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“Which organization? Six Thousand Palaces? White Night? Eclipse?”

“Not them. It’s the Black Mage Tower. They said there’s been an unexpected setback in their schedule and that they would change their plans a bit. So, we’ll cross over to the magic realm to participate in the hunt to shake up the defense line.”

“Ugh, I really don’t want to. What if I run into that Fallen Emperor? No, I’m certain of it. I can bet everything on it. It’s absolutely inevitable.”

The last emperor of the fallen Xail Empire.

He was a figure filled with intense hatred for beings associated with the outer sea, leading a spectral order of elite knights who roamed the ruins, cleaving through monsters and mages like a natural disaster.

The fact that the El Carda Empire can maintain such a broad defense line is largely due to the Fallen Emperor’s influence.

Barsen shared the same unease, wearing a frown.

“It can’t be helped. But if you use your spatial movement, escaping shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”

“Easy for you to say. Do you think I can just use long-distance spatial movement without any cost? This is still a power that requires a price.”

“So you won’t go?”

“…If I could, I would, but since there are still vows left to fulfill, I cannot.”

Barsen set down his small spade.

“Then we’ll have to do as planned. Besides, we’ve already prepared bait to throw to the Fallen Emperor, so it shouldn’t be too burdensome.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if all the members of Pandemonium gathered together and charged forward? That way, we could not only break the defense line but also easily trample over the El Carda Empire or even the upper Karam Empire. Why aren’t we doing that? If we offer the blood and souls from that place as sacrifices to call the outer beings, who would dare to stop us? The Celestial Lord? A hero? By the time they arrive, it will already be too late.”

Barsen shook his head.

“I’ve thought this before, but Ollak, you really are naive.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think Pandemonium hasn’t considered such a shallow plan? If we went by your logic, the empire would plunge into chaos, and the kingdoms would meet their demise. But the important thing is that it cannot be executed. The preconditions cannot be established. Pandemonium is not a place where such ideal allies gather.”

“I suppose so. If they were sane, they wouldn’t belong to a place like this. But we can cooperate to some extent.”

“That only happens when interests align.”

“Is it impossible with the common goal of summoning the outer beings?”

At Ollak’s words, Barsen sighed in frustration. Then he chuckled softly and replied.

“I thought you were smart, but you’re so naive in this regard. Let me be blunt. It’s impossible. Want me to explain it simply? Let’s say enough sacrifices are prepared to summon the outer beings. Which being are you planning to call?”

“Well….”

“Right, the one we trust and follow. But what about others?”

Pandemonium is known as the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons. Not because it stands opposed to the Hall of the Gods or the Pantheon, but because each member has their own deity they believe in and follow.

“Each one will want to summon the outer being they believe in. Naturally, they won’t act as you expect. It would be fortunate if they don’t stab you in the back at a critical moment. Would they be willing to forfeit that opportunity?”

“Are you crazy? You want me to throw away the chance to become a dragon?”

Seeing Ollak burst into a string of curses, Barsen finished transferring the potted plant and started tidying up the scattered soil and tools.

“Yeah, just like you, others will also want to summon the deity they serve to this land. For their own wishes and purposes. They won’t let go of their selfishness. They might even stab you in the back at a decisive moment.”

“Hah, this is useless.”

Having quickly finished organizing the workbench, Barsen finally removed the gloves he had been wearing.

“It’s not entirely hopeless. Soon enough, they’ll have no choice but to put aside that selfishness, you know? After all, you know how remarkable the achievements of Riorg Ribella are.”

“Is your side not that interested in the summoning of the gods?”

At Ollak’s question, a fleeting sadness crossed Barsen’s eyes.

“That’s right. The gods don’t desire that either.”

“Interesting. You all. Your gods.”

“From the start, we only wish to become stronger by any means necessary. Let’s not dwell on small talk any longer. Let’s go.”

“Ugh.”

“…Aren’t you going?”

“I’m going! Let’s just go after I’ve barely arrived!”

“Close the door gently when you leave.”

Bang!

After stepping outside, Barsen turned back to look at Ollak, but she merely prepared for teleportation with a disinterested expression.

***

“Hmm~”

In a quiet park, Ian sat with his arms resting on an empty bench, gazing up at the sky with a blank expression.

“It feels empty.”

He unconsciously murmured his inner thoughts. He knew the reason for his low mood.

It was because he couldn’t be with the Hero. Because he couldn’t stand by her side. That was the cause.

“Should I have asked one more time?”

But even if he did, he would have been gently rejected. He might have stubbornly followed her, but that would earn him her dislike. In the end, he had no choice but to promise a meeting that could happen at an unknown time.

“Indeed.”

Thinking back, the time spent with her before the regression was solely because she needed him.

“Right now, it means I’m not needed.”

He relaxed his body. The sensations in his body began to dull. He felt completely defenseless. Ian closed his eyes.

“I really need to take a break.”

Recently, he had been living quite busily. He hardly ever skipped training and had put in a great deal of effort to weave the experiences and techniques he had learned from his previous life into the magic arts.

He had originally come to Judith to rest, but he had ended up taking on requests unexpectedly.

“…Is this good luck or bad luck?”

Just as Ian was about to lean forward, he looked down at the sword resting on his thigh.

It was the holy sword embedded in the body of the monster, Bloodclaw, sealed in the ruins.

It must have been used by some unnamed hero.

