Right after Yuman warned and left, Alon returned to his room for a brief rest.

“So, that Rikrakamur, or whatever it’s called, was it big?”

“…All of a sudden?”

“The soldiers back from the expedition have been making a huge fuss. I keep hearing them talk about it.”

Evan asked.

[Hmph, it was just a giant-sized weakling.]

But the one who responded wasn’t Alon—it was Basiliora.

“Huh? How is it out here?”

[Don’t point at me! You lowly human!]

Basiliora snapped at the finger pointed toward it.

“It complained about being too bored, stuck inside the ring. So I made it so it can come out freely.”

“…That was possible?”

“If you connect a trace of magic to the ring’s slot as it said,

it can come and go as it pleases.”

[Ha-ha-ha-ha! That’s right! Now I am a free spirit!]

Basiliora curled its body and opened its mouth wide.

As always, it was no larger than 30 cm and just looked cute.

“Anyway, Rikrakamur was bigger than Basiliora.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Then this snake-head could’ve been killed in one hit?”

Evan smirked as if teasing.

The small snake became enraged at his words.

[What nonsense! If I had manifested fully, I could have shredded that thing into pieces!]

“Yeah, yeah, sure.”

[Don’t underestimate me, human! You even lost to me in a card game!]

“You barely won one out of thirty rounds, and now you’re talking big!”

[Hmph! The final victor is the true winner!]

The two started bickering again as soon as they met.

‘…Are they getting along, or not?’

Meanwhile, the small creature on Alon’s chest—Blackie—

emerged from his coat and curiously stared at Basiliora.

[Huh?]

Noticing the gaze, Basiliora sneered.

[Hmph! A little brat like you, still reeking of milk, dares to look up at me!!!]

With a growling sound, Basiliora roared.

However, Blackie simply tilted its head once.

Smack!

[Meow?!]

It struck the spectral form of Basiliora, sending it flying.

Basiliora crashed to the ground like a toy, rolling about.

“Oh. Ohhh! Finally, I have an attack option!”

Evan lifted Blackie as if he had found a great weapon,

but—

Screeeeeech!!!

The little kitten suddenly revealed glowing red eyes,

letting out a terrifying screech.

Evan, who had been grinning, immediately put Blackie down.

Witnessing all this, Alon muttered,

“…What a mess.”

He summed up the triangular relationship simply.

***

While Alon’s party was spending their peculiar but cozy time together, in a guest room near the border, two individuals were facing each other.

On one side was Cardinal Yutia of the Holy Kingdom, and on the other was Yuman, the Saint of the Holy Kingdom.

“Your Holiness, you said you had business with me. What is it?”

Yutia smiled lightly, while Yuman, with a hardened expression, got straight to the point.

“Cardinal Yutia, did you visit the border a month ago?”

The question was dry and interrogative, devoid of any pleasantries.

Yet Yutia’s smile did not waver.

“Why are you suddenly asking me that?”

“I heard rumors of you being seen in the northern canyon region a month ago.”

It was just a rumor, but Yuman hadn’t come to Yutia based on mere hearsay.

“Cardinal Yutia, you were in Caliban about a month ago, weren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I was scheduled to attend the kingdom banquet.”

“No, that’s incorrect. The banquet was originally meant for Cardinal Sergius, but you suddenly altered the schedule to attend, didn’t you?”

Yutia did not respond. She simply gazed at Yuman with a faint smile, as if inviting him to continue.

Yuman calmly pressed on.

“I heard that after arriving in Caliban, you disappeared for about three days.”

“I did inform the priests that I was going to spread Sironia’s teachings in another village.”

“I know. And the village you visited, ‘Pigani,’ is about a day’s journey from Caliban. It’s known for its cheese—a specialty that visitors are always encouraged to try. A very hospitable place.”

“Is that so?”

“Did you have some cheese?”

“Of course.”

Yutia answered immediately with a smile.

However, Yuman’s expression grew colder.

“That’s unfortunate. Because what I just said was a lie.”

“Pigani’s specialty is indeed cheese, but unfortunately,

no cheese was made this year.  And there’s none left in storage either, because Pigani’s food warehouse burned down in an accident months ago.”

“……”

“In short, Cardinal Yutia, you couldn’t have eaten any cheese.”

Yuman stared intently at Yutia and bluntly declared,

“…Cardinal Yutia, you were in the canyon, weren’t you?”

“Perhaps.”

Even when Yuman struck the nail on the head,

Yutia continued to smile without the slightest sign of fluster.

In fact, she seemed to find the situation amusing, her smile deepening.

To the point where Yuman felt disconcerted.

His voice grew colder.

“If you don’t intend to answer, then I’ll change the question. What are you planning to do with Marquis Palatio? What scheme are you working on?”

