it felt like a seductive trap.  

Everything stemmed from a misunderstanding.  

Though it wasn’t something Alon had intended, they had jumped to conclusions on their own.  

Regardless, Alon had already gained several benefits from their misperception.  

If he went further and accepted protection, and those guarding him saw his actions up close, they might realize their mistake.  

If that happened, the losses he’d suffer would outweigh any benefits he had gained thus far.  

‘Besides, I’ve started accumulating divine power now.’  

Recalling the level of divinity he had already amassed, Alon let out a silent breath and looked at the two.  

For now, he had to protect their misunderstanding.  

“Therefore, I must decline your offer.”  

“…I see.”  

“That’s unfortunate.”  

Rim and Zukurak couldn’t hide their disappointment.  

“Understood. Since you insist, I won’t bring it up again.”  

“I shall follow the words of the Primordial Elf.”  

Zukurak bowed deeply, and Rim, now addressing Alon without hesitation as the “Primordial Elf,” followed suit.  

With the matter settled, Alon let out a light sigh as he dismissed them.  

Evan shrugged his shoulders.  

“They’re getting desperate to protect you now.”  

“…I have no idea why they’re acting like this.”  

“Really?”  

“Yeah.”  

Evan hummed in thought before pointing towards something.  

“Oh, Marquis. Have you seen that?”  

“That?”  

“Yes, that.”  

Following Evan’s hand, Alon turned his gaze toward the window.  

Outside, he spotted the massive statue that Deus had gifted him on his birthday.  

“…?”  

“…?”  

It hadn’t been there when Alon left earlier.  

Now, the statue had two massive horns.  

“…When did it grow horns?”  

As Alon asked, Deus responded as if he had been waiting for the question.  

“I heard Deus arranged it in advance. Some workers arrived before we got here and added them.”  

“…A statue is something you can just modify like that?”  

“Normally, no. But apparently, it’s possible with magic. It’s expensive, though.”  

Alon stared blankly at the statue, his mouth slightly open.  

Now adorned with two massive horns, it no longer looked human—  

It looked like a being returning from hell, shouting, “Rise, you as well!”  

‘…More embarrassing than I expected.’  

Alon sighed deeply once more.  

***

Two months passed since Rim and Zukurak visited the Palatio Marquisate.  

By the time winter had fully set in, covering the world in white snow—  

“Let’s stop here for today.”  

“Ah, already?”  

“Yeah, it’s more exhausting than I expected.”  

“Understood.”  

Alon was immersed in magical research with Penia.  

More precisely, in divine and magical studies.  

Panting slightly, he let out several deep breaths.  

Penia handed him a towel and said,  

“Still, it seems you’ve nearly achieved the proper implementation of it.”

“That’s certainly true.”  

“Yes, but no matter how many times I see it, it’s still fascinating. Converting mana into lightning… I had a hunch when you first demonstrated your divine power, but every time I witness it, it amazes me.”  

Penia added as an afterthought, “Well, that’s why the magic we’re creating now is technically possible.”  

Alon nodded before asking, “Haven’t you seen even greater things?”  

“That’s true. Even after converting mana into lightning, it still changed again to match your sigil. Just like Blackie.”  

Penia gestured toward the desk where Blackie was perched.  

[Meow?]  

Blackie, who had been idly tapping at magical reagents, turned to face Penia and Alon.  

“It’s definitely worth researching in various ways.”  

“I’m always grateful. Thanks to you, our research is progressing quickly.”  

“I’m receiving plenty in return, so it’s fine. Besides, this research is fun.”  

After lightly commending Penia, whose face was filled with pride, Alon sat down and organized everything he had discovered about divine power over the past two months.  

There were three key findings.  

First, to use divine power for incarnation, one must clearly understand its abilities.  

Second, a clear trigger must be recognized for incarnation to occur.  

Third, it was impossible to use two divine powers simultaneously.  

In other words, since Alon was using Kalannon’s divine power, he couldn’t use any other divine power at all.  

‘Though, the Primordial Elf’s divine power is an exception since I can at least surround myself with it.’  

However, since he hadn’t fully grasped the Primordial Elf’s divine abilities, he couldn’t incarnate them yet either.  

‘…Should I go to Greynifra and ask about its power?’  

Lately, Alon had been contemplating how to accurately understand the power of the Primordial Elf.  

“Ah, Marquis.”  

“What is it?”  

“I recall hearing that you plan to move next month. Is that right?”  

At the unexpected question, Alon nodded.  

“Yes, I’ll likely be moving next month.”  

In truth, if it were just about going to Caliban, he could take his time.  

However, he planned to leave a little earlier so he could stop by Asteria as well.  

‘I need to meet Siyan.’  

He had to report to her about his visit to Greynifra.  

Hearing Alon’s response, Penia slowly nodded before saying,  

“Hmm… Then by that time, this research should be completed.”  

“That does seem likely. All that’s left is fine-tuning.”  

“Even so, just in case, it would be best to refrain from using it in actual combat, even if the adjustments are perfect. It’s undoubtedly groundbreaking, but there are still quite a few risks involved.”  

Muttering to herself that it would be great if they could conduct research more frequently, Penia sighed.  

Alon agreed with her.  