There was no possibility that it was a Hero. If it had been a Hero, they would have defeated it instead of sealing it.

Staring blankly at the holy sword, Ian let out a hollow laugh.

‘Shouldn’t the one who got the chance to regress have been someone else?’

Though he was grateful for being given another opportunity, he thought that if this chance had been given to a Hero, they would surely spend their time much more valuably.

Thinking like that made his desire to rest fade away. But perhaps due to his old mercenary habits, he felt he should be able to take a break after enduring so much.

“…As Verdan said, maybe I should visit Flaming.”

The city of pleasure, Flaming.

A playground for mercenaries overflowing with meat and liquor, rich in songs and theater.

He had visited it once or twice before the regression. Unfortunately, after that, it had fallen into decline in various ways, and he had not been able to return.

Since it wasn’t that time yet, spending a day or two enjoying himself there wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“Let’s go.”

With his decision made, Ian stood up immediately and headed toward the station. He then looked for train schedules heading to Flaming.

Unfortunately, there was no magic tower with a warp gate in Flaming, so he had no choice but to use a carriage or train.

If it had been a place without any railway, he would have had to rely entirely on a carriage.

Still, he was able to reach Flaming in less than a day. Nothing particularly eventful happened.

The moment Ian stepped off the platform and out of the train station, lively music pierced his ears despite the early hour.

The streets were bustling with a variety of people. Although not everyone was, most appeared to be enjoying themselves.

“…….”

Ian glanced at the outfits worn by those around him. It was impossible to hide that most of them were mercenaries.

Many were dressed in worn clothes, as if to prove they were seasoned warriors who had experienced battle.

Thinking there was no need to get a new outfit, Ian began to play like a wild pony let loose.

He entered a tavern, mingling with people, playing games, drinking heartily, and eating delicious food.

It was truly a joyous time. The stress that had accumulated over time felt like it was melting away with every coin spent on enjoyment.

Clink~

Today, he won the hard-earned coins of the mercenaries. Just as they say, luck is a combination of chance and skill.

As he was reveling in his good fortune, feeling coins in his pocket on the way back to his lodging…

“Hehe…”

A faint, eerie laughter echoed from somewhere.

Though the street was bustling even late at night, Ian found himself pausing, slowly turning his head to look down a dim alleyway.

He strained to listen, but as if he had misheard, there was no sound.

“Hmm.”

Ian blinked and, almost as if entranced, began to walk forward.

He silenced his footsteps as much as possible. He walked quietly, each step soft enough that one would have to strain to hear it.

Without hesitation, he entered the dark alleyway and turned the corner.

He sensed a crude flow of magical energy. Stretching out his hand, he felt resistance even though he couldn’t see it.

‘A barrier?’

He felt like he could force his way through.

While he didn’t understand the principle behind it, he had a rough idea of what function it served. It repelled people and dulled their awareness.

He pushed his body forward. What unfolded before him was a sight that would make him laugh out loud for its absurdity.

“Hehe.”

People were sprawled against the wall, lying in a row. Among them, some were hugging each other, while others were piled on top of one another.

With vacant eyes staring into the void, drool dripped from their open mouths.

Perhaps embarrassed to show such an unflattering sight, some had their heads bowed low.

“……”

A strange atmosphere had settled over the alley. It was not just because of the sight before him but also due to an instinctive feeling of revulsion.

Among these people were not just mercenaries but also soldiers belonging to Flaming. It was obvious why they were in such a state.

‘Drugs.’

It wasn’t surprising. In this world, drugs were surprisingly easy to come by.

However, Ian hadn’t expected to see people using them boldly in a place that wasn’t a battlefield, purely for pleasure rather than to overcome pain or fear.

Frowning, he looked at them with disdain when someone among them staggered to their feet.

It was a middle-aged man draped in what appeared to be quite an expensive cloth.

“Oh, we have a guest who arrived late?”

“A guest?”

The man’s eyes were also bleary. As he reached into his bosom, he tilted his head in confusion at Ian’s question.

“Aren’t you here to get some drugs?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Ah, I see. The numbers matched perfectly… So, what now? How did you get in here without an invitation? Who are you?”

“Just a passerby.”

“Hmm?”

The man tilted his head, seemingly unable to make a proper judgment.

“I see. So, what should we do? If you’re interested in what these people are doing, you can stay here… but if not, why not head back? We can just pretend we don’t know each other.”

After a moment of thought, Ian nodded.

He had confirmed what they were doing. Eliminating a drug dealer wouldn’t immediately eradicate the drug problem, and seeing soldiers among them, reporting it wouldn’t change anything either.

As he turned to leave, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was starting to understand what kind of drugs they were dealing with.

‘…No, it can’t be.’

He struggled to hide his unease but firmly denied it. It wasn’t the time for that yet.

On the third day, Ian heard that a famous band was visiting Flaming and decided to go to the concert hall.

Sitting on the balcony with a refreshing drink, he savored the music, feeling completely relaxed.

Just as he was sinking into a completely unguarded state, someone knocked on the door.

Click—

Even without answering, the lock clicked open, and the door swung open.

He turned his head and subtly gathered his magical energy. The person who had entered without permission waved their hand as they walked in.

As the sweet scent wafted in from afar and he saw a familiar and unwelcome androgynous face, Ian furrowed his brow.

The person greeted him cheerfully.

“Hello!”

———