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The sunlight streaming through the window calmed our minds.

There were many people, but the atmosphere was serene.

Taylor kept his ears open, and Celestine and Arin waited for the next conversation in silence.

Blair was writing something down, and Loren quietly closed her eyes.

I also closed my eyes and recalled that day.

The Archmage, Pelleer Samael.

The Sword Saint, Magnus Balthar.

The Dragon Knight, Iris Seren.

The Guardian Saint, Galtan Arihama.

And me.

At the final moment, I killed the Demon King Verkes myself.

All the demons were annihilated.

There was no denying that fact.

Then what was the demonic evidence that appeared before my eyes?

Recalling those hellish times, I couldn’t help but think:

Did this mean that after 300 years, other demons had appeared?

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaa!”

“What’s wrong, Ruin!”

“You’re such a pushover.”

“Huh?”

“You stubborn little shit.”

Blair suddenly jumped up from his seat, so I said,

“Don’t be scared. I’m talking to myself.”

Everyone looked at me strangely, and I suddenly felt sad.

Who would understand my feelings?

Me, feeling so damn frustrated.

I thought I would live a carefree life, but what was this?

The more I thought about it, the more this situation felt like a goddamn demon.

It was cunning.

The questions I had put off resurfaced.

The missing records from 300 years ago.

The missing evidence of the demons.

The distorted records of the expedition.

Something didn’t feel right.

* * *

“I’ve brought Fichte.”

Chief Rachel returned after the evening.

“He was weak, so I had to administer a stimulant. That’s why I was late.”

Fichte, who followed her in, bowed to Loren and Celestine.

“I apologize for being late, Swordsmanship Master. Lady Celestine.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Thanks to your concern, I’ve recovered a lot.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Then Fichte looked at me and bowed his head.

“I am Fichte, the Third Military Commander of Ardehain.”

“I’m Ruin, the Crazy Mage Commander of Samael. And these are… the White Horse Unit fools.”

“I couldn’t greet you properly last time because of the circumstances. Thanks to you, I’m safe. I’ll never forget your great kindness.”

“Be sure to remember it.”

“I’ll engrave it in my heart.”

Unlike at the dinner, Fichte’s complexion was good. His eyes were also bright.

He looked like a typical genius soldier.

“Ah, and this.”

Fichte took out a bottle of alcohol from his pocket.

As soon as he opened the cap, a familiar scent wafted out.

“I brought this because I heard you like it.”

“Oh.”

I poured it into a glass and drank it. A sweet first taste was followed by a burning sensation in my throat.

“This is proper moonshine. The taste of home.”

I poured a glass for each person on the Ardehain side.

Most of them frowned, and Loren said,

“So this is your taste.”

“It seems like it’s your first time drinking moonshine. How is it?”

Loren poured another drink into her empty glass and said,

“It doesn’t suit my taste.”

“Good medicine tastes bitter. It’s a drink that suits wartime, so to speak. What about you, commander?”

“I’ve always liked it. Could I have a glass?”

Fichte insisted on having a glass even though the Chief Healer tried to stop him.

“One glass is fine.”

I also poured him a glass.

After a round of drinks, everyone filled their empty glasses with their own preferred drinks.

Just as people have different thoughts, they also have different tastes.

While the drinks were being passed around, we casually chatted.

This was a way to lighten the mood.

Loren and Fichte did most of the talking, and we listened.

It seemed like it was the first time the swordsmen were in this kind of setting, as they listened intently.

During the conversation, I realized that Ardehain hadn’t changed from the past.

They were still a noble clan.

Once the mood had warmed up, I said,

“Let’s get to the main topic.”

“Indeed.”

“Commander, why don’t you speak first?”

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

Fichte seemed to have already organized his thoughts, as he spoke without hesitation.

“Half a year ago, an apprentice swordsman entered the Demon Realm incognito and failed to return.”

Loren nodded.

“I was informed that an apprentice died. Was it a child from the Third Military?”

“That’s correct.”

“Entering the Demon Realm unnecessarily. Tsk. Was it the 1st-level?”

“3rd-level.”

Disappointment appeared in Loren’s eyes.

“He died in the 3rd-level?”

“To be precise, he didn’t die, but went missing.”

“What do you mean?”

“According to the Magic Tower Alliance’s letter, they couldn’t find the body even after the Demon Realm closed.”

“Is there a possibility that a variant appeared?”

“No.”

Loren’s eyebrows rose slightly.

“That’s a bit strange.”

“I also found that point hard to understand.”

I asked the two of them,

“What do you mean they couldn’t find the body?”

Fichte answered,

“When the Demon Realm closes, the Alliance dispatches an investigation team. To assess the traces of monsters and casualties. If there are any variant monsters or anomalies, they update the records and inform those who will enter the next Demon Realm. And the fact that the investigation team couldn’t find the body means that a monster strong enough to obliterate a human in one blow appeared.”

Feeling hungry as I listened, I asked,

“What about eating?”

“Huh?”

“Does it have to be obliteration? Even if a monster ate a human, there wouldn’t be a body left, would there?”

“Ah… That’s a sharp question. But monsters don’t consider humans as food. It’s never been reported before.”

Only then did I nod.

“In any case, you’re saying there are no such monsters in the 3rd-level Demon Realm. The fact that no variants appeared means the probability is zero percent.”

Fichte replied,

“That’s why I was suspicious. It wasn’t a major incident, but… I have a bad habit of digging to the end once I get hooked on something.”