The current rate of accumulating divine power wasn’t quite enough to conduct research without limitations.  

“Though, compared to the beginning, I’ve gathered quite a lot.”  

Back when he first started researching at the Marquisate, he could barely conduct experiments once every three days.  

But now, he was able to research almost once per day.  

As Alon recalled that fact, a question suddenly arose in his mind.  

‘…Wait? Now that I think about it, why is my divine power accumulating so quickly?’  

He hadn’t questioned it before, but upon reflection, it seemed a bit strange.  

Thanks to the events in the jungle last time, faith had likely been accumulating more efficiently.  

However, even accounting for that—  

The power he could once use only every three days could now be used almost daily?  

Immediately, Alon entered a meditative state and examined Kalannon’s divine power.  

And then—  

“???”  

He saw it.  

Three months ago, Kalannon’s divine power consisted only of itself and the Star of Sili, which had directly granted him power. The rest had been pitch-black darkness.  

But now, a vast, blue nebula had formed around it.  

“…What is this?”  

His face filled with confusion for a moment.  

Since he couldn’t continue deep contemplation inside Penia’s office, Alon hurried back to his study.  

And as soon as he arrived—  

“Marquis, did you hear?”  

“What is it?”  

“Sili has become a saintess.”  

“What?”  

Before he could even fully process his thoughts, a piece of shocking news left him utterly stunned.

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Round 341

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[Dimensional Invasion Begins.]  

Eli, who had been taking a short break, suddenly stood up.  

As a result, the celebrities who were with him looked up at him with startled expressions.  

“What’s wrong, Eli?”  

“Sorry. Something urgent has come up, so I have to leave first.”  

Seeing Eli’s urgent expression, the people nodded and saw him off.  

After returning to his office, Eli immediately summoned his subordinates for a meeting.  

“Everyone is gathered.”  

“Let’s get straight to the point.”  

Eli’s subordinates watched him anxiously.  

Then, in a grave tone, Eli spoke about the message he had just seen.  

“A dimensional invasion has begun.”  

“Gasp!”  

“A-A dimensional invasion?!”  

Not only Eli, but all of his subordinates were shocked.  

How could a dimensional invasion suddenly begin without any warning?  

“I’ll activate the radar immediately!”  

“We’ll contact all nations to check for any signs similar to a dimensional invasion or any abnormal phenomena!”  

“Should we convene a Level 9 meeting?”  

As they busily divided and assigned tasks, Eli spoke with a serious expression.  

“This time, we’ll skip the Level 9 meeting. Instead, inform them of this news and ask them to handle it well in their respective positions.”  

“Understood!”  

A dimensional invasion.  

No one knew who the invaders were…  

‘But we will protect Earth!’  

A fire of determination ignited within Eli.  

***  

An unexpected mealtime followed.  

The rabbits busily cooked using a small brazier.  

Thanks to them, we all sat in a circle and enjoyed a cozy meal together.  

Their cooking skills had improved significantly.  

They weren’t bad at first, but as they took turns working with Jae-seong, they got better and better.  

Slurp.  

Munch, munch!  

A feast was prepared.  

Tomato soup, stir-fried and fried vegetables, mapo tofu, and fried rice.  

There were also various other dishes on display.  

“Ugh. This meal is terrifying.”  

“How can it be this delicious? Is this some trick of the Demon King?!”  

I’m not even a Demon King.  

But even they couldn’t resist the incredible aroma.  

After sneaking glances, they eventually gave in and started eating one by one.  

“Munch, munch. Slurp!”  

“Gulp! Gulp!”  

And our adorable little humans ate like they hadn’t had food for days.  

I thought they’d eat less since they were so small, but they actually ate quite a lot.  

Still, it was only a fraction of what I ate.  

Eventually, time passed, and their bellies rose like small hills.  

‘Even the self-proclaimed goddess has a bloated belly now.’  

At first, Verna had stubbornly refused to eat anything from the so-called Demon King.  

But just look at her patting her belly now.  

-Urk.  

Indeed, good food speaks to everyone, no matter where they come from.  

Even our stern-looking Choro was now trying to hide his round belly after finishing his meal.  

“So, how was it? Did it taste good?”  

“Ahem. It was excellent. Are you perhaps the Demon King of food?!”  

“I told you, I’m not a Demon King.”  

Scratching my head, I sipped the sweet rice drink I had prepared for dessert and asked,  

“By the way, Choro. I’d like to hear more about what you were saying earlier.”  

“A story?”  

“You said you invaded this dimension because your home became unlivable.”  

“…There’s a deep story behind that.”  

A deep story?  

What could have happened?  

As Choro straightened up to speak, Emily and the other kids also sat up attentively.  

“One day, dungeons started appearing out of nowhere.”  

“Oh.”  

Dungeons?  

Wait, does this mean something similar happened in our world?  

Dungeons only started appearing on Earth about thirty years ago.  

They just suddenly emerged.  

“At first, we didn’t know anything. But soon, we realized that inside those dungeons was another world and monsters lived there.”  

“Mhm.”  

“And then we found out—too late—that if we left dungeons unattended for too long, monsters would start coming out.”  

“Uh-huh.”  

“And so, the entire world was overrun by monsters.”  