“Is that what you want to know?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“…Because he is already a man who has endured many trials. You cannot treat him recklessly or thoughtlessly.”

For the first time, a faint curiosity flashed in Yutia’s eyes.

It was fleeting, so brief that even Yuman failed to notice.

But soon after, she quickly masked it, gently brushing her lips with her fingertips.

“Perhaps you and I are looking at the same thing.”

“…What did you just say?”

“You said you wanted to know what I’m planning for my lord, didn’t you? It’s simple. I want to make him into something greater. Yes, just that.”

“…Something greater?”

“Yes, something greater.”

“He is already great.”

“Well, is he really?”

Her melodious laughter echoed in the room.

“I agree with you. But it’s not enough. He will become even greater. No, he must become greater. More, much more.”

Yuman involuntarily shuddered.

He was sure the person before him was Cardinal Yutia.

There was no surge of magic or divine power, no visible change.

Nothing had changed.

Yet his entire body trembled.

Because in Yutia’s eyes, madness gleamed vividly.

Staring into her eyes, Yuman was certain.

They couldn’t possibly be looking at the same thing.

She was dangerous.

—

Fleeting thoughts raced through Yuman’s mind.

How could he separate her from the Marquis?

No matter how much he thought, he couldn’t come up with a way.

Or rather, he thought of a few methods, but couldn’t predict how Cardinal Yutia would respond if it came to that.

Therefore—

“…I won’t let you manipulate Marquis Palatio as you please.”

Yuman declared firmly to Yutia, but even that—

“Please do so, Your Holiness. The more you do, the more it will benefit my lord as well.”

Yutia responded softly.

For a moment, their gazes locked.

A mixture of unreadable emotions and determination filled the air.

***

Meanwhile, back with Alon—

Tap, tap~!

[Ack… Please, please stop. Have mercy…!]

“That’s it, Blackie! Crush that stupid snake-head!”

Alon stared blankly at the one-sided sparring between Basiliora and Blackie, thinking to himself—

‘…Should I eat some sweet potatoes?’

About a day later, as Alon debated whether to head to Lartania or return to the Marquis’ estate, at an auction house in Marquis Palatio’s estate—

“Ha-ha-ha-ha~!”

Alexion, once the famed appraiser, now the owner of the auction house, let out a boisterous laugh in his office.

Despite sleeping barely four hours a day, he couldn’t help but revel in his current life.

The reason? Money.

Alexion was earning so much that it felt like he was reliving his golden days in the backstreets of Raksas.

To put it in perspective: he had already recouped every penny he had grudgingly invested thanks to Satan’s menacing glare.

And that wasn’t all.

Running the auction house under Marquis Palatio’s name had brought him a slew of goodwill and connections.

All without lifting a finger.

Simply opening the auction house in the Marquis’ estate was enough for people to assume he had ties to the Marquis, earning him not goodwill—

No.

“Ha-ha-ha—”

He was being bribed.

Clink, clink!

Alexion repeatedly dipped his hands into the two boxes on his desk.

The boxes brimmed with valuable items.

He lifted them up and let them fall back with a soft clatter.

Just looking at it filled him with joy.

He couldn’t help but smile, feeling that the grueling months of hard work were finally paying off.

The fact that this wealth came from someone else’s status made it all the sweeter.

It was free money, unearned, like stumbling upon a fortune.

While he was basking in this euphoria—

Knock, knock~!

A knock sounded at his office door, and he responded cheerfully,

“Come in.”

But—

The moment he saw who walked in, he froze.

“Oh my—”

A man stepped in leisurely,

“You’ve certainly been enjoying the fruits of your labor.”

“…What?”

It was someone who should not have been here.

“…Radan?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

The Pirate King of Raksas, Radan, greeted him with a sly smile.

For a brief moment, Alexion gaped in disbelief.

Before he could even ask how Radan got here,

“So, you’ve been enjoying a lot of bribes, haven’t you?”

Radan’s words cut through the silence.

Alexion stammered,

“Ah, well… you see… this was all meant for you!”

“Is that so?”

“Ha-ha-ha, of course! Since these goods came through the Marquis’ status, it’s only natural to share some of it with you…!”

Alexion tried to slyly create an opening.

But—

“Some of it?”

“Ah—ha-ha-ha, no, no, more than half! I mean, I did put in some effort too, so…”

“You think you need the rest?”

At Radan’s next words—

“…No.”

“Then?”

“…I’ll give it all to you.”

Alexion nodded obediently.

And then—

“That’s the right choice.”

Radan nodded along with him.

Watching Radan, Alexion cursed inwardly,

‘This damn sea bass…’

But outwardly,

“Could I get a cup of coffee?”

“Of course, I’ll get it right away.”

He hurriedly bowed his head and forced a grin.

A grin full of desperation to survive.