“That’s not a bad habit. Now that I see it, you have the potential to be a crazy guy.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Loren said,

“It is a compliment. Our Third Military is usually hidden away like a mole, but it’s thanks to that personality that he became the youngest Military Commander, isn’t it?”

I nodded and said,

“Anyway, what does that have to do with Parin?”

Fichte straightened his posture and said,

“I’ll tell you. What’s truly strange is what happened afterward. It wasn’t just the apprentice swordsman who went missing. Everyone who entered the Demon Realm with the apprentice at that time disappeared simultaneously.”

Just then, Blair, who had been listening quietly, interrupted.

“That’s strange. If it was half a year ago, we were in Keplan at the time. If it was that big of a deal, there would have been rumors.”

“Yes, you wouldn’t have heard about it. Because it wasn’t made public. The person in charge who closed the case at the Alliance at that time was Elder Parin of the Blue Magic Tower.”

Fichte looked around and drew everyone’s attention.

“I was suspicious. When I sent a letter to Elder Parin to ask him about it, he just said it wasn’t an important incident and closed it. It wasn’t really a major issue, so I couldn’t ask any further.”

“…”

“So I dug around the periphery. I tracked down and compiled information on the colleagues of other missing people, the time the Demon Realm opened and closed, and those who were nearby at the time. And as a result, I was able to confirm one surprising fact.”

Loren looked at Fichte.

“What is that surprising conclusion?”

Fichte’s eyes gleamed.

“Elder Parin also entered that 3rd-level Demon Realm.”

Suddenly, I remembered Parin mentioning the Demon Realm just before he died.

A brief silence fell.

The strange discomfort caused by Fichte’s conclusion gave everyone goosebumps.

“Furthermore, I later found out that usually, the person in charge of lower-grade Demon Realms is the working-level staff of each Magic Tower. It’s rare for an elder to directly close a lower-grade Demon Realm.”

I couldn’t help but clap.

“What a crazy obsession. You’re almost there. Now that I see it, you don’t just have the potential to be a crazy guy. You’re already half crazy.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Fichte took a sip of moonshine and said,

“In the end, all the circumstances pointed to one fact. There was only one way to resolve the contradiction of the missing bodies.”

Loren continued,

“Instead of monsters, there was Parin?”

“Yes. The only person physically capable was Elder Parin.”

“Did you report this to Lady Loren?”

Fichte shook his head.

“I only had circumstantial evidence. And it wasn’t a serious matter either. In the end, it was just the death of an apprentice swordsman, not even a formal one.”

“So you were investigating alone.”

“Yes. Since there was no evidence, I had no choice but to find out the reason directly from Elder Parin. I sent him a letter, subtly hinting at what I had found. That was three months ago. There was no reply until he asked to meet at this Urgon banquet.”

Fichte continued with a bitter expression,

“But even I didn’t expect him to do this.”

I replied,

“It’s not your fault. Things always happen beyond our imagination.”

“This incident confirmed it. Elder Parin was hiding something. Enough to try to eliminate a noble clan’s commander just because he was suspicious.”

“…”

When I raised my glass, Loren also raised hers.

We made eye contact for a moment as we emptied our glasses in one gulp.

Meanwhile, Fichte, focused on his train of thought, continued,

“No matter how I think about it, I don’t understand the reason. Why would someone like Elder Parin do that? Although public reputations are often different from reality, why would he do such a thing in a 3rd-level Demon Realm? There would be no benefit to it. Why?”

At this point, Loren and I made eye contact again.

The answer was already decided.

“The Demonic Soul Humans. That must have been his goal.”

Loren, recalling yesterday and today’s events, nodded.

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s a possibility.”

Fichte, who was looking at Loren and me, tilted his head.

His pupils gradually dilated.

“Do you two know the reason?”

I nodded and said,

“Parin was trying to create slaves. Slaves who only obey his orders. That’s what the Demonic Soul Humans are. Usually, low-ranking mercenaries or insignificant martial artists become targets. In fact, warriors above a certain level aren’t suitable. Parin was trying to create those Demonic Soul Humans.”

Fichte, after thinking for a moment, said,

“…Is there a reason why you think so?”

“You said you know the missing people from the 3rd-level Demon Realm, right?”

“That’s right.”

“There should be bodies left of the Demonic Soul Humans who self-destructed last night. Compare them. If there’s a match, it’ll be certain.”

Fichte closed his mouth and fell into thought.

The others, who had been listening with bated breath, also closed their eyes and became lost in their thoughts.

I was the only one with my eyes open.

Since it seemed like their contemplation would take a while, I started drinking the moonshine again.

When I had emptied the whole bottle, Fichte opened his eyes and said,

“If what Ruin said is true, Elder Parin is not the end.”

“I agree.”

“It seems like this is no small matter.”

This commander indeed had excellent judgment.

He was the type of man who could infer three things from one.

I suddenly thought about the connection between the mole-like man’s personality and madness, then said,

“I have a question for you.”

“Please, speak. As long as it’s not a family secret, I’ll answer to the best of my ability.”

“Have you heard of the Demon Tribe?”

“The Demon Tribe…”

“If it’s just a legend or a myth, there’s no need to say anything. What I want to ask is if you know anything about the Demon Tribe that actually existed in this world, the real ones.”

Fichte answered in a few seconds,

“I do.”

———