“…Huh? Wait! That escalated too quickly!”  

That’s it?  

I thought there was a deep story!  

But Choro simply shrugged as if that was all.  

“Isn’t that deep enough?”  

“Uh… I guess…?”  

With nothing else to say, I just nodded.  

So, to summarize:  

Choro’s world failed to prevent a dungeon break, and now it’s completely overrun by monsters.  

‘Judging by their clothing, it seems like a medieval-style world.’  

If their technology was less developed, I could understand how this happened.  

On Earth, dungeons are seen as treasure troves of resources, but that’s only because we’ve advanced technologically enough to manage them.  

“Fortunately, once our world was completely overrun by monsters, no more dungeons appeared. But by then, we had already lost everything.”  

“I see.”  

“It happened so fast that we had no time to react. If we had been better prepared—no, if I had awakened as a hero sooner, things might have been different.”  

“Is there no way to take back your world?”  

“If we had enough supplies and equipment, we might be able to reclaim it. But we’ve already lost all our infrastructure. There’s no way to rebuild it now. Even if we wanted to mine resources, the monsters have taken everything.”  

That made sense.  

If they had lost all their land, surviving each day must be a struggle.  

-Dimensional invasion was our last resort. It was never meant to be used like this, but if we stayed, we would all starve to death.  

Verna, whose belly was now too full to fly, waddled over and chimed in.  

“Are these all the people you have?”  

“We’re the vanguard. There are still hundreds of regular soldiers on the other side. If you count non-combatants, there are at least 5,000 of us.”  

Five thousand tiny people…  

As I pondered, Emily subtly watched my reaction.  

She clearly wanted to help.  

“Can you go back?”  

“Yes.”  

“Can we follow you?”  

-That’s impossible. But why are you asking?  

Verna’s expression became wary.  

“I was thinking about how we could help.”  

-What? You want to help us?  

“Yeah.”  

When I nodded, Verna and the other little ones looked bewildered.  

“Why would you help us?”  

Choro, unable to hold back, asked.  

I simply shrugged and said,  

“Just because?”  

Honestly, it seemed easy enough.  

What they needed were supplies and equipment—things I could provide without much trouble.  

‘Five thousand people’s worth of food sounds like a lot, but since they’re tiny, it shouldn’t be that much… And as for equipment, I have the Nyang tribe.’  

I should put the Nyang tribe’s production drive to good use.  

Unlike Bell, the Nyang tribe were extremely diligent—almost like a race of craftsmen.  

They never stayed still and always wanted to make something, so I had been looking for an outlet for their work.  

“Nyangas!”  

-Nyang?  

At my call, the nearby cats perked up and tilted their heads.  

“Could you make armor and weapons suitable for these kids—no, these people?”  

-Nyanya!  

-Meow.

The Nyang tribe hopped around, estimating the tiny humans’ sizes.  

The tiny humans were tense at the sight but fortunately did not show hostility.  

-Nyang! Nyang!  

“We can do it! This will be fun!”  

Ara translated for them.  

With that, the Nyang tribe immediately got to work, and I decided to take the tiny humans on a tour of the forge.  

“Want to go take a look?”  

“Are you really going to make our equipment?”  

“If it doesn’t work out, then there’s nothing we can do, but it should be fine.  

Our guys are pretty skilled.”  

“N-No, that’s not what I meant…”  

Choro looked quite flustered.  

Now that I took a good look at them, aside from their swords, they were in a pitiful state—any armor or protective gear they wore was rusted and broken.  

At least Choro had something to wear.  

The rest of the tiny humans were dressed in nothing but layers of tattered rags.  

‘That won’t help protect them at all. If anything, it’ll just slow them down.’  

We immediately got up and followed the Nyang tribe.  

After hesitating for a moment, the tiny humans and Verna also decided to follow us.  

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Whoosh! Fwoosh!  

A chaotic forge scene.  

The Nyang tribe, who had been suppressing their creative urges in a cramped temporary forge, were now like fish in water, hammering away at metal with enthusiasm.  

A few Nyang tribe members immediately started working on the tiny humans’s equipment.  

Since it was gear meant for them, they used mithril.  

We had gathered an enormous amount of minerals over time.  

Despite using only small amounts, the Gnolls had been mining every day, so the supply was overwhelming.  

At first, I thought mithril deposits wouldn’t be that plentiful.  

But ever since the mining expert Gnolls joined us, the metal had been pouring in like a flood.  

“How long will it take to make?”  

-Nyangnyangnyangnyangnyangnyang.  

A Nyangi started explaining something to me.  

Ara translated beside me.  

“It won’t take long. Helmets should be ready to try on in about an hour.”  

“Oh, that’s fast.”  

As I observed the crafting process, I realized just how skilled the Nyang tribe were.  

They seemed to be randomly hammering, yet the metal quickly took shape with remarkable precision.  

“This is incredible craftsmanship.”  

“They’re way better than Uncle Hanson!”  

Even the tiny humans, who were watching with me, were in awe.  

As we watched, completely absorbed, time flew by.  

Just as they said, a helmet was soon completed.  

-Nyang!  

“Good job.”  

A Nyangi purred happily at my praise.  

But they quickly resumed their work.  

They were determined to complete an entire set of armor by the end of the day.  

“Want to try it on?”  

I handed over the helmet, which was about the size of a ping pong ball.  

Choro carefully accepted it but then passed it to another tiny human.  

“H-Hero, you should wear it!”  

“I already have one. It’s fine, you take it.”  

Choro, your helmet doesn’t even function as a helmet anymore.  

His so-called helmet was broken beyond use, yet he insisted on giving the mithril helmet to another tiny human.  

Finally, the tiny human who received it put it on…  

“It fits perfectly!”  

“Oooooh!!”  

The helmet was a perfect fit.  

Made of mithril, its silver design shimmered with a faint blue hue—an absolutely stylish and flawless helmet.  

“…”  

Everyone was delighted.  

Everyone except Choro.  

Instead of celebrating, he looked up at me and asked,  

“Kyu-seong, can we talk in private?”  

“Huh? Oh, sure.”  

I led Choro outside the forge.  

The cool breeze outside contrasted with the heat we had just stepped out of.  

“I’ll get straight to the point. What do you want from us?”  

Now that we were alone, Choro asked directly.  

But I had no particular expectations, so his question left me at a loss.  

‘I just thought I could help, so I decided to help…’  

…Yeah, he probably wouldn’t believe that.  

Since he already knew that the Seven Sins were under my command, he most likely saw me as either a Demon King or something similar.  

Not that it made sense—come on, the Seven Sins are all sweet, adorable, and good-natured!  

Why does everyone misunderstand them so much?!  

“Ugh.”  

Even if I explained, most people wouldn’t agree.  

I scratched my head, then finally offered a reasonable deal.  

“Join me.”  

“What?!”  

“If you become my subordinates, I’ll provide all your equipment and food for free. But once you reclaim your dimension, I’ll collect taxes.”  

Choro’s eyes widened.  

After a brief moment of contemplation, he let out a deep sigh and started calculating.  

“Hmmm…”  

“You already know that a full-scale invasion is impossible, don’t you?”  

“Let me… think about it a little more.”  

His tone had suddenly become more polite.  

He was clearly leaning toward accepting, but making the decision outright felt too hasty for him.  

“Sure. Discuss it with your team and with Lady Verna.”  

“I can do that?”  

“Huh? Do what?”  

“Talk to Lady Verna. Isn’t she your enemy?”  

“Why would Verna be my enemy?”  

I was genuinely confused.  

Is Verna my enemy?  

When I tilted my head in confusion, Choro seemed even more startled.  

After a moment of hesitation, he nodded.  

“I’ll give you an answer soon.”  

“Take your time. This is about the fate of your world, after all, so it’s okay to think it over carefully.”  

“…Understood.”  

No matter what choice they made, I would respect it.  

But if they refused my help…  

‘Hmm, that would be a bit of a problem.’  

Even if that happened, I could slowly convince them over time.  

Well, judging by his attitude, it was clear he was already leaning toward accepting the deal.  

“Alright, then… Shall I start preparing war supplies to save another dimension?!”  

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Patron 211

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Recently recognized for his skills, the rookie Onel had joined the Solar Eclipse Knights and felt immense pride in belonging to this order.  

That pride was well-founded.  

Caliban had countless knight orders.  

However, none could compare to the ones led by Caliban’s Five Swords.  

Among them, the Solar Eclipse Knights, led by Caliban’s First Sword, Deus Macallian, were overwhelmingly admired and revered.  

Caliban’s First Sword, Deus Macallian.  

Since he led the Solar Eclipse Knights, they were naturally considered Caliban’s First Knight Order.  

That was why Onel took great pride in becoming a member of the Solar Eclipse Knights.  

Yes, he certainly had felt that pride.  

Even though it had become a thing of the past, it did not mean he had suddenly abandoned his admiration for the order.  

He still wanted to be a part of the Solar Eclipse Knights.  

Yet, the reason Onel found himself questioning things was— because of his seniors.  

No, to be precise, all of his seniors.  

“…Senior.”  

“Hm? Onel, what is it?”  

Responding immediately to Onel’s call was his senior, Vidin.  

Vidin had a robust, knightly build, yet his face bore an oddly gentle and kind expression.  

“Uh… may I ask something?”  

“You don’t have to be so formal. Just ask whatever you’re curious about.”  

Vidin let out a hearty laugh.  

Onel hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.  

“Why… why are you praying?”  

Praying.  

In truth, prayer itself was not such an unusual act in Onel’s understanding.  

There had always been seniors in the Solar Eclipse Knights who prayed before meals or training.  

However, the reason Onel asked now was simple.  

‘No, but why is every single one of them… ?’  

Every member who had returned from the jungle with the commander— since yesterday, they had all been devoutly praying.  

And not just casually, but with such fervor that even the priests of Sironia would pale in comparison.  

When Onel returned from his mission and saw the sight before him, he had been in a daze all night.  

And since the atmosphere persisted today, he finally decided to ask.  

Vidin answered as if the question required no thought.  

“Of course, it’s a prayer to the divine.”  

He laughed cheerfully once more.  

‘A prayer to the divine…’  

Onel knew exactly who his seniors were praying to.  

It wasn’t something he could be ignorant of.  

After all, since yesterday, they had been speaking about one name incessantly.  

“You mean the divine… is Marquis Palatio?”  

“Yes, we offer our prayers to him.”  

“…”  

At the unhesitating and absolute response, Onel was left speechless.  

To be honest, he couldn’t fully understand Vidin’s words.  

If all these people had been praying to the Goddess of Sironia, it wouldn’t have been strange.  

But the object of their worship—this so-called “divine being”—was a human, Marquis Palatio.  

Of course, Onel knew well about Marquis Palatio.  

He was certainly worthy of great respect.  

He had taken down not one, but two Outer Gods.  

He was the one who had effectively prevented the artificial Outer Gods crisis that had nearly destroyed the Kingdom of Stalian.  

And beyond that, there were countless other rumors, great and small.  

Even Onel had sometimes wondered, ‘Is it really possible for a single human to accomplish all of this alone?’  

Moreover, he had shown extraordinary feats in the jungle as well.  

And after that, his seniors had begun to worship him.  

Onel had heard about it from his peers.  

He could understand how it had started, to some extent.  

But even so, worshiping a living human as a god…  

It didn’t sit right with Onel.  

“Um, senior.”  

“Go ahead.”  

“No matter what, he is still a living human being—”  

Just as he was about to cautiously voice his concern—  

BANG!  

“Emergency! The Libirian Knights insulted the Marquis as a heretic god!”  

A knight suddenly burst through the dining hall doors, shouting at the top of his lungs.  

Until that moment, the dining hall had been filled with quiet conversation.  

And then—  

Silence.  

In an instant, a cold silence descended.  

Then—  

“Those bastards.”  

“Where are they?”  

“Take us to them immediately.”  

Before Onel could even process what was happening, every knight in the hall bolted out in unison.  

Onel stood frozen, watching the scene unfold.  

‘…I’m so glad I didn’t ask any further.’  

He quietly shut his half-open mouth and let out a slow breath.  

‘I really, really made the right choice not to say anything.’  

Vidin, the senior widely known as the kindest in the order, had charged out with his sword drawn, looking as if he would commit divine punishment himself.  

‘…At this point, isn’t this more of a holy knight order than a regular knight order?’  

Perhaps if he had experienced what had happened in the jungle, he would understand.  

But for Onel, who knew nothing of the details, his seniors’ actions only became more incomprehensible.  

For a moment, he hesitated.  

‘Should I… discreetly report this to the commander?’  

That thought crossed his mind as he stood up.  

Onel knew this much—  

The First Sword of Caliban, the man he revered— was incredibly close to Marquis Palatio.  

However, he also knew one other thing.  

Deus Macallian was a man who strictly separated public duty from personal matters.  

Of course, this was something the knights said because Deus never voiced any complaints about the kingdom’s budget allocation and remained indifferent even when he could have gained more benefits.  

But for Onel, who had been recognized for his talent and accepted into the order without prior experience, he could only perceive Deus as someone who strictly separated public duty from personal matters in every situation.  

And just as he stepped out of the dining hall to report the current situation to the commander—  

“Ah, Commander!”  

By sheer luck, he spotted Deus Macallian heading somewhere.  

“How dare they insult the Marquis—!”  

With eyes burning in fury, his sword already drawn, violet mana flickering around him as he walked with an ominous presence—  

Onel fell silent once again.  

It was early winter.  

***

On his way to the Magic Academy to pick up Penia before heading to the Marquis’ estate,  

Alon muttered,  

“…It’s here too.”  

“Indeed.”  

“So, what’s the score this time, Marquis?”  

“If I had to rate it… a nine out of ten.”  

“Oh, that’s one point higher than yesterday. What made it better?”  

“…The trees are standing straight?”  

“Hmm, I see? Now that you mention it, they do seem perfectly aligned.”  

As he spoke with Evan, they both looked at the trees ahead.  

Or rather, the artificially landscaped trees—  

lush and verdant, completely out of place in the early winter season.  

Alon’s expression grew peculiar as he observed them.  

“So, how many days has it been?”  

“Hmm—technically, about two weeks? These trees started appearing the day after we left Caliban.”  

Evan looked up at the beautifully arranged trees in awe.  

“By the way, who on earth is placing these here? No matter how I think about it, it feels like someone is deliberately setting them up along our path.”  

“I think so too.”  

Alon nodded.  

Honestly, the first couple of times he had seen the trees, he had thought nothing of it.  

Perhaps someone had decided to place decorative trees along these paths.  

But even after two weeks— no matter where he went, new landscaping would appear, perfectly arranged, every single day.  

‘What the hell is this?’  

Alon tried to recall if something like this had ever happened back when he had dealt with Psychedelia.  

But he soon shook his head.  

Even though his memories of that time were faint, he was certain that nothing like this had ever happened before.  

So, he pondered for a moment.  

‘Well, it doesn’t seem like a major problem, so I suppose it’s fine.’  

But Alon knew all too well how every little thing in this world had to be approached with caution.  

“Are we arriving today?”  

“Looks like it.”  

Alon decided that as soon as he met Penia, he would ask her about these trees.  

And just as he took the reins and set out toward the Mage Tower—  

“Khrrr…!”  

“This is… unfair…”  

Beyond the meticulously arranged trees, he could hear the sorrowful voices of elves— and— a short, triumphant chuckle from Draim, who nodded repeatedly with a smug smile.  

***

A few hours later, they finally arrived at the Mage Tower.  

Penia joined Alon, looking a little sullen.  

“Seriously, sister—why do I have to go?”  

“I’m going. Are you not coming?”  

“I have tasks assigned by the Tower Master…!”  

“You can hand them off to someone else.”  

Despite Felin’s reluctance,  

“Wait, no—”  

“Shut up and get in!”  

BANG!  

Penia kicked Felin’s back, sending him flying into the carriage.  

Watching this, Alon was once again reminded of her personality and greeted her.  

“It’s been a while.”  

“Ah, yes!”  

The moment Alon spoke, Penia instantly dropped her menacing aura.  

Meanwhile, Felin, who had just been unceremoniously launched into the carriage, stared in disbelief, his face a mixture of resentment and shock.  

But Penia merely nudged the carriage door shut with her foot.  

“Apologies. If it were up to me, I would’ve left you in the Tower for a while longer, but I have something I need help with.”  

“Help?”  

“Yes.”  

As Alon spoke, he casually pulled out Kalannon’s Divinity in front of Penia.  

Crackle—!  

The moment she saw the crackling lightning in Alon’s palm,  

Penia’s eyes went wide with surprise.  

It was as if she had instantly recognized something, as if she had just witnessed proof of her own genius.  

“This… no way—!”  

“It’s Divinity.”  

“…Wow.”  

Upon hearing Alon’s confirmation, Penia—who had just moments ago been dramatically lamenting about how she didn’t want to go—suddenly brightened, her eyes sparkling.  

Like a graduate student who had just found the perfect research topic, she became filled with enthusiasm and grabbed Alon’s hand.  

“Show me again…!”  

“Alright.”  

Without hesitation, Alon activated his divinity once more.  

Truthfully, his current divinity was still at a stage where even summoning a few sparks required effort.  

But it didn’t matter.  

After all, the whole reason he was taking Penia to the Marquis’ estate in the first place— was to show her the divinity and have her assist in researching magic.  

Thus, as Alon continued to display Kalannon’s Divinity as many times as Penia wished, he suddenly realized that she was much closer to him than he had expected.  

Her hands and eyes were fixated on Alon’s hand, but from an outside perspective, it looked as if she was practically nestled against him.  

“Marquis—again, again!”  

But Penia seemed completely oblivious to their close proximity as she urged him on.  

“Alright.”  

Just as Alon was about to activate his divinity once more—  

Snap!  

Penia, who had been bouncing in excitement just moments ago, suddenly froze.  

Step, step—  

Then, without a word, she took exactly two steps back.  

Alon looked at her with a puzzled expression, unable to comprehend her abrupt reaction.  

But Penia took another two steps back, increasing the distance between them.  

“…Show me.”  

She spoke in a quiet voice.  

Her earlier excitement had vanished entirely.  

Her large eyes shimmered as if holding back tears.  

“Is something wrong?”  

Alon asked.  

“N-no, of course not…”  

Penia gave a small shake of her head, forcing an awkward smile.  

Still bewildered, Alon activated his divinity again.  

But Penia’s gaze was no longer fixed on his hand.  

Instead, her eyes were locked onto the brooch Alon was wearing.  

…It was the first snowfall of the year.  

***

Several weeks later— bringing along the strangely subdued Penia,  

Alon arrived at Marquis Palatio’s estate.  

“I greet the friend of the Great One!”  

“Greetings, oh Primordial—no, Marquis! I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but we have come to discuss matters of protection.”  

Just like before, he was welcomed by Zukurak.  

And alongside him was Rim, the guide he had met in Greynifra.  

“…Protection?”  

“Yes, regarding who will be granted the honor of guarding the Primordial Elf—no, the Marquis. Between the elves and the lizardmen, we must determine who shall serve as your escort.”  

As the discussion continued—  

“…???”  

You? Guard me?? Why???  

Alon could only stare at them with that exact expression.  

—It was quite the lively return.  

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Round 340

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Crunch, crunch.

Geomdori’s eating show was quite a shock.

No one could tell where its mouth was, but the items made by the cats and gnolls were being absorbed completely.

And with such strange noises, too.

“It’s eating so deliciously.”

Ara drooled as she watched the scene.

Well, Ara can eat anything, so it made sense—But what could it possibly taste like?

“Should our Ara try one too?”

“Ooh! May I really?”

With sparkling eyes, Ara scanned her surroundings.

The cats and gnolls flinched and quickly averted their gazes.

“I’ll eat this one!”

Ara chose a steel plate from the roof and began to chomp on it just like Geomdori.

Watching both of them chew on chunks of metal from either side was quite the spectacle.

Seriously, what does that even taste like?

“Geomdori says it’s finished eating.”

“Not a glutton, huh.”

Geomdori had eaten one claw tool made by a cat, one ornament made by gnolls, and a metal shard.

I wonder if that was enough to satisfy it.

–Mmm, mmm.

“What are you saying?”

–It was delicious.

When I held Geomdori and tried talking to it, I could clearly feel a sense of satisfaction.

I’m glad it enjoyed it.

Meanwhile, Ara was still munching on the steel plate, which caught Geomdori’s curiosity.

–You’re really enjoying that.

“Right? Ara, is it good? What does it taste like?”

At my question, Ara kept chewing while glancing back at me.

“It tastes like metal!”

“Ah… I see.”

Well, of course, but I just had to ask.

Still, I wonder—does metal taste different to Ara or Geomdori than it does to me?

After gobbling up all that metal, Ara patted her stomach in satisfaction.

“A rare delicacy.”

“As long as Ara enjoyed it, that’s good enough.”

And then it happened.

Vrrrmmm—

A strange sound echoed through the air.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who heard it, because everyone around started looking around, puzzled.

“What is that sound?”

“I hear it too.”

And then—

[Dimensional invasion is beginning.]

Dimensional invasion? What do they mean by that?

While I stood there panicking, a small portal formed in the air where the sound had come from.

It was right next to us.

“Uh, uhh.”

“It’s… it’s a dimensional invasion, Uncle!”

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who got the message—Emily looked just as startled.

Unlike us, the kids were simply fascinated by the sudden appearance of the portal.

“It’s a door! May I go through it?”

I tried to say no, but something popped out of the portal before I could react.

“Ah…”

I’d been warned about dimensional invasions, but I never imagined it would happen so suddenly— and right inside our dungeon, no less!

‘Is it a monster? Or a person from another dimension? Are they going to attack us? What should I do?’

While I stood there with a thousand thoughts racing through my head, something finally emerged and looked around.

“So this is another dimension?”

Bold eyes.

A beautiful longsword in hand.

A round face that left a strong impression.

And a body barely the size of a hand.

Huh? Round face and only the size of a hand?

“You must be monsters from this dimension! Come at me!”

Whatever it was, it yelled at us.

We just stood there, dumbfounded, listening to the little miniature… SD character?… human talk.

“What is that?”

Ara asked me.

Even she looked slightly dumbfounded.

“Uh…”

Well, I didn’t know what was going on, but we should at least try talking.

“Hello?”

“You can talk! Are you humans from this world? Ah, you must be giants!”

The tiny one chattered on excitedly, theorizing on its own.

And then, more people began coming through the portal behind him.

“Woooow!”

“Glory to the hero and goddess!”

“We will be victorious!”

Around ten tiny humans rushed in.

And finally, a small woman with wings like an angel appeared with a pop.

–May you have the courage and strength to resist temptation!

Sparkle.

She must have used some kind of magic, because glittering dust was sprinkled over the tiny people.

That made them even more fired up.

“I feel the power!”

“Glory! Glory!!”

As I looked around, I saw all the kids, myself included, watching the scene in a daze.

–?

Then, a cat’s hunting instincts seemed to kick in as it crept up with a wiggling butt and suddenly pounced.

“Nyang-a, don’t!”

“Ahhhh!”

One of the tiny humans screamed as they were tackled.

The little one who came in first, holding the sword, shouted.

“Andreas! No!”

It was a tragic scene.

The one called Andreas was now soaked in cat drool.

Lick, lick.

“Urrgh! Even if I could not go on with you to the end—

It was an honor, hero!”

“Haha.”

Why do I keep laughing?

I’m just at a loss for words.

‘This is what they meant by a dimensional invasion?’

Maybe I’ve watched too many movies.

This wasn’t at all what I pictured.

How are these tiny people supposed to invade Earth, anyway?

At most, they were about the same size as the Alfheim.

Well, to be generous, they were just slightly bigger than the Alfheim. But really, it was barely noticeable.

“Uh, hello, everyone?”

While I stood there dumbfounded, Emily spoke up on my behalf.

The tiny people flinched in surprise.

“We’re residents of this place. May I ask where you all came from?”

“W-We’re from Chiyon!”

Someone stepped forward bravely and spoke.

Then the little one with the sword stood guard, watching us warily.

“I’m Emily. Nice to meet you.”

“H-Hmm. You say you’re residents of this world?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Emily nodded.

The tiny people exchanged uneasy glances.

“Weren’t we supposed to defeat the Demon King of this world?”

“What should we do now? They seem kind.”

“It’s too early to let our guard down.”

“But we can’t just attack them recklessly either…”

They really seemed troubled.

By the way, you all know we can hear your whole conversation, right?

Then the one who seemed to be their leader—the sword tiny one—stepped forward.

“Who is the leader here?”

“I am.”

What’s with these tiny things speaking so casually? Huh?!

I stepped up boldly, which made the sword tiny one flinch.

But he quickly straightened up with pride and said:

“I am Choro, the Hero of Shame.”

“Choro? I’m Lee Kyu-seong.”

We exchanged names.

Then I generously offered a handshake, and the small Choro grabbed one of my fingers and shook it.

“Nice to meet you. Sorry if we startled you.”

Hearing Choro’s apology, I felt my heart melt a little.

“It’s okay. It happens.”

“As I said, I’m a hero. I came to this world to defeat the Demon King.”

“…I-I see.”

“So, let me just ask—do you know where the Demon King of this world is?”

At Choro’s question, all the kids suddenly turned to look at me.

Why are you all looking at me? I’ve been nothing but nice to you!

“Umm, well.”

I tried to play dumb—

And that’s when Mammon, Ras, and Frey came out from inside.

–Are these new members, Grand Lord?

–Looks like my subordinates have grown in number again.

–Wow! They’re the same height as me!

Frey, have you no shame?

Still, to be fair, these new ones are just a tiny bit taller.

While I was thinking that, the tiny angel with wings on the opposing side suddenly shouted in surprise.

–You all!!

What?

Could she know our kids?

–Ugh, what were their names again?

–I’ve never seen them before.

–No, remember? They used to always beg us to play with them.

–Doesn’t ring a bell.

Wait—Mammon does seem to remember something?

That’s when the winged tiny one yelled out:

–The Seven Sins! You dreadful demons! So you were here all along!

What is with this tiny girl?

I looked to Mammon for an explanation, and he gave me exactly what I wanted.

–She was one of the kids who constantly begged to play with us. They called themselves the Seven Virtues, I believe. They used to pull all kinds of tricks, wanting to be seen as our equals.

“The Seven Virtues? This winged tiny girl?”

I asked in surprise, and the winged one yelled out:

–How rude! I am not a winged tiny girl, I’m Verna!

“Ah, sorry.”

Yeah, I’d be mad too if someone called me that.

I quickly bowed my head in apology.

She looked a little less angry afterward.

–So, what are you doing here?

–Our home was invaded by beasts. As a result, we undertook dimensional migration.

–In exchange, we agreed to defeat the Demon King of this world.

As she spoke, Verna’s eyes narrowed.

–But why is it that only Mammon remembers me? Ras, why don’t you remember me?

–I do not bother to remember lesser beings.

Ras straightened his back proudly as he said that.

Verna grabbed her neck in exasperation and muttered:

–Sigh, you’ve always been like this.

–Anyway, if you’re all here, then that must mean the Demon King is nearby as well…

Verna’s eyes darted around until they landed on me.

–You said earlier that you were the leader, right?

–And Mammon referred to you as Grand Lord.

“Uh…”

–You must be the Demon King!

Verna shouted while pointing a finger at me.

All the tiny people immediately tensed up.

“It—it’s the Demon King!”

“P-Prepare for battle!”

Watching their ridiculous antics, I had no idea how to even respond.

“Lee Kyu-seong Kyu-seong is the Demon King!”

Ara shouted proudly.

Verna tilted her head at the sight.

–That way of speaking…

At that moment, Choro pointed his sword at us.

“So you were the Demon King after all. I almost got fooled. You terrifying creatures.”

Okay, fine, let’s say I am the Demon King. Which I’m not.

But seriously, where do you get the confidence to try and fight me?

“I won’t let you lay a hand on mister!”

Emily stepped forward, holding Geomdori in her hands.

But there was absolutely no seriousness in her face.

In fact, she looked thrilled.

–Ah! That sword—could it be?!

Verna gasped when she saw Geomdori.

–You’re the fallen hero!

“That’s right!”

Emily delivered her line with gusto. She was clearly having the time of her life.

So, the fallen hero and the dimensional invasion hero now pointed their swords at each other.

“I shall purify you, fallen one!”

Choro charged in first.

Whoa, he’s actually pretty fast?

Despite his small size, Choro moved swiftly as he dashed in. That jump power was something else.

‘Well, in their world, he’s probably pretty strong.’

Maybe he’s about as strong as a Level 9 Awakener from our world.

His spinning sword strikes looked quite flashy.

Of course, Emily didn’t panic at all and met his attack head-on.

“Ōooo!”

She even shouted a battle cry—something she normally never does.

“Waaah! That’s so cool!”

Clap clap clap.

Next to me, Ara clapped in delight as she watched the fight.

Yeah, watching a fight calls for snacks.

I quickly asked the breeding tribe rabbits to prepare a few treats.

Using ingredients from the village storage, they whipped up some food right away.

Munch munch.

Slurp.

“Kyaa.”

Truly spectacular—the battle of heroes.

As expected, Choro didn’t stand a chance against Emily.

Still, Emily held back just enough to make it look like an even match.

Gulp.

“You can do it, Hero!”

The little people cheering for Choro were adorable.

Tsk, I kind of felt bad—it felt like teasing.

Emily must’ve sensed that too, because she suddenly turned a bit more serious.

“E!!”

“Guhh!”

Choro was sent flying.

He fell to one knee with a frustrated expression, stabbing his sword into the ground.

“Why would someone with such great strength become a servant of the Demon King?! Why?!”

Moved by his passionate outburst, Emily replied coldly, still playing her role.

“Does power need a reason?”

“Grr! True power comes with responsibility!”

“But I’m still stronger than you.”

“Guhh…”

Choro looked like he was about to cry out of frustration.

Emily, caught up in her performance, suddenly dropped character at the sight.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“Are you mocking me?!”

Grrrrrgle.

Suddenly, a loud stomach growl echoed through the air.

Everyone watching immediately knew who it came from.

Blush.

Choro’s face turned bright red.

Guess he was really hungry.

“Uhh, how about we eat first and then talk things over?”

Let’s eat first.

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